Dedicated Ice Facility News

 December 2022

 NEWS RELEASE

December 31, 2022 - Circle City Curling Club has opened its new location, an ice facility dedicated to the sport of curling, just 20 minutes northeast of Fishers. A community open house is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 15, from 1 to 4 PM. Visitors will have the opportunity to watch curling, throw a few stones, and sign up for upcoming Learn to Curl clinics.

“After 15 years of planning, many years of fundraising, and 10 months of hard work, we are thrilled to be curling in our new facility in Anderson,” said Jim Puckering, club president. “This is an exciting time for the club. Having our own location will allow us to share our love of the sport of curling with many more people in central Indiana.”

For the past 15 years, the club has been curling on rented ice at various hockey rinks around the metro Indianapolis area while raising funds to build a dedicated curling rink. The new Anderson facility has three curling “sheets,” allowing 24 people to curl at the same time. The club will be able to host league and other events on multiple weeknights and weekends.

While many people are familiar with curling, having seen it played at the elite level during the Winter Olympics, the sport can also be enjoyed at the recreational level and has modifications that allow all ages and abilities to participate. Camaraderie and sportsmanship are at the heart of the game. Curlers shake hands before and after each game and call their own fouls. After the game, teams often sit together, with the winning team buying the first round. This custom is called “broomstacking” where players stack their brooms and gather in a warm room to socialize.

Since becoming an Olympic sport in 1998, curling has exploded in popularity in the US. According to the United States Curling Association, there are nearly 200 curling clubs across the nation and the number of active curlers has grown from 16,000 to 25,000 over the last decade.

Unlike hockey or skating ice, which is smooth, curling ice is pebbled. When a stone is thrown on flat ice, friction stops the stone from traveling very far, or very straight. The pebbled curling ice reduces friction, allowing the stone to glide longer and straighter. The pebble is applied as a mist across the surface of the ice. The droplets freeze quickly and the curling stones travel atop these droplets.

Curling is a team sport in which two four-person groups take turns sliding 42-pound granite stones down a 150-foot sheet of ice toward a circular target called a house. Two of the players sweep the ice with curling brooms in front of the stone as it glides down the ice. Sweeping helps the stone travel farther and influences the stone to “curl” toward a desired spot on the ice. Each team has eight stones, with each player throwing two stones per “end” (like an inning in baseball).

Fun facts about the new facility:

• • 40 volunteers helped build the facility over 230 days.
  • The facility required 61 tons of stone that had to be leveled by hand.
  • 10,680 pounds of concrete were poured.
  • One-inch tubes spaced an inch apart were laid over the concrete, and a glycol coolant was circulated through the tubes.
  • Multiple thin layers of water were sprayed over the tubes to build up the ice—a process that took five days.
  • 10,000 gallons of water were required to build up the ice
  • The ideal curling ice temperature is roughly 24.8°F.
  • Air temperature in the rink stays around 45°F.
  • The new Circle City Curling Club facility is located at 1735 West 53rd Street, Unit 3A, Anderson, IN 46013.

Visit www.circlecitycurling.com for more information or follow the club on Instagram (@circlecitycurling), Facebook (@CircleCityCurlingClub), or Twitter (@circlecitycurl).

Circle City Curling Club was founded in 2007 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and education of the sport of curling in Central Indiana.

Time Lapse Videos of the Construction Process

November 2022

We are very close to making ice! Lots of thing happening all at once all around the building - decking around the ice is going on, new exterior doors being installed soon, bathrooms and warmroom receiving final finishes - but the most important thing is that everything is in place to begin making ice in about a week's time! Stay tuned!

October 2022

Things are moving along quickly now. The chiller has been installed, and the liner and pipes have been laid onto the rink base. Decking and walls around the ice surface are being worked on now. Adding final finishes in the warmroom, bar and restrooms continues. We are targeting an opening date for our members of December 2nd. Exciting times!

July 2022

Much progress has been made at our new location, but the biggest project is yet to come - moving, spreading and leveling the gravel that will form the base for the ice surface. This will happen in stages, and the first load will be arriving on Tuesday, August 2nd with subsequent dates to be added.

May 2022

Work is continuing at the Anderson site and all help is welcome. No previous building experience necessary, there is a way for everyone to help whether it is helping to move materials, clean up or simply to provide an extra pair of hands.

March 2022

NEWS RELEASE

Circle City Curling Club has a new home! Next season the club will curl in a new three-sheet dedicated ice facility after playing in various arena ice venues around Indianapolis for the past 15 years. The club recently signed a lease on a space in Anderson, IN, just a few minutes north of the Indy Fuel Tank in Fishers, IN, where members have been curling for the last several years. 

"Up to this point we have only had access to ice one night a week for two hours, and at one point league play didn't begin until 10:30 PM on Friday nights," said Jim Puckering, facilities chair. "Anyone who has ever curled on hockey ice knows the conditions can be pretty bad."

In addition to the three sheets, the new location will include a warm room for broomstacking. The dedicated space will enable the club to hold leagues on multiple weeknights and weekends, as well as bonspiels. It will also allow the club to host more Learn to Curl clinics in an attempt to introduce more people in Central Indiana to the sport. 

The facilities committee has spent several years searching for the right location for the club. "A number of interesting possibilities fell through for various reasons and with industrial space being in such high demand, rents are sky high around Indianapolis," said club Treasurer Keith Hammer, who was part of the group that spearheaded the property search. "In the last year alone we looked at more than 50 properties." 

The club has been raising funds for dedicated ice for several years. The progress was slow at times, but a renewed push in 2021 raised enough to move the project forward. In addition to local efforts, the club received support from 2018 Gold Medal Olympians Tyler George and John Shuster. George paid a visit to the club in 2020 and Shuster later helped kick off the renewed fundraising efforts by visiting with club members via Zoom. 

Buildout at the new facility is just getting underway. Project Manager Ernie Forney and other club members have been demolishing unnecessary infrastructure and are beginning the buildout of new washrooms, a bar and warm room, and the icehouse itself. Approximately 40 tons of stone will be moved in to level the floor under the ice. The stone will be topped with 432 sheets of foam insulation and a waterproof liner. 

Forney and former USCA Chairman David Carlson have consulted with dedicated ice clubs including Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Bowling Green, Triangle, Mayfield, Pittsburgh, and Midland and refined the plans for the new facility with the best of what they've seen in each location. Expert ice makers from the United States Curling Association and long-established clubs in Wisconsin and Cincinnati have also generously offered their knowledge and assistance. 

"This is an exciting time for the club," said current club PresidentTammy Hoffman. "We can't wait to share our love of curling with many more people in central Indiana." 

Circle City Curling Club was founded in 2007 by local residents who had previously curled at the Chicago Curling Club.  To learn more about Circle City Curling Club, visit circlecitycurling.com or follow the club on lnstagram (@circlecitycurling), Face book (@CircleCityCurlingClub), or Twitter (@circlecitycurl). 

Pictured: Installation of low emissivity ceiling,  April 15, 2022