By Craig Brinkerhoff
Copy Editor
With the Olympics having closed less than a week ago, it is good to assume that many people are still riding on the adrenaline from watching the men’s four-man bobsled final (the U.S. took bronze, in case you were sleeping). However, many of the sports highlighted during the games are much bigger in Europe, and are a bit obscure in the U.S. Have no fear, though, for with a bit of research, most of these Olympic sports are within your grasp, if you’re inclined, and clubs are nearby.
Curling: You may be surprised to learn that curling is not an obscure sport here in Massachusetts. Being relatively close to the border with those sure-footed Canadians apparently pays its dividends. A quick Google search leads to more than seven curling clubs in eastern MA and southern NH alone. Here are the closest to WA.
Broomstones Curling Club, Wayland, MA
Merrimack Curling Club, Nashua, NH
Short-Track: Short Track is a bit less common than Curling, with Seattle being the hub here in the U.S. However the Bay State Curling Club holds practices both in Walpole, MA and nearby Bedford, MA.
Bay State Speedskating Club, Walpole/Bedford, MA
Cross Country Skiing: Much like alpine skiing, WA has a varsity team and there are ski areas everywhere from ten minutes down the road to massive state forests that host the State Championships.
Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlise, MA
Biathlon: Surprisingly, there is a biathlon club and training facility at a nearby shooting range. In essence, any shooting range could train for biathlon, but only one nearby has taken the initiative.
Harvard Sportmen’s Club, Harvard, MA
Ski Jumping: There are some clubs in New Hamshire, but these are all on smaller hills than the Olympic size. For the authentic experience nothing beats the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid. Obviously that is not near Westford, so head to New Hampshire to take flight.
Mt. Sunapee Area Ski Club, Newport, NH
Alpine Skiing: This sport is huge here in New England. Aside from the high school varsity teams and the ski area five minutes from WA, elite level alpine skiing is startlingly common around Massachusetts.
Nashoba Valley Ski Area, Westford, MA
Bobsled/Skeleton/Luge: If you’re inspired by fast, icy sledding, you’re out of luck. There are only two tracks in the U.S. for this trifecta of sports, and the closest is in Lake Placid, NY.
Olympic Sports Complex, Lake Placid, NY
Freestyle Skiing/Snowboarding: Once again, the ski area in town satisfies cravings for air. Of course if you’re interested in moguls or aerials or ski/snowboard cross or parallel giant slalom, you’re out of luck. Those practices require large mountains (many of whose facilities are hard to come by anyway) and you need to travel north to partake. But here in town you can easily attack the half pipe or slope style course.
Nashoba Valley Ski Area, Westford, MA
Figure Skating: Boxborough is home to a large ice rink that is well known for figure skating in the area. It is a short drive away.
Nashoba Valley Olympia, Boxborough, MA
Ice Hockey: If you aren’t already on the school team, there are more clubs in the area than you can count.
Westford Academy, Westford, MA
Speedskating: Sadly, this is the only sport that can not be accomplished within the Northeast. Unlike Short Track, regular speedskating requires a special ice rink that is hard to come by in the Northeast. However if you are really dedicated, many inline skating arenas in the area offer inline speedskating.
