June 6, 2009

(WVLT) -- You can put this one in the "who knew?" category:

Some of North America's best curlers are in Knoxville this weekend.

The sport is mainstream in Canada and parts of the northern United States. Not so in Tennessee, where you're more likely to find ice skaters or hockey players at your local rink than a 144-foot curling strip.

That changes this weekend. The Rocky Top Bonspiel, held at the Ice Chalet in West Knoxville, features 24 teams from all over North America, four-person squads focused on competing but also on enjoying each other's company. Because the curling season is in the fall and winter, it's a good chance for the curlers to catch up with folks they haven't seen in a while.

"It's not normally a curling time, so everybody's available," said curler Chad Roberts, a Michigan resident. " I wind up meeting up with my buddies from Arizona and Chicago, and we end up having a good time."

Roberts said the cameraderie is almost as important as the competition. But that doesn't mean the games aren't intense.

"There's a commercial that they always said, 'football is a game of inches,'" Roberts said. "Then they show a rock just missing another rock and they say, 'I wish we had inches.'"

The object of curling is somewhat similar to that of shuffleboard. Two teams alternate sliding eight stones in a period, known as an "end." They aim for a target which is twelve feet wide at its widest point. The goal is to be the team with the stone(s) closes to the center of the circle when the end is over.

Precision is of utmost importance.

"The difference between a perfect shot and a miss can be an inch or less than an inch sometimes. The thrill of just making one great shot can bring you back more," Roberts said.

Said collegiate curler Eric Kortebein: "When you put the stone exactly where it needs to be after a hundred feet of sweeping, it's awesome."

The Rocky Top Bonspiel is put on by the Great Smoky Mountains Curling Club. The group meets on Sunday evenings for friendly competition and tutorials on the sport. For more information about curling or if you're interested in joining the club, visit www.curlknoxville.com.