Olympic games increase the allure of curling

NORFOLK — Every four years there is a burst of interest in curling, one of the quainter, quirkier events in the Olympic games.

But for members of the Norfolk Curling Club, the sport isn’t just a sometime kind of thing. It’s a passion that helps them while away the long winter months in a town often referred to as “the icebox of Connecticut.â€

The club and its rink were built on Golf Drive more than five decades ago. It boasts an active, full-time membership of more than 50 curlers and several novice and part-time members.

In addition to its own league play, the group regularly hosts bonspiels (the curling term for tournaments) that attract teams from other parts of Connecticut, as well as upstate New York and Massachusetts. Members of the Norfolk club travel to compete, as well.

Mary Fanette, vice president of the club, said that many curlers are attracted to the game because it places an emphasis on spirit and camaraderie.

“The success of the game depends upon teamwork,†Fanette, a Norfolk resident, said.

For those who have somehow managed to avoid watching a curling match, here’s how it’s played. Two teams of four curlers take turns carefully aiming and sliding round, polished-granite stones down a long rectangular court toward “the house,†a multi-colored circular target. It looks a little like shuffleboard, but on ice and without the long sticks.

Two of each team’s four players are “sweepers,†who brush away infinitesimally small bits of grit and ice shavings.

Rebecca Purdy, a Torrington resident now in her second year with the Norfolk club, said the purpose of sweeping is not only to control the stone’s speed by wearing down the “pebbles†of the bumpy ice surface used in curling, but also its direction.

“It will hold the line better,†she said.

The Norfolk Curling Club was founded in 1953 with members playing games outside on Tamarack and Tobey ponds.

In 1956, the original Norfolk curling shed was built. The shed, however, was not a permanent building, but a wooden structure with devices that allowed cold air to flow in at night to freeze the ice surface.

Two years later, the club installed artificial icemaking machinery, allowing members to hold their first bonspiel in December 1958.

Eventually, the old wooden curling shed was replaced with an insulated metal building with enlarged locker and equipment rooms.

New lighting and a concrete floor with new pipes were installed in 1997. A few years later the club installed a new roof.

The shed also features a kitchen, bar and lounge area where curlers can socialize while they watch the other players out on the ice.

“The biggest part of curling is the social aspect of it,†Purdy said, adding that curlers, in general, tend to be a very friendly and welcoming group.

Fanette agreed.

“Before and after each game you always shake hands with one another and say, ‘Good game and good curling,’ regardless of the outcome,†Fanette said.

She added that players frequently congratulate their opponents on a well-played stone during a game, even if it means your own team is hurt by the move.

“Because a good shot is just that: a good shot.â€

The club holds open-house events during the season, but anyone who’s interested in watching a game or learning about the sport is encouraged to call up and stop by.

To find out when there will be players at the club, go online to norfolkcurlingclub.org or call 860-542-1100.