All over the south, curling clubs are popping up at local ice arenas. Enthusiasm for the sport is at a high, with scores of people turning out for Learn to Curl nights and curling lessons. There was even a curling exhibition at this year’s Super Bowl! Here in Charlotte, every time curling is mentioned people smile and say they watched it during the Olympics, they play it on their iPhone, and they want to try it!
But as any arena curler knows, the future of curling is fragile when a club has to compete for space at the local ice skating & hockey rink. League dates are bumped for hockey tournaments. Ice skaters dig, spin and toe pick the ice until it resembles the craters of the moon. Curling is a bonus to the rink for filling up unused time slots here and there but it isn’t the bread and butter of any arena. Even in the best of circumstances, with supportive ice center owners such as we have here in Charlotte, the restrictions of playing on arena ice limit of the scope of curling for a club.
Here at the Charlotte Centre Curling Club we aim to do the unexpected: Build a dedicated curling facility deep in the heart of the South. As odd as this may sound on a hot summer day, southern gentility and curling courtesies have much in common. The Scots settled in this area long ago and perhaps they brought the thoughts behind the rules of the sport with them. The politeness and courtesy of both cultures fit nicely together. The idea that hospitality and civility are still alive and kicking are common to both our sport and the character of our area. Taking this concept of compatibility one step further by bringing a dedicated curling facility to our area seems like a natural fit to those of us who curl here.
Your donation to this effort will make this vision a reality. Real bricks and mortar are on the horizon for the Charlotte Centre Curling Club but only with the help of generous curling supporters like you. The realization of this vision means more than just a place to play a sport. It means the furtherance of something we curlers hold dear: civility.
Your donation means that we can bring the supportive, friendly and courteous sport of curling to many more people. It means we can spread our passion and all that it means as a way of life to others all over the South. It means that we can broaden the reach of fellowship and good sportsmanship that makes curling so very unique. In this day and age furthering those ideals is about more than just supporting a sport. It’s about bring a new vision of what the world could be like through the basic ideals embodied in a hand shake and a “good curling” wish to your opponents, no matter what happens. That is something we can all support and believe in, no matter where we live and curl.
Won’t you please help us make this goal a reality today by donating to our cause? Your donation will go in full to the building fund of our 501 (c) (3) organization and is tax deductible. Joining us in making this vision a reality makes you as unique as the sport of curling. Thank you for your support.