‘I bribed them with free pizza, and our Curling Club was born…”
We all know curling can be played at all ages; 8 to 80 and beyond (or so the saying goes).
But what if you’re a young curler, at Uni or College, and no-one plays your sport?
You set up a curling club of course!
In the lead up to this year’s inaugural National Curling Day on November 15th, we’re featuring a variety of different curling stories, showcasing the multitude of benefits the sport brings physically, socially, and mentally.
Faye McInnes found herself at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Inverness, with no curling club to practice her beloved sport; but not for long, as Faye explains:
”I started curling in school, I started when my dad was asked to help coach the junior club and I was dragged along to the local ice rink in Inverness. From that first time on the ice, I fell in love with the sport, working hard to gain acceptance to the Regional Academy and played in many of the national comps.
When I started my sports degree, I found out that the UHI in Inverness did not have a curling club, so I started one. I basically bribed some students to the ice rink with the promise of free pizza and the curling club was born! It’s been a popular club for the last 3 years…
Curling is a fantastic sport for students and those who are in their early 20s. It offers a chance to meet people your own age, build connections and relationships, it offers a fun and friendly experience in a relaxed homely environment where everyone is welcome to come along.
If I was to give advice to students who want to set up a club now, I’d say the best way to start would be to approach your sports or student union and put out a feeler if there is anyone else in the uni who happens to be a curler. Create a connection with the local ice rink or development group to see if they can support you with ice and coaches and help advertise. It’s easy to set up if you know how. When I did it I really did not! I kinda just threw some fliers together, hijacked a stall at Freshers and worked from there – 3 years later here we are!”
Thank you to Faye for sharing her curling story. Highlighting curler’s personal stories is all part of an effort to showcase the sport, post-covid; to build our numbers and increase participation.
Head of Development Maggie Wilson explains:
‘’National Curling Day is a great celebration of our fantastic Scottish sport. It is great to showcase the sport to new audiences and hopefully get more local people involved in the sport. Whether you have your first taste of the sport at primary school or as a new hobby in retirement curling has something for all ages and ability. I’d encourage all local people to visit TryCurling.com and take your first step to becoming a curler’
You can do the same!
Tell us how you first started, how it’s going, and what the sport means to you on our social media channels using the hashtags:
#TryCurling #LoveCurling #NationalCurlingDay
