North Star Curling Club brings Olympic sport to St. Cloud in Herb Brooks next month
SAINT CLOUD — North Star Curling Club (NSCC) is bringing the Olympic sport of Curling to Central Minnesota starting in January. The inaugural season, presented by St. Cloud Orthopedics, kicks off with six “Learn to Curl” classes followed by two 10-week leagues.
According to a press release by NSCC, the game offers a new way for people of all ages and abilities to take advantage of the numerous health benefits of curling while having fun and connecting with other community members. Curling can improve strength, flexibility, and endurance. It also provides mental stimulation through planning and strategy.
"Curling is really popular throughout the state of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Canada, and it's becoming more popular throughout the nation as well," Jessica Dahl, NSCC vice president and co-founder, told the Times. She said there's a large number of curlers that already live in St. Cloud that came from other communities.
Dahl also said that in May, NSCC took a group of Sartell residents who never played the sport before to Blaine so that they can play it and say if the sport would be good for the community. The group enjoyed their time, according to Dahl.
The biggest obstacle that curlers in the St. Cloud area face, according to Dahl, is finding "ice time" or availability in ice rinks which is often taken by hockey. Over time the issue was resolved.
"We got the right group of people together, got the ice time, and we're able to partner with a lot of local businesses and USA Curling for all the equipment and supplies that we need to make it happen," Dahl said.
“I grew up curling in Hibbing and was surprised to find that St. Cloud is the only populated area in Minnesota without a curling club,” said Nathan Lee, President at NSCC. “We aim to grow the community of curlers and start planning for a dedicated facility in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics.”
Two-hour “Learn to Curl” classes will be offered at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, 15, and 22 for $35 per person. Registration is open now. Ten-week leagues will start Sunday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.. League registration will open the first week in January. More information on the program and registration for classes or leagues can be found at www.northstarcurling.com.
NSCC is a volunteer led non-profit sports education organization. From the press release, they stated they are "committed to promoting health and wellness, inclusion, and cultural diversity through teaching, developing, and engaging in the Olympic sport of curling in order to support local, national, and international competition."
Sponsors for the upcoming classes and leagues include St. Cloud Orthopedics, Kyle Hedtke State Farm, Deerwood Bank, Premier Real Estate, Meshbesher & Spence, Pearl Dental, Alloy Insurance, and WhiteBox Marketing.
Curling was founded in Scotland more than 500 years ago. The sport is played on ice by two teams of four people. Each curler slides two granite stones across the ice toward a circular target called a “house.” Other team members “sweep” the ice in front of the stone to help it maintain speed towards the target. Points are scored by the team with the stone closest to the center of the house. After eight rounds (also called “ends”) of play, the team with the highest score wins.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: North Star Curling Club Brings Sport to St. Cloud next month
