Curling Club host open houses to introduce the sport and build community

EAU CLAIRE — The Eau Claire Curling Club (ECCC) is hoping to introduce more people to curling this season by hosting Saturday night open houses for the community throughout the season. Anyone is welcome at these open houses regardless of their knowledge of the sport and experienced curlers will be there to teach the basics for any newcomers.

Curling is an Olympic sport in which two teams take turns sliding heavy, granite stones, called rocks, across the curling sheet, a strip of ice with targets at either end. The goal is to get the stones to settle as close to the center of the target as possible. After one player slides a rock, their team members sweep the ice in front of the rock to influence its trajectory.

This will be ECCC’s first year hosting regular open houses and they hope it will create a low-stakes, fun way to introduce people to the sport.

“A big barrier of entry [for curling] is the season is long and you often have to sign up for a whole season which is a big commitment if you have never played the sport,” said ECCC member and organizer of Saturday open house night Eric Rykal.

Open houses, on the other hand, are a relatively low commitment lasting three hours and costing $10 for adults and $5 for kids. All equipment will be provided by ECCC. Participants only need to bring clean rubber-soled shoes to wear on the ice.

The open houses seek to create a relaxed, almost party-like atmosphere where people can grab food and drink before or after curling.

This is in line with the spirit of curling, which is a very community-oriented sport according to Rykal. Curling has a tradition called broomstacking where opponents sit down to hang out or grab a drink after a match. It’s a level of camaraderie between competitors unique to the sport.

The social element of curling is one of biggest draws of the game, along with its inclusivity to all commitment and skill levels, said ECCC president Fred Fetzer. ECCC typically has 300 to 350 members each year who participate in leagues throughout the week. These leagues vary in how competitive they are and some are even geared towards specific demographics like a couples league.

In addition to the open houses, which are new this year, ECCC will continue to host learn to curl days a few times this season. These are free events completely dedicated to teaching new curlers the sport. The first sessions will be October 26 at 2 and 4:30 p.m. Registration is required and can be done at curlingclub.com.

ECCC is located at 5530 Fairview Drive in Eau Claire. Open houses run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the following Saturdays:

October: 26

November: 9, 23, 30

December: 7, 14, 21

January: 11, 18, 25

February: 8, 15, 22

March: 1, 15, 22, 29

Registration is not necessary for open houses, payment will be collected at the door via cash or card. For more information about open houses or ECCC in general, please visit curlingclub.com .