LAUREL, Md. — Every four years it’s their time to shine. That time is now.
"It’s so exciting to get other people excited about curling," said competitive curler Alison Kemp.
"A lot of enthusiasm about the sport," said Eric Clawson, who was a coach for Team USA during the 2017 and 2019 Mixed World Curling Championship.
Curling. It’s the everyman game of winter.
"It looks like the guy who can get up off the coach and go out and throw an Olympic sport game," said Clawson.
It isn't that easy. When people compare curling to shuffleboard or darts, Kemp can't help but correct them.
"I cringe inside," she said.
Rocks, hammers, buttons and brooms - Potomac Curling Club in Laurel has it all. The non-profit opened 20 years ago and now has 260 members. It’s the largest curling organization in Maryland.
"We love to have people come in," said Clawson. "We want to have the experience of people trying the sport and finding their spot in it. It’s very difficult to get the nuance it takes to go to the highest level. But, anyone can play."
"People really do love coming out that one time to say that, ‘I’ve now been on curling ice'. It’s a fun thing to say to your friends and to have that photo of you totally ungracefully sliding down the ice," laughed Kemp.
"We have a space for everyone from the smallest to the oldest and we hope to find a home for everyone who wants to try it here at Potomac," added Clawson.
Once you try it who knows where you will be four years from now.
For more information on Potomac Curling Club click here.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
