This July, Aksarben Curling helped host the Cornhusker State Games curling tournament. Teams competed in Novice and Open divisions. Congrats to all of this year’s medalists!
Gold Medalists - Open Division
Kaeli and the Tuninks
Kaeli Samson, Nick Allmaker, Greg Tunink, Nic Swiercek
Our board of directors is planning the 2021-2022 curling season beginning in September and we want to hear from you!
Please share your thoughts about participating in the upcoming season in this short survey.
We want to know how likely you are to curl this season given COVID trends, what concerns or thoughts you have, and what your preferences are for leagues. Your input helps ensure we’re responsive to members and filling available ice time.
At this time our Board of Directors is planning to use the following guidelines for our 2021-2022 season:
On the survey we also want to know your interest in playing in the following fall leagues:
Note: The early October start dates are to offset lost ice time due to the Olympic Trials.
Key Registration Dates
Help get the word out:
Questions about the upcoming season or survey? Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we’ll be in touch!
We look forward to seeing you this upcoming season!
You can compete for a gold, silver, or bronze medal in curling at this summer’s Cornhusker State Games on July 17 and 18!
Aksarben Curling is partnering with our friends at the Nebraska Sports Council to help facilitate this year's curling competition at the Cornhusker State Games.
The tournament will be a 3-game guaranteein two divisions: Open and Novice (5 years or less experience). The first games will take place on Saturday, July 17 and the final game will take place on Sunday, July 18.
Registration is $108/person through June 17. The price increases to $113/person until July 5.
Learn more and register for this year’s Cornhusker State Games.
If you have questions about this year’s curling tournament at CSG, please contact Nic Ridder at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Good curling!
If you've thought about getting into curling but would like to learn more before jumping into a league then our next Newcomer's League scheduled for September 2021 is for you!
This 3-week league is designed for curlers with limited or no experience. They help folks learn the game, sharpen their skills, and brush up on basics before jumping into our regular leagues. It's especially great for people who have taken a prior Learn to Curl session and want to take the next step, or prospective curlers who've never taken a Learn to Curl.
We start the 3-week program with a Learn to Curl session and partial game, and then the following weeks you get to play full games with on-site instruction and guidance during your match from our friendly instructors. All the equipment needed to curl will be provided.
Registration is $75. Play will be on Sundays from 2:15 PM - 4:15 PM on the following dates:
Sign-up for the September 2021 Newcomer's League today.
See you on the ice!
Thank you to everyone who voted in the election for Aksarben Curling’s Board of Directors! We want to announce our newly-elected board members: Aaron Adams, Sally Ashmore, and Lisa Truesdell. Each individual will serve three-year terms of service.
We also want to share our deepest thanks to board members whose terms expired: Sean Morrison (former president), Derek Rau, and Matt Suder (former vice president). As an entirely volunteer-run organization, we recognize that it takes a lot of work to make sure everything runs smoothly and effectively. We're grateful for your service on Aksarben Curling's board of directors!
This week we also had two Member Meetings, one virtually and one in-person. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it!
Couldn’t attend, or want a recap of what was discussed? Check out the slides from our Member Meeting, which includes a sneak peak of our dedicated curling facility floor plan and interior renderings!
Stay tuned for information in the coming months about new Aksarben Curling t-shirts, next season’s programming, news about the Olympic Trials in Omaha in November, and volunteer opportunities.
Lastly, if you’re itching for more curling we have two opportunities this summer:
Thanks for being a part of the Aksarben Curling community. We look forward to seeing you on the ice!
We're hosting a short four-week Summer League on Thursdays at 8pm in June and July. This is a great opportunity for folks who want to extend their season a bit, get some practice in before the Cornhusker State Games in July, or for members who sat out the fall/winter leagues.
Registration opens on Saturday, April 17 at 12pm. League dates are: June 10, June 24, July 8, and July 15.
Register online.
Please note that we will be allowing up to 40 people to register or 10 teams total. Other COVID restrictions including mandatory mask wearing at all times, physical distancing, and utilizing only one sweeper at a time will remain in effect.
Thank you to everyone who voted on Aksarben Curling’s revised bylaws. The changes were approved unanimously.
The changes modernize outdated language and improve our governance practices as we prepare for our long-term goal of opening a dedicated curling facility. The adopted changes came after diligent work from our board’s policy committee over the past six months thoroughly reviewing the Bylaws and weighing options.
