Neighborhood contributors Vivianne, Jasmijn and Genca, aka Dutchiesonthegram, discover a sport that is becoming increasingly popular, namely curling. Together with a group of friends you can follow a curling clinic in Zoetermeer and that is quite special because this is the only course in the Netherlands where curling can be officially played.
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Curling rink Zoetermeer
In curling you slide stones over a mirror-smooth ice rink towards the circle of the opponent. There are only four curling rinks in our country, of which Curling rink Zoetermeer in Silverdome there is one. With about 150 members throughout the Netherlands, curling doesn’t seem like a popular sport, but nothing could be further from the truth. You can attend a clinic to get people excited about curling. Ideal for a bachelor party, company outing, (children’s) party or just to get together with your friends or family. An advantage: if you are a natural, you will be scouted immediately!
Curling: the basics
Curlingbaan Zoetermeer has three sheets (courts) where you play a match on one sheet. On both sides of the track are circular circles on the ice, the so-called house. So you play back and forth. You can score points by throwing stones into the house as a team. The team consists of the captain, the thrower and the sweepers. We played the game with just the throwers and sweepers, mainly to practice with the technique.
As a thrower you throw the stone over the ice using a special sliding technique. As soon as the stone passes the first red line (hogline), the sweepers have to get to work. With good sweeping, the stone can slide up to three meters further. The real professionals can determine the direction of the stone with a small subtle movement (the curl) and ensure that it turns one and a half meters inwards.
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The clinic
You play a clinic with a maximum of six or ten people. Depending on the number of participants, it takes about two hours. It starts with a presentation about the sport and the safety measures. You will also hear fun facts about curling. For example, did you know that a curling stone weighs nineteen pounds and it became more popular when Norwegians started wearing crazy pants during the Olympics?
We step on the ice with warm clothes on. Together with a supervisor, we test the ice and the materials. Under a foot we place a slider. You will immediately notice that you glide super smoothly over the ice. Then it’s time to test the infamous sliding. With two stones in hand and your foot on the starting block (hedge), you drop off and slide on the slider over the track. It sounds easy, but it takes some practice before you get the hang of it. We are also trying to sweep the track.
After everyone has a little confidence in the sliding and has practiced it is time for a competition. Where at the beginning we were still shaking a bit during the exercise, after that we were all eager to win. We go over the ice like true professionals. “Swipe, swipe, swipe” is what you hear next throughout the room as teammates yell at each other.
The profit
We were six people, the Dutchies against the rest and we are proud to say that we won the competition. Genca is our top thrower and Vivianne and Jasmine ran sweeping across the ice to get the rock as far as possible. Our instructor Marcel gave us very good explanations and was impressed with our curling skills. The two hours flew by and we had severe muscle pain the next day. That is top sport!
Dutchies on the Gram
Doing fun things together as often as possible and above all: that’s what the three friends Vivianne, Jasmijn and Genca prefer to do. All three have full-time jobs, but whenever possible, they meet up for a game night, a picnic or a cup of coffee in their favorite coffee shop. They share their favorite places in Zoetermeer and beyond on their Insta page Dutchiesonthegram and also as neighborhood contributors for the Zoetermeer neighborhood.