Orlando – Unless the Winter Olympics are happening live, curling is likely not the first sport to which most Central Floridians relate. Bryan Pittard hopes that is all about to change as he tries to warm up the local community to the icy sport.
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles.
Inspired by watching curling in the 2014 Winter Olympics, Pittard decided to do some research. He found that Curling Orlando already existed on Facebook and had members, but it hadn’t really taken off. After the original creator moved to Texas, Pittard took over the group.
“In Florida, we don’t have a lot of ice rinks but we do have some. It looks like fun and I like obscure weird things and I wanted to find out more,” Pittard said.
Pittard and fellow members have already made great strides in getting Orlando Curling on the map. There is only one curling club in Florida currently: The Panthers Curling Club in Coral Springs.
“I went to a ‘learn to curl’ with the Panthers and a few rounds with the Potomac Curling Club in Washington D.C.,” Pittard said.
Orlando Curling is recognized as a nonprofit corporation in the state of Florida and is considered an official curling club by the Grand National Curling Club and U.S. Curling Association.
Unlike the more popular winter sport of hockey, Pittard compares curling to low impact sports like darts and shuffleboard that everyone could enjoy.
“There are curlers in their eighties and all the way down to children,” Pittard said. “They have curling for disabled people even if they are wheelchair-bound. It’s a special sport.”
The club has found a home at the RDV Ice Den in Maitland and has recruited a solid group of founding members to help out.
While the club has found a home, it still needs the equipment needed to play. Pittard started a GoFundMe.com page in hopes of raising the necessary $5,000 for equipment and ice times.
While the fundraising period is ongoing, Pittard hopes the club is able to reach its goal soon since Florida will be in the spotlight for curling events in the near future.
“Jacksonville was actually chosen as the home for the 2016 Curling National Championships and we’d like to be established before that time,” Pittard said.
For more information on Curling Orlando visit CurlingOrlando.com. Donations to the campaign can be made at GoFundMe.com/CurlingOrlando.
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