Adopted changes included: modernizing outdated language (e.g. Family Memberships referring to a man and his wife and kids, or referring to couples only as a man and woman), streamlining the number of membership types (from 8 to 4), changing the length of board director terms (from 4 years to 3 years), instituting director term limits (no more than 3 consecutive terms, or 9 years total), and adjusting quorum requirements for member meetings and amending the Bylaws.
Aksarben Curling coordinated two Spring leagues this season: Tuesdays at 7pm and Fridays at 7pm.
It's been an unusual season marking our return to curling amid COVID-19, but members worked together to follow the Return to Curling COVID guidelines to allow a safer return to play. Big thanks to everyone who pitched in and worked together to make our unusual spring leagues possible!
Here's to all of the 2021 Spring League champs!
2021 Spring Tuesday League champs
Hollaback Curls (5-1)
Aaron Adams, Lisa Truesdell, Matt Manderfeld, Jim Buhrman
2021 Spring Friday League champs
Stop, Drop & Curl (4-0)
Brian Akert, Bill Citro, Ralph Roza, Brandon Myers
We will elect three members to join Aksarben Curling’s Board of Directors this spring. Directors will be elected to serve three-year terms.
Interested candidates should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information and to express interest in running. Please submit your nomination no later than Friday, May 7. Eligible nominees must be a current member or have been a member in the 2019-2020 season (we're extending this window due to COVID).
Our organization is run entirely by volunteers, with the greatest share of responsibilities managed by our Board of Directors. The Board of Directors sets the direction for the organization and makes decisions about our programming, equipment, and budget. We especially need folks who can commit dedicated volunteer time for board meetings, committees, and work between meetings.
One area of emphasis this year is that we are looking for people who can bring greater diversity to our Board of Directors. In particular, but not exclusively, this includes women and people of color. An individual with financial or accounting skills would also be a plus. We will be asking nominees to share what perspectives they bring that would be valuable to the organization.
If you have questions contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
We want to share some updates with our members about our efforts to build a dedicated facility in the Omaha metro area. We’re really excited about this effort because a dedicated curling facility would enable Omaha to have high quality curling ice, new programming and more league times, and a dedicated social space for curlers, our members, and the community.
Last fall, we held a series of member input sessions to learn what Aksarben Curling members want to see in a future facility. We also began working with Leo A Daly, which is providing pro bono design services to translate members’ thoughts into the design of a new 4-sheet facility (designed in a way to be expandable to 6 sheets in the future).
Our plan is to develop a marketing floor plan, renderings, and conceptual estimate of costs this spring to determine our fundraising goal and budget planning. Our objective this year is to ensure that we’re in a good position by the time of the US Olympic Team Curling Trials in November to showcase our long-term vision for a dedicated curling facility and begin raising support to make it happen.
We surveyed members in February to inform some key decisions on the building design (eg, lockers, changing space, bar) and on programming (eg, league and bonspiel participation, price points). We had 125 responses on that survey—thank you!
In the survey we also received a lot of good suggestions, feedback, and questions in the open-ended responses. We thought we would lift up and respond here so folks know what we’re considering at this time:
Aksarben Curling will host two Learn to Curl sessions this spring:
The cost is $30 per person for a two-hour session. You'll learn the basics of the game, practice basic skills, and then get to play a partial game! All equipment is provided by the club.
This is a great opportunity if you have a friend or family member who has been thinking about getting involved, trying the sport, or joining a future league! It’ll also give a head start on what will be a busy season next fall with the anticipated surge of public interest in curling amid the US Olympic Team Curling Trials in Omaha in November 2021!
Masks will be required to be worn at all times during this event and while in Baxter Arena.Read our current COVID guidelines.
Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.
Hope to see you on the ice!
Aksarben Curling coordinated four Winter leagues this season: Sundays at 2:15pm, 4:30pm, and 6:45pm; and Tuesdays at 8pm.
It's been an unusual season marking our return to curling amid COVID-19, but members worked together to follow the Return to Curling COVID guidelines to allow a safer return to play. Big thanks to everyone who pitched in and worked together to make our unusual winter leagues possible!
