Hamilton Victoria Curling Club :: Curling Basics Info

A full membership allows you to play in all applicable leagues. We have men's, women's, open, and mixed leagues at the Vic. You can see the Our Leagues tab on the top menu for detailed league descriptions. Each league is organized by one or two individuals referred to as the "League Convenors". These members are a great resource for additional information you may want about a league or to assist in helping you find a team or if you would like to find out more about a league. Contact information for league convenors can be found on the Our Leagues page. Some leagues may have set teams and some may be open for individuals to join and be placed into a team. Many teams may also need an extra curler, either on a regular basis or as a 5th person throughout the season. You may also consider joining a spare list in any league. Your best resource will be to connect with the league convenors of the leagues that you are interested in.

The cost of curling is either a yearly or half year membership to the Hamilton Victoria Curling Club. Make the most of your membership by participating in multiple nights of curling!

Registration is completed through our website. In your first year you can navigate to the New Membership Sign Up to complete the online registration form. This form will ask you who you are, to choose the leagues you would like to play in, and download the forms we require you to fill in. You can make your payment online or by cheque brought to the Club. We also offer flexible payment options to pay in installments if that works easier for your budget!

If you would like to try to sport before joining, you are most welcome to join our Learn to Curl events. These are usually held very near the beginning of the curling season in October and at the second half of the season start in January. Check out the even pages to find out more about Learn to Curl opportunities. Some of our leagues are also designed to be great opportunities for learning, even for brand new curlers. Check out our Monday Rec League or Friday league! These leagues are a great mix of both experienced and new curlers. You do not need to know how to curl in order to join!

You might have watched curling on tv in the past and had so many questions. Why is there so much yelling? Is the sweeping really that important? How did they score points? Now that you've found your future club, your next step is learning all the basics of the sport. As mentioned, the Vic does offer clinics and learning opportunities for you to get into the sport. If you're interested in starting your learning check out this video for a quick introduction:

New Member FAQs

Absolutely not! The Vic welcomes and encourages new curlers to join the Club each year. In particular, our Monday evening and Friday evening leagues would be great choices for brand new curlers interested in learning how to play while also integrating into leagues with more experienced curlers. Keep your eyes out for different events around the Club for specific Clinics or learning opportunities outside of league play.

As a new curler, a clean pair of running shoes is all you need to bring with you. You might also want some strechy/athletic pants. The Club has a few slip on sliders available to use. However, we do suggest that those planning to participate in a league plan to purchase a slider of their own. Depending on the quality of your shoes you may also want to purchase a gripper as well. Please speak with anyone in the club if you need some assistance with getting set up with your needed equipment.

The Vic has a collection of brooms avialable to new curlers. However, we do ask that if you decide to stick with the sport over a number of seasons, you might want to invest in the purchase of your own broom.

There are a number of curling equipment companies that have online stores avaialble for you to purchase from. Some popular brands to look for include Goldline, Balance Plus, Asham or Hardline.

Most people will want to register near the end of the summer. Registration is usually open in August or September. With the season beginning in mid-October new members should plan to register before the start of October. This provides the best opportunity to connect with current members or to get equipment together to start the season off right! We also have options for individuals to join in January for a half season in case you happen to miss the first half!

Curling fees over your curling season for which ever leagues you select to participate in. You are also welcome to participate in any of the in-club bonspiels that we host throughout the year. As a member of the club you can also join in bonspiels outside of our club that may be hosted at our neighbour clubs or in the Ontario Curling network. There are so many opportunities to get on the ice if you want them!

During your registration you will let us know the leagues that you are interested in participating in. Each league has a league convenor that keeps track of those interested. If you joined as an individual the league convenors may be able to help you connect with another team looking for a player. Some of our leagues also form teams at the time of arriving at the club (rather than setting them ahead of time). So you do not necessarily need to be already connected with a team in order to join.

Most games are about 2 hours, though some different kinds of games may be different depending on their structure. In addition, you should try to arrive about 10 minutes before your game so that you have enough time to change and strech before your game begins, and be prepared to stay and socialize after the game. For many people, socializing after the game is the best part. Its standard practice in Ontario Curling clubs the winning team buys the losing team a drink after the game.