Helena Embraces Curling as Last Chance Club Welcomes Beginners, Paralympian

Last Chance Curling Club welcomed first-time curlers to Steed Arena with back-to-back $20 Learn to Curl sessions on Feb. 21, 2026, including a 1:15–3:00 p.m. introductory slot and a 3:00–4:45 p.m. adaptive session offered in partnership with the Helena Area Community Foundation. The club’s posts state the adaptive session uses a curling stick, “making it possible for people of all ages and abilities to participate in the sport.”

New participants described the draw as social and local. Betsy Burns said, “I’m retired, and I’m always looking for ways to meet new people, and get out and have fun.” A participant identified as Balachowski said, “It always looked like a lot of fun, and it's nearby.” Mary T. Williams recalled family ties to the sport: “My dad used to curl… We used to live in canada and he curled up there, and I thought, this would be great!” Doug Williams added, “I’d been kind of thinking about it through, frankly, through the years, I was like, God, I ought to try that,” and noted the sport’s learning curve, saying, “It’s been a little more difficult.”

Club leadership emphasized instruction and the sport’s surprising challenge. Board member Neil Sauter said, “Curling’s a lot harder than it looks,” and added, “People think oh thats so easy, but our learn to curl process is really fun and informative, so it usually takes people a couple hours to get the hang of how to do it.” Fellow curler Jeff Priddy noted the heft of equipment: “42 pounds of stone is hard to get going.” Sauter also outlined objectives: “Well, the object of curling is to get your stone closest to the center of the house, or the bullseye, which in curling is called the button… You alternate shots, and so essentially you're trying to hit the opponent's shot out of the way and roll yours towards the center.”

The club’s seasonal programming lists a Midday Curling League on Thursdays from Feb. 26–Mar. 19, 12:30–2:30 p.m. (the club site describes this as a four-week mini league aimed at beginners; some reports described it as five weeks). Spring leagues are scheduled March 19–May 21 on Thursdays with a 6:00–8:00 p.m. novice slot and an 8:00–10:00 p.m. experienced slot (no curling April 2), and a Friday beginners league set for March 27–May 1, 6:00–8:00 p.m. (no curling April 3).

The club’s Instagram mission reads that LCCC was formed to “promote the sport of curling by providing a safe, fun, inclusive and friendly environment to curl and learn to curl.” The site is powered by the My Curling Club platform, includes a Storymap for newcomers, and shows an obfuscated contact email string rather than a plaintext address. Helena’s local connection to high-level competition is visible: Katie Verderber, a Helena curler in the Paralympics this year, is listed as a club member.

Statewide context shows similar grassroots growth: a Missoula learn-to-curl event in 2022 drew about 120 people, and instructor Meredith Stewart described the scene as, “It’s like intramural, to a casual extreme. It’s usually not very competitive.” With daytime, adaptive and evening options on the schedule, Last Chance Curling Club is positioning Helena to expand participation across ages and abilities this spring.