ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Many may have heard of or seen Curling because of the Winter Olympics, but curling has been a part of the Capital Region since 1866. Once the Albany Curling Club was established in 1955, the club has been able to train state, regional, and national champions while also having athletes who have played at Olympic-level games throughout the club’s history.

David Marinucci, Director of Education, is one of the many who was invited by a friend…and then got hooked on the sport.

“And here I am five years later, I am on the Board of Education, I am also a certified Level One Trainer now, and absolutely love this program,” he said.

On Saturday, over a dozen people registered to learn how to curl in hopes of starting a new hobby…and a new experience on the ice.

“It appears to be a very social sort of environment, which is nice,” Andrea Pais said. “It’s something different to do to get out of the house and meet some new people.”

Josh Lewis has only tried curling twice but is already excited to learn more about the sport and advance his skills.

“My neighbor actually curls here,” Lewis said. “She told us all about it and kind of bragged a lot, so I had to see what it was about, but it seems like a sense of community here.”

Max Sutfin, Director of Membership and Development, said the community is what attracts each person to the club on day one- including herself.

“I felt like I was home,” Suftin said. “Everyone here is so welcoming, and we’re a very diverse group of people in terms of ages and our backgrounds. But everyone is so welcoming-it’s a great time.”

Registration has closed for the season, but the club will open up registration again in January. Classes start from 8 years old to 99+, so there is a class and tournament for every age and skill level.