Local curlers honor sport’s rich past, eye olympic future

The Park City Curling Club clinched silver at the Cross Border Bonspiel in Calgary, Alberta Sept. 20-22. Photo: Park City Curling Club

The sport of curling has a unique history, dating back to the 16th century, and making its first debut in the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. Now, the curling club is setting sights on the 2034 Winter Olympics.

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Curling team secured a silver medal in the B bracket at the eighth annual Cross Border Bonspiel held in Calgary, Alberta, from September 20-22. The tournament, featuring 24 teams from the United States and Canada, showcased the growing popularity of this winter sport.

Club members Greg Basrak, Andrew Collins, Heidi Welsing, and Debbie Basrak represented the Park City Pirates. Their success highlights the progress of curling in Park City, a sport with roots tracing back to 16th century Europe.

According to World Curling, curling, once called the “Roarin’ Game” due to the sound of granite stones sliding across ice, has a rich history. The first written evidence of the sport dates to 1540 in Paisley, Scotland. Over centuries, it evolved from a winter pastime to a popular competitive sport with its own world championships.

The sport’s formal rules were first established in Scotland. In 1838, the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was formed in Edinburgh, becoming the sport’s governing body and adopting the official “Rules in Curling.” The sport gained royal recognition in 1843 when Queen Victoria, fascinated by a curling demonstration at Scone Palace, gave permission for the club to be renamed the Royal Caledonian Curling Club.

While international curling events were held in Europe and North America throughout the 19th century, the sport’s Olympic debut came at the first Winter Games in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Great Britain emerged victorious over Sweden and France in this competition, which, 82 years later, was retroactively recognized as an official Olympic event in 2006. Curling appeared again as a demonstration sport at the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics, but nothing happened for years. 

The sport’s governing body finally established the International Curling Federation in 1966 after 9 years of attempting to form an international organization, which was required to apply for, and gain, Olympic medal status.

Even with the formation of an international federation, the sport still remained a demonstration event at the 1988 Calgary, Alberta Olympics and the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France. It wasn’t until the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan where it finally achieved medal status.

In 2024, the federation changed its name to World Curling. 

The Park City Curling Club has a fun history of its own. Ironically started in 2006 (the same year that the 1924 Olympics Curling Team was recognized), the PC Curling Club was borrowing its stones from the Ogden Curling Club.

“Club members had to drive the stones from Ogden to PC and back just to have one league night per week,” Park City Curling Club President Andrew Collins said. “We drew the “Houses” (Rings) with markers on the ice.”

In 2007, the Park City Ice Arena purchased the equipment needed and painted the houses into the ice so the club was able to grow.

As Park City prepares for the 2034 Winter Olympics, the local curling club is ramping up its efforts to grow the sport even more.

“Ultimately, our goal is to have a dedicated curling facility in Park City before the 2034 Winter games!” Collins said. “We’re dedicated to growing this Olympic sport in Park City.”

The club welcomes new curlers and teams, offering opportunities for those interested in learning the sport. They will be hosting a “Learn to Curl” workshop on Dec. 23 with discounts for local residents. “It is an amazing experience for people of any age or ability level,” Collins said.

The curling club hosts 2 leagues per year; one in the fall and the winter. Operating out of the Park City Ice Arena, the club is currently accepting registrations for its fall league, starting Oct. 7.

For more information about joining the league or learning to curl, visit the Park City Curling Club’s website or email info@parkcitycurlingclub.com.