CURLING Throwing Stones - Little Rocks Oromocto

As the world’s best competed at the Ford World Women’s Curling Championship 2014 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, the Gage Curling Club, in nearby Oromocto spent time fostering a new generation of curlers.

On Sunday afternoons, children between the ages of five and 11 gather at the four sheet curling club to participate in the Little Rocks Program, designed to instill the fundamentals of curling in children of a young age. World Curling TV went along to a session to find out more.

Because the program caters to some of the youngest curlers in Canada, safety is of the utmost importance, requiring players to wear helmets or halos – a foam headband that protects the child’s head in case of a fall.

Players are taught the rules and ethics of the game, proper technique, and given an understanding of the game’s strategies.

The club provides the children with brooms, only requiring them to bring a pair of indoor running shoes.

Though some children have their own sliders, many are participating in the sport for the first time and tape the bottom of their sliding foot with tape in order to mimic the function of a slider.

The program is structured around providing participants with a fun and social outlet, encouraging a younger demographic to get involved in the curling community.