Winter Olympics gold medal for U.S. men boosts interest in curling in Wisconsin
Meg Jones
CEDARBURG - Forty curling novices skidded and slipped Sunday, smiling, hollering and laughing as they tried out a sport millions have watched on TV for the last couple of weeks.
None had ever tossed a rock or frantically pushed a broom on ice before. These were folks who probably thought bonspiel was a craft beer and if asked the definition of hammer, sheet and house, would undoubtedly give non-curling answers.
A day after the United States' men's curling team won an unexpected Olympic gold medal, the Milwaukee Curling Club was busy. Like crazy busy.
Three two-hour "Learn to Curl" classes on Sunday had sold out weeks earlier, each session drawing 40 people who wanted to see what all the fuss on ice is about.
As the American men's team made a dramatic comeback in the Pyeongchang Olympics, defeating the Canadians not just once but twice, and then found itself in the gold medal match against Sweden, many people sitting at home on their Barcaloungers apparently Googled "where can I curl in Wisconsin?"
"We always get a boost every four years," said Milwaukee Curling Club membership director Chris Apel. "This is a bigger bump than normal. This is an exceptional year with the success of the American team."
As the fortunes of the American men's team soared, the Milwaukee Curling Club added 10 more "Learn to Curl" classes at its facility in Cedarburg and as of 2 p.m. Sunday only three dozen of the 400 added slots were still open.
The class costs $25 per person and includes two hours of instruction by volunteers, equipment and pizza and beverages afterward. Curling season runs October to the end of March and Apel said around one-quarter of the people who take a class in October eventually sign up for an annual membership. The club offers a rookie league on three weekends in March plus two more weekends in October.
Sure, curling might look like something that started a couple of hundred years ago when someone said to a friend, "Hold my beer while I push this stone across some ice," but it's actually a game that involves much strategy.
Curling is also a sport that the rest of the world could learn from — there are no referees, players police themselves and when they make an infraction, like accidentally moving a stone that's in play, they immediately notify the other team. The rules dictate that opponents literally treat each other with kindness.
"It is a game based on total sportsmanship," said Apel. "It's about being honest and doing what's right for the sport."
Considering how cold it gets in the winter, Wisconsin is naturally a hotbed of curling. Two of the Olympic gold medal winners were from Wisconsin — Matt Hamilton of McFarland and skip John Shuster of Superior. Around 3,000 active curlers play at around 30 clubs in the state, which also hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Curling Association in Stevens Point.
The Milwaukee Curling Club, the oldest existing curling club in the U.S., is older than Wisconsin. It was founded in 1845 by a group of curlers who gathered on the frozen Milwaukee River to toss rocks — the term for sliding a 42-pound round granite stone with a handle toward three concentric circles known as the house.
RELATED: Winter Olympics: 17 unforgettable moments from Pyeongchang
RELATED: U.S. curling team's enthusiasm is contagious
RELATED: Winter Olympics: John Shuster wins USA's first curling gold
No Milwaukee Curling Club members have participated in the Olympics, said Apel, though as he gazed out at the enthusiastic newbies who seemed to be having the time of their lives sweeping and throwing rocks he said, "Maybe someone from this group out here in four years."
Kay Howell and her fiancé, Matt Ryno, of Milwaukee signed up because "we're just nerds, we like unusual sports," Ryno said.
Howell was surprised to find out it was easier to balance on the ice than she expected while also realizing the stones were heavier than they look on TV.
"It just sounded like something fun to do. Every four years we remember what curling is," said Howell.
Ryan Ohlfs of Batavia was on the ice Sunday with his wife, Lindsay, her brother and sister-in-law, and his in-laws. Ohlfs said his mother-in-law signed everyone up for a fun family outing so they could try something new.
He watched Olympics curling highlights online and was eager to give it a try. Taking a break from frantically sweeping the ice with a broom, Ohlfs said he might come back again, if only to learn more about the sport.
"I didn't really know how scoring worked," said Ohlfs.
One of the volunteer instructors on Sunday was Nick McLellan, who was just like the "Learn to Curl" students eight years ago.
He watched curling coverage at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and thought "what is that?" His mother found out about the class, he signed up and quickly got hooked. Now he plays on Wednesdays in a league with his father
"It makes the winter go fast," said McLellan.
Just like any sport, some people take to it right away, others struggle before getting the hang of things. It's not a physical sport, but it does require some flexibility. The age range of the 300 active members of the Milwaukee Curling Club is 6 to 92 years old.
The appeal of curling is the camaraderie — foes on the ice almost always have a drink or meal with each other afterward — as well as the subtlety of an intricate game.
"I love the strategic aspect; it's like golf. A lot of it is the strategy and also being part of a team," said McLellan.
For more information about metro Milwaukee curling clubs: Milwaukee Curling Club, milwaukeecurlingclub.com; Kettle Moraine Curling Club in Hartland, kmcurlingclub.com; Wauwatosa Curling Club, wauwatosacurlingclub.com; and Racine Curling Club, racinecurlingclub.com.