History

The St. Olaf Curling Club was started in 1995 by St. Olaf student Robin Wegener, of New Orleans, Louisiana. Living in the South, far from the established curling hubs of Canada and Midwest America, Robin cultivated a true love for the sport—fed only through occasional glimpses of televised events and written accounts of the game. A fine academic curriculum and the requisite curling weather drew Robin North to Minnesota, where he enrolled at St. Olaf College in 1993. Through arrangements with a local curling club in the town of Owatonna, the Curling Club was born.

The St. Olaf Curling Club operated as a club sport, supported by the Student Activities Committee (SAC). With a $300 yearly budget, Robin administered the club and promoted the sport among his peers. The club was supported by core curlers who attended the weekly Saturday morning sessions. From week to week the club hosted (with no obligations) any student who wished to participate and learn how to curl. These sessions were made possible through the generosity of the late Ron Baker, a senior member of the Owatonna Curling Club, who opened the club each week and offered curling lessons to all who came.

Through supplemental grants from the SAC, several teams from the club were able to compete in yearly bonspiels, including the College Curling National Bonspiel. It is important to note that the club was founded by someone new to the sport and recruited members who likewise had no experience. Nonetheless, the St. Olaf Curling Club was able to hold its own against teams that often included seasoned curlers.

The club continued to be popular among St. Olaf students after Robin's graduation in 1997. Former club vice president Valarie Hart took over as president, continuing the weekly curling tradition. The next curling season brought co-presidents to the helm of the club—Tony Smith and Heather Wood. It was during this season's National Bonspiel in Madison, Wisconsin that the St. Olaf team competed against a team from the William Mitchell School of Law, skipped by none other than Robin Wegener. Following the graduation of Tony and Heather, Jeff Lamont took over as president. Jeff was unique to the club, as he had prior curling experience. Through his leadership the club was even more successful than it had been in the past. Upon Jeff's graduation in 2003 there was not a clear successor as president. Without strong leadership the club slowly became less active over the next year, which proved to be its final.

Alumni of the St. Olaf Curling Club keep its memory alive as they continue to curl—in Minnesota and beyond. Former members now curl in locations ranging from the St. Paul Curling Club in St. Paul, Minnesota to the Potomac Curling Club in Washington, DC.