AMERICAN SAVINGS BANK
U.S. curling Olympians Joe Polo, left, and Tyler George shared their experiences and displayed their gold medals while speaking to students at Mililani Waena Elementary School on Tuesday. Students from the school will learn how to curl today during a clinic at the Ice Palace.
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The U.S. men’s curling team won a gold medal for the first time at this year’s Winter Olympics.
This week, two of the gold winners from the squad that defeated Sweden 10-7 in the championship are in town to help American Savings Bank cash in for a local nonprofit.
The state’s third-largest bank is holding its sixth annual Hawaii Curling Club fundraiser today at the Ice Palace with the objective of raising at least $100,000 for this year’s beneficiary, Kahauiki Village, a public/private partnership development with the state, the City & County of Honolulu and the aio Foundation that assists homeless families.
American Savings President and CEO Rich Wacker said several years ago that the bank eschewed the typical chicken dinner fundraiser in favor of curling to capture the imagination of would-be participants. It’s turned out to be a big success.
“We really wanted to offer something unique and different from the typical dinner gala, with an emphasis on fun,” Wacker said Wednesday in an email. “The Hawaii Curling Club Charity Classic allows us to do just that while supporting local nonprofits. Curling is one of those sports that is so interesting and memorable, and since it’s something you don’t normally get to experience here in Hawaii, our guests really love having an opportunity to play at the event.”
The rules of the sport are fairly simple. Curlers slide stones across the ice toward the four-ring target area called the house. Points are scored for the stones resting closest to the center of the house. Two sweepers with brooms direct the path of the stone as it slides down the ice.
Gold-medal curlers Joe Polo and Tyler George will be on the ice today to help out aspiring curlers. Students from Mililani Waena Elementary School will get to try their hand at it at 9 a.m. today at the Ice Palace. Later in the day, 20 six-player teams representing businesses from across the state will compete in the afternoon and evening sessions in the invitation-only event. The cost per corporate team is $5,000 and $7,500 depending on the session.
