Charlotte Curling Group Gains Members as Winter Olympics Drive Interest in Sport
The Charlotte Curling Association has swelled to 240 members as the Winter Olympics in Italy ignites curiosity about this niche competition. Weekend sessions now welcome newcomers who want to try…
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 09: Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of Team United States during the Curling Mixed Doubles semi-finals match between Team Italy and Team United States on day three of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on February 09, 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)The Charlotte Curling Association has swelled to 240 members as the Winter Olympics in Italy ignites curiosity about this niche competition.
Weekend sessions now welcome newcomers who want to try their hand at the sport, with Open House gatherings and Curling and Cocktails programs drawing crowds.
"More hours of curling are broadcast than anything else," said Bobby Fisher, a member of the association, per Queen City News. "People watch it and get interested."
Linda Crank signed up four years back after tuning in to the Olympics. Now she sends a 40-pound granite stone gliding across ice during matches.
"Oh, let's go, throw that stone and see what it's about," Crank told herself four years ago, according to Queen City News.
The American mixed doubles team of Korey Dropkin and Corey Thiesse should trigger another surge of fans in the Carolinas. Bobby Fisher and Linda Crank compete in mixed doubles and learned they both have Puerto Rican roots last year.
"We found out we were both Puerto Rican, and they needed a mixed doubles team. So here we are," Bobby Fisher said, according to Queen City News.
The duo flew to Scotland to face international opponents. Bobby Fisher, a retired preacher, now sits on the board of the Puerto Rico Curling Federation.
"I am a curling evangelist now," he said, according to Queen City News. "I am on the board of the Puerto Rico Curling Federation and have been traveling, curling. And wherever I can, I talk up Puerto Rican curling."
Linda Crank was born in Puerto Rico. She never imagined picking up a winter sport.
"I mean, I was born on the island," Linda Crank said, according to Queen City News. "Never in a million years would I ever think that a girl from the beach would ever take up a winter cold-weather sport."
The association also counts a Nigerian team among its ranks, based right in Charlotte, with Jasmin Hashi and Harold Woods III on the roster.
Players shout commands during matches to coordinate their moves. Sweeping the ice while steering stones toward targets demands both strength and precision.
"It's almost like chess on ice," Linda Crank said, according to Queen City News. "You have to figure out the angle shot to get it to the center."
