UPDATE, Feb. 15 | The facility is now open. Anyone interested in learning to curl and trying it out can find more information on the Kansas City Curling Club website.
ORIGINAL STORY, Feb. 10 | When you think of curling, you probably don't think of Kansas City.
One local organization is hoping to change that.
The Kansas City Curling Club is home to over 100 members who spend their time on the ice.
The club is opening a brand new facility in Blue Springs with the capacity to host four games at once.
Construction has just finished and the club is just waiting on city approval to open its doors.
There are leagues for anyone — beginner to expert. Most people are there simply for fun.
A year-long membership is $100 and it's $100 for your first league. Curling season lasts roughly September through April while it's possible to maintain the indoor ice at a lower cost.
Membership provides free practice time, the ability to sub in other leagues and a special members-only soft opening event.
Bringing curling to the Midwest
The Kansas City Curling Club hopes to increase interest in curling in the metro area and the Midwest.
Currently, the beginners league is their largest. That's exactly what they're hoping for.
Eventually, the club hopes to encourage universities like the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas to form teams and visit the facility on the weekends to practice.
Facility basics
The ice is formed by a series of tubes running across the floor.
Unlike ice for skating sports, curling ice is bumpy. Once a layer of smooth ice is put down, the rink is painted white and the "house," or the colored circles that mark scoring, are painted on. Then, another smoother layer is added and water is sprayed across the ice like a sprinkler to add the bumps.
Kansas City Curling Club's new home also has a warm room outside of the ice where people can watch, gather and enjoy a drink while they warm up.
Curling basics
If you are looking to join a league, there are a few basics you should know.
Curling originated in Scotland, so if you see some curlers wearing kilts — don't be surprised. That's to pay homage to the game's roots.
A curling stone is made of layers of hard and soft granite and weighs 42 pounds. It's only an official curling stone if it's quarried from a specific site in Scotland.
A curling tournament is called a "bonspiel," which roughly translates to "good game" in Dutch.
Curling teams are made up of four members. Each member will "throw" two stones. So, each team throws a total of eight stones.
The goal of the game is to have the most stones closest within the rings and closest to the middle.
Once one team member throws a stone, the other team members will "sweep" in front of it with special brooms to melt the ice and get the stone to go further or in certain directions.
Most curling matches last two hours and multiple ends are played within the time period. The score is taken after each end, kind of like a baseball inning.
If you decide to seriously get into curling, you'll want special shoes. One curling shoe has a slick, plastic sole and the other has a rubber sole that grips the ice. That's so that when you're throwing, you can glide on one foot.
Curling rounds are taking place every day of the 2022 Olympics.
The men's gold medal game will take place on Saturday, Feb. 19, and the women's on Sunday, Feb. 20.
You can tune in on KSHB 41 or stream on Peacock.
