Mike Graziano, and his teammate Mark Gehan, prepare to sweep as the stone heads towards the target.
Eric Drummond

For many spectators, the Olympics is a source of both excitement and wonder. For the RIT Curling Club, it was a source of inspiration. "When Brian and I saw [curling] on the Olympics, we saw commercials for the local curling club on TV," said Mike Graziano. So, they decided to check it out. A sport that began as "looking for something to do" has since become a passion for its players. Originally, Mike Graziano (a senior Computer Engineering Technology major) and Brain Norsworthy (another RIT student) supplemented their four-man team with club members from the Rochester Curling Club. Two years later, the RIT Curling Club consists exclusively of RIT students.

The goal of Curling is to place more rocks near the target painted on the ice than the opposing team. This is accomplished by four team members - the lead, second, vice, and skip = who alternate pushing rocks toward the target while two other team members sweep the play area with a broom. Aggressive sweeping melts the ice in front of the rock, which essentially allows the sweeper to control speed and trajectory. Team members are not allowed to have contact with the rock after it is pushed.

The RIT Curling Club has gone on to make a national name for itself. Last year, they came in first place within their division at the College National Championships in Chicago. Earlier this year, they placed third at the Francis Dykes Memorial Tournament.

Unlike most sports, RIT's team practices by participating in tournaments against the club who sponsors RIT's team. The members of the club team are usually older and often have much more experience than the RIT's team members. All players have time on the ice at least twice a week, although many members log additional practice time.

This past winter quarter, Graziano helped co-teach the Curling Wellness course. Along with the wellness course, RIT students can practice on Sunday nights at the RIT students-only league.