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A hack, skip and hammer into the house.
Those terms might be familiar for fans (or practitioners) of curling.
The sport, defined by its strategic thinking, finesse and camaraderie, has been around for centuries. And its popularity in the United States has been on the rise in recent years, especially following the 2018 Winter Olympics when the U.S. Men’s Team grabbed the gold medal.
The chance to throw the 42-pound granite stone on the ice (the “sheet”), and perhaps live out some Olympic dreams, drew several first-time curlers to Roseville on a recent weekend for a class put on by the Wine Country Curling Club.
“I love curling. I started watching curling in college, in the Olympics,” said Kaine Gish.
“This is our fourth Olympics together and we’ve been slowly watching more and more… we’ve actually been talking about doing a curling class like this for years,” his wife Rachel Gish added.
Kelli Giles brought her friend to try curling, saying that she’s “in the mode of my life of ‘try everything,’” while Ben Skyrme was out on the ice with his wife for his birthday.
“I knew about curling from the Olympics pretty much exclusively,” he said. “She got served an ad for this and was like, ‘that’d be so fun for your birthday.’”
Welcome to the club
Founded in 2007 in Vacaville, the Wine Country Curling Club now calls the rinks of the Skatetown Ice Arena home. The club offers lessons, adaptive programs for wheelchair users and seniors, and competes in multiple curling leagues.
Club President Katie Feldman has been curling for more than a decade. She told Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez she learned about the club around the time of the 2014 Winter Olympics and signed up. “It took us about six weeks to be able to get into a class,” she recalled. “We were just hooked from that day.”
Members of the Wine Country Curling Club set up on their sheets at Skatetown Ice Arena in Roseville Feb. 15, 2026.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadioThe Wine Country Curling Club currently has about 140 members, about 95 of whom actually curl, according to Feldman. For new curlers, she explained how they get an off-ice briefing about curling’s history, rules and equipment, and then it’s out on the ice.
“They’re throwing stones just like the Olympians. We teach them how to yell at their teammates, we teach them how to sweep. We teach them a little bit of the strategy involved,” she explained.
“The instructor is in hog heaven because they get to just talk about their favorite hobby over and over again.”
Getting out on the ice
At first glance, curling seems relatively straightforward.
One team member throws the stone down the 150-foot sheet toward the three-ring target (the “house”), trying to get it in the center (on the “button.”)
A “skip” directs the thrower where to aim, and two “sweepers” use their brooms to scrub the ice in front of the stone as it slides to get it on target. Teams alternate throws, with each player throwing two stones each and rotating between positions.
The last throw, known as the “hammer,” is widely seen as the most important as it can move the other team’s stones out of play. Sixteen stones in total are thrown per round (or “end”), and points are based on the closest-colored stones to the button. Only one team can score per end.
All of that initially went on the back burner as the new curlers entered the rink, strapping on grippy rubber soles and carrying their brooms.
They got into position in the starting block (the “hack”), learned how to push off... and promptly fell over.
“There’s so much to think about. They make it look so easy on TV but you have to move both feet in a different place, and both arms in a different place,” Rachel Gish explained, to which Kaine Gish added, “that was way harder than I anticipated!”
Kaine Gish sets up his throw during a Learn-to-Curl class from the Wine Country Curling Club Feb. 15, 2026.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadioLearning to sweep was also no joke for the first-timers. “I’m getting my workout points for today,” Giles joked.
But over the course of the two-hour class, the students’ performance markedly improved. Stones slid farther and more accurately. Throwers became more confident and smooth in their launches. Each shot was accompanied by teammates urging each other on, cheers for stones landing in the house and groans for those that just missed.
“It’s mostly just finesse,” Jeremy Yeaton said. “Most sports are like, ‘go fast, go hard, do it the most.’ This is not trying to push too hard.”
Yeaton said learning how to apply the right pressure on the stone was most challenging for him. “There’s a really small difference in the amount of effort between too far and not far enough.”
But when asked whether he would do it all over again, his answer was clear: “Absolutely.”
‘We’re all each others’ cheerleaders’
For instructor Steve Sampson, the social aspect of curling is what has drawn him back to the ice for 12 years.
“It gets me out of the house, and I can’t think of anything when I’m here,” he said. “You’re in the game; you have to be.”
Steve Sampson is an instructor and league member with the Wine Country Curling Club. He has been curling for 12 years.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadioSampson said he appreciates how curling is multifaceted, from changes in sweeping techniques to the amount of rotation on a stone. These are lessons he hopes to pass on to beginners at the Wine Country Curling Club. “There’s always something you can work on, you’re never perfect.”
Nancy Augustine, an instructor herself, knows those lessons well — Sampson was her teacher when she began curling three years ago.
She said she loves sharing her enthusiasm for the sport with others. “I love seeing people’s excitement when they throw that rock, they make that first shot… they get that rock in the house, make that hit,” Augustine said. “You remember that feeling, and it reignites your own passion for it.”
She emphasized the importance of communication within a curling team, saying “every shot is a team shot.” While only one person might be throwing, all four teammates are making decisions “so they can adapt in real time to get the best results they can.”
Instructor Nancy Augustine (right) gives directions to Rachel Gish (left) before a throw Feb. 15, 2026.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadioBut at the end of the day, Augustine said, it's about the community — especially with the winning team traditionally buying the first round of drinks after a game.
“Your friend, even if they’re playing against you… we’re going to say ‘hey, that was a great shot,’” she said. “We’re all each others’ cheerleaders… that’s one of the great things about it.”
A veteran’s perspective
Billy Wicks is a curling veteran, and served as a mentor for the beginners. Dressed in a yellow Winnipeg Falcons sweater with a number of curling medals dangling around his neck, Wicks moved between the teams dishing out advice on how to skip, sweep and throw.
Wicks grew up in Winnipeg, “where all the great curlers come from,” and has been on the ice for decades.
“First time I threw a stone was 1972, I think… I was curling in high school,” he explained.
Wicks is also no stranger to competition, having participated in leagues and curling tournaments (known as “bonspiels”) put on by the Wine Country Curling Club — The Barrel and The Crush.
Originally from Winnipeg, Canada, Billy Wicks has been curling for decades. He served as a mentor for beginners at the Wine Country Curling Club and also competes in league matches and bonspiels.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadioHe said it is great to see interest in the sport grow around the Olympics, though Wicks also acknowledged curling has gotten more specialized and technical over the years, so it is not as popular as it used to be.
“Anybody can go curling with their Levi's on, it doesn’t really matter,” he said.
Wicks said he loves to see new people explore their interest in curling, and hopes they will stick around to become the next generation.
“I would rather not play in the league and have someone new take my spot… I'd give up that spot for the betterment of curling,” he said.
Looking out at the rink, Wicks said the curlers ranged in age from teenagers to athletes well into their 70s, and that the appeal of throwing the stone knows no limits.
“We try to customize it for everybody… I curl with a stick now. I’ve curled against a blind guy, hearing-impaired people, we had a Paralympian,” he said.
“The ice is flat for everybody, it’s all on the same playing field.”
Vicki Gonzalez contributed to this story.
