Wayland MA curling club expert explains how to play the Olympic sport
Dan Ostheimer, ice technician at Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, explains how the game is played ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
West Des Moines will host the 2027 USA Curling Men’s & Women’s National Championships.
For host venue MidAmerican Energy Co. RecPlex, 6500 Grand Ave., it’s a chance to showcase its facilities and the wider community to an even bigger national audience.
“This is probably the most prestigious event we’ve hosted,” said Shayne Ratcliff, RecPlex general manager.
Curling took the international stage in the Winter Olympics, becoming a beloved sport as spectators learned the rules. USA Curling’s 2027 men’s and women’s championships, scheduled for Jan. 24-Jan. 30, will bring the Olympics to the Des Moines metro.
The ice sheets at the RecPlex “will include Olympians who will be familiar to sports fans, along with talented up-and-comers, and fans who have watch(ed) the sport on television won’t want to miss an opportunity to see it in person,” USA Curling CEO Dean Gemmell said in a news release.
Ratcliff said 2027 is not a year for would-be Olympians to qualify to compete at the next Winter Olympics, which will be in the French Alps in 2030.
The RecPlex has also been home to the National Senior Games and the national championship for NAIA men’s volleyball.
How many visitors are expected for the USA Curling championships?
Ratcliff did not have projected figures, but it’s clear local leaders are expecting a big influx of visitors.
USA Curling said in its news release that West Des Moines can expect curling competitors, fans, families and media from across the country to patronize local hotels, restaurants and businesses.
“Fans will be able to experience the sport up close at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex, while top competitors from across the country discover everything our region has to offer. It’s another example that highlights our growing reputation as a destination for major national events,” Trina Flack, president and CEO of Catch Des Moines, said in the release.
How can I get tickets?
Schedules and ticket information will be released as the event draws closer, according to USA Curling’s release.
More information is available at usacurling.org/.
“Coming out of the Olympics and Paralympics, our sport is surging in popularity, and these championships will capitalize on that,” Gemmell said.
Interest in the sport has surged after every Winter Olympics since 2018, said Tori Hanson, president of the Des Moines Curling Club, which practices at the RecPlex.
Will para-athletes compete in West Des Moines?
USA Curling has a Wheelchair Mixed Doubles National Championship, but spokesperson Jenna Burchesky said it will be held at a separate date. Burchesky did not say where that event will be held.
USA Curling also has other championship events for college athletes, clubs and youth under 18 — at different dates, venues and locations.
Does the Des Moines metro have the infrastructure?
The RecPlex’s planned third sheet of ice will not be open before the USA Curling men’s and women’s championships in 2027, but Ratcliff said the existing facility has enough space for the expected visitors.
The new arena with seats for about 3,000 spectators, expanded overflow parking and more is expected to open Oct. 1, 2027.
Ratcliff said groundbreaking was about three weeks ago.
Des Moines International Airport’s new terminal is expected to be in use by mid-January 2027. By then, six gates are expected to be open in the new terminal, which will also have new ticketing and baggage claim areas. A seventh gate is expected to open later in 2027.
Local curlers excited to showcase the sport and their club
The Des Moines Curling Club is one of only two in Iowa, Hanson said. The other is in Cedar Rapids.
The Des Moines club helped lobby for the USA Curling men’s and women’s championships to come to West Des Moines, along with the RecPlex and Catch Des Moines.
It will be most exciting for club members to meet the athletes, Hanson said.
“Curlers are some of the nicest people that you will ever meet,” she said.
The Des Moines Curling Club also plans to make the most of the exposure from the event. “We want to educate as much as we possibly can” about the sport, including going into schools to get children interested, Hanson said.
The club is working to find a place dedicated to curling, she said. Curling ice, rather than arena ice, is higher quality and a dedicated space would mean more time for practices and games.
“We’re also excited to work with the dedicated curlers in Des Moines. They are working towards a full-time curling facility — that would be terrific recreational asset for the community and a terrific legacy for this event,” Gemmell said in USA Curling’s release.
More information about the Des Moines Curling Club, upcoming volunteer opportunities and opportunities to try out curling at the RecPlex are available at dmcurling.com/.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at PSitter@usatodayco.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This story was updated to add more information.
