CINCINNATI, Ohio— Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the game of curling but never knew where to go? The Cincinnati Curling Club now has a brand new facility and teaching over one hundred new curlers the game.
- The Cincinnati Curling club now has over 150 members, more than doubling in size since the fall
- They opened their new facility in October which includes a warm room with a bar as well as ice made specifically for curling
- The club offers learn to curl events as well as instructional leagues
The Cincinnati Curling Club has gained popularity, doubling its membership over the last season because of this brand-new facility.
It’s a game not a lot of people know how to play. But at the Cincinnati Curling Club, they try to make it as easy as possible on newcomers by hosting learn to curl events and instructional leagues.
“It started out one time, just for fun, and then we signed up for the instructional league for February,” said new member Natalie Carpenter. “It was one of those crazy things where we enjoyed it so much that we keep coming back.”
Jonathan Penney is the president of the club and helps coach many of the beginner’s events. He and his wife moved to Cincinnati in 2012 from Canada. They quickly joined the Cincinnati Curling Club and helped get its new facility with its own ice. Since it opened in October, the club has more than doubled its membership to over 150 people.
“For us to double our membership was a pleasant surprise,” Penney said.
Penney says it’s really not all that difficult to learn the game once you have the basics down.
“We’re sliding a 40-pound granite stone or a rock down the ice 130 feet or so into a set of rings that’s the scoring target,” Penney said. “Whoever’s closest to the middle starts scoring points.”
Curling is more than just being on the ice too. The tradition is for the winners to buy the losers a drink.
“You walk through the warm room, and that’s very deliberate,” Penney said. “The game is similar to golf. After you’re done with your game, you share a drink after the game. You sit down with your opponent, you share stories and learn about each other. It really does become a community.”
“This is something we can do as a team, get some friends, hang out,” Carpenter said. “It’s a really great culture here, and we really like it.”
Penney says these events for beginners has helped him grow interest in the club and get people actually interested in the sport.
“These events help people fall in love with the game a little deeper,” he said. “They become more invested in the game.”
“Memberships vary depending on how intense you want to take the sport. For more information on memberships, visit their website.