What Makes Curling a Winter Olympics Must-Watch

Every four years, millions of people around the world find themselves glued to their televisions, watching athletes slide massive stones across sheets of ice while teammates frantically sweep in front of them at the Olympics.

What makes curling so appealing?

Members of the Syracuse University club curling team explain what entices people into the sport that is part ice, part strategy and part finesse.

“There’s just something special about curling. The novelty and the silliness of the sport draw you in. Every four years we just have to watch curling at the Olympics,” says Adam Wingert ’27, a member of the Syracuse University club curling team and fourth-year architecture student in the School of Architecture.

“Growing up, I would watch curling at the Olympics with my parents and I often thought, ‘Yeah, I could do that,’” says teammate Alex Reid ’26, who is studying computer science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Before this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy, Wingert and Reid share what viewers can expect and invite community members to try their own hand at some of the team’s open lessons.

The Basics of Curling

Traditional curling features four-person teams taking their turn sending a massive stone down a thin sheet of ice while teammates frantically clean and sweep as the stone slides towards its target, known as a house.

Sweepers utilize a broom to melt the top surface of the ice as the stone is hurtling toward its target. But don’t let the name fool you: there are no bristles on these brooms, just a thin fabric covering over a foam pad.

Sweepers use their brooms to control the stone’s speed and trajectory by reducing friction with the ice—making it slide farther, curl less or curl more depending on strategy.

Stones can be used to either knock an opponent’s stone out of the house, or to position it strategically in the house to amass points. Teams score points for each stone closer to the center of the house than their opponent’s best stone.

Debunking Misconceptions

Despite competing on ice, the athletes don’t wear skates when they throw the stone. Instead, Orange student-athletes either wear sliders or specialized nonstick shoes made from Teflon that provide grip and traction.

Once the stone has been released, Reid says another misconception—that the stone will automatically go where you intend it to—is also quickly debunked.

“Playing conditions on the ice change over time,” Reid says. “By the nature of the sport, the same exact shot is not going to wind up in the same position as the competition advances. Curling gets down to the minutiae, and every moment has to be perfect.”

What to Know About Syracuse Curling

The Syracuse Curling Club has nine co-ed student-athletes, practices at the Utica Curling Club and competes in tournaments (called bonspiels) as part of both the regional Grand National Curling Club College League and USA Curling. At each competition, teams earn points based on their performance that determine which schools advance into the National Championship.

Syracuse recently placed second at the Yale Curling Club’s SuperSpiel tournament in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and is preparing for the Northeast Regionals tournament this weekend in Utica, New York. If Syracuse places in the top two teams at regionals, it will automatically qualify for the 2026 National Championship, March 12-15, in Schenectady, New York.

“We’re able to come out and represent Syracuse and be part of the club’s proud history,” Reid says. “To be able to say I made my mark is a really special feeling.”

After each tournament, a Spirit of Curling award is presented to the team that best embodies sportsmanship and professionalism while helping to grow the sport. Teams will then stack their brooms on the table and celebrate the end of a hard-fought game by getting to know a little bit more about their opponents.

“That speaks to the broader culture of curling,” Wingert says. “Curling is a competitive sport, and we want to win, but being part of this tight-knit community comes first. Curling is about doing better every single time and being the best person you can be.”

‘I’m Part of Something Bigger Than Myself’

Determined to spread their love of curling across campus, the club team runs free learn to curl classes at the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion on South Campus. At these sessions, which normally occur in September and October, all the necessary equipment is provided, free of charge.

That’s how Reid became involved and now he’s a key contributor to the team that has its sights set on representing the University at the upcoming national tournament.

“Once I tried the sport, what made me stick around was this understanding that I was part of something that was bigger than myself,” Reid says.

Wingert, who fell in love with the sport when he was a child growing up in Southern Ontario, Canada, says nearly every member of the club team had zero curling experience before coming to campus.

“The learn to curl sessions are great because it helps us recruit for the club while spreading our love of curling on campus,” Wingert says.

For more information or to fill out an interest form, visit the curling team’s website.