BY KAREN BOSSICK

Don your best Scottish plaid and cheer on the Wood River Valley’s curling afficionados when the inaugural Hailey Bonspiel comes to Campion Ice House in Hailey.

The 2025 Hailey Bonspiel will kick off with an opening ceremony in which Dr. Ron Fairfax throws the Ceremonial First Rock at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 8. Curling matches will follow from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday and 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. that afternoon. Dinner and social time will follow from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The matches will resume from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, March 9 (adjust your clocks for Daylight Saving Time). An Awards Ceremony will conclude the Bonspiel at 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

No ice skates are needed for curling—tennis shoes will do. PHOTO: Hank Dart

There is no charge to watch the games.

“Whether you’re a lifelong fan or have never seen a curling match before, this is the perfect event to check out one of the most unique and exciting sports on ice,” said longtime Hailey curler Carol Brown. “Spectators can enjoy a weekend of fast-paced, strategic and often lighthearted competition as teams battle it out in this Olympic sport that combines precision, teamwork and skill.”

A bonspiel is a curling tournament that typically consists of multiple games held over a weekend, often featuring teams from various curling clubs, said Brown.

Curling has been played for centuries, known to have existed in Scotland in the 1500s and introduced to Canada in 1807. It was introduced to the United States in 1830. A medal sport in the Winter Olympics, it’s played around the world, including Brazil.

Jim Keating is the picture of concentration as he prepares to spin the stone toward the target. PHOTO: Hank Dart

Players slide heavy, polished granite stones called rocks on an ice rink towards a target that features four circles. Two sweepers with brooms sweep the ice in front of the stone to decrease the friction and make the stone travel a straighter, longer line. Points are scored for the stones closest to the center.

Various traditions have grown around curling, including the practice of broomstacking. That refers to a social gathering that occurs after a game or between games, with the winning team traditionally buying the first round of drinks for the opposing team.

The term comes from the practice of curlers cleaning the booms after a game by stacking them in a pile. Today broomstacking is less about broom cleaning and more about socializing--the time spent off the ice cultivating relationships as important as the time spent on it.

Curling in Hailey began in the winter of 2013-14 at the outdoor ice rink in Hailey Rodeo Park when teacher James Foster and Glen Lindsley made stones out of stainless-steel bowls and cement and invited the community to curl.

Carol Brown, left, is a member of The Ice Weasels. COURTESY: Carol Brown

Hailey’s first actual curling stones were purchased in 2016 with a grant from Peter Curran through the Peco Foundation. A team from Dakota Curling brought the stones to Hailey and held the first curling clinic for the curious.

The Hailey Curling League followed with 12 teams. The original division was divided into two in 2019 with an A League for more experienced curlers and a B League for less experienced curlers.

Hailey now has 30 teams, which play with five sets of stones on five lanes every Monday night.

The Hailey Curling Club plans to incorporate as a non-profit group, becoming a membership-based organization similar to the hockey groups that use Campion Ice House. It plans to expand programming, host events and foster the sport’s development at all levels. For more information, email info@haileyice.org.

Sponsoring the 2025 Hailey Bonspiel are Campion Ice House, Rocky Mountain Hardware and Sawtooth Brewery.