Though located on the Canadian border and being a strong winter sports and recreation city, Sault Michigan has no organized curling teams or a league.
But the city is taking steps to change that.
Trisha Kiczenski, City of Sault Ste. Marie Michigan recreation coordinator contacted Soo Curlers in Sault Ontario last fall expressing the city’s interest in starting up curling in one of the community’s arenas.
“She was looking for more information about what they would need to do that, where the lines would be put and how you make the proper curling ice so she came and visited our facility here at Soo Curlers,” said Rob MacLeod, Soo Curlers curling development coordinator.
“She had a tour of our facility and I gave her a quick learn-to-curl lesson, to show her what it’s all about,” MacLeod told SooLeader.
MacLeod said that Sault Michigan has now obtained curling rocks, brooms and hacks, some of that equipment coming from Wisconsin.
Between 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday, MacLeod and his wife - certified curling instructors - will be at Pullar Stadium to give a curling demonstration to guests.
“We’re going to be giving whoever shows up a quick lesson on how to deliver a rock and speak to them about what curling is about. They won’t really be getting a curling game because they still haven’t gotten the lines in but they’ve installed the hacks, which are what you use to push out to push the rock down the ice. We’ll be actively promoting the game of curling,” MacLeod said.
The session will be free and open to the public.
“It sounds like it’s going to be very well attended. It sounds like there’s some excitement about it,” MacLeod said.
MacLeod said he believes that apart from Soo Curlers, the closest curling rink to Sault Michigan is in Traverse City.
MacLeod said he is pleased to teach curling to his U.S. neighbors.
“If people are interested in curling in Sault Michigan then hopefully we can get some new members to cross the bridge and curl here (in Canada).”
Sault Michigan city officials want the curling lessons to continue and would like to see local schools take part in them and form curling teams.
