The weekend saw high temperatures, which melted the majority of the ice of the Copper Country Curling Club’s curling floor. It is expected that the water will freeze in time for the open house and the Learn to Curl on Jan. 3 and 4. (Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette)

CALUMET — Those looking to learn a new hobby for 2025 will have that opportunity at the Copper Country Curling Club’s annual open house and Learn to Curl events Friday and Saturday. The events are designed to serve as an introduction to the sport of curling and to the club. The open house runs from 3 – 6 p.m. Friday at 57189 Mackinac Trail in Calumet. Learn to Curl takes place at the same location Saturday.

The open house is free of charge is aimed at giving the opportunity to learn about the club and get a basic introduction to the sport of curling. Instructors will be present to walk visitors through the steps of curling on the ice which include “throwing a stone” and in sweeping before the stone.

CCCC Board Member Andrew Grohowski said the club is looking forward to introducing the activity to more Copper Country residents and believes it will catche on because of its adaptability and accessibility.

“Pretty much anyone of any ability can curl,” Grohowski said. “You don’t have to slide out. You can use a delivery stick or delivery aid that we have so you can just push the stone down the ice. Sweeping is easy enough for anybody to do. It’s good exercise; it’s good cardio and it’s good socialization.”

The club’s location is the former Calumet and Hecla Mining Company’s drill shop. Active during the mining days, the location has since been reconfigured into the curling facility. The building’s history is displayed through photographs and drill bits hanging the walls. A portion of the building of where much of the manufacturing had been done is now the area for curling on a rink that is somewhat rare.

The ice in the building is not refrigerated and is instead naturally frozen by outdoor temperatures. Because of this, curlers will sometimes bundle up in appropriate winter attire to keep themselves warm while on the ice. Last year only allowed a few weeks of playable ice due to the warm temperatures, though this year it is expected that won’t be an issue.

Learn to Curl, which will be held on Saturday, is an instructional event which will give participants a more in-depth understanding of the sport. This event will require signing up which can done through the club’s Facebook page or contacting the club through their website. The admittance fee of $20 can be applied toward signing up for club membership.

Grohowski believes those trying curling for the first time will be surprised at how active it can get.

“They won’t expect how cardio intense it is,” he said. “The sweeping is very cardio intense. And during an entire game, you walk basically about two miles– just going back and forth over a two hour period for a game.”

After a stone is released down the ice the sweeping in curling is done in order to remove a certain amount of frost before the moving stone and control the rate at which it slows while it is moving towards its target. The speed of sweeping depends if the team is trying to keep the stone moving as quickly as possible. The sweepers are instructed by one of the team members called “the skip” who determines what needs to be done to complete the objective.

If anyone in attendance joins the club, they can then participate in its confined leagues. The club offers a Monday Social League, Tuesday and Thursday Competitive League and a Wednesday Beginner League. This allows members to enjoy themselves at any levelt.

“It really is a sport for anybody,” Grohowski said. “Curlers in general, are nice, fun people. It’s a sport that requires some patience and understanding.”

It is suggested to bring a pair of clean shoes to wear to both events while on the ice to limit the amount of dirt, rocks and salt that will be transferred from the outside.