Newsletter - May 2026

And that's a wrap on the 2025-26 season! And what a season it was. The Winter Olympics generated a ton of interest in our sport. Along with being featured in six statewide media spots, we also hosted almost two dozen public events, during which we shared our sport with the community and taught nearly 700 people to curl! 

We could not have done this without all of you. More than 360 volunteer spots were required to make all this happen -- actually more as that's just counting the sign-ups on the website and we know many of you did more than that! Cedar Rapids Curling has THE BEST members ever. We're not biased. It's just fact.

THANK YOU! As CRC Board President Phil Burian likes to say, "YOU are why I curl." While we are tired, we're also energized about the future of curling and our home club!

As we head into summer, we may not be on the ice, but there is still important curling-related news and events to come, so read on.

Rising ice costs lead to increased league fees; membership fee stays the same

The Cedar Rapids Curling Board works hard every year to keep costs for members as low as possible and to spend their funds responsibly. However, costs continue to go up, including ice rates.

In order to deal with these increased costs, the CRC Board voted to raise league fees $3/night to $30.

We do not take these decisions lightly. This is only the second time in more than a decade that we have raised league fees.

Membership fees for the upcoming 2026-27 season will remain the same as last year, $125. 

Last year we announced a volunteer discount to help offset league fee increases. This will continue next year. Read below to learn how you can save money on your league fees in 2027-28 -- and how to redeem your discount if you qualified this year.

We encourage input from our members and urge you all to consider joining the board next year to help us chart the future for Cedar Rapids Curling. You also may email board members at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Good curling,

Cedar Rapids Curling Board 

Get your volunteer discount!

Twenty-three members volunteered for at least six events this season to qualify for a discount on next season's leagues. You'll find a tentative schedule for next year's leagues below, but if someone with a league discount were to sign up for every league, they would save $102!

If you are one of these volunteers, you will receive an email today with a discount code to use during league registration. To use the code, you must pay online.

If you don't receive an email with a discount code and you think you should have qualified, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We want to continue rewarding the volunteers who make this club the amazing group that it is. The Cedar Rapids Curling Board decided that members who volunteer at four events during the upcoming 2026-27 season will receive a discount during the 2027-28 season.

To be counted as a volunteer at an event, you MUST sign up to volunteer on the website prior to the event. Some longer events will count as two events. We will indicate this on the sign-up page.

We appreciate our volunteers more than we could ever say, and more than this policy could ever convey. 

Do you want to curl in a national championship in Dallas?

Are you interested in representing Cedar Rapids Curling and the Midwest Curling Association at the National Arena Curling Championships in Dallas this fall?

We encourage ALL CRC members to consider giving Arena Nationals a try. You don't need to be an experienced curler. We've had members who had only been curling a year compete in this competition. It's a wonderful way to meet and learn from fellow arena curlers from across the country!

If you want the chance to respresent the MCA this fall, your team needs to sign up for the MCA playdown to be held June 26-28 at Windy City Curling Club in Villa Park, Ill. The winners -- one women's team and one men's team -- will represent the Midwest Curling Association at the 2026 Arena National Championships from Nov. 11-15 in Dallas.

Requirements:

• Non-mixed event: men's and women's teams
• Players must be a resident of the U.S. as of deadline
• All team members must be dues-paying, league-playing members of a Midwest Curling Association club (that includes CRC)
• All team members must be USAC members (FYI: if you are a CRC member, you are a USAC member)
• Must not have played down in any other region’s arena playdowns during this qualifying year

The deadline to register your team for playdowns is May 31.

 Register now

Registration is open for CedarSpiel 2026

The 2026 CedarSpiel will be Aug. 7-9. We hope to see you there. This is a wonderful chance if you haven't yet been to a bonspiel! 

Share curling at CR Farmers Market

We are excited to announce that Cedar Rapids Curling will once again have a booth at the Cedar Rapids Farmers Market on Aug. 15. 

We will have a tent with a table full of curling items for people to check out, balloons for the kids (and adults), and hopefully our street curling set so people can "throw a stone."

This will be a great time to hang out together and share our sport with our community outside the ice!

 Sign up to volunteer

Cedar Rapids Curling on the road

 

Emily, Nancy, Lynn, and Beth; and Phil, Parker, Cale, and Steve traveled to Green Bay for the GBCC Harry Maier Memorial Open Bonspiel.

Mac and Claire joined emeritus CRC members Martha and Murray at the Hobber Dobber Invitational at St. Paul Curling Club.