The curling club is one of the newer sports clubs on campus. Founded in 2024, the organisation is looking to win the gold medal at the 2026 USA College Curling Championship. In their first year, they earned a bronze medal, and then a silver medal just this past year at the Championships. However, this year may be more difficult now that some of their members have graduated. This leaves them with a long road ahead.
Nathan Hamrick, the club’s Vice President, talked about the team’s situation, “It’s going to be a little bit of a rougher road because we lost two of our more experienced members. We’ve had a rocky start compared to other teams because we don’t have ice time until the spring.” These disadvantages will play a big role in how their team moves forward. Learning to instruct new members on how to play competitively can be a challenge, but they and their coach are determined to get to work as soon as possible.
“Coach is having us do a lot of practice. He wants us here even before classes start next semester.” Hamrick stated. Starting practice early will help get the team up and running so they are adjusted and ready for the season once it begins. Hamrick went on to talk about the changes that are taking place this year, “We’ve also adopted a new practice schedule from last year…This year it’s going to be 5 p.m.-7 p.m. for social curling and then 7 p.m.-9 p.m. for competitive practice.”
Currently, their team is sitting at about fifteen to twenty people, which is enough for two teams. But the difference between a good team and a bad team is that one practices more than the other, so the consistency of practice will play a major role in the pre-season preparation.
If you would like to join the curling team, they will be meeting at the Copper Country Curling Club in Calumet on Sundays at 6 p.m. Hamrick also mentioned they are trying to bring food as well, especially since their practice starts around dinnertime. They are open to newcomers, so feel free to show up to learn more about the club and how to be more involved.
