Bringing Curling to Kalamazoo

2006 Olympic bronze medal winner to walk in parade and teach at Open House.
In the Annex at Wings Stadium. June 6th, 6-9pm.

Joe Polo, from the 2006 US Olympic curling team will be joining us to walk in the Doo-Dah parade and help teach at our open house. Come out, meet Joe, learn a few things about top level curling and be a part of the biggest sports movement in Kalamazoo history. How many times do you get to play with and learn from an Olympic medal winner?

Look for us in the Doo-Dah Parade in downtown Kalamazoo. It’s also on June 6th.

Never curled before? Try the sport for free in a fun, no-pressure Learn to Curl session.
On-ice instructors will teach you how to play this great sport. It’s free and next winter, when everyone gets hooked watching curling on television during the Olympics, you won’t have to say that you’ve never tried it.

All you need are some rubber-soled shoes and some not-too-tight, comfortable clothes. We’ll put a broom in your hand and have you curling in no time. Please arrive 15 minutes early for off ice prep. No pre-registration required.

Curled before? Pay just $10 for Open Curling.
It’s still the best clean fun to be found for ten bucks. Even in the summer.

Open Curling continues throughout the spring and summer.
Mondays from 8:30pm-10:30pm. $10 for two hours. Just show up and play.

2010 US Curling Nationals will be in Kalamazoo, March 6-13th, 2010 at Wings Stadium.

Open House in the Annex at Wings Stadium.
June 6th, 6-9pm.

Never curled before? Try the sport for free in a fun, no-pressure Learn to Curl session.
On-ice instructors will teach you how to play this great sport. It’s free and next winter, when everyone gets hooked watching curling on television during the Olympics, you won’t have to say that you’ve never tried it.

All you need are some rubber-soled shoes and some not-too-tight, comfortable clothes. We’ll put a broom in your hand and have you curling in no time. Please arrive 15 minutes early for off ice prep.

Curled before? Pay just $10 for Open Curling.
It’s still the best clean fun to be found for ten bucks. Even in the summer.

Open Curling continues throughout the spring and summer. Mondays from 8:30pm-10:30pm. $10 for two hours. Just show up and play.

Look for us in the Doo-Dah Parade in downtown Kalamazoo. It’s also on June 6th.

Winter ’09 League — starts Jan. 9th. Beginners welcome.
You can sign up as a single person, a team of four or anything in between. We like to provide every team with an experienced person to help the team along, if need be, but that is completely up to you. If you want to be placed with anyone in particular, let us know and we’ll do what we can to honor that request. Sign up right away so we can get you on the list. Sign up at the bottom of this page or at any open ice event. You won’t regret it. It could be the difference between a great winter and a crappy-not-enough-snow-to-really-ski winter.

We request that you pay for the league by Jan. 1. We can collect money from you at any open ice event at Wings Stadium in the Annex. Or, you can send a check made out to Kalamazoo Curling Club to:

Kalamazoo Curling Club
127 W. Kalamazoo Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Cost:
Gold Members - $130.
Silver members - $155.
Non-members - $210.
You can become a Gold Member for the rest of the season for only $75 (it’s the smart way to go).

League Dates:
Fridays from 8-10pm. Possibly 10-12pm as well if we have enough people to warrant a second league.
Jan 9, 23, 30
Feb 20, 27,
March 6, 13, 20

Wings Stadium, home of the Kalamazoo Curling Club, will be the host of the 2010 USA Curling National Championships. Your efforts were well received. A big thanks to all. I know the community support and enthusiasm made a huge difference.

Also, a big thanks and congratulations to Wings Stadium and the Kalamazoo County Convention & Visitors Bureau. They both were the real force behind this.

Obviously, we could not be happier and will do everything we can to make this a successful event. We already have curlers inside and outside our community offering to help. That’s what you have to love about the curling community they all pull together. It goes along with the spirit of the game.

If you are interested in volunteering to help leading up to and during the event, please contact us through this link. If you would just like to stay informed, you can get on our email list at the same link. 

Would you like to know what it is you’re delivering out on the ice?

Click here to see how curling stones are made.

Take control of your winter. Learn to curl Monday, Nov. 3, 8:30-10:30pm
If the weather is going to be cold like this you might as well get on the ice.
Preregistration required.

The Learn to Curl program includes a short instructional video off the ice, detailed instruction on the ice and a short game. You will walk away with the ability to play, a decent understanding, and a great appreciation for the game.

Experienced curlers welcome. If you need no instruction just let us know when you register and we’ll group you with other experienced curlers and let you do your thing.

COSTS
Gold member: free
Silver member: Free
Non-member:FREE!!
Inquire about membership at open ice. Or by email.

To register, email jasonjhall@chartermi.net or call 269-349-6455. Email preferred.

We can only fit so many people on the ice at once so schedule your ice time when you call. Walk-ins will be welcomed but scheduled curlers will take precedence for ice times. If you have a group, give us all the names when you register and we’ll do our best to keep you together.

