As the eyes of the world turn to curling during the Olympics, you might be asking yourself: could there possibly be a league in San Diego?
The answer is, yes! 'Curl San Diego' practices Saturday nights at IceTown skating rink in Carlsbad.
“The usual reaction is people like, ‘What are you talking about?’” laughed Jenny Evans, President of Curl San Diego. “They don’t believe it when you say that we’ve been around since 2006.”
While you may equate San Diego with surfing and sun, curling athletes say their sport is the coolest in town.
“It’s the sociability aspect of it too,” said Heather Wilhelm, a member of Curl San Diego who has been on the team for four years. “Everyone likes to come hang out and socialize and have a good time.”
The rules of curling are simple: slide a 42 pound curling stone (also known as a rock) towards a target, also called a house.
The goal is to get as close to the center of the house as possible. Each team gets 8 stones to try.
Local
Two players sweep the ice in front of the stone to warm it, reducing friction. This makes the rock move straighter, or makes it 'curl' to the left or right.
“It’s one of those things that it looks really easy on TV and everyone thinks, ‘Oh, I can do that and I’ll be in the Olympics,’” said Evans. “But it’s really hard and there’s a ton of skill to it.”
For some on the team, the sport is more like a way of life.
“I’m Canadian, so my parents met playing in a curling tournament,” said Wilhelm.
Although players say anyone can try curling, even those that are 90-year-old and in a wheelchair, they add one must be careful. There is the chance of slipping on the ice during the game.
Athletes say the sport also requires quite a bit of arm and upper body strength, as well as leg lunges to launch the stone.
