Sun City Center couple discovers curling is a great sport on ice in Florida
By STEPHEN FLANAGAN JACKSON
Look up “curling” on the internet, and the first thing that pops up is “curling iron.” But in this instance, we are referring to a sport, an Olympic sport at that. Like all sports, curling has its own unique vernacular or jargon, which is more difficult to learn than the sport itself.
Want a dictionary definition? Okay. Curling is a team sport, which involves sliding granite stones on ice and sweeping in front of them with brooms to direct them to desired placements. Also known as chess on ice and termed “the roaring game,” due to the rumbling sound of the oversized puck (pardon me, that is not a puck, it is a stone!) moving over the ice. This “puck” is a 44-pound polished granite rock, referred to as a stone. And, of course, the reason it moves is because one of the curlers (the players) has provided the impetus with an ever-so gentle whack of the stick known as a broom. This causes many of the non-initiated to confuse curling with a household chore. The broom, in a sporting manner, is used to sweep the ice in front of the stone to control, ever so slightly, its movement so the stone will travel farther and curl, or veer, less as it heads in its desired direction toward a goal, referred to as the “house.” Curling is not hockey: no ice skates, no violence or body checking, no penalty boxes, no roughnecks, no swiping other players with your stick, no masks nor helmets needed! In fact, though competitive, no trash talking is allowed. To the contrary, it is a very courteous sport, for gentlemen and ladies, played by two teams on a rectangular sheet of ice and is, generally, credited with having originated on the frozen lochs of Scotland back in the 16th century.
Want to learn a new sport? How about curling? Curling in Florida you ask? Curling in Tampa Bay? Believe it or not, the answers are yes. There are curling clubs in Orlando, in Jacksonville, a new one being formed in Palm Beach, and in Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay Curling Club (TBCC) was formed in 2017 by Bernie Skerkowski, the president and coach, who originally hails from Canada. The club has additional coaches who also teach “Learn to Curl” classes.
Games are played on Saturday evenings at the AdventHealth Center Ice (formerly called Florida Hospital Center Ice) in Wesley Chapel, off I-75, exit 275. Players come from as far as Bradenton and Sarasota.
A couple from Sun City Center, Mark and Audrey Vietzke, both in their 70s, wanted to try the increasingly popular winter Olympic sport. When the erstwhile New Englanders discovered they could try curling in hot and humid Florida, they were thrilled. They attended a “Learn to Curl” class last November and decided to continue, but Audrey had a problem; she had a new knee replacement. When she asked if she could slide on the ice, the answer was no. Not one to be deterred, she asked to use a stick, like the wheelchair curlers do and was told she could. The club doesn’t discriminate, so in January the Vietzkes joined the beginners league with three other beginning teams.
Each team has four players, and during this past winter session, TBCC had a total of 16 teams. Although the Vietzkes’ teammates (from Riverview) were in their 30s, in the past there have been curlers in their 80s. As Audrey said, “You are never too old to learn.” Even though it is a challenging sport and the winning team from each season gets a trophy, the players participate for fun and to improve their game.
The Tampa Bay Curling Club welcomes all skill levels, both experienced curlers and novices. The spring session is going on now. There will be no summer league this year, but if interested, you can join in the fall. Dates and schedule will be announced in late summer. Any snowbirds who are interested in playing can check the Tampa Bay Curling Club website before returning to the area, or send an email. (tampabaycurlingclub.com, or email tampabaycurling@gmail.com ).
As future seasons approach, the rink will announce dates for all of its sports — hockey, figure-skating, and curling — including “Learn to Curl” classes. There may be updates in The Observer News. You may also contact the AdventHealth Center Ice rink for information: 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 or 813-803-7372.