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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins rocked in Rockford

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; After the U.S. men&#8217;s team won a gold medal for curling during the recent Winter Olympics, the European sport has sparked a renewed curiosity in locals. </p><p>&#8220;It was interesting,&#8221; said Amanda Rosentel, of Wilkes-Barre, standing outside the ice rink at Toyota Sports Complex in Wilkes-Barre. Amanda played the game for the first time during an open house at the center Saturday.</p><p>&#8220;It was fun after you get the hang of it,&#8221; Rosentel said of the sport.</p><p>Sponsored by the city-based Anthracite Curling Club, the event was meant to introduce people to curling and show some basic moves.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re just giving them a taste of curling,&#8221; said Jen Dobo, president of the club, while taking a quick break from teaching a small group.</p><p>Organizers of the open house expected at least 200 participants Saturday.</p><p>&#8220;You get a lot of interest at that point in time right after the Olympics and especially since we won the gold medal,&#8221; said John Burns, who has been curling for five years and serves as club treasurer.</p><p>Originating in Scotland, curling is a sport that involves two teams consisting of four players each. Players slide large stones made of granite on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four circles. Two key components of the game are delivery and sweeping. When the ice in front of the stone is swept using a curling broom, it helps the stone travel farther and straighter. Delivery is the process of sliding a stone down the sheet.</p><p>&#8220;The sweeping is tiring&#8221; said Brian Vick, Wapwallopen. &#8220;It&#8217;s aggressive.&#8221; Even though he&#8217;s played before, Vick still learned some more &#8220;technical stuff&#8221; at the open house.</p><p>John Rosentel, Amanda&#8217;s husband, also curled once before, but admitted he learned some new techniques as well. The couple and Vick both said they would consider joining the club to get a chance to play more and get more practice.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s different,&#8221; said John. &#8220;It was a lot of fun &#8230; definitely recommend it &#8212; rate it a 10 out of 10.&#8221;</p><p>Another curling open house will be held Sunday at the complex from 4-6 p.m. Admission is $10 per person.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL030418Curling1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Matt Morgan, of Larksville, reacts after losing his footing during an event by the Anthracite Curling Club at the Toyota Sportsplex in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL030418Curling1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Matt Morgan, of Larksville, reacts after losing his footing during an event by the Anthracite Curling Club at the Toyota Sportsplex in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL030418Curling2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Friends Lynn Eckrote, of Drums, and Heidi Pollack, of Mountain Top, practice curling Saturday at the Toyota Sportsplex in Wilkes-Barre during an instructional event by the Anthracite Curling Club. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_TTL030418Curling2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Friends Lynn Eckrote, of Drums, and Heidi Pollack, of Mountain Top, practice curling Saturday at the Toyota Sportsplex in Wilkes-Barre during an instructional event by the Anthracite Curling Club. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Open house in WB lets beginners try Olympic mainstay</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kulsoom Khan</p><p>kkhan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

‘Curling’ up to a new sport during open house