Photo by: Megan Westervelt

Few students realize that DU has a club curling team. Even Club Curling president Sarah Newman laughs, “Curling is a pretty random sport.”

Curling was founded as a club sport during the 2006-2007 academic year by students Phil Harris and Billy Reynolds. The Winter Olympics that year inspired them to start a curling team of their own at DU.

Because there are so few teams to compete against, the team plays in leagues in Highlands Ranch and Colorado Springs.

The object of the game is to shoot a large granite stone across a sheet of ice towards a target called the “house.” Curling first originated in Scotland and has barely changed over the 450 years it has been a sport.

“We’re the young guys,” said Newman about their competition. “Everyone else is way older than us.”

In March, the curling team finally gets the chance to compete against people their own age. The national College Competition includes teams from mostly eastern and Midwest schools such as Ohio, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The competition has been held in Chicago for the last four years, but Newman speculates that it may be held further west in the future.

“They may move the tournament out west to attract more teams to the sport,” she said.

Of the four teams that practice for Club Curling, three went to nationals this year. The team that Newman dubs the “Newbie Team” earned bronze.

Last year, the curling team brought home bronze as well and the previous year it earned both silver and bronze.

In addition to competing in the national tournament in Chicago, Club Curling participates in bonspiels, which are tournaments held all around the country. There are between 16 and 20 players, with four players to a team.

Practices are held once a week in Joy Burns Arena inside the Ritchie Center.

“First quarter is mostly for training people in curling since most people don’t know how to play it,” said Newman. “During winter quarter we train for nationals, and then we travel and compete in the spring.”

Club Curling recruits most of its players through the club sports booths that take place in the fall. Newman jokes, “We throw rocks at houses,” in describing the appeal of curling.

But it’s never too late to join. More information about the team can be found at www.recreation.du.edu/clubsports/clubcurling.