The Lakes Region Curling Association is back on the ice!

by Lori Tremblay

It’s time to get on the ice (officially called sheets) with the Lakes Region Curling Association. Attracting members from all around Lake Winnipesaukee, the organization has eight weekly curling sessions from mid-January to mid-March. Matches are from 5-7 p.m. Sundays at the Pop Whalen Ice & Arts Arena, 390 Pine Hill Road in Wolfeboro. 

According to Rich Masse, president of the Lakes Region Curling Association (LRCA), after the registration notice for the current season was sent out in late summer, the response was impressive. He said there were more people that wanted to join than they could accommodate. Masse said he was encouraged to see how many people want to learn about or try curling. Currently, there are about 36 curlers, which is more than enough for eight teams. Masse pointed out that this is a recreational league and most new curlers have not curled before.  They are teamed up with more experienced curlers and the emphasis is on having fun and learning the game. Masse said, “A lot of friendships have been made.” 

After the fall 2020 and the winter 2021 seasons of the curling association were canceled due to Covid, it’s picked right back up and it’s going strong, Masse said.  “It’s great to be back on the ice!”

The Lakes Region Curling Association got started a year after the 2014 Olympics. A friend asked Masse to help organize a curling event and Masse agreed.  Five friends got together and none of them had curled before.  They took curling classes at Plymouth State University with David Gyger, currently Ice Arena manager at the university. 

It took the friends a year to plan and raise money for the club.  Used curling stones then were $300 each.  They paid a deposit and bought 64 stones on installments.  Today, they have 80 stones. Curling stones are made of granite and weigh about 42 pounds. According to www.chaskacurlingcenter.com, curling stones come from only two quarries in the world, in Scotland and Wales. The stones are made from three types of quartz-free granite, which have low water absorption. This prevents the action of repeatedly freezing water from eroding the stone. Because the stones are so specialized, they are expensive.

The friends soon felt ready to connect with the community. They sent out an introductory letter about a curling club in 2015 and 50 people showed up. That was more than enough for teams that consist of four players each.  “We were off and running and haven’t looked back,” Masse said.

Out of the original five founding members, two remain.  The club has now evolved into the Lakes Region Curling Association, a 501 C-3 nonprofit organization with nine board members and four officers.

Interest in curling has grown, especially because of the popularity of the sport in the Winter Olympics.  In the 2018 Olympics, Team USA’s men’s squad won a gold medal in curling and is returning to defend their title this year.  The United States has a Men’s, Women’s and Paralympic Wheelchair Team competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

According to the World Curling Federation, the sport has a long history, dating back to its origin on Scotland’s icy lochs and ponds in the early 1500s. The first recognized curling clubs were formed in Scotland. The first rules were also drawn up in Scotland. They were formally adopted as the “Rules in Curling” by the Grand Caledonian Curling Club, which was formed in Edinburgh in 1838 and became the sport’s governing body.

During the 19th century the game was exported wherever Scots settled around the world in cold climates, mostly at that time in Canada, United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand.  Curling was first demonstrated at the 1924 Winter Olympics, but it didn’t become an official Olympic sport until 1998.  For a more detailed history of the game, the World Curling Organization gives an interesting account. https://worldcurling.org/about/history/

Curling is sometimes referred to as “chess on ice” because of the strategy involved and “the roaring game” because of the noise the stones make traveling across the ice.  Interestingly, the ice is not completely smooth. There are miniscule water droplets that are placed and frozen to create “pebbled ice” along the length of the sheet to help with the stone’s grip.  Players vigorously sweep the ice in front of the stone’s path with a broom to either change the speed or the direction of the stones. Masse said that the markings for the game are painted on a sheet of ice, then covered over with multiple layers of ice so that the markings don’t scratch off.

Basically, in curling, there are two teams of four players each. The team consists of a lead player, who slides the first two stones; a second, who plays the third and fourth stones; a third, who plays the fifth and sixth stones; and a fourth, who plays the last two stones. The aim of the sport is to slide the stones to proper targets on the ice.  Each team has eight stones (rocks), which are sent on the ice toward a target (house), which looks like a bullseye, 150 feet away. The team closest to the target wins.  This process is repeated six to ten rounds called “ends” until one team wins.  The team captain (the Skip) calls the shots which have the best chance for victory.

  The stones have a predetermined rotation so that they curl, traveling the ice (which is where the name curling comes from).  Skill is involved with the delivery of the stone down an imaginary straight line toward the target (house).  Opposing teams can try to block stones (guard), knock the stones out (takeout) or try to score (draws).  Sportsmanship and good conduct are also an important factor in the game.

Locally, at the Lakes Region Curling Association, emphasis is on friendly competition, sportsmanship and fun. League play is open to men and women aged 14 and over.  The youngest female player on this season’s league is a high school senior who has played for a few years already.  Curling is fun for anyone, regardless of age, gender or athletic ability, according to Nicolien Buholzer’s blog, I tried curling – and now I know why it’s one of the most popular Olympic sports. 

An unpublicized Learn to Curl clinic for new curlers was held in January and about nine people attended. Masse said that the league was already pretty full so they weren’t looking for a lot of new members.  Also, because of Covid concerns, they wanted to be able to space the players and not be too crowded.

 There will be another curling clinic during the Wolfeboro Bay Winter Carnival: “Winter Wonderland” on Sunday, February 13, held at the Pop Whalen Ice & Arts Arena in Wolfeboro.  This is a free, two-hour clinic for six to eight people, with two groups scrimmaging at the end.  For more information, check the Wolfeboro Park and Rec website: www.wolfeboronh.us/parks-recreation.

Masse commented, “Even in a small state like ours, curling has taken off.  Interest really peaks after the Olympics.” New Hampshire has four curling venues: Lakes Region Curling Association, Mount Washington Valley Curling Club, Plymouth State University and the Nashua Curling Club.

 For more information about the LCRA, see www.lakescurlingnh.org.