By Inga Aksamit, Inga’s Adventures
Fifteen years ago most people looked quizzical upon hearing that Jerome Larsen was a curler, but now he says many people have at least heard of the sport and often lean over to imitate a sweeping motion to indicate their familiarity.
Larsen, an avid curler for over 50 years, is passionate about his sport and a tireless promoter, often doing demonstrations to introduce the sport to the uninitiated. This weekend he will be crisscrossing the state giving clinics and demonstrations. You can see him on Sunday at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena from 2:30-3:45 P.M., which is hosting a Curling Clinic for 12 lucky participants. The fee is $8 for participants, and according to Cheryl Candiff of the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena, they already had 10 participants as of Wednesday afternoon. For those who can’t participate on the ice, spectators are encouraged and there is no charge.
An Olympic sport since 1998 (though a game was played in the 1924 Olympics), curling has been gaining momentum gradually with significant spikes in interest with each Olympics, a trend that pleases Larsen greatly. At the last Winter Games curling was the 7th most popular sport in terms of viewer hours, a surprising showing considering that in 1998 CBS’s sole TV coverage was sending David Letterman’s mother to check out the sport.
Curling is a very old sport, originating on the frozen marshes of Scotland in the 1500s. Curling involves sliding a heavy (42 pounds), polished granite stone with a handle affixed to it down a narrow shuffleboard-like lane of ice. Some are amused by the sweepers wielding brooms to direct the stone’s movement, but the complex game has been likened to chess on ice, referring to the precision and strategy necessary to master the game.
Long popular in Canada and the states along the U.S.-Canada border, the sport was practically unknown further south until it became an Olympic sport, first as a demonstration sport in 1998, then an official Olympic sport 10 years later. Now there are about 16,000 curlers in clubs across 33 states. Canada boasts the greatest number of curlers, with nearly 1.2 million of the 1.5 million curlers worldwide. Outside of North America, curling is popular in Scotland (still), Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand some Asian countries, including China.
Though curling was accepted as an official Olympic sport in 1998, there was some controversy over a curling competition at the first Winter Olympics in 1924 that was thought to be a demonstration sport. Just before the 2006 Winter Games the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that it actually was an official event.
To learn more about the 500 year old sport of curling, join Jerome Larsen at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena this Sunday afternoon. Bay Area residents who are interested in curling can visit the SF Bay Area Curling Clubs in San Jose, Fremont and Oakland, or the Wine Country Curling Club in Vacaville.
Curling Clinic Information:
Sunday, January 31, 2010
2:30-3:45 P.M
Fee: $8 for participants, no fee for spectators
South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena
1176 Rufus Allen Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA
530-542-6262
Getting There:
To reach the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena in South Lake Tahoe from San Francisco by car (approximately 4 hours, depending on traffic and weather):
o Take Interstate 80 northeast
o Take U.S. Highway 50 east
o Turn right at Lake Tahoe Blvd
o Turn right at Lyons Ave, which becomes Rufus Allen Blvd
o South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena is located at 1176 Rufus Allen Blvd
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