EAST LANSING, Mich. — You might have seen curling at the Winter Olympics. But did you know you can learn to curl right here in mid-Michigan?
The Lansing Curling Club is helping you test out your skills on the ice with their Learn to Curl event this Friday.
Curling catches the nation's attention at the Olympics every four years.
"It's played with four people on each side. They take turns throwing a stone at a set of rings, that's a good distance down the ice. And you have people sweeping and getting that down the ice a little bit farther, straighter, faster," said the president of the Lansing Curling Club Mitch Raeck. "The object of the game is to get the rock closest to the rings before your opponent's next closest rock. And that's kind of what scores it. So the more you have before your opponent, that's what you get."
The Lansing Curling Club has been around since 2010 and has been sliding across the ice at Suburban Ice in East Lansing for the last four years.
At Friday's event, "you get a chance to get out on the ice, throw a couple of rocks, learn to sweep, learn about the basics of the slide of all the stuff in curling, and you'll even get to play an end or two," Raeck said. "You don't have to be a crazy great athlete to be good at the game and enjoy it. And that's a wonderful thing about this sport."
And even if your mobility is limited, Raeck says they will have things in place to help you have fun.
"We have some barrier lifts. You know, stick curling kind of things is a little bit more like shuffleboard there. But even if you know you don't have great hips or knees, people have been able to play and enjoy it for years," Raeck said.
Aaron Carlson is the vice president of the club and has been curling for 14 years. He's been doing to the national championships since he was a teenager and is excited to help people with their techniques.
"It doesn't take a lot of practice to get started. Anyone can get started. It only takes a few tries and a couple of minutes of practice and you can be out here playing games with these guys," Carlson said. "It's a really positive community. Every game starts and ends with a handshake and you wish your teammates and competitors good curling."
The event will be held from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at Suburban Ice. The cost is $30 per person. Those who wish to participate should bring warm clothes and clean flat shoes. Jeans are prohibited.
You can learn more about the Lansing Curling Club and future events on their website. To register for the event click here.
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