What is curling?

Curling is a team sport that originated in Scotland. Two teams of four compete to get their 8 rocks closer to the center of the house than the other team. Teams alternate throwing, with each player throwing two stones. The “skip” determines the strategy for each team and directs the shots thrown with help from the vice skip. The remaining players help the thrower by “sweeping” the rock to adjust where it ends up.

Curling is a courteous sport and always begins with handshakes between teams. Throughout the game, you can hear curlers telling each other “great shot” when someone makes a particularly difficult or technical shot.

For more information, check out this video.

I’ve never curled before, can I join?

Of course! We make an effort to get everyone ice time. We provide all the necessary instruction and with hard work and dedication you can become a great curler. Our roster can accommodate as many people as are interested and there are no cuts.

Are there any outside costs?

The only additional costs that are associated with Bowdoin Curling are optional uniform costs. The rest of our funding for travel and tournaments comes from the Bowdoin Student Government and the Treasury Funding Committee.

What are tournaments like?

Tournaments, or bonspiels, are generally weekend long events. Teams play anywhere between three to six games during the weekend with each game lasting around two hours. The spiels are fun and allow you to interact with other collegiate curlers and see how great the sport is!