The Plainfield Curling Club (or PCC) is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

club located in South Plainfield,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It owns and operates the only dedicated curling facility in New Jersey. It was founded in 1963, with the members initially using rented ice and curling outdoors. The current two-sheet structure was completed in 1967. The PCC season runs from late October through early April. As of the 2018–2019 season, the club holds

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

play seven days per week, hosts six annual bonspiels, and has programs for juniors (

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

s) and “little rockers” (ages 6–12). It also hosts supervised programs for members of the public to try curling. The club had a significant increase in membership for the 2002–2003 season, after U.S. television coverage of curling in the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

increased awareness of the sport. There was a similar spike in membership for the 2006-2007 season due to the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...

television coverage. Interest in the sport at the club again peaked after the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

. Plainfield Curling Club is part of the

Grand National Curling Club The Grand National Curling Club (GNCC), founded in 1867, was the first National Curling Organization encompassing the entire United States. It remained the national organization until it created the United States Curling Association (USCA) in the ...

and part of the

United States Curling Association The United States Curling Association (USCA or USA Curling) is the national governing body of the sport of curling in the United States. The goal of the USCA is to grow the sport of curling in the United States and win medals in competitions both ...

Notable members, past and present

* Jacqui Kapinowski, lead,

Wheelchair curling at the 2010 Winter Paralympics The wheelchair curling competition of the 2010 Winter Paralympics was held at the Hillcrest Centre, Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from 13 March to 20 March 2010. Ten teams competed in a single event, ...

(4th) * Janice Langanke, skip, 2011 U.S. Women's Club National Championship (1st) *

Dean Gemmell Dean Gemmell (born August 27, 1967) is a Canadian-American curler and writer who currently resides in Short Hills, New Jersey. Along with John Morris, he is the co-author of the book ''Fit to Curl, Sport Specific Training for the World's Greate ...

, lead, 2012 United States Men's Curling Championship (1st) * Cameron Ross, lead,

2012 World Junior Curling Championships The 2012 World Junior Curling Championships was held from March 3 to 11 at the Z-Hallen in Östersund, Sweden. Östersund previously hosted the World Junior Curling Championships in 1999 and in 2008. In the men's final, Canada's Brendan Bottche ...

(5th) * Steven Szemple, second,

2015 World Junior Curling Championships The 2015 World Junior Curling Championships was held from February 28 to March 8 at the Tondiraba Ice Rink in Tallinn, Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered ...

(5th)

Notable media appearances

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focuse ...

, featuring

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

and the

Men's Curling Team of

John Shuster John Shuster ( ; born November 3, 1982) is an American curler who lives in Superior, Wisconsin. He led Team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the first American team to ever win gold in curling. He also won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winte ...

, Jason Smith,

Jeff Isaacson Jeff Isaacson (born July 14, 1983) is an American curler. He is a two-time Olympian, playing on the United States men's curling team at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Career Isaacson played as second on John Shuster's team which won the ...

, John Benton, and

Chris Plys Christopher Plys (; born August 13, 1987) is an American curler from Duluth, Minnesota. He is a Junior World Champion and two-time National Men's Champion. He was the alternate for the United States men's team at the 2010 Winter Olympics and a ...

Annual events

The Plainfield Curling Club regularly hosts several bonspiels each year and most all are open to curlers from other clubs. Unless noted, teams for these bonspiels are "open" format; that is, teams may be made up of any combination of men and women. * The Founders' – Held in November, this internal bonspiel pays tribute to the club founders. * PCC Junior Bonspiel – Held in January, for teenage curlers. *

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

Thrifty – Held in January, this Scottish-themed bonspiel features a

Burns supper A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), the author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, known as Burns Night ( sc ...

with

haggis Haggis ( gd, taigeis) is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though now an a ...

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

, and a reading of

Address to a Haggis A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), the author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, known as Burns Night ( sc ...

. * Jersey Curlz – Held in February/March, this women's bonspiel is a United States Women's Curling Association (USWCA) circuit event. * The P.C.C. Stone – Held in March, this men's bonspiel pays tribute to Peter C. Christofferson, father of founding member Ken Christofferson. * The Bonsqueal – Held in April, this popular open end-of-season bonspiel features a new

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

-related theme each year (in reference to the curling term) with a Saturday night

pig roast A pig roast or hog roast is an event or gathering which involves the barbecuing of a whole pig. Pig roasts, under a variety of names, are a common traditional celebration event in many places including the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Cuba. ...

. Due to its popularity, games are 6-ends each except for the finals. In addition, the Plainfield Curling Club occasionally hosts other bonspiels, including Mid-Atlantic Curling Association (MACA) events, the Mid-Atlantic Women's Bonspiel, friendly competitions with other area clubs, and continues to be one of the host clubs for the Herries Maxwell trophy, an event played every ten years between Scotland and the USA.

Affiliations

*Mid Atlantic Curling Association (''Comprising the Plainfield,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Potomac, and

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

curling clubs.'') *U.S. Women's Curling Association

References

External links