Fall under their spiel: Roadrunner Curling Club strives to introduce the sport to New Mexicans

At first glance, curling looks like the type of sport one might be able to pick up with relative ease.

That notion couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Curling is one of those things that kind of seems so out there and it’s something that you would never get the chance to try. It’s not going to be for everyone. It is actually surprisingly a very difficult sport,” said Michael King, Roadrunner Curling Club (RCC) president.

“When you watch it on TV, it looks pretty easy. A lot of people I get are like, ‘I could do that. I could be in the Olympics.’ Those are the people that I want to come try it because it’s a blast, and it’s way harder than you expect it to be. But it’s also that much more fun because there’s that challenging aspect of it.”

That’s where RCC comes in. The non-profit organization was initially founded in 2017 by James Brickey as a way to set up curling watch parties prior to the 2018 Olympics. That gradually evolved into something more, as the group now hosts curling activities — including leagues and instructional sessions — multiple times per week at the Outpost Ice Arenas in Albuquerque. All RCC activities are held at two “tunnels” that connect the ice rinks at the venue. This allows the organization to hold curling events while the rinks are in use for hockey or figure skating.

The RCC “season” typically runs from September through May.

“The limiting factor is the Outpost and the heat. In the summer months it gets too wet,” King says. “It can’t keep it cold enough for us. It’s fine for ice skaters; it’s fine for hockey players. They don’t need pristine ice. But if it’s wet, the stone won’t glide on the surface.”

Fall under their spiel: Roadrunner Curling Club strives to introduce the sport to New Mexicans

King himself was a longtime fan of curling who became “hooked” on playing when he was introduced to the sport at one of the RCC’s Learn to Curl events. These hour-and-a-half long sessions provide tutorials on delivering and releasing a stone, sweeping and the basics of strategy, rules and scoring. From there, participants can join an instructional league, which allows players to test the skills they’ve learned in a game after five sessions.

That progression can continue into No Standings Leagues, where matches are shorter than usual (approximately 90 minutes) and players are encouraged to try various positions. The most advanced version are the Round Robin Leagues, where scores and standings are recorded over the course of an eight to 10 week season, culminating in postseason play and a championship match.

Even at the highest level, the primary goal is to introduce an under-the-radar sport to New Mexico residents. Competition is secondary.

“Let’s put it this way: There is a trophy at the end and you get your name engraved on a plaque that’s listed with all the winners since its inception. There’s a want to win and there’s a reason to win, but we try to even out the teams as much as possible as well,” King said. “We want people to go into those leagues because it gives you that ability to kick it up a notch and try your hardest. But winning isn’t that important.

“It’s also curling in New Mexico, so we want to keep it light. We want to keep it fun.”

Beyond what is offered by RCC are events called bonspiels, which are essentially curling tournaments held between clubs from throughout the country. There’s the opportunity to compete against different players, of course, but it’s also about camaraderie. After a match, members of opposing teams typically share drinks and conversation.

“My goal as president this year is I really want to get new members to bonspiels — at least one,” King said. “It’s different from playing with other New Mexicans in our friendly leagues. When you go to a spiel, you’re meeting people from coast to coast.”