MAPLE GROVE, Minnesota — It's a sport as cool as the ice it's played on, courtesy of our neighbors to the north.
Crokicurl unites two time-honored Canadian pastimes: Curling and the board game Crokinole, which uses an octagon-shaped board with small wood disks. You use your fingers to flick the disk into the center.
The game takes the fun outdoors with an octagonal ice rink and curling rocks instead of discs. You can find one of these rinks at Central Park in Maple Grove. It's the only one of its kind in Minnesota.
Tanya Huntley, a special events coordinator and Canadian transplant, brought it to the Grove. "This year, we've had a lot of challenges with the weather, rain and snow. But [Maple Grove Parks and Recreation] did a fantastic job."
While curling often needs technique and strategy, Guy discovered Crokicurl is more about luck and finding momentum.
You can try out the game for yourself at any time. Equipment on site is free to use. "So this is just one more thing we can add to our park that is for any age, for any ability, for anyone to try," said Huntley. "We just thought, well, let's bring that out, and just hopefully, it will entice some more people to get outside in the winter and try something new."
There's also a special event called Wonders of Winter set for February 4th at Central Park. At this winter celebration you can play Crokicurl, take a horse-drawn wagon ride, try snowshoeing, kick-sledding, ice skating or go on a scavenger hunt.
Wonders of Winter will take place from 1 to 4 p.m.
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