‘Siouxperspiel' attracts curlers from near and far

Yahoo

3 hours ago

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The curling community has been buzzing as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling in Sioux Falls draws closer. To help keep that excitement in the air, Sioux Falls Curling hosted a tournament this weekend.
32 teams made their way onto the ice this weekend for this year's 'Siouxperspiel.' 16 were from Sioux Falls, but the other half came from as far as Watertown, Aberdeen and central Minnesota. Eric Newhouse traveled from Omaha to participate for the second straight year.
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'We had such a great time doing that, we thought we'd come back up and play. It's a fun club. There are great teams. The ice is terrific,' Newhouse said.
Newhouse says the competition has been fierce.
'I think in general, the teams we faced are really, really good, especially the first one. Then you've got a couple of Olympic contenders sprinkled in there as well,' Newhouse said.
The event, which curlers call a bonspiel, has also been good for the community.
'It brings people from outside of our community into Sioux Falls. We've had people going downtown to eat at our restaurants, going to The Falls, getting around Sioux Falls,' Sioux Falls Curling Vice President Jennifer Farke said.
And the curlers who participated this weekend hope the sport continues to grow.
'Traditionally, most of your best curlers are going to be from Minnesota and Wisconsin. You don't see a lot of it in other parts of the country, but now, we've got a huge club down in Omaha. You've got a huge and growing club up here,' Newhouse said.
'I am super excited for this sport to grow and grow and grow because you can start at 11 years of age, and you can curl. There's a lady here curling; she's 86 years old, and I want to be her, and she plays pickleball, too. It's a sport anyone can play.' curler Kendra Gatz said.
Team Workin from Fargo, North Dakota took home the championship.
The Olympic Trials will take place at the Denny Sanford Premier Center from November 11-16.
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