DENVER, Colo. (KOAA) — As the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony approaches this Friday in Milan-Cortina, some events have already begun, including curling.
The centuries-old Scottish sport is practiced right here in Colorado at the Denver Curling Club, where members are eager to share their passion for the game.
"You see them sliding out, it looks easy, but you're on a solid block of Teflon on your foot on ice, so it's very slippery," David Falco said.
David Falco, the head ice maker at the Denver Curling Club, says there's much more to curling than meets the eye.
"People say shuffleboard on ice. I think that most curlers cringe at that a little bit," Falco said. "Because it is a team game. So think of a large shuffleboard game, but where you have teammates that are helping you with strategy and help you make your shots."
Curling is played between two teams, taking turns one at a time. Teams of four work together to place rocks or stones down the ice toward a target called "the house."
"So there's no defense essentially, right? You're not going to get checked while the rock is moving down the ice," he said.
Each team member has a specific role. "Each position throws two rocks," he said. "At any one time, you have the thrower, and you have two sweepers, and you have the person at the other end that's calling the shot and giving you the target for where you're supposed to aim."
One of the most recognizable aspects of curling is the sweeping. Players use specialized brooms to direct the rock's path.
"Sweeping is used to make the rock go farther, travel farther, and make it go a little straighter. So it takes some curl out of the path of the stone," Falco said.
Scoring in curling centers around the house, a large circle at the end of the ice. Contrary to popular belief, the different rings don't have assigned point values.
"There are strictly reference lines," Falco said.
At the end of each round, whichever team's rock is closest to the center of the house earns a point, "and then a point for each additional rock that's closer than your opponent's closest rock," Falco said.
In Olympic competition, teams face additional pressure with time constraints.
"So they're forced to make decisions faster, call their strategy faster, get ready to throw quicker, and so it adds a little bit more pressure to the environment," Falco said.
The Olympics typically bring increased interest to local curling clubs, a phenomenon Falco calls "the Olympic bump."
"We're actually taking a week off of operations to host people that are interested in trying it for the first time," Falco said.
With more attention on curling during the Olympics, he believes it's the perfect opportunity to grow the sport.
"I think in a lot of ways curling is unique in that the competitiveness only goes so far and the community is really the driving force behind the sport," Falco said.
The Denver Curling Club offers both adult and youth leagues as well as learn to curl classes for those interested in learning the sport.
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