Ryan Ladika/MDN Minot Air Force Base members take part in Minot Curling Club's exclusive Tuesday night festivities.

Minot Curling Club boasts, among other things, a welcoming environment for anyone who wants to come down and try something new. Whether you’re a rookie curler or a veteran of 10 years, the members want to see you.

This is especially true on Tuesday nights, when the club goes exclusive and hosts members of the Minot Air Force Base.

Master Sergeant Kyle Hostetler fell in love with the sport three years ago at one of the club’s “Learn to Curl” events. He now decided it was time to share his newfound passion with his fellow Air Force members, and helped organize the night set aside for his peers.

“I’ve always seen it in the Olympics, and I thought, ‘Man, that looks fun,'” he said. “So when I did come and play, it was really fun, and the further you get into the game, they call it ‘chess on ice.’ I really liked that mental aspect of the game.”

It took him a couple of years to get people into it, he said, but the night turned out to be a huge success once he was able to drum up enough interest.

As is consistent with the culture at Minot Curling Club, Air Force members with varying levels of experience pack the house and try something they have not taken part in before.

“I had no idea what it was. I thought we were lifting weights,” Airman First Class Trevon Walker said. “I thought, ‘I can definitely lift some weights.'”

When he discovered what the sport really was, Walker, a natural competitor, could not wait to take the ice. A quick Google search revealed that this was a serious sport, and it looked like a lot of fun. Jan. 26 marked the third week he’s participated in the activity.

First Lieutenant Savannah Wheat, a resident of Minot for four years, heard about the special night at the club from Hostetler, and immediately helped getting squads together to make the 16-mile drive south.

Wheat had never tried curling before, but she was familiar with the activity. Her grandfather worked for the Olympics, and curling is his favorite sport. Wheat fondly remembers watching curling tournaments with him, and she was hooked.

When the Alabama-native learned she would be assigned to Minot, she quickly scoured the area to see if she would be able to try the sport for the first time herself.

“I was certainly happy to hear about it, because that’s something I could easily get involved with,” Wheat said of the club. “The base and town have an incredible relationship. We’ve won awards, back in 2019 it was the best community and base relations out of any global strike base, which is fantastic. This just goes to prove it. We’re sitting here in something the community offers, and we can now take advantage of it. It’s a great opportunity.”

Veteran curlers continue to make their way to Minot from the base as well. Kaitlin Fowler, a Staff Sergeant, has been curling for over 15 years. Her supervisor knew she had extensive experience, and asked her to be the point of contact for her squadron.

“I was super excited, because I love to share curling with anybody who will give me the time of day,” she said. “Most people growing up, they think curling is super lame, my brother played hockey for years and he used to make so much fun of me. And then he tried it and he loved it.”

For one of the more unique sports out there, the curlers stressed it is just about awareness and getting folks excited to try something new.

“I know if we can get people down here, that they’ll love it,” Wheat continued. “It’s just about getting them down here, and I think this is a great way to do it.”