THE Welsh Wheelchair Curling Association, based in Deeside, is desperate for female members.
The team, now in its sixth year, has gone from strength to strength, competing at international events across Europe including the home of curling, Scotland.
Yet this year, the team is unlikely to be competing at any big event because it must be mixed and their one female member is unable to take part this season.
And without the additional competitions, getting enough hours of play can also be difficult.
Team member Peter Knapper explained: “We won’t be having any international games this season because we haven’t got a female member.
“We’d be going to the British open as well as world championship qualifiers – these could be in Prague, Vancouver, they could be anywhere.
“I don’t know why we have such a problem getting female members but we have to have a mixed team to play in the internationals.
“I’ve played in two world championships – the first was in Switzerland and the second was in Glasgow – and a couple of British opens but it’s difficult because of lack of practice – we can only have this rink on a Monday, 6pm to 10pm.
"Trying to practice under these circumstances is difficult so sometimes we have to organise trips up to Scotland, to places like Lockerbie, for extra practice.
"But playing at Deeside does have its advantages, as Peter said: “We play able bodied teams here which is good because they can sweep and we can’t, so we have to be a lot more accurate.”
Deeside Ice Rink is the only one in Wales where curling is played. It is the home of the Welsh curling Association which was formed here in 1973.
Wheelchair team coach John Stone and his wife Ann were founder members of the Association and, watching the team in practice, it is clear their training has been paying off, as team members Allan Young, Billy Bell, Rob Bacon, Colin Whitfield and Peter display great accuracy in propelling the 42-pound curling stones towards their target.
While John advises the established members, Ann trains the newer members, instructing them on how to improve their accuracy, judging the weight and the direction of the stone.
Curling is one of the world’s oldest sports, thought to have been originated in late medieval Scotland.
The first written reference to a contest using stones on ice is found in the records of Paisley Abbey, Renfrewshire, dating from February 1541 while two paintings of 1565 by the artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, depict Dutch peasants curling – Scotland and the Low Countries (Medieval de Nederlanden, an area on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers) are known to have had strong trade and cultural links at this time.
However, the game of curling is known to have already been played in Scotland in the earliest part of the 16th century.
A curling stone inscribed with the date 1511 was discovered, along with another dated 1551, when an old pond in Dunblane was drained.
Curling has been an official sport in the Winter Olympics since the games were held in Nagano, Japan in 1998.
The sport of wheelchair curling began in Europe in 1998 and the first world championships were held in 2002 in Sursee, Switzerland.
Wheelchair curling had its Paralympic debut in 2006 at the Torino games.
The sport has been rapidly gaining popularity and is now practiced by athletes in more than 20 countries.
Welsh coach John Stone said: “We started the wheelchair team six years ago. We have been very much involved with the World and European Curling Federations, they introduced wheelchair curling worldwide and we thought we’d start it here. It’s really taken off and it is now a paralympic sport.”
The team is specifically looking for female members but anyone interested in trying it out should contact John on 01244 810673 or Allan Young on 07516479053.
John added: “I’d encourage anyone who might be interested to come along and try it out, it’s safe and fun, we provide coaching and they are a great crowd.”