Brookings Curling Club

About Brookings Curling Club

Brookings Curling Club: A Young Club Gaining Ice in a College Town

Brookings Curling Club brought organized curling to Brookings, the South Dakota college town that is home to South Dakota State University. Founded in 2022 as a nonprofit, the club plays arena-ice curling at the Larson Ice Center and belongs to the Dakota Territory region of USA Curling. Growth came quickly: the club ran league nights on two sheets with four teams in its first season, then expanded to four sheets in its second year, celebrating with a Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting in October 2023.

The season runs from September through March. A weekly league fields teams of four drawn from across the community, from college students and professors to retirees, and members keep the tradition of broomstacking at a partner pub after the games. Regular Learn to Curl nights, two-hour sessions for ages 16 and up, routinely draw 15 to 25 newcomers, and the club opens each season with one. Lighter stones make youth curling possible as well.

The club’s signature event is the Jackhammer ‘Spiel, an annual February bonspiel that brings teams from South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota to Brookings. The club also takes part in the city’s winter Frost Fest celebrations.