By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor
With the 2018 Winter Olympics and the US Men’s Curling Team taking home the gold, the sport has seen an increase in popularity. Based on news reports from last year, the number of U.S. curling clubs registered with USA Curling, the national governing body for the Olympic sport, has nearly doubled since 2000. Currently, there are two curling clubs in New Jersey, one of which is excited to now make Pennsauken its home.
Jersey Pinelands Curling Club is moving its operations to the Virtua Health Flyers Skate Zone in Pennsauken, located at 6725 River Rd. in Pennsauken, starting this fall.
“After the Olympics, we had more people interested in joining our club that we had ice time for at the last facility we used,” says Ryan Adamson, president of Jersey Pinelands Curling Club. “Our club was growing and the Flyers Skate Zone in Pennsauken was able to offer us better ice time. We’re hoping to have a really good relationship.”
Curling is the Olympic sport where teams take turns sliding 45-pound granite stones 140 feet down a sheet of ice and “sweeping” the ice in order to maneuver the stone to the desired position closest to the center of a target.
“It is a combination of shuffle board and chess. There is quite a bit of strategy that goes into curling,” explains Adamson. “It’s a team sport. All four players on the ice are involved in each shot.”
Jersey Pinelands Curling Club and Flyers Skate Zone has invited 2018 USA Gold Medalist Tyler George to throw the ceremonial first rock during an opening ceremony event on Saturday, Aug. 17, noon, at Virtua Health Flyers Skate Zone in Pennsauken NJ. The ceremony is free to the public and will be followed by “The Olympic Curling Experience,” a ticketed event where people will learn basic curling skills on the ice. George, vice skip for the United States’ gold medal curling team in 2018 and USA Curling’s sport ambassador, will be on hand for autographs and photos during the event.
Adamson hopes the event will help generate even more interest in the sport and that attendees might join the Jersey Pinelands Curling Club to compete.
“We’re looking for members who want to be part of the organization and play every week. Anyone at any skill level can join a league and play,” adds Ryan. “It’s beyond just this event. There’s an opportunity for an ongoing involvement in the sport.”
Tickets for “The Olympic Curling Experience” on Aug. 17 are $25 and may be purchased by visiting https://jpcccurlingexperience.eventbrite.com. For more information on the Jersey Pinelands Curling Club, visit JerseyCurling.org.
