Students push for fun with intramural curling
Students push for fun with intramural curling
Every four years as the Winter Olympics takes center stage, the sport of curling catches a momentary buzz.
But for a few dozen Syracuse University students, the excitement of sliding stones across the ice toward the concentric targets, curling is a central part of their college experience.
“I would recommend anyone trying it out at least once,” said Kirsten Ramussen, captain of Curl Jam curling team and member of SU’s Intramural Curling Club.
The curlers meet every Sunday from October to March at Tennity Ice Pavilion and compete in teams of two or four for matches. At the conclusion of regular season play in December, the teams square off in a playoff for the intramural trophy.
Ramussen, a doctoral student, explained that it takes time to find the right touch to pushing the stones, also known as rocks, across the ice sheet in order to earn points based on where they land on the house, or scoring area.
“You get some really good ones and then you get some really terrible ones,” Ramussen said. “You just learn to throw it the right speed, but sometimes the ice is totally against you and you will have a bad day no matter what you’re doing.”
New curler Rafe Burns, a sophomore who is a member of the Swept With Your Sister team, said he’s enjoyed learning how to throw the stones.
“You can put cool touches on it, and … try to make the stone do what you want,” Burns said.
While curling may appear to be based on physical skill, Ramussen said the mental aspects of the game are key as well when it comes to strategic play.
“I really like the game of trying to get the right speed because the ice is different every time you’re on it because the temperature is always fluctuating with the wall being there,” Ramussen said. “Trying to get the right speed and also time your stones to ricochet off each other in the way that’s most beneficial to you.”
is a second-year broadcast journalism major and a contributor for The NewsHouse.
