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| Mike Graziano, and his teammate
Mark Gehan, prepare to sweep as the
stone heads towards the target. |
| Eric Drummond |
For many spectators, the
Olympics is a source of both excitement
and wonder. For the RIT Curling
Club, it was a source of inspiration. “When Brian and I saw
[curling] on the Olympics,
we saw commercials for the local
curling club on TV,” said Mike Graziano.
So, they decided to check it
out . A sport that began as
“looking for something to do” has
since become a passion for its players. Originally, Mike Graziano (a
senior Computer Engineering Technology
major) and Brain Norsworthy
(another RIT student) supplemented
their four-man team with
club members from the Rochester
Curling Club. Two years later, the
RIT Curling Club consists exclusively
of RIT students.
The goal of Curling is to place
more rocks near the target painted
on the ice than the opposing team.
This is accomplished by four team
members—the lead, second, vice,
and skip—who alternate pushing
rocks toward the target
while two other team members
sweep the play area with
a broom. Aggressive sweeping
melts the ice in front of the rock,
which essentially allows the sweeper
to control speed and trajectory.
Team members are not allowed to
have contact with the rock after it
is pushed.
The RIT Curling Club has gone
on to make a national name for
itself. Last year, they came in
first place within their division at
the College National Championships in Chicago. Earlier this year,
they placed third at the Francis Dykes
Memorial Tournament.
Unlike most sports, RIT’s team
practices by participating in tournaments
against the club who
sponsors RIT’s team. The members
of the club team are usually older
and often have much more experience
than the RIT’s team members.
All players have time on the ice
at least twice a
week, although many
members log additional
practice time.
This past winter quarter, Graziano
helped co-teach the Curling Wellness
course. Along with the wellness
course, RIT students can
practice on Sunday nights at the
RIT students-only league.
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