CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Curling Association is already gearing up for the Winter Olympics and those interested in the sport can participate too.
Have you ever watched curlers during the Olympics and wondered, "how is the game actually played?" Well, we took that very question to the experts over at Charlotte Curling.
Kristen Conrad, like many other people at home, was watching the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and said Curling caught her attention.
"There was a lot of TV coverage and I saw it and 'I really want to that," Conrad reminisced. "'I thought is there a place where I can do that?' And there was."
Shortly after Conrad's first meetup with the curling group, she said she was hooked.
"A week later I bought my own shoes and was just into it," Conrad said.
It wasn't hard for Conrad to fall in love with this sport, but said the community aspect of the game really took her passion to a new level.
"We have a really diverse group," Conrad said. "Especially in age. We've got everybody from 5-years-olds to 90-years-old. It's a very welcoming group, we're more like family."
Curling is actually a pretty easy sport for anyone to get into, Conrad said. That's another reason she loves it so much.
"It takes a while to get particularly good but anybody can come out and try it," Conrad said.
Conrad said you can have a disability and still curl.
"We have a blind curler, which is fantastic. So everybody's got a way that they can curl," Conrad said.
For those a little hesitant about stepping out on the ice, Conrad said don't be.
"So if you into a normal ice area it's completely flat and slippery," Conrad said. "The ice is actually textured and it's got some pebble to it."
Conrad said everyone who's on the ice will wear special shoes or rubber attachments that help them grip the ice.
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles.
Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite rocks, also called stones, across the ice curling sheet toward the house, a circular target marked on the ice.
Each team has eight stones, with each player throwing two. The purpose is to accumulate the highest score for a game; points are scored for the stones resting closest to the center of the house at the conclusion of each end, which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones. A game usually consists of eight or ten ends.
LEARN TO CURL
Those interested in learning how to Curl can visit Charlotte Curling and sign up for a session. Click here to book a session.
Charlotte Curling is located at 6525 Old Statesville Rd., Charlotte, NC 28269.
From I-77: Take exit 16A for route 21 and Sunset Road EAST. Travel east approximately 1.3 miles, make a U-turn at the light for Gibbon Road, and go another 0.3 miles until you see the signs on the right.
From I-85: Take exit 38 for I-77 North, then follow the directions above.
Contact Meilin at mtompkins@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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