UM-Dearborn librarian doubles as curling captain

“I’ve been around curling since high school,” Seewald said. “I would spend time at the curling barn, which was an actual barn that was used for cattle during the summer for the county fair.”

His interest in curling was limited to viewing the sport on television until he moved to Michigan 14 years ago.

“When I found out the club was just three miles from where I live, I had to sign up for a community education class and started playing about six years ago,” he said.

Seewald is the skip (team captain) of his curling league at the Detroit Curling Club, which is one of the oldest clubs in the United States. He also travels to attend college curling matches, having recently come back from one in Wisconsin.

Less than 20 feet away from his office, fellow librarian Nadine Anderson also describes how curling was a part of her life growing up in Canada.

“I’m from a small town in Saskatchewan, Canada. Curling is what you do in the winter. Otherwise the winter is so brutal. It’s how you get through,” Anderson said. “Everyone in my family and town curled.”

As for the Olympic games, it’s an office divided. Anderson will be cheering on the Canadian team—a team that has taken home medals in every game since curling’s 1998 return to the Olympics—while Seewald will root for his home team.

“Of course I will be cheering for the U.S. teams, both the men and the women,” Seewald said. “I met Debbie McCormick, the vice for the American women, in November when she visited the Detroit Curling Club. She's also from Wisconsin and we talked about the new state-of-the-art curling club in my hometown. For me, it will be even more special this year to cheer for someone I've met.”

Seewald also is working on growing the popularity and participation in the sport locally.

“I’m trying to develop a juniors club or a college club here on campus,” he said. “I’d be interested in talking to anybody who would want to bring curling to campus.”

Students who are interested in curling, including learning to curl and starting a team on campus, may contact Seewald at 313-583-6326 or at [email protected].