Durrant Pate/Contributor

Curling Jamaica has joined the World Curling Federation as the 67th member association on a conditional membership as part of the Americas zone.

As such, Jamaican athletes will be eligible to compete in the newly created Pan Continental Curling Championships. Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. 

The purpose of a game is to score points by getting stones closer to the house centre than the other team’s stones. Players from either team alternate in taking shots from the far side of the sheet.

An end is complete when all eight rocks from each team have been delivered, a total of sixteen stones. With 18 members and growing, Curling Jamaica is keen to develop and promote the sport using Floor Curling, with hopes of building an ice rink in the future.

Jamaica welcomes addition

In welcoming Jamaica to the World Curling Federation president Kate Caithness commented,  “I’m pleased to welcome Jamaica into our World Curling family. This is an exciting milestone for the sport as we continue to increase our members in non-traditional curling nations. We look forward to working together to increase curling’s exposure in Jamaica and seeing their development over the years.”

For his part, Curling Jamaica president Ben Kong remarked, “For many years, I have envisioned the day that a Jamaican curling team would step onto the ice and represent Jamaica on the world stage. That day will now become reality, and I thank the World Curling Federation, Jamaica Olympic Association, and all of our members and supporters who helped to make this a reality.”

He concluded, “I cannot wait to begin our on-ice preparations, grow the sport of curling in Jamaica, and watch Jamaica make its debut at a World Curling Championship.”

Andrew Walker, secretary-general of Curling Jamaica responded, “as we follow on well-worn the path of our many great Jamaican athletes, the excitement is palpable as we now slide on to the World Curling stage.”

According to Cristiene Hall-Teravainen, vice president and technical director of Curling Jamaica, “this is an exciting day for Jamaica and its curling athletes. I’ve dreamt of this day for many years and to see it come to fruition is almost overwhelming.”