Image: Felix, CC 2.0

If you’ve never tried the icy winter sport curling but have always wanted to, you’re in luck – in fact, you could be poised to win a tournament! How many beginners can say that? The Community Table is holding a one-day charity bonspiel called Sweep Away Hunger on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Eau Claire Curling Club, 5530 Fairview Drive. (Lingo alert: A “bonspiel” is a tournament and “sweeping” is something curlers do with special brooms to keep their rocks moving down the ice.) To make things interesting – and fair – “participants must have essentially no curling experience,” organizers say. The bonspiel can accommodate 16 teams of four players each (although a fifth player is recommended as a substitute). The fee is $500 per team, and proceeds will go the Community Table, which provides free meals to those in need in Eau Claire. Even though the tournament is for newbies, participants are required to attend one of two training sessions to learn the basics of curling. (Basic No. 1: It’s played on ice, which can be pretty slippery.) The sessions are noon to 2pm on Feb. 11 and Feb. 18. To learn more about how you can have fun while helping feed the hungry, call (715) 835-4977 or email kevin@thecommunitytable.org.