THE
ART OF BACKYARD ICE CURLING
DEVELOPING FRIENDSHIPS OVER THE HACK.
THE LCA HISTORY
In the winter of 2018, while watching the men's USA curling team stun the world with a gold medal performance at the PyeongChang Olympics, the idea of the LCA was ignited. Curling became a household discussion and everyone wanted to give the sport a try. Living in Michigan during the cold and dark winters can be a little tough so having an excuse to get outside was a welcoming one.
Our first year began as a simple ice rink on our local frozen bayou with a handful for friends trying out a new sport. The entire experience was a blast and had several ice fishermen and bystanders stopping by to watch the matches. We "rolled" until we lost daylight and we knew we were on to something. We needed to try incorporating a rink that could be used on more consistent basis.
With that experience as inspiration, construction of the backyard rink began the fall of 2018 and was filled in January 2019 for the first time. After a lot of trial and error, early morning/late night spray sessions we had our first match on January 20th, 2019. The idea became a reality! With a few improvements, including under ice lighting, the LCA held its first night curl and we were hooked! The new Broomstacking Lounge opened the first night curl to help make the experience that more memorable. Unfortunately, we had a season ending setback in February and our season ended too short. We learned a lot in our inaugural season.
"That's One Hot Piece of Ice." - Matt Hamilton
Olympic Curling Gold Medalist
The hope is to make the 2022 season even better, we hope to hear from you and maybe even see you out on the sheet!