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Curling is back on TV this week with showdown between US and Canada. How to watch

mike snider, usa today
·4-min read

If you thought curling only slid onto your television during the Winter Olympics, think again.

For the first time, a competition between the top women and men's club curling teams in the U.S. and Canada will be televised in the U.S.

The Everest North American Curling Club Championships will be televised Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and on The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada. This international match is a new event with continental bragging rights at stake.

"This is the first time, other than the Olympics, where a curling event has been broadcast live across North America," Ryan Berg, the skip (or captain) for Team USA men's told The Forum of Fargo-Morehead news site. "It means a lot to me to be able to wear the U.S. flag on my back, it has always been a dream of mine, so to have that come true is fun."

Ryan Berg, skipper of Team Berg, during the The Club National Championships in April 2024 at the Fargo-Moorhead Curling club in Fargo, North Dakota.
Ryan Berg, skipper of Team Berg, during the The Club National Championships in April 2024 at the Fargo-Moorhead Curling club in Fargo, North Dakota.

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Here's what you need to know about the upcoming event.

Who is competing in the North American Curling Club Championships?

Representing Team USA at the Everest North American Curling Club Championships is Team Berg, at left, and Team Schroeder, which won the men's and women's titles at The Club National Championships in April 2024 in Fargo, North Dakota.
Representing Team USA at the Everest North American Curling Club Championships is Team Berg, at left, and Team Schroeder, which won the men's and women's titles at The Club National Championships in April 2024 in Fargo, North Dakota.

Team USA and Team Canada have women's teams and men's teams facing off at the event, which takes place at the Rock Creek Curling facility in Lafayette, Colorado:

Team Schroeder during competition.
Team Schroeder during competition.

Matt Hamilton, a member of the U.S. men's gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Olympics – and a viewer favorite during the 2022 Winter Games for his flowing hair and snazzy sneaks – will provide commentary. Joining him is Jennifer Jones, who was the skip on Canada's 2014 Olympic gold medal-winning team. TSN's Bryan Mudryk is the play-by-play announcer.

Matt Hamilton (USA) in the men’s curling bronze medal game during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at National Aquatics Center.
Matt Hamilton (USA) in the men’s curling bronze medal game during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at National Aquatics Center.

What is curling?

Curling is a sport with a rich past and is one of world's oldest team sports with the game being played in 16th century Scotland and, at roughly the same time, Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel painted scenes including frozen ponds with people playing something akin to curling.

Curling is played on ice with two teams taking turns pushing 42-pound stones towards a target made up of a series of concentric circles called "the house." After the stone is let go, another player may sweep the ice in front of the stone to keep the ice clear and the stone on target. Each team tries to get their stones as close to the center of the circles – also called a "tee" or "button" – as possible, according to NBC's Olympics site.

The sport made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

Curling getting more attention

Participation has increased in the U.S. with about 23,500 curling participants, according to USA Curling. That's up from about 16,850 in 2012, Sports Illustrated reported at the time.

Increased TV exposure could lead to more participation. A national survey found that many curling participants were first introduced to the sport by watching it on TV – with 43% saying they watch the sport on TV as often as they can.

And the sport has attracted some star athletes, including tennis star Venus Williams and former NFL players Vernon Davis and JJ Watt. Another curling fan: vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Travis Kelce and brother Jason visualized themselves as potential curling stars recently on their "New Heights" podcast.

Jones, who's helping provide color commentary for the championships, invited the Kelce brothers to the event in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Curling club championships match US vs. Canada: How to watch