While freshman Austin Snyder calls out commands to fellow curlers, freshmen Nick Nelson and Justin Hopper begin to sweep the ice in hopes of hitting the target with a stone to score the game-winning point.

Soon after the end of the Winter Olympics in early March, freshman Spencer Butterfield, Nelson, Snyder and Hopper formed their own curling team. Although eager, none of them had ever curled before.

“I was watching the Olympics and I thought it would be fun,” Nelson said. “So I got some friends together and joined a curling league.”

Although skeptical at first, the group decided to give curling a chance at the KC Curling Club.

“When Nick first brought up the idea [of forming a team], I figured I’d try it out,” Snyder said.

Curling, an ice sport consisting of four players, is a game in which large granite rocks, or “stones,” slide down a sheet of ice towards a target. In order to maximize the accuracy and speed of the stone, two players sweep the ice in front of the stone using brooms.

“The most difficult part [of curling] is throwing the stones,” Butterfield said. “They are actually pretty heavy.”

Snyder believes that while the role of each position is equally important, working as a unit with each other is the key to success.

“[Getting in sync] is really a big part of the game,” Snyder said. “You really need to be on target and be very accurate with where your shot is.”

Despite the uniqueness of the sport, Snyder said that it was relatively easy to learn. It only took them one hour-and-a-half lesson to catch on.

“Once you get the hang of it and once you’ve played a couple of times, it’s pretty easy,” Snyder said. “It’s all about getting into the rhythm.”

Even though they have only been playing for a little over a month, they have already begun to make progress as a team during their Saturday night games.

“I think we’ve improved a lot since we started playing. Our form was pretty awkward at first,” Hopper said. “Now that we’ve had more practice, we’ve gotten the hang of it.”

According to Hopper, the distinctiveness of the sport is part of what makes curling a memorable experience.

“It’s a unique sport, for sure,” Hopper said. “It’s fun to make a team with all your friends and be able to play a sport with them that no one else really plays.”