Cook County Middle School and High School students had the great experience of curling for four days as part of their physical education classes. Rock on!
There has been a lot of activity at the Cook County Curling Club in the 2014-2015 curling season.
Besides regular league games played on Monday and Tuesday evenings, on Wednesday afternoon we have a strong group of dedicated curlers who play a pick-up game of curling. Most of the players are retired folk that enjoy getting togetherandplayinga6endgameofcurling. It is a great way to spend those cold winter afternoons and to have a great time with some neat people.
With support from the YMCA for advertising on Wednesday evenings we have had two sessions for curling lessons for beginners. The first session started in November for six weeks and the second session started in January and we only have two weeks to go. The evening lessons have brought in the younger population and they have been having fun learning the game with the help of seasoned members Rory Smith, Brian Smith, Shawn Swearingen, Rich Palmer, Andrew Smith, Joanne Smith and Bill Parish.
Over the Christmas holidays the club gave lessons to four different groups of nine that were vacationing here. The club has been offering curling lessons to guests who come to visit our area for the last three years and advertises it on their website. It has been pretty successful as we average five to six groups a season. Plus, it gives our visiting guests another experience from the North Shore.
Last week ISD 166 Athletic Director Pam Taylor brought her 7th – 10th grade physical education classes to the curling club to learn the game for four days. Each grade was taught the fundamentals of the game with Bill Parish, Chuck Futterer and Joanne Smith instructing for the four hours each day. Even Principal Adam Nelson joined the junior classmen for a few days to experience what it’s like to curl. This is the third year that the students have come over to the club for classes.
All of these new curlers had the pleasure of using new brooms and sliders that were purchased from money granted through Arrowhead Cooperative’s Operation Round-up. The Cook County Curling Club so appreciates their support.
A big thank you to our club members Rory Smith, Brian Smith, Shawn Swearingen, Rich Palmer, Ronald Gervais, Sr., Bob Spry and the volunteers who have helped with our curling lessons.
In February and March the curling club hosts its bonspiels. The first one is an Open Bonspiel, February 20 – 22 and the Charles J. Futterer Open Memorial Bonspiel is March 13 – 15. These events bring in outside guests to our area to enjoy a weekend of curling and to enjoy what Grand Marais has to offer. The public is always welcome to come watch.
If you would like to learn more about the Cook County Curling Club. Check out the website at: cookcountycurlingclub.com.
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