With the 2018 Winter Olympics underway, the Ardsley Curling Club is gearing up to host hundreds of local residents at its public open house events. A limited number of on-ice sessions are set to take place between Feb. 17 and 26. Each event is geared toward introducing this unique Olympic sport to residents in the New York-metropolitan area.
Curling is an ancient sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice toward a target area similar to a bull’s eye. It is a complex version of shuffleboard and is often referred to as “chess on ice” for the strategic element of the game. It is a very physical game requiring players to “sweep” the ice in order to control the direction and distance of the stones. After years of being included as a demonstration sport at the Olympics, men’s and women’s curling were officially added to the Olympic program in 1998 in Nagano.
Curling club members will be on-site to provide attendees with a brief history of the sport, as well as 30 minutes of on-ice instruction in stone delivery and sweeping technique.
Sessions commonly sell out during the Olympic season, so interested persons (age 12 and older) are strongly urged to register in advance at www.ardsleycurling.com.
Founded in 1932, the Ardsley Curling Club is one of the oldest curling clubs on the east coast. Located just north of New York City, the club is home to many nationally- and internationally-ranked players and is considered the regional hub of the sport. The club also offers a variety of other public opportunities throughout the season (October to April) such as parties, corporate events and short curling samplers.
Additional information is available on the club’s website.