2021 Winter Tuesday League champs
BuffNStuff (6-2)
Jennifer Becher, Buffy Linke, Shawn Lavallee, Chuck Circle. (Not pictured: Chris Becher)
2021 Winter Sunday 2:15pm League champs
Holla Back Curls (6-1)
Lois Imig, Matt Manderfeld, James Buhrman Jr, Aaron Adams
2021 Winter Sunday 4:30pm League champs
Stone Cold (5-2)
Francesco Sangalli, Ralph Roza (not pictured: Jim McGowan, Andy Roza)
2021 Winter Sunday 6:45pm League champs
Sweeping Death (6-1)
Mo Shukry, Mike Carstens, Matt Suder, Sean Morrison
We’re sharing an important survey to share your opinion and inform Aksarben Curling’s efforts to build a dedicated curling facility in the Omaha metro area.
Please share your thoughts on the survey here. We’re seeking responses now through Saturday, February 20.
Current plans call for a 4-sheet facility designed with the option to expand sheets in the future. Survey questions relate to your anticipated space needs and usage (eg, lockers, changing rooms, bar), preferences around the timing of the season, and how frequently you’d anticipate curling in leagues and bonspiels.Your input will help inform key decisions around our building design and our budget planning.
We’re really excited about this effort because a dedicated curling facility would enable Omaha to have high quality curling ice, new/expanded programming and league times, and a dedicated social space for our curlers and our members. Moreover, this upcoming season is an important moment to connect our fundraising efforts to the increased public attention, participation, and excitement surrounding the US Olympic Team Trials in Omaha and the 2022 Winter Olympics.
We’re going to experiment with hosting a short weekly online Digital League on Thursdays at 8pm to give members a venue to gather and socialize. We hope this is a fun opportunity for folks who aren’t playing this season.
If you’re unfamiliar with digital curling, it’s a free, online browser-based game that you can play on your computer, phone, or tablet hosted at PlayCurling.com. We’ll host a standing Zoom meeting for people to chat together and broadcast matches. We’ll use Aksarben Curling’s website for league matchups and the roster.
We will host Spring Leagues on Tuesdays at 7pm and Fridays at 7pm this season. Registrations are first come, first served.
League Cap and Viability: This season we're capping league registrations to 24 people (6 teams) to support physical distancing. Leagues may be cancelled if they do not reach viability (23 registrants minimum) two and a half weeks out from the start date.
Tuesdays at 8:00 pm (FULL)
March 23
March 30
April 6
April 13
April 20
April 27
Fridays at 7:00 pm (nearly full—free agent spots are available!)
April 9
April 16
April 23
April 30
Register on our Event Registration page.
Leagues are $20/game plus sales tax. Your annual membership must be current for the 2020-2021 season to be eligible to play.
If you are interested in a payment plan, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Aksarben Curling’s Board of Directors voted to suspend Youth Curling programming for the 2020-2021 season due in large part to the pandemic. Creating a fun, safe environment for youth curling is always our #1 goal, and we would be unable to meet those standards right now.
While we’re disappointed that we won’t be able to offer Youth Curling this season, we’re excited to share a special message with you, our junior curlers, and all of Aksarben’s junior curling families from US Olympic Curling Gold Medalist Matt Hamilton of Team Shuster:
While we're disappointed that we won't offer Youth Curling this season due to COVID-19, we're excited to share a special message with all of our @curlaksarbenjrs families from US Olympic Curling Gold Medalist @MattJamilton of @TeamShuster! pic.twitter.com/fehw8Iz6Av
— Aksarben Curling Club 🥌 (@curlaksarben) January 5, 2021
We look forward to offering Youth Curling next winter in the 2021-2022 season and can’t wait to see all of you on the ice! And, it’ll be an especially exciting year for curling with the US Olympic Curling Team Trials in Omaha in November 2021 and the Winter Olympics in February 2022!
Thank you to everyone who has participated and volunteered in Aksarben’s Youth Program, and who continue to support our mission going forward.
Aksarben Curling Club
Board of Directors
Aksarben Curling coordinated four Fall leagues this season: Sundays at 2:15pm, 4:30pm, and 6:45pm; and Tuesdays at 8pm.
It's been an unusual season marking our return to curling amid COVID-19, but members worked together to follow the Return to Curling COVID guidelines to allow a safer return to play.Big thanks to everyone who pitched in and worked together to make this fall's unusual leagues possible!
