Jasper Elementary students hustled, shuffled and swept their way across the gymnasium floor, Sept. 22.
The free workshop was organized by the Jasper Curling Club, which teamed up with the Curling Canada Rocks & Rings program to encourage young people to consider adopting the sport.
鈥淭he curling club is paying for all of this, so it鈥檚 no cost to the school and gives the students an opportunity to learn about a sport they didn鈥檛 know about,鈥� said Jasper Curling Club member Karen Huculak, adding that this is the first time the club has offered free workshops for kids.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun sport that encourages teamwork and keeps the kids active so we hope this allows us to see future curlers at the club.鈥�
Last year the local club lowered its age restrictions from Grade 6 to Grade 4, boosting the club鈥檚 numbers, said Huculak.
鈥淲e were struggling a bit with the younger members, but once we lowered the age we experienced success so hopefully that continues this year,鈥� Huculak said.
During the workshops the students also learned about the technical aspects of the game鈥攆rom vocabulary and techniques, to competitive strategies and proper stances.
鈥淲e just wanted to show them the basics,鈥� Huculak said. 聽
While the elementary students had a blast launching their rocks down the gym, Jasper Curling Club president Lee Chorley said the sport isn鈥檛 just for kids. The local club will be ready for the season on Oct.15
Once the ice is ready the club will open its doors to a variety of different leagues, including the popular corporate league.
鈥淎 lot of the people involved in our corporate league are young adults. A lot of the time young adults just end up in the bars so this gives them an activity to do in the fall,鈥� Chorley said. 鈥淚n the beginning the corporate league was a little competitive, but now it鈥檚 just for fun鈥攙ery calm and a good way to meet some new people and have fun with locals.鈥�
The other nice thing about the sport, according to Chorley, is that it鈥檚 downright cheap. To take part in the sport all you need is some comfortable clothes and a clean pair of gym shoes鈥攖he club provides the rest of the gear.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty easy sport to get into,鈥� Chorley said.
For information about the Jasper Curling Club or how to register for a league check out www.jaspercurlingclub.com or email Chorley at [email protected].
Kayla Byrne [email protected]
