Reviewed by: Elizabeth Hobbs
Huntsville is home to the Olympics’ most fascinating sport: curling
Reading time: 4 minutes
The U.S. Mixed Doubles Curling Team just went home with the Olympic silver medal, only the third medal in the sport the U.S. has ever won. With all the hype about curling across the Internet right now, I tried it right here in Huntsville. Spoiler: it’s harder than it looks.
Curling is one of the largest growing winter sports in the U.S., and Huntsville is no exception. Huntsville is home to the Rocket City Curling League, the first curling league in the state and one of the largest across the Southeast.
Take a look
Huntsville’s curling history
Huntsville’s curling club was founded in 2018, when there was a lot of excitement about the sport after the U.S. men’s team took home a gold medal in the sport. Since then, it has grown to its present size of 150+ members and hosts league play year-round.
The Rocket City Curling Club is also a registered nonprofit, dedicated to growing the sport of curling across North AL through lessons, watch parties and leagues dedicated to beginners.
Huntsville is also in the process of expanding the Ice Sports Center for a dedicated five-sheet curling rink—a huge step forward for the sport’s prominence in the Southeast.
What is curling?
Curling is a sport where teams take turns sliding granite stones (“rocks”) toward a circular target (“the House”) — while teammates sweep the ice in front of the stone to allow it to change direction (“curl”) as it travels nearly 130 feet down the ice (“sheet”). It’s a jargon-heavy sport.
Points are scored by having the centermost stone in the house at the close of each “end.” This process is repeated across eight ends that make up a game.
The game also requires a slew of specialized equipment, including the shoes, brush, stone, starting block, and ice itself. This equipment is used so that a team can accurately throw and curl their stones.
My experience
Curling is a complicated sport. I was confused by almost every technical aspect—even the scoreboard is difficult to read. Also, the actual participation in curling is not as easy as it looks from the couch.
The (incredibly) slick shoe sole alongside the considerable weight of the stone make the initial throw a much less graceful process for a beginner. The sweeping is also difficult, as players must focus on sweeping a small surface area of ice in the right direction and with the right amount of force all while moving down the sheet with the stone.
With all of these aspects at play, I quickly realized that my car ride assumption that I would be “a natural” would not come true.
Despite my evident failure at my initial throws, I found the Rocket City Curling Club members to be kind teachers and supportive cheerleaders. The league is made up of an involved and supportive community that adheres to, as League secretary Brice Russ puts it, “the spirit of curling.”
“It’s basically this concept where, no matter whether you are winning or losing, you’re always having a great time; you’re always exhibiting good sportsmanship. You’re always cheering for the other team’s shots and never trying to “boo” the other team, and that extends off the ice, too.”
Brice Russ, Rocket City Curling League Secretary
Try it for yourself
The Rocket City Curling Club currently curls at the Ice Sports Center. Currently, they meet weekly for their winter league, but registration for their spring “Launch League” for beginners is open now.
Additionally, several “Learn to Curl” events are happening soon, with slots still open on Saturday, February 28, 7-8:30 PM and Saturday, March 21, 5:30-7 PM.
They also host a variety of events off of the ice, such as their Olympic watch parties:
- Sunday, 2/15 at 12:00 P, USA Men vs Norway
- Saturday, 2/21 at 11:30 AM Men’s Gold Medal Match
Find more about the Rocket City Curling Club:
Want to learn more about fun clubs in Huntsville? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
