"May your rocks run true, your sweeping be strong, and nobody get hurt," says Derek Tomlinson, vice president of the Philadelphia Curling Club. The warriors of the ice, preparing for their championship, each take a shot of Drambuie or, as it's known in these circles, "a nip of courage." The sound of bagpipes fills the air as the teams prepare for battle.

This was the scene at the PCC's 28th Annual Harvest Bonspiel, an invitation tournament that, last November, brought together curlers from all over the Northeastern U.S., Canada and as far away as the birthplace of the sport, Scotland.

HEAVY DUTY: Derek Tomlinson plays a stone on the ice in Paoli. : mike koehler

The sport is believed to have begun in the 16th century in the home of haggis and cloned sheep. It wasn't long, however, before Canada, with its abundance of frozen lakes, laid claim to being curling's unofficial home. Around 2 million people out of 32 million, curl in the Great White North. The U.S. has been slower to catch on. According to Tomlinson, roughly 15,000 Americans play.

Curling has a strong presence in the city. In addition to the Curling Club, Philadelphia's Peggy Hatch is on the board of directors of USA Curling. And as curling steps onto the international stage as part of the Torino winter games, the curling club, by way of an open house later this month, will welcome those whose curiosity is piqued by this unusual sport.

The goal in curling is simple: Try to "curl" your stone closer to the center of a large bull's-eye made up of four concentric circles on the other end of the ice. The sport is similar to bocce. But instead of throwing the object (in this case, a 42-pound stone) to the other end of the ice, you slide it over the frozen surface, putting a direction-altering spin on it as you release.

Each team consists of four players. One player slides forward while squatting and taking aim, then releases the stone before reaching the "hog line," giving it a small degree of curl (or spin) as he or she does so by releasing the handle atop the stone just so. For roughly the next 100 feet, the fate of the stone is in the hands of two people who have a job that is unique in all of sports. There is something about two athletes sweeping as if they'll be grounded if their mom finds one speck of dirt on that ice. The purpose of the curling broom isn't to clean, however, but to accelerate and straighten. The intense sweeping melts the ice just a touch, and the resulting water acts as a lubricant, propelling the stone farther and straighter. It is the fourth player's job to let the two sweepers know whether or not to sweep, and how hard to do so. Heavy sweeping will result in less of a curl, so the broom handling must be judicious.

But the game is more than just rolling rocks and heavy brooming. Part of the slow-motion thrill of the sport is that the strategy involves "takeouts" (knocking competitors' stones from the rink), throwing "guard" stones, and other oddly named gambits employed to try to end up with your stones closer to the center than your opponents'. (Visit www.curlingbasics.com for animated demonstrations.)

Says Tomlinson: "On your first shot, you've already got to picture in your mind what you're going to be doing on your last shot. You've got to ask yourself, 'Am I going to play aggressively or defensively?' I believe that people are drawn by the level of strategy and thinking that is involved with each shot. Great shot-making is one part of the game but it's nothing without great strategy."

Back at the November bonspiel, small children run through the warm, homey lounge, and a group of all ages relaxes with a hot brunch cooked by volunteers early that morning. One of the breakfasters is Sally Hannon, who sits in front of the Plexiglass watching the action on the ice. It was at this very club that her life took a turn for the better seven years ago.

"My husband and I met after we played a game here, and within a couple of hours we were kissing on the steps. We were married six months later."

Though not everybody found love at first ice, most have made friends. The crowd stands and cheers as the third-place team receives a silver bowl, out of which they drink Scottish whisky. When I ask Tomlinson what kind of people tend to do well in the club, he answers, "People who are outgoing and social." What about people who are a little shy and reserved? Tomlinson, who earlier had snuck a nip of whisky out of the third place team's chalice when he thought no one was looking, smiles. "Well, let me put it this way. This club is for people who like to have fun and for people who want to learn how to have fun."

The Philadelphia Curling Club will hold an open house on Sat., Feb. 25, 10 a.m.-3 p.m, 65 Plank Rd., Paoli. The event is free and open to the public. Trainers will teach the uninitiated how to play. Wear clean sneakers and warm clothing. For more information, call 610-644-9803 or visit www.philadelphiacurlingclub.org.