If you have never curled before and would like to give it a try, you have three options:
- Public Learn to Curl Sessions - The Fort Wayne Curling Club offers public Learn to Curl sessions about 2x per month on average, typically on a Friday night. These events are $20 per person and run for 2 hours. The first 30-45 minutes of the event is on-ice instruction from experienced club members who will teach you to deliver the stone, sweep and the rules of the game. The remainder of the time is gameplay amongst the attendees with our members assisting as coaches. No equipment or experience is needed. More details can be found here. You can sign up for Public Learn to Curl sessions here.
- Private/Corporate Events - The Fort Wayne Curling Club offers private/corporate events that allow you to rent out our entire facility for the duration of the event. These events run 3 hours and include social time in our warm room before and after. The on-ice portion of the event is typically 2 hours and is similar to the Public Learn to Curl sessions (above). Private/Corporate Events are $1,600. We can get a maximum of 40 people onto our ice at a time. Give us a call if you have a larger group and we will find the best way to accommodate your needs. We can schedule private/corporate events when we don't have the ice scheduled for something else. More details can be found here. You can find the club calendar here.
- Friends & Family Events - The Fort Wayne Curling Club offers semi-private Learn to Curl sessions known as Friends & Family events. These events are run similar to the Public Learn to Curl sessions above but are scheduled at a mutually agreeable time. The cost for Friends and Family Events is $400 per curling sheet. We can fit 8-10 people maximum per curling sheet. So groups of 4-10 people will cost $400, groups of 11-20 will be $800, etc. There may be other Friends and Family events in the club at the same time if you book an event for 30 or fewer people. If you would prefer to not have another group present, please consider a Private/Corporate Event. You can check our availability by viewing our calendar here.
I've Tried Curling and I Loved It! What's Next?
We're excited that you loved your previous curling experience. Here is how you can continue your Curling Journey:
- Rookie Leagues - The Fort Wayne Curling Club offers Rookie Leagues that are designed for people that have attended a Learn to Curl Session (although we can accommodate those who have not). Rookie Leagues are 6-week leagues of 4-end games with only novice curlers playing and our club members there as coaches to help you through the process. As the leagues go on, you become more independent and by the end of the Rookie League, you no longer need (or likely want) our coaches helping. Rookie Leagues are held on Wednesday nights with games running from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm and, if there is sufficient interest, 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm. The cost of the Rookie Leagues is $100 per person plus a $10 annual Rookie Membership to the club. You can sign up as a full team, a partial team or an individual. We will assign partial and individual enrollees on to a team with other Rookies. Rookie league participants are often asked to sub into a regular league game and there is no additional cost for this. Rookie Leagues usually start in October, January and March. If it is an Olympic Year, demand is usually very high and Rookie Leagues may be held on additional nights.
- Regular Leagues - Some new curlers choose to jump directly into regular curling leagues. The Fort Wayne Curling Club offers regular (i.e. non-rookie) leagues on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights with draws running 6:00 pm - 8:00 and, if there are 10 or more teams in the league, there is a second draw from 8:15 pm - 10:15 pm. Leagues typically run about 12 weeks and are 8-end (2+ hour games). All leagues are open format so are open to men, women and junior curlers of all levels. Our Sunday and Tuesday leagues are typically the least competitive and a great starting point for new curlers. Regular Leagues typically start in late September and early January. The cost for regular leagues is $300 for new curlers (after a $25 discount applicable to your first year). If you are interested in playing in multiple leagues, you can join two or more leagues for a flat fee of $475 (after a $25 discount applicable to your first year). You can join a regular league as a full team, a partial team or an individual. If you join a full league as a partial team or individual, we will get you assigned to a team with more experienced curlers that will be understanding and teach you during the games.
Why join a regular league vs. a Rookie League?
New curlers typically jump straight into a regular league for the following reasons:
- Day of the Week - If Wednesday nights don't work for someone, they will join a regular league as the only other option.
- Value - The Rookie Leagues are 6 hours of curling for $100 (or $16.67 per hour) while Regular Leagues are 24 hours of curling for $300 (or $12.50 per hour), so you get more bang for your buck.
- Desire to improve more quickly - While Rookie Leagues provide a gentle introduction to the sport through playing on a team with players of similar ability, they aren't the quickest way to learn and improve. The quickest way to learn and improve at the game is to join a regular league as a partial team or an individual and get assigned to a team with one of our more experience members that will instruct you as play. Joining a Regular League as a full team is also a faster way to learn and improve at the game, but you may take your licks for a while.
Do I need any equipment for any of this?
You do not need to purchase any equipment. The club has club brooms, grippers and step-on sliders available for use during the games. Most curlers, eventually go on to buy various equipment including:
- Curling Broom/Brush - The first investment many members make is buying their own broom (also called a brush). The club brooms get a lot of use and are no longer of premium quality. You can purchase your own fiberglass broom for between $55 and $100. Most members opt for the higher quality carbon fiber brooms that are significantly lighter than the club brooms and are available for between $100 and $175.
- Curling Shoes - Purchasing your own curling shoes will have the greatest impact on your game. The club's step on sliders have a high level of wear and tear and are significantly slower than curling shoes. Curling shoes are available for anywhere between $120 and $275 per pair. If that cost is too high for you, some members choose to purchase their own pull on sliders for about $25, that are not as good as shoes but are better than using the club's heavily used sliders.
- Other Equipment - Members often purchase other equipment such as curling gloves, grippers, stabilizers, etc.
Where do I buy curling equipment?
The club has a small pro shop with a limited inventory of brooms, grippers, sliders and even shoes. However, we can also get you any item from Steve's Curling Supplies (www.stevescurling.com) and if you order from the club you pay the same price and the club gets a portion of the proceeds. We can also save you shipping expenses if we are able to combine orders.
OK. I've made my decision on how to proceed. What is my next step?
That's awesome! We are excited to have you join us. Once you know what you want to do, or if you have questions, contact the club at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at 260-739-5182.
