Curling gives CF students opportunity for new games

By Alex Christensen 2006

The bitter winds and extreme lows of an Iowa winter are back once more, but not everyone is dreading the seasonal changes.

For one group of CFHS students, the low temperatures present the opportunity to try something new. for seniors Luke Patterson, Zach VonTersch, Tyler Ruane, Dustine Salmons and Matt Hinders, this winter is the chance to learn the sport of curling.

However, in their quest to find the necessary resources to pursue curling, they did face a few setbacks. They first hoped merely to buy a curling stone, which was quickly overturned, as they are very expensive.

So they wen to Nashua, which housed the only curling club Iowa has ever had, although it is no longer open.

“When we got to Nashua the old curling rink was now a dance hall,” Patterson said. “We tried to buy an old curling stone they were using as a door stop, but they wouldn’t let us.”

They were not about to be stopped by a problem like that, so the hunt for curling stones did not end there.

“I was on the Internet, and I found an awesome site that has a recipe for making your own stones,” VonTersch said. “So we’re making our own stones, and they’re actually going to be almost exactly the weight they’re supposed to be.”

With all the pieces falling into place, they hope to start curling soon, and it seems they aren’t about to let anything stop them, but what got them into curling in the first place?

“I was watching it on the Olympics on night, and I brought it up in class the next day,” Patterson said. “We were pretty excited about it, and we’ve wanted to try it ever since.”

Excitement may be an understatement for the way some feel about this sport.

“Curling is the greatest Olympic sport ever originated,” Ruane said.

VonTersch is not only looking forward to playing it, he thinks they may start a trend with this.

“We’re going to bring curling back to prominence in the state of Iowa,” VonTersch said.

Salmons’ is also very enthusiastic about curling with is group of friends.

“I love curling. It’s the greatest sport ever,” Salmons said.

For those of you not familiar with curling, Patterson put it very simply.

“It’s like shuffle board on ice, but you also have brooms to help steer the stones,” Patterson said.

This is not some big joke with them either, as they want to take it as far as making their own gear.

“We want to make our own T-shirts and sweatshirts with our logos on them,” Salmons said.

Sweatshirts, however, are not all that Ruane hopes to make.

“I want long underwear with our logo, a silhouette of a guy curling them somewhere,” he said.

With the appropriate weather and the equipment now ready, let the curling begin.