In the (ice) house: Glenbrook Herald staff takes a shot at curling in Northbrook

Just as I was about to plunk down my own money for a Learn2Curl class at the Chicago Curling Club in Northbrook for my co-workers, DING! An email popped in: Well, what do you know. I could put away my credit card, because they had invited us to a media day.

It was officially our jobs to go. Kismet.

Here's the thing: During the weekly Zoom planning meeting with the Glenview and Northbrook Herald staff - photojournalist/reporter Joe Lewnard and reporter Dave Oberhelman - I'll often throw out ideas. Ideas for stories about the three of us doing something together that doubles as team building.

The guys are rarely as stoked about the ideas as I am.

Not because they're jerks. Far from it. I lucked out when the powers-that-be put together the Glenbrook staff; Dave and Joe are super talented, smart and easygoing.

Joe just prefers to remain behind a camera or reporter's notebook. And Dave lives way out in the wilds of DuPage County; the drive to Northbrook and Glenview is a bear. Solid reasoning all the way around.

But at a meeting in early January, we were talking about the upcoming Winter Olympics and finding an interesting way to acknowledge it in three editions. People from the suburbs were headed to Beijing, including Jesse Compher of Northbrook, who plays for Team USA women's hockey, and Jason Brown of Highland Park, a figure skater.

I had one of my ... ideas.

"We should try an Olympic sport," I tell them.

It's met with the usual responses, but I won't let it go this time.

My first suggestion was hockey, an obvious choice, because Joe is a serious hockey player and Dave is a serious sportsing fan, and hockey is a sportsing contest.

Joe was willing to take photos. Dave said he's no good on skates. My husband, Brian - who works at our parent publication, the Daily Herald - quashed the idea pretty quickly; he knows how often I've tripped over my own feet on dry, flat pavement (approximately eleventy billion times) He rightfully pointed out how likely it is that me + ice skates = a likely trip to the ER.

I talk through a few other ideas, but then land on the perfect one: Curling! I'm not sure why I didn't think of that first. We featured the Chicago Curling Club in our first editions on June 18, 2020. It's a sport so many people love to watch when the Winter Olympics roll around, but few fully understand. Me included. Ice? Brooms? Rocks? (Brooms?) To be fair, though, it was invented in my ancestral homeland, Scotland, where it seems like maybe a lot of the culture materialized in a series of drunken dares: Whisky (no "e" if it's authentically Scottish); throwing telephone poles; deep fried everything, including desserts; kilts; and, of course, haggis - the reason this fussy eater does not attend the St. Andrew's Society's Burns Night dinners.

Joe was still willing to take pictures. And possibly a little curious. Dave was certainly intrigued. Since my boss was out of town and our ad rep wasn't available, Brian would be our fourth after his ears perked up when I told him about the opportunity. We were set.

I don't know how anybody else was feeling by the time we met up that afternoon, but my excitement was a little tinged with panic. I forgot to bring paper and a pen. And I already knew what my first question was going to be: Exactly how much time do you think I'll spend sitting on that ice? (see above, re: clumsy) Would there be workers' comp claims coming after this?

Club member Andrew Sawyer of Mount Prospect assured me things would be OK. Octogenarians and small children curl, so the guys and I certainly could.

"It's something you can play for your entire lifetime with a lovely community of people," he said.

We spent time chatting with Sawyer, plus fellow club members Liz Reid of Deerfield, who has been curling for 46 years, many of those with her family as well; Andy Anderson of Glenview, celebrating his 50th year in the sport that has taken him around the world, including four Olympics with the World Curling Federation, and connected him with his significant other, Mary Fields of Glenview, who was also part of our conversation and got involved initially at a club in Wilmette with her late husband to get to know people.

It was interesting speaking to the group of four; they are all different ages and got involved in curling at various times, for all kinds of reasons. But they spoke often about what Sawyer said so eloquently when we first sat down: The lovely community of people.

"There a camaraderie," Reid said. "I've made so many friends here."

The other three smiled, nodding in agreement.

"It's like a country club, but with no recommendations, no vetting," Anderson said. "You walk in, you're a curler."

Reid heartily agreed.

"You're just accepted for who you are," she added.

And as we got up to take the ice, Sawyer assured me once again: "You won't fall as much as you think."

Reid regaled me with stories of how there would be people who fall in the parking lot, but were just fine on the curling house's pebbled ice (it's actually a little bumpy).

Here we go.

We had special shoes, a gripper and a slider. After demos by Sawyer and Reid, it was our turn.

Dave and Brian took to it right away as Joe snapped photos. Joe was, to the surprise of nobody, the most steady on the ice, thanks to hockey, and had no problem when he took his turn.

I, true to form, couldn't really squat, tried to throw the stone ... and fell on my booty. Then couldn't get up because I was sliding around (and not focusing!) Joe kindly stopped snapping photos while I was doing my best impression of a skittery buttered cat. I should note: I was 100% fine; my ego was barely even bruised. But this was also more evidence of the kind of people drawn to curling, a sport where, by the way, teams point out their own penalties: Reid and Sawyer helped me up, and were immediately encouraging, not "Welp. Your career as a curler is done! GIVE IT UP, SHAMIE."

After that, I was done. I took videos and cheered on the guys. But Reid hung out with me as well, explained aspects of the sport and just chatted.

What she told me was true: You really are accepted for exactly who you are. Whether you take to it right away like the guys on my staff, or you're more like me: Always willing to try, just not very graceful even after 15 years of ballet.

Brian wants to go again; it's also on our sister-in-law Natalie's bucket list. Dave and Joe had a good time, too. Despite my close encounter of the booty kind with the ice, I have to say the camaraderie Reid talked about permeates the atmosphere at Chicago Curling Club and makes me want to return for what they call a "broomstacking." They buy each other drinks in the club's bar after a match. That's probably more my speed.

And that's fine. Because curling really is about more than just the game: It's all about the team and being together.

"Everybody has their own skillset," Fields said. "That's why curling is truly unique. We all have to work together, because everybody has an important role."