ECream Team
Scott Jordan, Buffy Linke, Shawn Lavallee, and Chris Becher
Rock Steady
Rob Marcuzzo, CaSandra Johnson, and Doug Johnson
Sweeping Death
Mo Shukry, Sean Morrison, Matt Suder, and Mike Carstens
Team Rau
Doug Johnson, Derek Rau, and Rob Marcuzzo
Registration is now open for Winter Leagues! Registrations are first come, first serve.
We’ll offer leagues this winter on Sundays (7 weeks at 2:15pm, 4:30pm, and 6:45pm), Tuesdays (8 weeks at 8pm), and Fridays (7 weeks at 7pm).Reminder: We will cap league registration this fall to 24 people (6 teams). Leagues will be cancelled if they do not reach viability (23 registrants minimum) two and a half weeks out from the start date.
This summer, Aksarben Curling’s board of directors launched a Dedicated Ice Committee to develop plans to build a dedicated Aksarben curling facility. We’re working with our friends at Leo A Daly to develop building plans to share with members at the end of this year.
Before we develop plans, we want to get your input first. This month we’re hosting a few virtual input sessions for Aksarben Member to hear what you would like to see in an Aksarben Curling facility.
Facilitated discussion will take place over Zoom. Please register for only one of the following sessions:
Questions? Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Registration for Fall Leagues beginning in October is now open! Click here to register for leagues.
Leagues are $20/game plus sales tax. You must also renew your annual membership ($100) for the 2020-2021 season to be eligible to play. This season, we're separating membership registration from the league registration process. Click here to renew your annual membership.
We’re offering five leagues this fall on Sundays (8 weeks at 2:15pm, 4:30pm, and 6:45pm), Tuesdays (8 weeks at 8pm), and Fridays (7 weeks at 7pm).Reminder: We will cap league registration this fall to 24 people (6 teams). Leagues will be cancelled if they do not reach viability (23 registrants minimum) by the viability dates below.
Curling is going to look a little different this fall amid COVID-19.First and foremost, our members’ health and safety is our top priority. Our objectives this season are to:
To determine how to provide a safe return to curling, our Board of Directors met with officials at the United States Curling Association and Baxter Arena, evaluated the USCA’s Return to Curling modified curling guidelines, and piloted these guidelines at Cornhusker State Games in July.
In July, we surveyed our active members and asked how you’re feeling about this upcoming season. Two-thirds of adult 2019-2020 members (119 of 180) responded. These are the main takeaways from this summer’s member survey:
Based on member input, USCA recommendations, and Baxter/UNO policy, our Board of Directors approved the following guidelines to enable a safer return to curling:
Based on our survey results, a majority of members will only play if health and safety standards are implemented. The only way to have curling be viable this year is to create an environment where people feel safe curling. As members who honor the spirit of curling and camaraderie, it’s on each of us to look out for one another.
We will not have specific people enforcing these rules, but we ask that everyone helps remind their teammates and fellow curlers about these rules. If someone is repeatedly violating the rules, everyone on your sheet should stop the game until that person leaves the arena.Failure to comply with these rules will lead to an ejection from the arena, and you will not receive a refund. We can’t have people prioritizing their own comfort over the health of our membership.
By practicing these guidelines, we can return to league play, protect each other and the long-term health of the club, and be in a solid position to host the US Team Trials in November 2021.
We've received some questions from members this season expressing concern about not wanting the club to lose money or be in a more precarious financial place in order to offer curling this season. Our board has thought about this a lot this summer, and we thought it'd be helpful to share the following:
We're committed to keeping league and membership fees flat this season. Fortunately the club doesn't need to increase prices to cover costs. It's one of the handful of benefits of being an arena ice-based club: we don't have a lot of fixed costs or a mortgage to pay outside of renting ice time. Annual membership fees will remain flat at $100 per person ($75 military and $50 youth).
We also have a narrower expense margin to offer leagues. We're limiting play to 24 people or 6 teams across 3 sheets to support physical distancing and allow a safer return to curling. It costs our club $225 per hour to rent the ice, or $450 for one two-hour game. We charge $20 per game for leagues, which means that we *must* have at least 23 people ($460) in order to not lose money on each game.
