By Emily Lutzker

On September 30, Winsor’s Upper Schoolers received an email. “Hi Upper School students,” it read, “The Curling Club is back after a few years off.” Students immediately began signing up for the lottery for a spot in the Club. By late October, the roster had been released; sixteen lucky students were picked to try the mysterious sport. Due to an excess of interest, no freshmen were allowed in.

November 15 was the first meeting of the Curling Club, which meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Country Club in Brookline. At the first meeting, students were taught the basics of the sport. Before getting on the curling sheet, we learned safety measures, the proper position for sliding across the ice, and other rules. Then, we put on special shoe covers and began learning the slide, eventually building up to throwing stones (smooth, round pieces of granite weighing around 40 pounds). When we left the Country Club, cold but energized, the main takeaway was that curling is much more challenging than it looks. 

Winsor’s Curling Club started around fifteen years ago. Throughout its history, says Director of Athletics Sherren Granese, curling “has always been something…that everyone has loved being a part of.” Winsor’s Curling Club is part of a high school program at the Country Club; the various schools in the program—including Brimmer and May and the British International School of Boston—have a tournament at the end of the season. Previously in this tournament, Winsor’s Curling Club did exceptionally well in multiple pools before going on a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. 

Though curling is a fairly small sport with only 185 USCA (United States Curling Association) official clubs, Granese sees benefits to offering it at Winsor. “I love the fact that we can introduce people to a new sport and that they have the opportunity to not only just learn it, but to practice and then to compete against other schools,” she said. 

The Curling Club is already having a blast despite the fact that most members have never played. “Curling… is a great environment and a welcoming community for players of all levels,” said new curler Elizabeth Fitzpatrick ’22. “I look forward to it every week and can’t wait to get back on the ice!”