With curling on the Olympic schedule, many local curlers want to build awareness of the sport. Here’s what they want you to know. – Milwaukee Journal…

With the Olympic games coming up soon in Beijing, spectators will become instant fans of all manner of sports, including those they might not otherwise be aware of. One of those sports: curling.

Besides being a competitive sport at the Olympic level, it's popular as an amateur sport, as well. Local experts say it's easy to learn, can be played by nearly anyone of any age and doesn't take a lot of money to get started.

Curlinghas been around theMilwaukee area for more than 100 years and iseven one of the oldest team sports,havingstarted in the 16th century in Scotland, according to the World Curling Federation.

Curling was introduced as an Olympic sport at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

The Milwaukee Curling Club, based in Cedarburg, formed in 1845 and is the oldest curling club in the United States, said club president Jim Rasche. The Wauwatosa Curling Club is celebrating its 100-year anniversary, according to its website.

Curling will be played during the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb 4.-20, where USA men's curling teamTeam Shuster, which includes John Shuster of Superior and Matt Hamilton of McFarland,will defend their gold medal.

More: Disabilities don't slow down these veterans, who are learning to curl at the Wauwatosa Curling Club

More: Winter Olympics gold medal for U.S. men boosts interest in curling in Wisconsin

But despite the sport's longevity, many people aren't familiar with the sport, said Tom Howell, a member of the Kettle Moraine Curling Club in Hartland.

Howell grew up playing the sport in New Jersey, competed competitively and made it tothe Olympic trial finals in 2017 and 2021before his team, Team Dropkin, lostto Team Shuster both times.

Howell, who is a member of the defending national curling champion team, plans to help his team defend its title during nationals from Jan. 2-9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Howell, 27, saidhe and his team might also try to qualifyfor the 2026 winterOlympics.

Another goal: to help spread awareness of the sport.

Although he is an accomplished player, he finds it hard to describe the sport.

"It is a lot harder than it looks," he said. "I say it is like shuffleboard on ice crossed withchess on ice. You use a lot of smaller muscle groups."

Each of the four players on a team (the lead, the second, the vice and the skip) takes a turn slidinga 44-pound granite weight (the stone) down a sheet of icetowarda target area of four concentric circles.A traditional curling match lasts for10 ends, or rounds.

Only one team can score points per end. The team whose stone is closest to the center of the target gets the point;additional points are given to the scoring team based on stonepositions compared to the opponents' best stone position.

During the Olympics, you might notice an LED light flash on the stone, which indicates that the stone was released past the hog line. Competitors who step over the line are disqualified from the match.

Howell said that one thing people might not know about curling is how friendly it is. More than in any other sport, it'snatural for a curling team to bondwith its competitor, he said.

"With curling, when you play, it is natural to sit and talk with the other team. I played basketball, soccer andbasketball, and you don't know your opponents as well. You do not know them outside of the sport," said Howell, who lives in Shorewood and graduated from Marquette University.

"I think people don't know about the social aspect of the sport," he said.

In most leagues and tournaments, the custom is for the two competing teams tohave a drink or come together over a long table.But Howell admitted that when the sport gets more competitive such as during the Olympics and its trials that tradition is not kept as much.

Even then, though, Rasche said that every game, at all levels, begins and ends with both teams saying "Good curling" and giving the other team a firm handshake.

The winners often buy the losers a drink, he added.

"It is all about sportsmanship, and there is no showboating," said Rasche.

Craig Sharkus, who ownscurling supply storeRock on Curling,based out of the Kettle Moraine Curling Club, said people can learn the sport at almost any age and can play throughout their life.

"It is a sport for 6-year-olds to 96-year olds," he said. Sharkus, who played the sport for 44 years,said children as young as 4 or 5can start learning the sport, or people can pick it up as adults.

"It is a lifelong sport," he emphasized. He said regularly sees club members who play into their 90s.

Rasche said at the Milwaukee Curling Club, there are members in their 80s who regularly come.

"Curling is not a sport where one's prime is 16. There is a lot more longevity," Howell noted, adding thatmany Olympians are in their 20s tolate 30s.

An attractive quality of the game is that it takes little specialized equipment. Players can curl wearing tennis shoes, just slipping on rubbers over their shoes for more traction on the ice.

The curling club, itself, providesstones, brooms and all the other equipment.

"It is easy to get started," said Sharkus. "It is a nonphysical sport, and it relies on finesse."

Curling is also easily adapted to those with disabilities as one can still curl with walking aids or a wheelchair, saidSharkus. Because it is a noncontact sport, it is easy to do it at the recreational level.Wheelchair curling became a Paralympic sportin Torino in 2006.

Curling is also easy to pick up.

Michael Crowley of Waukesha tried curling after a work-related meeting was held at the Milwaukee Curling Club. After the meeting, he was asked if he wanted to try curling.

He admits he mightnot have been the most prepared to try any sport as he was wearing a suit and tie and dress shoes. But he did, and was impressed.

"I watched a few people, and I copied them," he said. "You need to have a delicate touch. I did pretty well. It is relaxing, requires patience, persistence and a keen eye for distance and speed.

"I saw some people there play in the 70s, 80s and 90s. This is a sport you can play your whole life and be social with. It brings people together."

"It can be the next bowling wave," he added. The way he sees it, curling would gain in popularity if the clubs were as common as bowling alleys.

"If I run into money, it would be phenomenal to invest in one. Waukesha needs something like this. It appears to be an easy sport to learn, and it is a fun, nonstressful event," he said.

While many people enjoy curling, it remains strictly an amateur sport. There are no college scholarships or professional teams where you get paid just to play, at least not in the United States, said Howell.

The sport mostly consists of leagues, invitationaltournaments andcompetitivetournaments calledbonspiels.

Howellsaid there is a national teamand a world curling tour that is very competitive. Getting on the national team takes a bit of luck and depends on how well your team is doing. It helps if your team is funded, he added.

Rasche said other countries have professional teams, but not in the United States. "We have volunteers. We (at the Milwaukee Curling Club) have a great group of volunteers. But we don't have a professional team, but U.S. won the gold (in the 2018 Olympics)," he said. "It is a great sport ... one of the best."

The Milwaukee Curling Club does a Learn to Curl series for a two-hour session for $30. Upcoming dates and times are 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 31; 1 to 3 p.m., 4 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 1 and 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 2.

To register, visitmilwaukeecurlingclub.com.

Wauwatosa has free Learn to Curl sessions, but the next ones scheduled has filled up. To see the schedule for upcoming events, visit wauwatosacurlingclub.com.

Racine Curling Club also has a Learn to Curl series. For an updated schedule, visit racinecurlingclub.com.

The Wauwatosa Curling Club has sessions for adaptive curling that are designed for people who need accommodations. It offersfree adaptive curling from 11 a.m. to noonJan. 8. To register, visitbit.ly/adaptivecurling.

Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.

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With curling on the Olympic schedule, many local curlers want to build awareness of the sport. Here's what they want you to know. - Milwaukee Journal...