Morrisville, Vermont - January 8, 2009 It's a classroom-like atmosphere inside the CREW Arena in Morrisville.
These students are busy discussing a game that most have only seen on television.
After a lot of talk, wanna-be curlers lace up their shoes and hit the ice... to get up close and personal with 42 pound rocks-- and a sport better known north of the border.
The Green Mountain Curling Club has been offering Saturday "learn to curl clinics" the past four years.
"Some people are apprehensive, and then they get in the hack and push out and realize they have to do something," curling instructor Rich Dauphin said.
Curling is gaining popularity throughout New England thanks to TV coverage at the Olympics.
Two of Vermont's three curling clubs formed after the 2006 winter games in Italy and there's often a waiting list to attend clinics like this one.
"I had only seen it once on TV for a couple of minutes," said Bob Allstadt of Burlington.
"It's like golf. It takes a life time," Dauphin said. "You'll never master it, but it's easy to learn and fun to play it."
After learning how to throw, beginners try pushing the stone the full length of the ice.
Trying to land the rock in the circle is much harder than it looks.
"If you have one good shot a game, you feel like yes! I've done it," said Dove Cogen of West Brookfield. "It's a lot of just sliding and gliding. It's a lot like skiing or skating."
The Cogen's started playing the game after watching it on TV. It's now a family event-- three generations meet on Saturdays to play.
"It is incredible fun," Cogen said. "It's one of those things. It's like bowling, you can do it but you can do it better, and better and better."
A family sport for young and old and one you can now learn right here in Vermont.
"You might be a little stiff the next morning, but anybody can learn," said Dennis Lutz of South Burlington.
The Green Mountain Curling Club limits the clinics to 16 people per session.
The cost is $25 dollars and that pays for about 3 to 4 hours out on the ice.
Click here for more information on learning how to curl.
Keagan Harsha - WCAX News
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