The countdown to the Winter Olympics is on, and one of the sports that tends to turn heads is curling. It’s the one that involves sliding stones and vigorous ice sweeping. And there’s a curling club right here in Louisville.
Derby City Curling Club has painted its ice and started the new season, getting the arena ready for anyone who wants to try it.
LPM’s Ayisha Jaffer spoke with club president Joe Sorg about the club’s work and plans for the season.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Ayisha Jaffer: For those who might not be familiar with curling, what is it?
Joe Sorg: It's where you go out on the ice and you throw a 42-pound rock, about 145 feet and make it stop at just a certain point.
AJ: And the goal is to get it close to a target?
JS: Yes, it's called the house. It's like a big bull's-eye on the ice. The outside diameter is 12 feet. The button in the center is only about a foot in diameter, and you want to get as close to the button as you can.
AJ: Where does the origin of curling really come from?
JS: Curling is a Scottish sport. Way back when, they just decided to see who could throw the furthest, and then they made a game out of it. The stones themselves are made from a specific mountain in Scotland.
AJ: How did a club end up in Louisville?
JS: Brett and Bethaney Curry are our founders, and they were watching the 2018 US Olympic team, the men win the gold first time ever in the Olympics, and they got excited. Both of them said, “Let's try it.” And the closest clubs that were there at the time were in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, and they didn't want to drive two hours, so they decided they'd just start
their own club.
AJ: Has the curling season already started?
JS: Yes, we start right around Thanksgiving, and we run through mid-March.
AJ: So the ice is seasonal, but you're looking to make permanent ice, right?
JS: Yes. They call it dedicated ice, which is strictly for curling. Mostly what we get out of that is more time available. And then you have your own warm room, and typically, there's a bar, so it's a very social event when you have your own dedicated ice.
AJ: Specifically for curling, there's a bar involved?
JS: Oh, yes. We actually had Tyler George, who was one of the gold medalists, visit us twice. And the first time I met him, I said, “Can I offer you a beer?” And he says, “Well, this is curling. It would be rude of you not to offer me a beer.”
AJ: I love that. So your club offers all kinds of things. One of those things is adaptive curling, including programs for wheelchair users. Tell us what that looks like in practice.
JS: Bethaney, our founder, she has spina bifida, and uses a wheelchair. And she competed with the USA team in fencing, so she has a very competitive edge to her. So we have a basis of adaptive curling, or wheelchair curling for the Paralympics.
Essentially, they just set and push [the rock] with a delivery stick. They have to place it at a specific point just with the push. So it's much more challenging for them, just because they don't have the advantage of the sweep.
Now the delivery stick is usually about 8 feet long, so you can get a nice pull back and a push with it. We use that a lot also with people that have other physical limitations. Some people have bad knees. They'll just walk it down and release it with the delivery stick.
AJ: So it's a very inclusive sport.
JS: Yes, very much.
AJ: You've also done outreach in the community, from street curling at the Parkland Boys and Girls Club to a two-year program with Hudson Middle School. What made youth curling a focus?
JS: It's always a growth factor that we try to incorporate into our club, but when we get to dedicated ice, then, of course, we want to have junior leagues so that the kids will grow up with curling. That's what we want to develop and encourage — lifelong curlers.
AJ: What is a common misconception you hear about curling?
JS: You don't need to wear ice skates, and there is curling in Louisville.
AJ: For those listening who want to get involved and maybe try the sport. Where should they start?
JS: They should start at our website, and from there, you just sign up, dress warm, and
we'll supply all the equipment.
