If you ask someone if they want to try something new, you’ll find there are two types of people in the world: the maybe-next-times and the I-thought-you’d-never-asks. I have the good fortune to be completely surrounded by the latter.

When “Learn to Curl” came across my Facebook feed, I knew just who to send the event to. Linda (#2 in the above photo) and Karen (#3) have been eager to try their hand at curling for longer than I was aware it was a sport.

Learn to Curl took place at EPIC (Edora Pool Ice Center), which houses an indoor pool and not one but two ice rinks. The event drew a decent crowd so we split into groups; my foursome worked with Brian, the president of the local curling club. (You can see Brian in the photo above, re-explaining things to me that everyone else had already figured out.)

Karen ^

Me ^

Linda ^

Dan ^

We learned how to push off of the hack (the starting notch for your foot), how to move the stone (puck) not only forward but in specific directions (that’s what “curling” is), and how to sweep the ice clean around the stone to help it get where it needs to go.

Nothing physical or requiring coordination ever comes easily to me, and curling was no exception. Regardless, I had a smile on my face the entire time. It was a hot, humid morning in Fort Collins and I was in an ice rink, learning something new and making memories with my friends.

You can appreciate something so much more once you’ve tried it yourself, even if only for 90 minutes and you never quite put the pieces together (ahem). Dan and I started watching curling videos as soon as we returned home, suddenly able to understand the way scoring works and how difficult that smooth, casual glide across the ice can be.

Thank you to Poudre Valley Curling for making this event completely free, including all of the equipment and (patient, patient) coaching!

P.S. You can see one of Dan’s throws on Instagram. Linda and I make cameos as sweepers.