Nutmeg Curling Club in Bridgeport sees increased interest, thanks to Olympics
Extra learn-to-curl classes that were added are already sold out.
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The return of the Winter Olympics has brought a surge in interest to the Nutmeg Curling Club in Bridgeport, something they say happens every four years.
"There's curling every day on the Olympics, and so people get interested by it and they want to try it," said Francois Begin, a member and instructor at the club.
Board member and former president Mike DePolo says the all-volunteer club plans for the rush, and even added more than two dozen extra learn-to-curl classes ahead of the 2026 games.
"We call it the Olympic bump," he said, "because it's always a big bump in membership."
DePolo says this year might be the biggest Olympic bump he can remember.
Spaces in all of the extra classes have already sold out, including 90 slots being filled in two hours.
"It's captivating, it's got this effect on people, because it's like chess on ice, and at some point it's like I think I can do this," explained Begin.
The sport is also quick to pick up.
Begin and DePolo say after just a single 1 1/2 hourlong instructional session and five weeks of a beginner league, anybody will have learned enough that they will be able to join the club and hold their own.
"What we say a lot of times, it's easy to start, it's difficult to master," DePolo said.
"The fact that you could always have done a little better keeps you coming back," added Begin.
Making that point even clearer, while News 12 cameras were at the club, five-time Olympian and 2018 gold medalist John Shuster took a break from broadcasting the 2026 Games over in Stamford, and dropped in to throw a few stones.
"It kind of is in keeping with the vibe of the sport that we're all just regular Joes," DePolo said. "It's a very social sport.
Begin says he is a testament to that.
"I'm not from here originally, and all my social network came from curling so, it gives you all those aspects," he said.
The Nutmeg Curling Club does still have a few open learn-to-curl lesson spots in March and April, before they will take out the ice for the season.
