Christine McMakin has been curling since she was five years old; however, she jokes it’s technically been longer. “I always tell people ‘before I was born,’ because curling in my family is a big family sport,” McMakin says. “My mom was actually six months pregnant with me while she was still curling.”
Now 18 years old, it’s no doubt that McMakin is going places. She’s a two-time USCA Junior National Champion, and has participated in the World Curling Championship twice—earning a silver medal in Denmark and placing seventh in South Korea.
McMakin will be attending North Dakota State University in the fall to study engineering—but she plans on continuing curling. “I would definitely love to continue curling in college and keep going straight into the adults and hopefully make it to the Olympics,” McMakin says.
McMakin, who curls at Four Seasons Curling Club at the Fogerty Arena in Blaine, encourages people to pick up the sport if they’re interested, saying everyone in the curling community is very friendly and would love to teach. “If they want to try, just look up [a local curling club], give them a call and they’ll sign you up,” McMakin says. “And then just wear a clean pair of shoes, and we’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
