GRAND RAPIDS — Northern Minnesota will be represented in the sport of curling at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
This week on Bright Spot, we talked with Olympic team curler Aileen Geving of Grand Rapids and Itasca Curling Association President Kelly Erickson. Geving is an alternate on the U.S. Women's Curling Team.
As an alternate player, Geving is ready to play any position: lead, second, third or skip (the person in charge of strategy). She also has the role of working with a variety of rocks on sheets of ice to inform the team.
"Each night I will be the one practicing, trying to throw the rocks similar to each other and seeing [if] maybe one curls a little more, maybe one slides a little faster. And I have to report that back to the team on what I saw," Geving explained.
The Olympic curling facility is located in Cortina, Italy, but the team will head to Switzerland for a few days before the opening ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6. There, they will participate in a full training camp and let their bodies adjust to the time change.
The Itasca Curling Association raised funds to make sure Geving's family, including her husband and 7-year-old daughter, will be making the trip to support her in Italy.
The Itasca Curling Association is very excited to have one of their own participate in at the Olympic level. They are planning watch parties to cheer on all U.S. curlers: men, women and mixed doubles.
Each watch party will be combined with a "Learn to Curl" event, where anyone is welcome to try the sport and ask questions. The party 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, will also offer free pizza, chips and pop while supplies last.
A long-standing tradition and part of the culture of Northern Minnesota, clubs are located in Bemidji, Brainerd, Hibbing, Fosston, Eveleth and Grand Rapids.
Erickson told us about the Itasca club's history, dating back to 1968 when people started curling underneath the grandstand bleachers at the Itasca County Fairgrounds.
"There's some really great pictures at the club of them, like, up to their ankles when the ice went out, because it was obviously very dependent on the weather at that time," she said.
The Itasca Curling Association has had an indoor facility for decades with leagues competing every night of the week. With the association's aging facilities, there are needs for updated equipment. They are currently raising funds for a new ice compressor system.
"It's what makes the ice. It's what gives us life," Erickson said.
Listen to our full conversation above!
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