Brooklyn is building a curling community without dedicated ice, corporate backing, or ideal conditions. For more than a decade, local players have learned and competed outdoors in Prospect Park, turning a cold weather sport into a local fixture.
Since 2013, the Brooklyn Lakeside Curling Club has operated at the LeFrak Center, converting outdoor hockey rinks into curling sheets each winter. Volunteers install portable boards, prepare ice, and run leagues in whatever weather arrives. Rain, snow, and freezing winds are routine. So are packed Try Curling sessions, sold out rookie leagues, and full competitive seasons. Each winter, about 120 regular members commit to league play, joined by hundreds of newcomers through classes, open events, and private bookings.
That grassroots operation now feeds into a larger effort, the Brooklyn Curling Center. Co-founded by former club president Charles Donefer and run by many of the same volunteers, the project aims to build New York City’s first dedicated curling facility. The proposed center would include six sheets of ice, a bar and restaurant, and flexible space for tournaments, leagues, and community events. Organizers are working toward a $10 million fundraising goal, with hopes of creating a permanent home.
Since curling became a permanent Olympic sport in 1998, participation across the United States has grown steadily, fueled by television exposure and expanded youth and adult programs. Many cities now support permanent clubs, and New York, with its deep sports culture, is laying the groundwork to do the same.
If the Brooklyn Curling Center becomes reality, local players will finally leave behind improvised rinks and unpredictable weather. The cooperative and welcoming culture built in Prospect Park remains the project’s strongest foundation as it works to move indoors.
