By D.A. Reed, WKTV Contributing Writer

Continuing a local history of the sport of curling which the Grand Rapids Curling Club “didn’t even know” about initally, the club is bringing a taste of the Winter Olympics to West Michigan by offering curling lessons and leagues at the Kentwood Ice Arena.

“We are getting more and more people who want to try curling,” said Greg Robinson, president of the Grand Rapids Curling Club. “They see it on the Olympics and want to try it. … We have seen curlers as young as 8 and as old as 90. It is an approachable sport that you can play for a long time.”

Curling has a strong history in Grand Rapids. Robinson said the club discovered records in the Grand Rapids Public Library archives that show a curling club was started in 1897 and was very successful until it dissolved slowly in the late 1920s.

“We are standing on history we didn’t even know we had,” said Robinson. “We aren’t starting a new club, we are restarting one that had gotten lost to history. We want to build upon that.”

While the history of curling in the Grand Rapids area goes back a century, the modern history of the sport started just last year as the Kentwood Ice Arena, a part of Kentwood Public Schools, reached out to the GR Curling Club in the summer of 2021 with an offer to host curling lessons and leagues for the club.

It is the first time the ice arena has been used as a venue for curling, and Philip Sweeney, KPS manager of campus operations and events, said that configuring a schedule to ensure the ice is ready for curling while also hosting hockey and other ice events was a challenge.

“Hockey ice versus curling ice is very different,” Sweeney said. “We need an hour to get the ice ready for curling.”

The challenge, however, did not deter the rink or the curling club. They began by offering Learn to Curl classes on Saturday nights and then began developing leagues on Sunday mornings.

“This is a process that is now starting to come to fruition,” Sweeney said. “We now offer corporate events as well.”

Robinson said that the two-hour “Learn to Curl” classes have been a hit with community members, with many saying they want to do it again.

“We hope curling will become more of a hobby than a curiosity,” he said.

A fun sport for old and new

West Michigan resident Kristina King recently began curling after a recommendation from a co-worker who is also a member of the GR Curling Club. “She talked me into joining the league with her and it all progressed from there,” King said.

Like many others, King watched curling as part of the Winter Olympics over the years — with shouts of “Sweep!” at the television screen being her only engagement with the sport.

After trying it, however, King found she enjoys curling.

“It seemed like a sport that I could get better at slowly without being too hard on myself for not being good at it the first time I tried,” she said. “You definitely have to give yourself some grace when learning a new sport on such a slippery surface.

“It has been somewhat of a life lesson being able to laugh at my ‘newborn fawn’ stature on the ice and having everyone around you show support and encouragement.”

King has also been impressed with both Kentwood Ice Arena and the GR Curling Club, mentioning the friendly and inviting atmosphere, staff willingness to answer questions, and easy to use facilities.

“The instructors do a great job of teaching at a level of the crowd,” King said. “I feel as though they balance the class very well and don’t overwhelm you with the technicalities on the very first try.”

Like her co-worker, King has begun recruiting friends to try out the sport.

“My friend, Kristina, was looking for a fourth teammate for an upcoming bonspiel (tournament). I thought, why not?” said Susan Yaw, a Learn to Curl class member. Yaw admitted that she never really gave curling a thought up until that point, but that she is “always willing to try (almost) anything once.”

Yaw said that she found her time at Kentwood Ice Arena and with GR Curling Club members to be enjoyable, even planning to join a Sunday league to get more time on the ice and hone her skills.

“They were very well organized from the registration process through the time I walked out the door,” Yaw said. “The instructors did a wonderful job breaking down the throwing and sweeping motions and teaching the rules and scoring of the game.”

Yaw urges others to try the sport as well.

“I would highly recommend anyone who thinks they might be remotely interested in learning about curling to attend the next Learn to Curl. A couple of tricks to make it more enjoyable … dress warmly and make sure you use rubber bands on your shoes for traction!”

Current and future home in Kentwood

Sweeney believes curling will be a mainstay at Kentwood Ice Arena.

“We envision a 5-year plan where curling becomes a major portion of our ice arena and our business,” Sweeney said. “We have a great partnership with the Grand Rapids Curling Club. They are great people who are excited to grow enthusiasm for the sport.”

Robinson agrees that curling is here to stay in West Michigan.

“This is our first year…and we are over 70 members strong,” Robinson said. “We have had eight classes since the start of the season in October, and all have sold out.”

Part of Robinson’s hopes include the possibility for starting up a junior program since their partnership with KPS has been so successful. “We have had their full support,” Robinson said. “It’s been wonderful.”

Interested community members can sign up for curling lessons on the Grand Rapids Curling Club website: grcurling.com, and also their Facebook page: facebook.com/GRcurling.
 

Health and COVID protocols for Kentwood Ice Arena and the GR Curling Club are outlined in the registration process.