The Milwaukee Post

February 1, 2019 • Milwaukee County Post • 11 SPORTS By Chris Bennett Special to Conley Media WAUWATOSA — Dawn Majewski started curling out of a desire to be around her husband, Matt. It did not work out as planned. Dawn and Matt Majewski curl together at the Wauwatosa Curling Club, 7300 W. Chestnut St. Dawn Majewski serves as the organization's presi- dent. "I found that he was spending a lot of time there, and developed an interest in the sport," Dawn Majewski said. "I kind of did it as a chance to spend more time with him. "The reality is we rarely see each other. We're on dif- ferent league nights." The Majewskis and the additional 335 members of the WCC are participants in a sport that sneaks its way into the American con- sciousness every four years — whenever the Winter Olympics roll around. The sport garnered con- siderable attention last winter when the United States Men's Curling Team defeated Sweden and won the nation's first gold medal in the sport. Matt Hamilton, who is from Madison and became known for his bushy mus- tache and resemblance to Mario from the Mario Bros. video games, played on the gold medal-winning team. According to the WCC website, the club played its first game in 1921 in a shed that was part of Stickney Field Club on Stickney Avenue, which is south of where Wauwatosa's City Hall is today. In 1925 the shed was moved to what is now Hart Park. Play continued there until 1941 when the WCC moved to its current loca- tion at the Muellner Building. Dawn Majewski said the WCC leases the building from, and works in tandem with, the city of Wauwatosa. The WCC plays on four sheets of ice. A clubhouse in the basement has lock- ers for members and a bar and full kitchen. Leagues at the WCC run from mid-October through mid-March — the season is just now getting started. A variety of leagues exist. Some are more social in nature, while others are more competitive. There are mixed and same-sex leagues, and also options for younger members. The club also hosts sev- eral bonspiels — tourna- ments — throughout the season. 'It's a thinking game' Watching curling on tel- evision leads many to believe the sport is simple to master — one just slides on the ice and releases a rock at the right time. Majewski tells a different story. "It's a thinking game," she said. "You're always shifting your approach to the game with every rock you throw. "There's a lot of strate- gy that keeps your brain going in the cold winter months. It's nice to have an activity to do to pass the time." The rules and strategy surrounding curling are not as obscure as one might think, and are more main- stream since the Olympics. A game consists of 10 ends, and the aim is to get as many stones as possible as close as possible to the button, which is in the house and looks like a bullseye. Each team throws eight stones per end. The team that throws last in each end has the hammer, and it switches from end to end to whichev- er team did not score in the previous end. The intricacies of strate- gy and scoring in curling and using the broom, slider and learning more about the culture can be enjoyed during the WCC's fall "Try Curling" dates. Learn more at wauwatosacurlingclub.com or by calling 414-453-CURL (2875). Submitted photo Curlers say the sport requires more strategy than the casual viewer might think. Submitted photo Curling has been called shuffleboard on ice. Wauwatosa Curling Club has 300-plus members A COOL SPORT

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