Leagues are usually our club’s best ways to earn additional revenue to put toward free member events, new equipment, and saving toward a dedicated facility of our own. Unfortunately, leagues won’t be a good source for raising funds for a dedicated facility this fall (and potentially all season).
Fortunately, we’re able to return ice time with a shorter window this season and not be financially on the hook. We're instituting a league viability cut-off two and a half weeks out from the first game to ensure the club doesn't lose money on leagues. This will allow us to give back ice time at no cost if we don't have enough people sign up. Thus, it's really critical this season to sign up earlier than usual if you’re intending to play.
We also know that many people aren’t comfortable returning yet. And that’s ok, too! We know we’ll see you around virtually and when conditions become safer.
If you don’t anticipate playing this season, we encourage you to consider renewing your annual membership if you’re in a position to do so to help support the club and our long-term plan to build a dedicated facility of our own.Click here to renew your membership.
Don’t hesitate to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions about league or membership registration, or any other questions about this upcoming season.
As always, thank you for being a member of the Aksarben Curling, and all you do to contribute to our curling community.
We're offering a 4-week September League on Sundays from 1pm to 3pm. (Details about Fall Leagues beginning in October will be released later this month.) Click here to register. Leagues are $80 plus sales tax, and a $100 membership for the 2020-2021 season. We will have a cap of 24 people in this league, and have room for a handful of individuals to join.
We want to take a moment to acknowledge the comings and goings on our club’s Board of Directors, and recent leadership transitions.
First, we want to thank the outgoing board members whose terms recently ended: John Benefiel, Karen Benefiel, Nancy Myers, and Nick Allmaker. We’re really grateful for their service, and want to stress that our club is entirely all-volunteer run and wouldn’t happen without people stepping up to serve!
Second, we want to welcome two new board members elected by members during this spring’s election: Brian Cotner and Nic Swiercek. Welcome, Brian and Nic!
We also want to announce our Board’s new officers who were elected by the Board of Directors at our annual board retreat in June:
Finally, we want to thank our most recent board officers who have passed the torch: Sean Morrison (Past President), Matt Suder (Past Vice President), and Nancy Myers (Past Secretary).
We hope you’re doing well all things considered amid this strange and unpredictable year.
The summer months are a quieter time for curling and our club. While last season ended abruptly, we want you to know that our Board of Directors is actively planning the upcoming 2020-2021 curling season and thinking carefully about how we can return to curling safely.
In June, our board visited with leadership from the United States Curling Association (USCA) to discuss health and safety guidelines, considerations they’re taking into account, and what they’ve been hearing from clubs around the country. We are very pleased with their level of thoughtfulness and advice for clubs. We have also been in regular communications with Baxter Arena about their health and safety precautions.
Our Board of Directors also held our annual board retreat in June to begin to map out what the next season will look like. We welcomed two new members to our Board—Brian Cotner and Nic Swiercek—that membership elected earlier this spring. We thanked outgoing board members whose terms ended: John Benefiel, Karen Benefiel, Nick Allmaker, and Nancy Myers. And we elected new officers for the coming year: Nic Ridder (President), Kaeli Samson (Vice President), Liz Akert (Treasurer), and Michael Brich (Secretary).
This upcoming season will look a little different than our typical season.Our top priority is the health and safety of our members. In addition to that, our priorities are to:
You’ll start hearing from us more in the coming weeks and months. Soon, we’re going to circulate a survey to members to understand how you’re feeling about this upcoming season, and what we can do to support a return to curling safely and foster camaraderie among our members.
Please keep an eye out for that survey—your response will be extremely helpful to the planning of the 2020-2021 season.
Thank you for supporting the Aksarben Curling Club, and all you do to contribute to the Club’s community.
With gratitude,
The Aksarben Curling Club Board of Directors
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| 03 Jun 2024; 05:45PM - 07:15PM Summer Monday 5:45pm Doubles League |
| 04 Jun 2024; 07:00PM - 09:00PM Summer Tuesday 7pm League |
| 13 Jul 2024; 12:00AM Cornhusker State Games: Curling |
| 25 Jul 2024; 12:00AM MACA Arena Nationals Playdown |
Mail: PO Box 24458, Omaha, NE 68124
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 402-915-CURL
Holland Ice
Baxter Arena
2425 S. 67th Street
Omaha, NE 68182
