CORNWALL, Ontario – For the first time ever, the Cornwall Curling Club invited adult curlers to Bring a Friend to Try Curling on Saturday, Jan. 19.
“The idea came to me from a new curler that this would be a good idea,” explained Neil MacLean, past President of Cornwall Curling Club. “We haven’t really done this before…and a couple of other people said, ‘yeah, this could be fun.’”
MacLean said he was thrilled with the turnout and unfortunately had to turn away a few wannabe curlers due to a shortage of experienced players to instruct them. He said he will look into hosting another event in March due to the demand. Curlers could participate for a fee of $10, which included food made by St. Joseph Secondary School students. Proceeds from the event will go to the Cornwall Youth Curling Program.
“It’s going really well,” said Kelly McLeod. McLeod, who was a Little Rocker curler at the age of 7, rediscovered her passion for curling during college. She was excited to teach some of her friends about the sport during the event. McLeod predicted that the most difficult part for the new curlers would be for them to get their balance and slide out on the ice.
“We talk about curling a lot when we’re at work…so for someone to come and try it out one time and see if they want to try it again in the future, there’s no commitment right (now),” said McLeod.
“It’s all about getting people into this club, getting them to try curling,” she added.
To find out more about local curling, visit www.cornwallcurling.ca
