The Curling Craze Comes to Wallkill
Brooke Lundgren, Editor-in-Chief
On Saturday, February 10th, the Lions Club hosted their 4th annual curling tournament at
the Lions Club Pavilion in Wallkill to fundraise money to help the community. There were 36 teams, each of them made up of 5 individuals. Each team paid $175 in order to compete, so with team
participation alone, the Lions Club fundraised about $6,300. The event was split into morning
and afternoon sessions, going from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
To win a match, each team must push their "stones" on ice and get it closest to the target.
Other members of the team can assist by using brooms to sweep the ice to help guide it. The
opposing team is also allowed to try and sweep the stone away from the target to prevent that
team from gaining points. Due to the expensive price of buying real curling stones, the Lions
Clubs' own Andy Harcher had an inventive solution. The "stones" at this event were made of
two stainless steel bowls with cement in the center, welded together with a rubber seal, and a
PVC pipe as the handle.
This exciting and family-friendly event would not exist if not for Lion Club member
Andy Harcher. Four years ago, he suggested the idea to the Wallkill group and they laughed,
calling him crazy for the idea. Then, the group decided to seriously consider the idea, and now it
is their biggest annual fundraiser.
The excitement in the 300+ attendance was electrifying, as everyone was enjoying
themselves, whether they were a participant or in the audience. The crowd put the "friendly" in
"friendly competition", as everyone was smiling and having fun with friends, family, and the rest
of the community.
