Head on over to facebook.com/stlcurlingclub and check out our newest album, 'Spring 2014 Schedule and Membership Options.' There are lots of curling opportunities coming up!
Come Learn to Curl, practice your skills in Game Play, or join League!
Wednesday, April 02, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Regular Ice Time Announced
Today, the St. Louis Curling Club and City of Creve Coeur announced our partnership; the ice rink located at 11400 Olde Cabin Road in Creve Coeur (Olive, just east of 270, to South on Craig Road) will be our new regular ice.
To start, the Curling Club is offering Learn to Curl sessions where participants can learn the basics of the game and play a short game in an hour. The sessions will be held on Saturday evenings at 6pm and 7pm in March and April, excluding April 19 (Easter weekend). Cost is $25 per person.
Additional programming may be added in the coming weeks.
Participants can register for all programming by calling Creve Coeur Ice Rink at 314-432-3961.
We hope to see you soon!
To start, the Curling Club is offering Learn to Curl sessions where participants can learn the basics of the game and play a short game in an hour. The sessions will be held on Saturday evenings at 6pm and 7pm in March and April, excluding April 19 (Easter weekend). Cost is $25 per person.
Additional programming may be added in the coming weeks.
Participants can register for all programming by calling Creve Coeur Ice Rink at 314-432-3961.
We hope to see you soon!
Friday, February 07, 2014
Upcoming Meet and Greet Events
Interested in learning more about curling? Want to join the effort to get St. Louisans on the ice?
Join us at one of four events where you'll be able to watch Olympic curling, check out equipment up close, and discuss the game and the future of the club.
Check out our Facebook page, facebook.com/stlcurlingclub, then join us at one of the following events:
Sunday, February 16:
2pm at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, MO
4pm at Buffalo Wild Wings in O'Fallon, IL...
Thursday, February 20:
7pm at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, MO
Friday, February 21:
5pm at Buffalo Wild Wings in O'Fallon, IL
We hope to see you soon!
Join us at one of four events where you'll be able to watch Olympic curling, check out equipment up close, and discuss the game and the future of the club.
Check out our Facebook page, facebook.com/stlcurlingclub, then join us at one of the following events:
Sunday, February 16:
2pm at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, MO
4pm at Buffalo Wild Wings in O'Fallon, IL...
Thursday, February 20:
7pm at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, MO
Friday, February 21:
5pm at Buffalo Wild Wings in O'Fallon, IL
We hope to see you soon!
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Status of the Club
An Open Letter to Potential Curlers, Friends, and Members of the St. Louis Curling Club:
As many know, the St. Louis Curling Club is currently without a home after the US Ice Sports Complex in Fairview Heights, IL sustained subsidence damage in the summer of 2012. At this point, it is clear that the rink will not re-open in the foreseeable future.
Naturally, members of the Club are anxious to g...et back on the ice. Additionally, with the Winter Olympics right around the corner, interest in the sport of Curling has never been higher in the St. Louis area. Dozens of potential new curlers visit the club’s now-woefully outdated blog and Facebook page each day.
Now is the time to capture the enthusiasm for the sport of Curling and re-boot the defunct club!
There are significant challenges. Curling is a capital-intensive sport and a difficult one to arrange for game play.
Curling ice is not the same as hockey or skating ice – it is ‘pebbled.’ Pebbling is a process which takes about 30 minutes, and requires the use of a specialized piece of equipment. The pebbles enable the 44 pound granite stones, which have a concave bottom, to travel the distance of the 150 foot sheet, or area of the ice on which the game is played. Generally lasting about 2 hours, a game requires 16 stones and involves 8 players.
Other required pieces of equipment include hacks, which are a solid starting point for the delivery of a stone, specialized ‘brooms’ for sweeping the ice, and sliders, which substitute for curling shoes and make delivery of the stone possible. Finally, many curlers use a piece of equipment called a stabilizer, which helps the player keep balance during delivery.
Naturally, the price of all this equipment adds up!
