Anyone can curl, at the Norfolk Curling Club

NORFOLK —  The Norfolk Curling Club held its third annual Wine on Ice fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 5, to raise funds for the club’s operations.

The club was founded in 1956, and has been in operation continuously since then, except for the two years it was shut down after two arsonists burned down the original clubhouse in 2011.

The club raised enough funds to build a new clubhouse, which opened in 2013. 

More than 100 people came out to the fundraiser on Nov. 5, which featured wines and spirits from Ledgebrook Spirit Shop in Winchester, Conn.  

Caryn Trager, who has been a member of the club for 15 years, was a co-organizer of the event.

“The club is going well,” Trager said. “We have been building back our membership. When you have a tragedy like the arson, you lose members because you don’t have a club to go to. This year we picked up several new members. And as always the community has chipped in to help us out.”

Trager, a Norfolk resident, said that the club means a lot to people who live in town, for whom it is a social hub.

The club is very inclusive. Athletes from all around the Tri-state region are invited to take part in the club’s learn-to-curl sessions (the next one is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26); and anyone who wants to just watch is welcome to come sit in the comfy spectators area and have a drink at the bar (or a snack; there is often food provided by team members and their families). Curling tournaments are known as bonspiels; the bonspiel season kicked off on Nov. 10 with the GNNC Senior Women’s Championship. Coming up next is the Calder Men’s Bonspiel from Dec. 1 to 4.

“I think the club gives an opportunity to hold events that are not necessarily Curling Club-oriented,” Trager said. “But whenever we have bonspiels, we try to get the word out so people can come and just watch. They can take advantage of our bar and get a soda or a drink. Part of our mission is always to promote the sport of curling and to educate people.”

She said the club has new programs and facilities for handicapped curlers.

“We are fully ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliant. The handicapped players are amazing to watch. We have people who play in wheelchair, it’s wonderful.”

Trager said that she feels that everyone should try curling.

“There is no reason not to,” she said. “It’s a game of strategy; anyone can play regardless of their age or ability.”

The club currently has 100 members, Trager said.

“It’s not a lot compared to other clubs, since we are in a remote area,” she said. 

Longtime member Ted Stone said he is happy that the club is still going strong.

“Once someone gets here and tries curling, usually they want to stay,” Stone said. “We keep getting new people here, and it’s terrific.”

For more information about the Norfolk Curling Club, about lessons and about bonspiels, go to www.norfolkcurlingclub.org. or stop by the clubhouse at 70 Golf Drive on a Saturday, when there are almost always events going on.