© Issei Kato/Imagn
Every four years, when the Winter Olympics roll around, the sport of curling suddenly gets far more attention than it will for the over 1,400 days until the next winter olympiad.
That’s the case again this year, especially in the United States, where the mixed doubles team of Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse will play for the gold medal against Sweden.
But while the rules of the game are relatively simple, some things are a bit puzzling.
If you look down at a curler’s feet as they’re playing shots, you’ll notice that most of the competitors are wearing what appear to be normal athletic shoes. In the 2022 Winter Olympics, Team USA star Matthew Hamilton wore a pair of customized “What The Paul” Nike Dunks.
While Dropkin is wearing black and blue Nike Air Force 1’s for the 2026 games.
Sure, though, they can’t be your normal, average shoes. Given that the game is played on ice and requires immense precision and control, typical shoes would have players sliding all over the place.
Well, it turns out there’s a catch.
Basically Any Pair Of Shoes Can Be Converted Into Curling Shoes
As it turns out, curling shoes do require special equipment.
“Each pair has one shoe with a sliding sole and the other with a gripper sole,” the office Olympics website explains. “The gripper sole is made of soft rubber with a wave-patterned design. The material and the characteristics of the sole provide grip and precision for the athlete.
“The sliding sole is usually made of Teflon or stainless steel, a material with a low friction coefficient, allowing it to slide easily on ice. The sliding sole may span the length of the entire show, or a curler may choose to only use Teflon discs that cover part of the shoe. “
However, basically any normal athletic shoe can be converted into a curling shoe!
Special companies, such as Craig’s Curling Shoes, will convert your regular sneakers into curling shoes in no time. You just mail the shoes to them, they apply the proper equipment, send them back, and then, presto chango, you have curling shoes.
Why Don’t Curlers Wear Skates?
In every other competition on ice in the Olympics – hockey, figure skating, ice dancing, and speed skating – competitors wear ice skates for maximum control.
Why would curlers do the same thing?
Well, the answer is simple, actually. Because it would damage the playing surface.
The other sports all require smooth ice. Howeve curling ice is sprayed with water droplets that freeze into pebbles. The pebbles make the ice more slippery for stones and require traction for players.
If curlers wore ice skates, each time players went down the sheet of ice, they would damage it, making the playing surface inconsistent and uneven for competitors.
So there you have it. Yes, you do need special shoes, in a sense, for curling. However, they can come from basically anywhere. Just don’t show up in skates.