What to bring.
Wear comfortable warm, loose fitting or stretchy clothes and light weight gloves (it will be about 50º on the ice). You will be active for part of the time so you may want to wear layers. Bring soft soled rubber shoes. Such as running shoes. We will put a slippery tape on the bottom of one of your shoes to work as a slider. Or you can purchase your own slider at one of the links listed below. Other than that, we supply all other needed equipment.

Come early, stay late.
We encourage you to come for the entire evening and experience the sense of community that comes along with the rich heritage of curling. There will be all kinds of food and beverages available for purchase in The Ice House bar and Grille that overlooks the Annex, where we will be curling. And curling is nearly as much fun to watch as it is to play.

Membership and leagues
We will also have open registration for membership and Winter leagues, which start Jan 9th.

Where to get your own curling equipment
Come early and you can buy some equipment, various sliders, grippers and brooms. Or wait until Nov. 24 and come to Wings for the traveling curling supply guy. Two other places to purchase curling supplies are Dakota Curling Supplies and Steve’s Curling Supplies. There are other places to go, but if you mention that you’re from the Kalamazoo Curling club, either of these will give you a discount on your order.

We hope to see you. Come help us build a curling club.

Here’s a little video from our friends at YouTube that may give some beginners an idea of what curling is all about.

And  another.

And here’s one that won’t teach you what curling is all about..

And here’s another YouTube video… something that you might be able to do on your Wii before too long…

At the K Wings Annex. 3600 Vanrick Drive, Kalamazoo, MI

Gold member: free
Silver member: $10 per hour
Non-member:$15 per hour
Inquire about membership on July 12th. Or by email. See prices and benefits below.

There will be someone there to answer questions and instruct if need be, but for the most part you will be free to play as you like. We recommend getting a group of eight together and renting a whole sheet. Play a game with your friends. Or, bring a team of four and we’ll try to find another team for you to play. Or, just come and throw some rocks. Hone your game. If you will need instruction, be sure to point that out when you register.

To reserve open ice, email jasonjhall@chartermi.net.
or call 269-349-6455. Email preferred.
We can only fit so many people on the ice at once so schedule your ice time when you call. Walk-ins will be welcomed but scheduled curlers will take precedence for ice times. Due to a limited amount of equipment we can only fit 24 people on the ice at once. If you have a group, give us all the names when you register and we’ll do our best to keep you together.

Come early, stay late.
We encourage you to come for the entire evening and experience the sense of community that comes along with the rich heritage of curling. There will be all kinds of beverages available for purchase in The Ice House bar that overlooks the Annex, where we will be curling. And curling is nearly as much fun to watch as it is to play.

What to bring.
Wear comfortable warm, loose fitting or stretchy clothes and light weight gloves (it will be about 50º on the ice). You will be active for part of the time so you may want to wear layers. Bring soft soled rubber shoes. Such as running shoes. We will put a slippery tape on the bottom of one of your shoes to work as a slider. Or you can purchase your own slider at one of the links listed below.

Membership and leagues
We will also have open registration for membership and Fall leagues.

Where to get your own curling equipment
You may want to get equipment that enhances your experience. The first thing you should get is a slip on slider. This is a piece of Teflon that slips over your shoe to help you slide. A slider ranges from $15-$30. If you want to throw right in you could buy curling shoes. These range from $65 on up. Another piece you may want to eventually invest in would be a broom. These range from $30 - $180. The club will provide brooms so you may want to hold off on that purchase. Two places to purchase curling supplies are Dakota Curling Supplies and Steve’s Curling Supplies. There are other places to go, but if you mention that you’re from the Kalamazoo Curling club, either will give you a discount on your order.

We hope to see you. Come help us build a curling club.

Due to lack of interest in the 12-1pm time slot, we are canceling the 12-1pm Learn to curl time and will be starting the event at 1pm. All other scheduled ice times remain the same. Please arrive one half hour before your ice time for off ice instruction. Open ice times have not changed.

We’re looking forward to getting you all on the ice.
Good curling.

In the hope of making curling accessible to all, we’ve come up with a two tiered membership system. We also tried to keep fees as low as possible, but charge enough to keep the rocks sliding.

GOLD MEMBERSHIP
$150 - Annually
Benefits:
* Free Shirt $25 value
* $130 League Fee. 8 week league. One night per week. (= $80 Discount)
* Free scheduled open ice time (= $15 per hour Discount)
* Free “Skip School” training seminar (usual cost $25 not including Ice Time)
* Full voting rights
* The peaceful easy feeling that comes with knowing you are wholly involved in making Kalamazoo History.

SILVER MEMBERSHIP
$50 Annually
* $155 League Fee. 8 week league. One night per week. (= $55 discount).
* $10 per hour for scheduled open ice time (= $5 discount).
* Full voting rights.
* The peaceful easy feeling that comes with knowing you are moderately involved in making Kalamazoo History.

NON-MEMBER FEES
Open ice: $15 per person per hour or $100 per hour for a whole sheet (one playing surface).
Leagues: 8 week league. One night per week. $210
First time learn to curl lesson: $12

We encourage you to rent a whole sheet, or playing surface. The cost is $100 per sheet per hour (subtract $12.50 for every Gold member on the sheet and $5 for every Silver Member on the sheet).