New Curlers

NEW CURLERS INFO

If you are new to curling or new to Williams Lake, and you want to either learn how to curl and/or become part of a team at the Curling Club, then here are some options for you:

  • Brand new curlers may want to try some curling before joining a league, but this is not a requirement in order to come out and curl with us.  A couple of opportunities for new curlers are:
    • Join the WLCurling Club’s “Learn To Curl” program.  This is offered through the Cariboo Memorial Complex so please refer to their Active Living Guide for registration information.  This is 4 sessions of coaching and playing games, which hopefully results in you being a confident and successful curler.  Sessions run Monday evenings in November, from 7 – 8:30pm.  Anyone 18 and older can sign up for this course.  It is our goal that as a confident curler after the 4 week sessions, you and some friends can join a league in January.
    • Take advantage of our “Drop-In Curling” sessions on Saturday nights.  These sessions are for ALL ages, and run from 7 – 9pm most Saturdays, and you can stay afterwards for some socializing in our lounge.  Fees are $10/session, we supply all the gear you need EXCEPT a pair of clean in-door runners, and there is always a club member there to meet you and give you some help on the basics of curling.  Come by yourself, or bring a group of friends, our family, work colleagues, social groups, etc  …  Our House is Your House  …  come on in!!!  Please check out our Saturday Drop-In Curling page for more details, and requirements for children under 12 years of age.
    • Join a league with a group of friends and start curling.  It’s best if you have at least one person on your team that’s curled before so that they can help you with your game, but even this isn’t a requirement.  If you think this is for you, the best leagues to join  are the Monday Night Social League or the Friday Night Mixed League  …  as the latter suggests, you need at least one person of the opposite gender in order to enrol in this league.  This is the most difficult of the 3 suggestions, but many curlers have done it in the past and gone on to enjoy many, many years of successful curling.
  • Curlers new to Williams Lake:  Check out all the leagues and other info on this website, drop down to the curling rink (there is somebody there most days from 9 – noon) and chat with someone, find a colleague who curls and ask them about the club, follow us on FaceBook (Williams Lake Curling Club), email the club at wlcc@shaw.ca, or phone us at (250) 392-4636.  Someone will get back to you promptly!  Good curling everyone!

Curling Benefits

Curling is a great way to get excercise in a fun, social environment.  Check out the information on this page as well as on our New Curlers Page for a complete picture of what we offer new curlers at the WLCC.

Watch this great video for a brief overview:

Curling Equipment

When you’re just starting out, carry in a pair of clean, indoor running shoes that you will use while on the ice.  You should also wear warm, layered, stretchy clothing, but be prepared to peel off layers as the game, and the amount of exercise you are getting, progresses.  The club supplies all the equipment new curlers will need, including sliders (to help you slide more easily when delivering your rocks), grippers (to give you extra grip on the ice when sweeping), delivery aids (devices to help with balance and delivery of rocks), and brooms for sweeping ($1 rental fee).  We also supply lessons, we have free “Learn To Curl” sessions, and we host Drop-In sessions on Saturday evenings (see Curling Training below for more details).  So many ways to try out curling without committing to joining a league … come on down and join us … Our House is Your House!

As you become more comfortable and more involved in curling we encourage players to purchase their own equipment.  Items like curling shoes, brooms, and grippers can be purchased locally at Canadian Tire and Cariboo Ski Source for Sports.  Items such as delivery aids and curling pants must be purchased on-line (just google curling equipment and numerous reputable sites will appear) or by visiting curling stores in the larger curling clubs in the lower mainland (hint – if you have small feet the Richmond Curling Club is the place to go!).  Also some larger centers like Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon, and Prince George may have what you’re looking for.  Another hint – do some internet searching before heading out on your quest for curling supplies in order to determine availability of supplies, hours of operation, and location of the store or curling center.

Curling Training

We have many experienced curlers in our club that can assist with correct sliding and brushing techniques, and this 5 minute video will run through many of the skills that you will be taught.  Our Curling Coach, Rick Miller, will be happy to arrange for a teacher to run a lesson for you and there is a curling coach at every Drop-In Curling session on Saturday evenings from 7 – 10pm.  Along with this we host a whole week of FREE curling lessons prior to the start of every season as well as hosting “fun” days for both Women and Men.  During the “fun” days you will be given a 30 minute lesson and then paired up with a couple of experienced curlers in a game against other similar teams.  These are always a ton of “fun” as you get to learn some new skills, play a game, and most importantly, make some new friends.  Keep a close eye on this website and follow us on Facebook as most of our advertising is done in this way.

You can find many helpful video at this site or you can type in ‘learn curling lessons for new curlers videos’ into any search engine like Google to find helpful and sometimes entertaining lessons.

Curling Tips

Curling is a sport of courtesy, honesty, and sportsmanhisp.  There are guiding principles of play as well as player etiquette, both of which make the game a fun, fast, and enjoyable experience for all.  Please click on this Etiquette link for more info.

You can find the written rules on the Curl Canada site or by clicking this link: Rules of General Play.

For the Monday, Social League, each week we will have a ‘Tip of the Week’ to help you learn some of the more basic rules and etiquette.