Buried deep within the forests of northern Wisconsin is a place for athletes to hone their skills in the art of curling.
Recently I took a trip up to Rice Lake for a snowmobiling trip. Unfortunately, there was no snow on the ground, so instead we went ice fishing. As you could imagine, staring at a hole in the ice for multiple hours at a time is no fun. We needed something to squelch our boredom. The family ventured into town, and I will never forget what we found: The Rice Lake Curling Club.
It was the answer to our prayers. The facility contained four fully-operational surfaces for games, and all the equipment was generously supplied to beginners.
Now despite what people actually believe, curling is a very difficult sport to master. The stones are made of granite, and therefore very heavy. The object of curling is to slide the stone along the ice towards a bull’s-eye, and have the stone stop in or on the bull’s-eye. Two people using special brooms have the ability to steer or speed up the stone by sweeping the ice in front of the stone.
After a few tosses and much frustration, the helpful people working there showed my friends and me some techniques. They were very nice and patient, as we probably looked like fools in their eyes. After about an hour of practice, we held a competitive game with a different group of people. We lost of course, but the experience was great. I wish I could go back.
By Tyler Greene
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