However, the higher hurdle than equipment is ice – curling in the St. Louis area faces fierce competition with youth hockey and figure skating for time on arena ice rinks. In addition, many rinks don’t have curling rings – known as ‘the house’ – painted under their ice. Neither of these are impossible to remedy, but require planning months in advance.
Financially, the curling club model will support itself with prudent management – though the start-up costs and efforts are significant, demand is high.
What the Club currently needs to revive itself is a core, energetic group who has time to organize, recruit, and fundraise, as well as maintain a central point of consistent strategy for these activities. Time and organization are critical.
However, the revived club is not starting from scratch! Our Board of Directors is still in place and engaged to guide the process; Club members are still interested – all of whom have walked the road of starting a curling club from scratch before! In addition, the Club has a small amount of starting funds, as well as enough stones to play one game. Owning a set of stones is a significant starting point!
The Club will be hosting meet-and-greet events in both Missouri and Illinois during the Olympics - specific details to be announced soon. Potential curlers will be able to see actual curling equipment up close, watch the sport on TV, and discuss the game with experienced curlers. In addition, we’ll discuss what it will take to re-boot the Club and collect contact information for a later meeting to discuss a more detailed strategy.
Though there are significant hurdles, the St. Louis Curling Club has a future. Please stay tuned to our Facebook page for information on our progress!
We hope to see you soon!
As many know, the St. Louis Curling Club is currently without a home after the US Ice Sports Complex in Fairview Heights, IL sustained subsidence damage in the summer of 2012. At this point, it is clear that the rink will not re-open in the foreseeable future.
Naturally, members of the Club are anxious to g...et back on the ice. Additionally, with the Winter Olympics right around the corner, interest in the sport of Curling has never been higher in the St. Louis area. Dozens of potential new curlers visit the club’s now-woefully outdated blog and Facebook page each day.
Now is the time to capture the enthusiasm for the sport of Curling and re-boot the defunct club!
There are significant challenges. Curling is a capital-intensive sport and a difficult one to arrange for game play.
Curling ice is not the same as hockey or skating ice – it is ‘pebbled.’ Pebbling is a process which takes about 30 minutes, and requires the use of a specialized piece of equipment. The pebbles enable the 44 pound granite stones, which have a concave bottom, to travel the distance of the 150 foot sheet, or area of the ice on which the game is played. Generally lasting about 2 hours, a game requires 16 stones and involves 8 players.
Other required pieces of equipment include hacks, which are a solid starting point for the delivery of a stone, specialized ‘brooms’ for sweeping the ice, and sliders, which substitute for curling shoes and make delivery of the stone possible. Finally, many curlers use a piece of equipment called a stabilizer, which helps the player keep balance during delivery.
Naturally, the price of all this equipment adds up!
However, the higher hurdle than equipment is ice – curling in the St. Louis area faces fierce competition with youth hockey and figure skating for time on arena ice rinks. In addition, many rinks don’t have curling rings – known as ‘the house’ – painted under their ice. Neither of these are impossible to remedy, but require planning months in advance.
Financially, the curling club model will support itself with prudent management – though the start-up costs and efforts are significant, demand is high.
What the Club currently needs to revive itself is a core, energetic group who has time to organize, recruit, and fundraise, as well as maintain a central point of consistent strategy for these activities. Time and organization are critical.
However, the revived club is not starting from scratch! Our Board of Directors is still in place and engaged to guide the process; Club members are still interested – all of whom have walked the road of starting a curling club from scratch before! In addition, the Club has a small amount of starting funds, as well as enough stones to play one game. Owning a set of stones is a significant starting point!
The Club will be hosting meet-and-greet events in both Missouri and Illinois during the Olympics - specific details to be announced soon. Potential curlers will be able to see actual curling equipment up close, watch the sport on TV, and discuss the game with experienced curlers. In addition, we’ll discuss what it will take to re-boot the Club and collect contact information for a later meeting to discuss a more detailed strategy.
Though there are significant hurdles, the St. Louis Curling Club has a future. Please stay tuned to our Facebook page for information on our progress!
We hope to see you soon!
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