Curling? It's Kind Of A 'Big Spiel'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The oldest curling club in the nation is hosting one of the biggest tournaments of the year.

It's called the "Big Spiel," and games are being played at the St. Paul Curling Club, along with clubs in Frogtown and Four Seasons in Blaine.

Teams came from across the country, with a total of 384 curlers taking part in the curling bonspiel.

"You play in a tournament like this and it makes you feel like you are back in your youth," Darryl Sobering said.

Sobering may be feeling youthful, but he's playing at a curling club that was formed more than a century ago.

His team traveled from Denver and so far they've done a good enough job of pushing the rock that they're undefeated at the Big Spiel.

"I think the big thing is you get to see those other teams, see how they curl, and what they do in different parts of the country," Sobering said.

And yes, you can say the Big Spiel is a big deal. There are 96 teams from across the country and they are playing at the oldest curling club in America -- and the largest.

Most clubs across the country have between 50 and 300 members. St. Paul has more than 1,000. Numbers grew after curling became an Olympic sport.

"We try and say bocce ball on ice or shuffleboard on ice," Mark Willmert, president of the Twin Cities Curling Association, said.

Willmert said curling in the Twin Cities can be competitive. It's no longer a game of inches, but rather millimeters.

"We have micrometers that come out to the littlest point to measure something," he said.

"They call it the spirit of curling. You always want your opponent to bring their best game because then you know they brought their best game, you brought yours, and you came out victorious," Courtney Shaw said.

Unfortunately for Shaw, her Potomac Curling team from Laurel, Maryland lost Friday morning, but the nice thing about curling is having a beer after a win or loss is highly encouraged.

"It's a little early but I guess it's noon somewhere. I guess it's noon now," Shaw said.

The Big Spiel runs through Sunday. The winning team gets a trophy and a lot of pride.