Learning Curling In Tulsa Easy As Throwing Stones

Every four years, the sport of curling captures the American consciousness like none other, and Green Country is no exception.

And in the Tulsa area, for the newly enthused or longtime curler, throwing a rock has never been simpler.

"It's like chess, it really is. It's like chess on ice. It's an art form to know strategy," said the president of the Tulsa Curling Club, Eric Vardeman. “It’s a pretty easy game to pick up. It just takes time.”

After watching the Winter Olympic sport for years, Vardeman was interested but also confused as to how it worked and made it his mission to learn.

"I'd been watching curling for about eight years. Just kind of got hooked on it,” he said. “The first time I saw it, I just couldn't figure it out. I didn't know the rules, I couldn't figure out how to score. So, it just became this type of vendetta. I had to learn how to play, and by the time I did, I was hooked."

So, if you’re interested you too can learn how to play this Winter Olympic sport here in Tulsa. But, why, or how?

"We wanted to have people out just to teach them the basics of the sport, give them a chance to get on the ice," Vardeman said.

After a friend told him of a league in Oklahoma City, Vardeman set out to start his own, which would be the first in the city.

"Twenty-twelve we finally got people on the ice," he said. "We had Canadians come out of the woodwork."

Now, it’s the only place east of OKC you can play and learn.

And who knows, maybe you’ll see an Oklahoman on the big stage one day.