During the last winter Olympics, almost 1,000 people came to a two-day open house at the Granite Curling Club in North Seattle. Before the club even opened the first morning, the parking lot was full of people excited to check out a sport that most had only ever heard of.

As the only dedicated curling ice on the West Coast, the club draws a wide variety of interest, including teams which travel hundreds of miles to play in tournaments. Naturally, that interest spikes during an Olympics year, said Tom FitzGerald, a club member and media spokesperson.