Bringing curling farther in from the fringes

Curling on hockey ice is like bowling in a gym.

"It just doesn't work," said Mark Clasen, the manager of Blaine's Fogerty Arena. "It isn't perfect conditions. Curling is all about ice maintenance and surface conditions."

Clasen and others associated with Fogerty Arena returned last week from a trip to Madison, Wis., to tour the city's six-rink curling facility.

By the fall of next year, the group would like to see a similar facility near the arena in Blaine's Aquatore Park near Hwy. 10 and Central Avenue NE.

The group made its case to the Blaine City Council in March. The time for a new curling facility is now, the Fogerty Arena board believes, because Blaine is updating its comprehensive plan, a land-use discussion that includes the future of Aquatore Park.

"Serious curlers -- even good recreational curlers -- want dedicated curling ice that is maintained for that purpose alone," Clasen said.

There is only one such place in the Twin Cities: the St. Paul Curling Club. Another exists in Cambridge, on the northern outskirts of the metro area. It's much easier to find places specifically designed for curling in northern Minnesota, where the culture is closer to the sport's Canadian origins.

"You don't run a Zamboni over a curling rink," Luke said. "You've got special equipment that looks kind of like a rototiller with a big blade on it. You shave the ice a lot and you pebble it by sprinkling water on it."

Fellow Edina Curling Club board member Mark Willmert also is the president of the Twin Cities Curling Association. The latter has taught 3,000 curlers in a beginner's course over the past four to five years, he said.

"Then they say: Well, where can we play? And there's no ice for them to play on. And it's harder to get them involved in the sport," he said.

Willmert said there are about 1,000 to 1,200 members at the St. Paul club and another 200 to 225 who curl in Edina. Another club operates in the south metro area at a Burnsville ice arena.

The Edina club is looking into building a curling facility somewhere in the west metro area in the future, Willmert said. "There's room for expansion. The sport seems to grow with more [TV] exposure. Every four years, with the Winter Olympics, there are more people who want to try it," he said.

In Blaine, the Fogerty Arena board believes it has found the right combination of resources to make a new curling facility happen. The arena has the interest and expertise to run a curling facility, while the city has the land.

The board wants to expand its current lease with the city and estimates that a new facility and parking will cost $1.8 million to $2.2 million. It might finance a project through fundraising and a tax-exempt revenue bond, Clasen said.

City Council Member Dave Clark, who is the city's liaison to the arena, is a supporter and said he is about 75 percent certain that a new curling facility will be built.

"Curling is a very underserved market and there's a strong following for it," he said. Still, he said, the Fogerty Arena board and the city need to do more work to make sure it makes financial sense. "If the scenario is right, I think the council will approve it."

Clasen said the Fogerty Arena board is going to do more research on the financing and put together a proposal within four to six months.

"We've met with a lot of people in the Twin Cities who are frustrated by the lack of curling facilities here, and we're in a unique position to help."