(WLUK) The 2026 Winter Olympics are just weeks away, but local trainers and enthusiasts remind us we don’t have to be pro-level athletes to take part in the unique sports you watch on TV during the games.
In Brillion, the 200-acre Ariens Nordic Center is a hub for Nordic skiing.
Sean Becker, the Director of Sports Operations and Development at the facility, says trying out the sport is easier than you think.
“The barrier to entry for Nordic skiing is very low. If you can walk, you can Nordic ski,” he says.
He says the Ariens Nordic Center welcomes athletes of all skill levels.
“Athletes that are weekend warriors and state championship hopefuls for high school, all the way through, just your run-of-the-mill average skier that just wants to come out and just enjoy the outdoors.”
The Ariens facility also serves as a training site for the US Biathlon team. Biathlon is a step up in terms of difficulty compared to Nordic skiing, as it combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting.
“So you ski with that [rife] on your back, and then when you come into the range with your heart rate pounding out of your chest, you start shooting your rifle at targets that are about the size of an Oreo cookie at 50 meters,” he explains.
Next year’s Olympic Games fall at the same time as the biathlon Masters National Championships in Brillion, so the Ariens facility is hosting watch parties for live events on-site and televised Olympic events, too.
Becker says their lesson specialist is ready to teach, as events like these bring a pique in interest.
“We’ll have somebody call and say, I’ve never done this. I wanna come out and try this,” he says.
The same is true for the Green Bay Curling Club.
“We really hope to increase our membership, and there’s no better time than the Olympic year,” says Josh Heimerl with the club.
The club has been around for decades and always sees more interest when the Winter Olympics roll around.
“So the last couple of years, it’s been, you know, 250 [members], if not a little bit more than that across all leagues, all memberships,” he says. “With the Olympic year, that typically rises for sure closer to the 300 mark.”
The premise of the sport is to score more points than your opponents by having your team’s stones closer to the center of the target.
Club members likeHeimerl will explain the basics of the sport at their week-long post-Olympic learn-to-curl events.
“So you get a full month of February to watch Curling, kind of see what the Olympians do, see how easy they make it look. And then, you know, any date between the 23rd and the 28th of February, come on out, give it a try,” he says. “You won’t be disappointed.”
Heimerl says the events fill up every Olympic cycle, and they’re open to everyone.
“It’s truly for all ages, for all abilities.”
The Green Bay Curling Club and the Ariens Nordic Center also say you don’t even need gear to get started because they’ve got you covered with rental gear.
As the games approach, they’re ready to welcome you.
“We just hope that they stick with the sport after that and not just during that Olympic [time],” Becker adds.
