BELFAST, Maine — As overcast skies hung above Waldo County on Sunday in anticipation of snow, the mood inside the local curling club was fiery, as the Doubles Bonspiel—or tournament—entered its final day.
“I think you have to watch when the adrenaline kicks up,” said Karen Marsalia, who, along with her husband Paul, won the tournament hosted by the Belfast Curling Club.
Teams from across the country joined the event, which featured several days of competition and, according to one member, as many nights of revelry in the Warm Room—a wood paneled viewing area with a full bar.
“It is super competitive out on the ice. And up here…its one giant rolling party,” Michael Overton, a member and club photographer, said from the Warm Room.
Like so many of his fellow members, Overton drove past the club for several years before letting his curiosity about the sport lead him through the front door. But since taking his first lesson more than a decade ago, he’s found a vibrant group of spirited competitors and friends.
When asked about his fellow curlers in Belfast, he became emotional.
“I’ll get choked up on that question," he said. "It's an outstanding community.”
For many attending this weekend’s tournament, the event brought out the best of curling culture—a sport centered on measured precision meeting a roiling good time off the ice. For Rachel Petersen, who sits on the board of the Belfast Curling Club, the interpersonal bonding is tied to success in the sport.
“It takes knowing the other team and their strengths and weaknesses and your strengths and weaknesses,” Petersen said.
The social culture of curling, a sport invented in Scotland but popularized in Canada, is hit or miss, she added.
“I find that curling either hooks people or it doesn’t," Petersen said.
But as the tournament drew to a close and teams from as far away as North Carolina spoke to their competitors about the hospitality shown during their stay, the Warm Room, it seemed, bounded with an energy distinct to any winter game: a serious enthusiasm for winning mixed with a desire to feel connected to others during the cold months.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.