At first glance, curling looks like the Olympic sport anyone could do.听
There鈥檚 no triple lutzes, no ski gates to navigate at high speed. From the couch, it can feel like a sport you could figure out within a few minutes of stepping onto the ice.听
The reality is heavier. Literally.听The stone alone weighs 42 pounds. And听the footing听is nothing like it appears on television.听
鈥淧eople think we鈥檙e on skates or something,鈥澨烀烙笆哟教齡rad听Luc Violette says. 鈥淏ut听basically听we鈥檙e on two different shoes.鈥�听
One shoe is soft rubber, designed to grip the ice. The other is coated in Teflon 鈥� totally slick with no edges to lean on.听听
鈥淵ou听have to听balance perfectly. You can slip in any direction,鈥澨齎iolette says.听
Each shot begins like a launch out of a starting block, followed by a deep lunge 鈥� the curler鈥檚 full weight committed to a single point of contact as the stone is released.听
鈥淭he more skilled you become, the more physically demanding it gets,鈥� he says.听听
Violette grew up in Granite Falls, Washington, where he first picked up curling at age 5. His father, Tom Violette, is a two-time national champion who represented the United States at two World Curling Championships and earned a bronze medal at the 1992 World Men鈥檚 Championship.
Luc听learned curling听under his father鈥檚 watchful eye听at 鈥� one of the Pacific Northwest鈥檚 few dedicated curling facilities and a place where many local players first find the game. Following in his father鈥檚 footsteps, Luc eventually committed to curling full time, building a r茅sum茅 that includes five United States Junior Championship titles and silver medals at both the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics and the 2017 World Junior Championships.听
Violette earned his degree in civil engineering at the 天美影视传媒, navigating his education during听the disruptions of the听pandemic. He credits the 鈥� and specific faculty members 鈥� for shaping both his academic path and his sense of connection during that period.听
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of great people,鈥� he says, recalling the early 鈥済auntlet鈥� of engineering coursework. He points to professors who, despite remote learning, went out of their way to create meaningful experiences. One instructor so students could see the work up close. Another听professor听shared a personal connection through curling, recognizing Violette from class and striking up conversations that extended beyond assignments.听
鈥淯W was an awesome experience for me,鈥� Violette says.
During his听time at听the UW, he met his fianc茅e, Kyla,听in听a civil engineering capstone course, where project teams were formed in Zoom breakout rooms. What began as late-night collaboration on a construction project grew into a partnership that eventually took them to Minnesota, where Violette听has been training for his shot at Olympic glory.听听
鈥淪he kind of picked up her roots and moved out here,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 really owe her a lot.鈥�
In addition to preparing for the Olympics, Violette works full time as a civil design engineer 鈥� a balance that shapes how he approaches the sport.听
鈥淎 good curler is just a well-rounded individual,鈥� he says, echoing a refrain from his coach. 鈥淢ost of the other countries competing in the Olympics are full-time curlers.听They鈥檙e听getting government funding to do it.鈥�听
The tradeoffs are real. Time off is scarce. Travel outside of competition is limited. 鈥淎ll of my PTO goes into curling,鈥� he says, laughing slightly. 鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely some personal life lost.鈥�听
Violette and his teammates are heading first to Switzerland for training before making their way to Cortina, Italy, where curling competition will take place several hours from Milan.听
Violette鈥檚 team is ranked sixth in the world 鈥� the highest an American men鈥檚 squad has ever been heading into an Olympic Games, in a field long dominated by European and Canadian teams.
At that听highest level, Violette听says,听the sport reveals what matters most.听
鈥淚f you鈥檙e trying to compete at the Olympics 鈥� it鈥檚 teamwork above all else,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where all the years of practice make the biggest difference.鈥�
You can follow听Luc Violette听as he听competes听with the U.S. Men鈥檚 Curling team at the . Men鈥檚 curling runs February 11鈥�21, 2026, with听qualifying听curling听rounds听starting听as early as February 4.听
In the U.S., curling coverage will be available across . All matches will stream live on Peacock, with select sessions airing on CNBC and other NBCUniversal broadcast and cable networks.听
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