Club opens ice to curling newcomers

Pushing with his left leg, Dave Fink glides forward on his right knee along the ice, deftly propelling a 42-pound granite "stone" down the frozen alley toward a bull's-eye 125 feet away.

As the stone slides down the rink, two members of the Broomstones Curling Club briskly sweep away ice from its path, guiding it by wit and will toward the red "button" at the center of the scoring circle.

Like Scottish peasants 4 1/2 centuries ago, they are curling, an ancient sport rich in tradition, strategy and misunderstanding.

And on a cool Friday evening, they've opened the doors of the Wayland club looking for new members.

"This is my passion," observed Fink, 56. "Curling can be like a cagey chess match."

Opened in November 1968 in a spacious clubhouse on six acres, the nonprofit Broomstones Curling Club has about 275 adult and 75 youth members. Several members have won national titles.

For two hours Friday while the Red Sox were clobbering the Cleveland Indians, Fink and veteran club members briefed newcomers on the origins and techniques of a game believed to have begun in the early 1500s.

They led two groups of about 10 newcomers each to the ice to teach them and let them try curling's basic skills.

Veteran member Dawn Gutro described curling as "a real sport" with a subtle repertoire of techniques that often go unrecognized by non-players.

"When you're delivering a stone, everybody has their own little twist," she said.

It wasn't always as easy as it looked. The ice was slippery even when members placed tape along visitors' sneakers to improve their traction. The temperature hovered around 44 degrees.

Adam Jacobson fitted his left foot into the "hack," a fixed brace to give a curler traction, and sent a couple of stones down the ice.

"I saw it in the Olympics a couple of years ago and it intrigued me. It looks like it could be fun," said the software engineer from Westborough.

After delivering several stones, Jan Sefter of Marlborough took her turn clearing a path through the ice with a broom for one of Fink's shots.

"I never even knew what it was until today," said the retired Sudbury teacher. "It's fascinating. I will definitely look into it."

Though an Olympic sport since 2002, curling remains little-known and often misunderstood in America, where violent contact, beer commercials, hottie cheerleaders and trash-talking millionaires dominate the billion-dollar industry.

To football- and baseball-crazed fans, curling resembles a quirky amalgam of hockey without skates, shuffleboard on ice and bocce without the Italian cheering.

Club President Sam Williams told about 20 visitors that people generally say curling began in Scotland and that an ancient curling stone inscribed with the date 1511 was recovered from a Lake in Dunblane.

Briefly explaining the rules, Williams said teams of four members each deliver, or slide, 42-pound granite stones down "sheets," which are analogous to lanes in bowling. "There's no checking," he quipped.

Williams said curling's unique skill is sweeping, the coordinated brushing of the ice with customized brooms to clear away pebbles and melt a path through the surface to direct the stone's course.

John O'Day, a retired stockbroker from Framingham, said he began curling 35 years ago to keep active in the winter when he wasn't sailing or golfing.

"Curling is like golf or anything else. Anybody can play golf but to be good takes more effort," he said. "It's a fun game that requires some thinking. You need eye-and-hand coordination to deliver the stone. And you make good friends."

While all team members deliver stones, O'Day explained each has specific tasks related to the overall strategy. The "skip" functions like a quarterback and directs the plays by hand signals. Other players, designated as the "lead," "second" and "third" who also serves as "vice-skip," deliver the stones in a set order and have other duties like sweeping.

Briefing a group of newcomers, veteran member Douglas Donaldson said two four-member teams compete through a series of eight "ins," comparable to innings, by sliding their stones into a designated target area called "the house."

Points are awarded depending how close each stone stops near the center "button" or "pot." "You wouldn't believe the shots you can make. You can play ricochets or just knock the other team's stones out," he said.

Several visitors appeared relieved when Donaldson observed, "It's a non-contact sport. You don't fall down nearly as much as you think you might."

Donaldson also pointed out another venerable tradition that makes curling a popular social activity: "The winning team buys the first round of drinks."

THE ESSENTIALS:

Broomstones Curling Club is located 138 Rice Road, Wayland.

The club hosts regular leagues with men's, women's, mixed and youth teams.

The club offers "stick" curling for players with flexibility problems.

For more information, call 508-358-2412 or visit www.broomstones.com.

-- MetroWest Daily News