APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Curling may only grab national attention every four years during the Winter Olympics, but in Wisconsin, players say the sport has been part of winter life for generations.
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The game traces its roots back to Scotland and took hold in Wisconsin in the 1800s, when immigrants brought curling to a state where long winters made it a natural fit.
Over time, Wisconsin became one of the country’s curling strongholds, producing national champions and even Olympians.
Members at the Appleton Curling Club say the Olympic Games often remind people that curling is more than just a novelty sport seen on television.
“It originally comes from Scotland. It’s one of those crazy Scottish sports like golf is and it’s one that got an early establishment here in Wisconsin, going back to the 1800s,” Appleton Curling Club’s Tom Wanamaker said.
Wanamaker says Wisconsin, along with neighboring Minnesota, has long been considered a hotbed for curling thanks to access to facilities, competitive leagues and a strong sense of community within clubs.
“It’s one of the hotbeds of curling here in Wisconsin, along with Minnesota, and we’ve sent a lot of people to the Olympics and national championships out of Wisconsin,” Wanamaker said.
For many players, curling is as much about camaraderie as competition. Club members say the social aspect — from post-game conversations to lifelong friendships — keeps people coming back year after year.
“Good fellowship. When we are done, we have a place to go have a beer afterwards and talk about the game and lives,” Wanamaker said. “People here are all friendly and we like being with each other.”
While curling can look simple to viewers watching the Olympics, players say the sport involves far more strategy and physical demand than it appears.
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“If you kind of watch it for a while, you can hear the commentators talking about the strategy that’s involved,” Wanamaker said. “People think it’s just throwing darts at a bullseye.”
As Olympic curling returns to the global stage, local players hope the added exposure encourages more people to learn about — and even try — a sport that has been sliding strongly in Wisconsin for more than a century.
