What's Curling?
Curling comes with many benefits which range from the health and fitness aspects to the social aspect. To the the left is a short 2 minute video created by the Canadian Curling Association which explains the aim and rules of how to play curling. Some benefits to this sport are listed below:
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Any age or ability can enjoy - Do not worry as curling is played by all ages and is a great way to keep yourself active. It also does not matter if you have never stepped onto ice before or whether you have been playing for years. This sport is great for getting everyone playing together and helping each other achieve their goals.
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Great exercise - This may look like a slow paced game but believe this, your body gets a fair workout. From muscles you probably did
What is Curling and it's Benefits?
not know you had to getting the old ticker moving, you will feel the benefits from taking part within this cool sport.
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Teamwork & Communication - This is a key part of the game. As a team you'll take it in turns to throw stones down the ice towards the house and another team member who will judge the line. The remaining two members will judge the speed and everyone will communicate their role to each other to ensure the stone gets the desired shot that was asked for.
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Sociable - As much as it can be a competitive sport it is also a very sociable sport where you are able to meet new people and form new friendships. In between shots you will find curlers talking to one another between sheets and catching up on any new gossip but curling doesn't just stop on the ice. It moves upstairs to the lounge. Teams enjoy a drink after their games and talk about the match and discuss any topics that may be of interest to one another. Though you don't have to just go up to lounge if you have played a game but just pop along and watch some of the curling with a cold beverage relaxing with the other spectators.
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Inexpensive - Compared to some sports this can be relatively cheap and good value for money. Games vary in price depending on the time of day and a membership to the club will not cost you anywhere near the same as an annual golf subscription.
These are just a few of the many benefits that curling has to offer. So don't leave it any longer than you have to. Come along by yourself, the family or with some friends and become part of a larger community.
Curling in the Scottish Borders
Curling Clubs
The ice rink is built up of many clubs from around the Scottish borders. It used to be back in the day the club that you would join would be dependant in the area that you lived in. Not any more. Clubs tend to play at different times to suit the majority of their members and have a vast selection of ability within them. So if there is a time of day that would suit you best for example early in the day or late at night or even doesn't matter then you would take this into consideration. Other reasons to join a club would be if you know anyone within that club or have been approached by them. To find a list of our clubs click here or go to the Curling Clubs page.
Competitions
Once you have established yourself in a club.
You may decide its time to enter some competitions and start getting your name plastered around the place. There is no need to worry though because these are not just for the elitists. Have no fear as everyone is beatable and that is the great thing about curling. There are many different types of competitions where you can enter as a team or enter individually. Some have stipulations, for example two men and two women, and others are just open to anyone. Our competitions are kindly sponsored by many kind individuals and companies around the area and to find a list of these head to our Sponsors page or click here. Competitions are strongly supported by our members not just by taking part but by coming to watch the games and congratulate some great curling. Pictured above is four young lads who won The Weekend trophy which has been played for since the ice rink opened in 1964. You too could be part of our ice rinks long running heritage, so go to the Competitions page and check out our large selection by clicking here.
Additional Curling
We also have other opportunities that you could take part in and these come in the form of the Berwickshire Province, Border Province and the Ladies Section. The Border Province & Berwickshire Province has leagues and competitions within itself where you can represent your club against other Border Ice Rink clubs. The Border Province section also play against other provinces around Scotland which are aranged by either the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (the governing body) or the provinces themselves. This also gives you the opportunity to meet other curlers from around Scotland. You can check out the Border Province Committee by clicking here. Then we have the Ladies Section who tend to play the majority of their curling in the mornings. They also have some very sociable and fun filled competitions, for example the Ladies Challenge, which have additional entertainment and food as part of the competition. If any of this sounds appealing to you then you can check out the Ladies Committee and get in touch with them by clicking here.
Coaching
As mentioned above there is no need to worry if you have never thrown a stone in your life. It's never too late to start. The coaching is run by Border Curling Development Group and follows the Royal Caledonian Curling Club programme. There is coaching available for all ages and from complete novice to aspiring curler. If you feel that you would like get the basics given to you or feel that there are some aspects of your game that you would like to tweak then please head over to the coaching page or click here.
Curling is not just for the able bodied and if you feel that you or someone you know would like to try this, then there is some wheelchair coaching that happens on a saturday morning. This group is a growing club and if you would like to find out more you can contact them via the Curling clubs
page by clicking here. You can also find out more information on the wheelchair coaching page by clicking here.
Maybe we still haven't sold it to you. Well heres a opportunity you can't resist. Try Curling is an RCCC initiative where you can book yourself in and get the fundamentals taught to you and have a real feel for what curling is like. Even better yet it will cost you less than a meal deal at your local supermarket. There are limited dates and also limited availability so please keep an eye on the Try Curling page by clicking here.
Corporate Events
We also offer companies the opportunity to bring their employees to take part in a corporate session, where everyone will get 30 minutes coaching and 1 hour 30 minutes game time. We can also arrange to have food available for everyone before or afterwards. Once all the ice time has been used there is always the bar lounge that can be used for some recovery time. As previously mentioned above, curling is a great sport to improve communication and teamwork between your employees. Character building is another benefit brought by the sport as they don't call it the roaring game for no reason. With this session you will see your employees have a laugh and put themselves out there as their competitive sides come out. For more information on this please go to the corporate page by clicking here.
