up front encore
Curling Cues
U.S.A. National Curling Championships sweep into Kalamazoo T
his month marks the second time in five years that Kalamazoo’s Wings Stadium has hosted the U.S.A. National Curling Championships, a competition that decides which curlers will compete in the World Championships. “We put on such a great event in 2010 we were contacted to host the Nationals again in 2015,” says Rob Underwood, Wings Stadium entertainment director. “We have a local curling club too so curling is already a part of our culture, and this event helps creates an awareness of the sport.” The Kalamazoo Curling Club, which is housed at Wings Stadium, was established in 2008 as a hub for new and experienced curlers in the greater Kalamazoo area. Since the 2010 U.S.A. Nationals, the club has grown in membership. The club worked in conjunction with Wings Stadium and Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. to create a welcoming atmosphere for the championships in 2010, Underwood says, and they’re all hoping for an equally successful event Feb 14-21. “When Wings Stadium hosts an event like this, it really helps the whole community,” says Michael Mortlock, director of operations at Greenleaf Hospitality, which owns Wings Stadium. “People come from all over the country to stay at our hotels and eat at our restaurants and so it boosts our local economy.” Curler Joe Polo, the defending champion of the 2014 U.S.A. Curling Nationals, a champion of the 2011, 2010, 2006 and 2005 U.S.A. National Championships and a 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, will be one of the competitors. 10 | Encore FEBRUARY 2015
Historic images of Kalamazoo adorn the lids of the handmade candles of the Kalamazoo Candle Co.
Teammates Tyler George, left, and Joe Polo sweep in front of a stone during competition at the 2010 U.S.A. National Champtionships in Kalamazoo.
“I had a lot of fun in Kalamazoo (in 2010), and I really like it there,” Polo says. “I even came back to be in the Do-Dah Parade in June. The last time we were in Kalamazoo we won the nationals so hopefully it’s a good omen to come back.” Polo, who lives in Duluth, Minn., first started curling at age 10 when he and a friend started playing in a Sunday-night junior league.