If you think curling is just something you watch once every four years, think again. Lone Star Curling Club hosts lessons, league play, and group events year-round.

And since curling is a sport that often gets swept under the rug, we thought we’d clue you into some of the most fun you can have on ice.

🥌 Curling? Like a salon?

Okay, we admit that we didn’t know a ton about “The Roarin’ Game” at first. Luckily, the lovely folks at Lone Star Curling Club are excellent teachers, and they helped us out with some of the lingo.

The goal of curling is to get the stone (a smooth, 42-pound rock with a handle on top) into the house (bullseye-looking marks on each end of the ice). You get one point for each stone that lands closer to the button (the bullseye) than any opposing stone.

What’s up with the sweeping? Because the ice is a little rough (pebbled), sweepers clear a path. This reduces friction, but also alters the path of the stone, called a curl. Hence, curling.

🥌 Sounds complicated…

It is. Knowing when to sweep a line, let it curl, throw up a blocker, or knock opposing stones out of the house is part of why curling is referred to as chess on ice.

But the heart of the game is sportsmanship. For example, “broomstacking” is a tradition where the winning team buys the losing team a drink after the game — which is why some facilities have a bar onsite.

🥌 I’m in.

Lone Star offers everything from Learn to Curl events to competitive bonspiels (curling tournaments). Sign up, follow the club on socials, and drop by the Lone Star Open Bonspiel in 2023.