5:00 Arrive at club

Washington’s only curling club, the Granite Curling Club, is five minutes away from Lakeside. On weekends, the parking lot can get busy from all the first-time learners, but early on Monday evening there were only a few cars. I took my broom bag out of the car and headed upstairs where the warm and cozy vibe was diluted by zombie themed decorations for the recent Apocalypse Bonspiel. The portmanteau French and German phrase Bonspiel is used to refer to curling tournaments. As much as we wanted to practice, Greta M. ‘28  and I were on the couch until the ice was ready, watching the “Battle of the Sexes” between the women’s and men’s world champions – go Rachel Homan!  

5:30 Our coach arrives, half an hour late

When our coach Roger arrived, we began going over our strategy for the game. Our playbook is far from extensive, but we were aiming to try the unofficially named “Blank Space” or “get him back!” It would all depend on who had the last rock advantage, or “hammer,” in that round, or “end,” of the game. We also reviewed the team we were playing, and Roger reminded us to help our youngest player since this would be her first game against adults. When we’d finished our discussion, we waited for the rest of our team to arrive and talked over the shots in the game on TV. 

6:00 The team arrives for a quick meeting

After Jessie and Evelyn showed up to complete our team, I shoved on my specialized shoes, grabbed my broom and grippy gloves, and ran down the stairs for our team “meeting.” Roger explained he had nothing to tell us, unless we had questions. We stretched before going out on the ice; I watched from a squat as Greta’s leg swinging got a little too vigorous and her shoe cover, or “gripper,” flew off, hitting an overhead light.

6:15 Coin flip

As soon as we walked through the door to the area next to the ice, the chill hit me. I stepped onto the ice, pulling off my gripper. The teflon material underneath lets me slide across the ice without scratching it like figure skates would, while the high-friction material on my right foot helps me stay stable. I tucked my bright green broom under my arm and positioned my foot in the “hack,” a little rubber block especially designed for sliding. I pushed into my practice slide and glided forward in a lunge. The slippery toe-coat on my back foot helped me get distance, but it was clear that this newly made ice will be slow and difficult to throw on for the first half of the game. I rushed over to shake their hands and say “good curling” while Jessie went to flip a coin with the other team. Their vice skip showed us one side of the coin, which had a picture of a smiling Jesus among some clouds. “Ok, so on one side is Heaven,” he said. He flipped it over slowly, saying, “and the other side is Wisconsin. Call it in the air.” Jessie chose Wisconsin, and sure enough, the supposed midwestern Hell stared back at us, allowing us to claim the hammer for the first end.   

6:30 The game starts

After the other team’s shot, I prepared to sweep Evelyn’s first rock. She slid out fast, and I saw her shove it slightly as she let go. “Looks heavy,” I shouted to Greta, who was at the other end of the ice; I could tell the rock was moving too quickly. “Nevernevernever,” she said, waving her hand to tell us not to sweep it. We followed it as it slid closer to the rings. “Here’s ok,” she says, tapping the front end of the target, “Gotta go for line!” That was my cue to keep the rock from going too far to the right, putting pressure on my broom to create friction. The heat melts the ice and helps the rock travel further, but from a specific side it can also impact the rock’s direction. With almost all of my weight on the broom, I nearly fell over, catching myself at the last second. “That was 11.5 seconds,” Greta told me when it stopped. 

6:40 My first rocks

Since I was playing second, my turn to throw was right after sweeping Evelyn’s first two rocks. I threw my gripper aside and grabbed the yellow stone labeled 3. Greta tapped a red stone and held her broom in the air, the signal for me to knock it out of play. Lining up, I positioned myself as best I could to slide. After releasing the rock, I winced as I watched my rock nose the stone an inch away from where I had wanted it. With a bang it slid out of play. 

8:15 Game end

Before the allotted time ended, the other team came over to shake our hands. We won the game with a final score of 8-2 and the other team seemed just as surprised as I was. A critical part of curling etiquette, “shaking” is an expected way for a team to concede the game when they are facing an insurmountable point deficit. It is important during tournaments when teams may have more games to play that day and would benefit from the extra rest. In league play, it serves as a sign of respect and the sportsmanlike atmosphere. 

8:30 Broom stack!

At 8:30 it was finally time to “broom stack,” the curling term for socializing with the other team after the game at one of the curling-themed tables upstairs and eating snacks. Typically the winners would buy drinks, but as minors we were not expected to. We chatted about curling with the adults, who had brought cheese and Triscuits to share, and left early to finish homework before our 6:00 a.m. wake-up the next day for morning practice.