March 3, 2014 at 2:41 p.m.
Cold weather doesn't stop Northwoods curlers
Cold weather doesn't stop Northwoods curlers
Despite the cold, Nickoloau and his fellow curlers took to the ice outside of Johnny Nick's Bar and Pizza in Sugar Camp for full day's worth of curling.
Near the end of the tournament, Nickoloau deemed it a success, although the weather did make an impact.
"It's going really well," he said. "We had 16 teams and I'm getting a little nervous about getting these last couple games played because it's getting pretty dark out here, but everyone is having a blast.
"It's cold out here, but people still came out to play. I think it affected spectator turnout more than anything. It's a lot less than I was hoping for, but I don't really blame people. People would come and watch for a little while and then take off because they were cold. On a nice day, they could have stayed and enjoyed the whole day and get into it."
A total of 16 teams took part in the tournament. Most were from the area, but others traveled from much father away. Nickoloau said the participation was great.
"We had one team that's going to play in the championship match who has played all three years," he said. "In their first year, they were the first ones out. Then last year, they made it to the middle of the tournament. Now this year, they could go all the way, so that's been fun for them. People are really having a great time."
One team traveled up from Clintonville. They were last year's champions and Nickoloau said they've been instrumental in the tournament's development.
"The people from Clintonville have helped us out huge," he said. "They supplied brooms, and other equipment. They have a beautiful facility in Clintonville and they do nothing but help us. If it wasn't for them, knowledge-wise, we wouldn't be where we're at, so we're very grateful for them."
Sugar Camp resident Bob Boyd competed with a team of friends. His team advanced midway through the 16-team bracket. He said he really looks forward to the curling tournament.
"It's a small-town, community event," Boyd said. "It's a good get-together for a typical cold weather day that won't go away in March. It made it more enjoyable. We made it through three rounds, so we thought we did pretty good. It was a great time. It's a local community thing with people from Sugar Camp, Eagle River, Rhinelander and farther. A tournament like this is for everyone. It's for young people, old people and women. You don't have to have any special athletic ability to enjoy it. It's a good family get together and everyone is having a great time."
Boyd said he remembers when the idea for Northwoods curling first took hold.
"Three years ago, friends of ours went down to Clintonville and visited the club down there," he said. "They came back all excited and said we could do it on our lakes up here. We'll plow it and maintain it. It's a great winter activity and half of everything goes to charity. This year the money is going to the Sugar Camp Snowmobile Club and the Sugar Camp Fire Department, so it's a win-win."
It was another successful year for the curling tournament and Nickoloau said it continues to grow.
"We have learned so much from the Clintonville people about the game of curling," he said. "We made two more sets of stones this year. Last year we had two sheets of ice, but this year we have four. It doesn't look like much now, but when all four are playing, it's pretty cool."
With the 2014 tournament in the books, Nickoloau said it was a memorable installment, but he's eyeing more growth in the future.
"I'll remember how cold it was this year," he said. "People didn't seem to care. They would just go in and warm up. That will definitely be talked about when I remember this year. We had one team from Stevens Point who just had a blast. They told me they're bringing two or three teams next year. They said when they show their people the pictures and tell them how much fun it was, everyone is going to want to come next year. Word of mouth is big for us. I'm intending on mailing a letter in the late summertime to all the curling clubs in Wisconsin and some in Minnesota to spark some interest for next year."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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