By Elissa Borden
RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) - Figure skating and hockey aren’t the only sports played on ice. Curling is a fun pick, too. And one group of Vermont curlers is hoping to rally more players.
The Giorgetti Athletic Complex in Rutland is home to a lot of sports including one of two curling clubs in the state of Vermont. Members of the Rutland Rocks Curling Club have been refining their skills for about 15 years now.
“Curling is referred to as chess on ice,” said Gary Watulak, a club board member, instructor, and champion curler. And we learned he’s also very patient.
Reporter Elissa Borden: Will you teach me how to curl?
Gary Watulak: I would love to teach you to curl and hope you get the curl bug.
There’s a lot to curling -- more than you might expect -- from the form, to the sweeping, but the basic premise is simple. “It’s like any others, you want to get more points. The way you score is by the number of stones closest to what’s called ‘the house,’” Watulak explained.
The team to get the most points by the end of a set number of rounds within a set timeframe wins, and the winners buy the losers a drink at the end.
“It’s not a power sport. It’s a sport of control -- kind of finesse. Male, female, young, old -- anybody can learn to curl,” Watulak said.
As it turns out, that includes news reporters, too. Like all the other beginners, Watulak started by teaching me the form, with grip so I didn’t fall.
Reporter Elissa Borden: It’s not graceful, but it’s there.
Gary Watulak: It doesn’t have to be graceful.
Eventually, I graduated to doing the form without the grip, as to slide with the stone, and eventually gave it a whirl. They say the third time’s the charm, but it took a little more time than that. And as it turns out, the stone is actually supposed to curl. Eventually, I got it with the encouragement of the club members.
While the feeling of finally figuring it out, was rewarding, Watulak says he’s in it for the workout, and for the friendship. And they’re hoping to rally more players. “Right now the club is covering a wide range of people and looking to expand it,” he said.
They’re tapping into the younger population, starting a youth league next week. But even if you’re no longer in your youth, Watulak and the other club members would still love to have you.
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