Curling has risen in popularity thanks to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where Team USA took home a silver medal in the mixed doubles category. Curling doesn’t have to be an international sport though - in fact - it can be done right in Roanoke.
On Saturday nights, the Berglund Center is filled with pucks and goals. However, less than 24 hours later, participants of the Roanoke Valley Curling Club hit the ice to toss some stones and learn the game of curling.
Each Sunday starts out a little bit slow, according to Hank Ebert of the RVCC.
“At first, the ice is really slow. You’ve really got to throw them down there. But as more people play and the stones kind of sand the ice, then they get faster. Then you have to kind of back off a little bit or you’re going to get straight to the boards.”
The RVCC welcomes all ages and all skill levels each Sunday, and the sport itself takes pride in its accessibility.
“Your fitness level does not matter. Your age does not matter. It’s probably the most accessible sport,” said Alina Shockley, a participant.
“We’ve had youngsters as teenagers, and we have people in our 70’s here. It’s good exercise and a lot of camaraderie and just a lot of fun. I enjoy it,” said Ebert.
After John Schuster’s 2018 gold medal in curling, the United States has seen a steady increase of participants, including the WSLS Sports team who gave the sport a try.
“I think the more people we have in the club, I think it’s going to provide us and them a better opportunity to have teams to play,” concluded Shockley.