OGDEN ? With Olympic curlers on their way home and with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee no longer "holding our hand at some level" ? the Ogden Curling Club wants to "grow" the sport in Utah to the point of hosting national competitions, said Iain Hueton, club president.
But before that can happen, he added, they need a dedicated curling facility.
"Two hours a week just isn't going to cut it," Hueton said hours after the men's gold medal game Friday, bringing to a close Olympics at the venue.
The Ice Sheet is the site for the curling club, which meets on Tuesday nights from March 12 through April 30. The facility is normally a community hockey and figure skating rink, with curling sheets embedded.
About half the 50 members of the Ogden Curling Club were Olympic volunteers, serving at The Ice Sheet during the 12 days of competition. Some of the volunteers from outside Utah are curlers who "requested" assignment to the curling venue. Many others were simply assigned to The Ice Sheet by SLOC.
Officers of the World Curling Federation praised these volunteers ? with special mention of the "people of Ogden." Hakan Sundstrom, WCF media relations officer, added: "Of course, the curlers themselves have played great and exciting games. The rates of the TV viewing have been tremendous. I think we have a bright future for this game."
WCF President Roy Sinclair said last week he was pleased with TV coverage during the Olympic curling. "We worked hard to get that."
He said the federation will continue to "grow" the sport, adding that the organization's constitution states that its goal is to "develop the sport of curling across the world."
For now, Hueton wants it to develop right here in Utah. And the Olympics are a big part of that. "A big percentage of (new curlers) will be (Olympic) volunteers," he said.
Speaking of those assigned to The Ice Sheet, he said: "The first couple days a lot of them were standing against the wall and not really watching. The next day, you see them against the railing, and they're talking about (curling) and asking about it."
To introduce Utahns to curling, the Ogden Curling Club is hosting an open house ? including a free curling clinic ? March 5 from 7-9 p.m. For information, visit www.utahcurling.com or call 782-CURL.
E-mail: julied@desnews.com