Smooth operators: Floor curling slides into Singapore communities

When retiree Hedy Lim is at home, she swings bottles of water.

This is to build her arm strength in preparation for the next time she plays floor curling at a session organised by an active ageing centre.

The 72-year-old can get pretty serious about the sport, describing it as difficult despite appearing simple, as it requires strategic thinking and physical coordination.

“My grandsons are very surprised, but also proud that (their) grandma can still do this,” she said.

Floor curling has given her a renewed sense of purpose and achievement since she picked up the sport around a year ago, and she takes pride in sharing her progress with her grandchildren.

Initially drawn to the sport because it was low-impact and played indoors, Lim said she quickly became hooked on both the gameplay and the atmosphere.

At a void deck in Hougang where she usually plays, a group of seniors fall silent and lean forward in concentration as they fix their eyes on a granite stone sliding down a long narrow mat.

They are all wondering if the stone will land on or close to its target.

Floor curling is an adaptation of the Winter Olympic sport of curling, where players in teams of three glide stones towards a circular target called the “house”.

But instead of playing on ice, floor curling participants do so on a portable 9.7m by 1.6m mat using wheeled “rocks” that glide across the surface. The objective remains largely the same: Land the stones as close to the centre of the house as possible, while outmanoeuvring the opposing team.

Sherry Chow founded Singapore Floor Curling, a social enterprise, in 2017 after she encountered the sport through a friend in Hong Kong and felt that it had potential to thrive in Singapore’s ageing society.

Chow, 68, said the sport’s accessibility is one reason it has gained traction among seniors and people with disabilities.

“It is inclusive for everyone: elders, young people, wheelchair users, everybody. It’s a very good ice-breaker where people become friends very easily,” said Chow, who worked in the education sector before retirement and now trains people to teach floor curling to others.

The sport’s portability is another reason more people are playing it. It is easy to set up and then keep away the curling mat and other equipment.

Chow estimates that in total, there are more than 2,000 people in Singapore playing the sport across active ageing centres, community centres and in charities.

Keeping seniors sharp and social

St Luke’s ElderCare’s senior community engagement associate Ng Joon Lin said floor curling combines social interaction, cognitive stimulation and physical movement to aid the fight against conditions like early onset dementia.

“If your brain is not used, then it becomes very easy to forget things. So I always explain to seniors why they need to stay active and not just stay at home watching TV,” said Ng, 65, who holds a specialist diploma in gerontology.

She recounted the example of how one 88-year-old woman was initially reluctant to join activities at St Luke’s ElderCare Active Ageing Centre @ Golden Years in Hougang.

But after the woman tried floor curling, she began regularly attending the centre’s weekly sessions of the sport and became more comfortable interacting with others.

“Now every Monday, she will come,” Ng said. “She has made many friends here.”

Ng herself described floor curling as her biggest passion: “Floor curling is my No. 1 passion in life now. It even overtook line dancing.”

Chow added that floor curling has also proven popular among older men, a demographic she said can sometimes be harder to engage in activities at active ageing centres.

This issue was also highlighted by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his 2025 National Day Rally speech, noting that many programmes at senior centres attract more women than men.

According to Chow, the strategy-driven and competitive nature of floor curling has helped draw more male participants to the sport, such as 73-year-old retiree Henry Ng.

Curious about the sport after hearing MacPherson Community Club regulars sing its praises, Ng decided to give it a go.

“I came and saw how they played, then I had a try myself,” he said. “Somehow I liked the game.”

Bringing generations together

Ng now plays floor curling every week. These sessions have the added benefit of providing a regular platform for him to spend quality time with his eight-year-old granddaughter, Jovina. 

They have been playing together for about a year, after Ng invited her to try the sport.

Beyond simply spending time together, he said the sport has helped them understand each other better – the teamwork and decision-making involved in floor curling reveal different sides of a person’s character.

“Sometimes in normal encounters, you will never know (a) person’s behaviour,” he said. “But when you come to a game, you know.”

“It’s about thinking of strategies,” she said. “I get to play with the aunties and uncles, and I can play with my grandpa and grandma.”

The Primary 3 pupil said she enjoys the encouragement she receives from the older players. In turn, she celebrates their successful shots as well.

Over the past year, she has also learnt an important lesson from the sport. “It’s not about winning, it’s about doing your best,” she said.

Ng hopes she will carry this attitude beyond the curling mat. While he describes his granddaughter as naturally competitive, the team-based nature of floor curling has taught them that success depends on everyone contributing.

“If the first player and second player don’t do well, the last player cannot do anything,” he said. “Everybody has to play their part.”

Breaking down barriers, building confidence

At Enabling Services Hub at Tampines (ESH@Tampines), which is run by the charity SPD in partnership with SG Enable, floor curling is being introduced to a wide range of people, including those with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities.

Zunaidah Shahul Hamid, senior manager at ESH@Tampines, said some participants at the hub need more time to process instructions and develop confidence before playing competitively alongside able-bodied seniors.

But “we saw that it was actually manageable for our clients”, she said. “The game is very straightforward. It’s not complicated.”

Recognising the sport’s potential, ESH@Tampines successfully applied for funding under the Enabling Sports Fund, allowing the centre to purchase two sets of floor curling equipment and engage coaches to conduct regular floor curling sessions.

The centre held its first floor curling session on June 2, attracting about 10 participants. By its second session a week later, attendance had nearly doubled to 18.

Zunaidah said floor curling’s simple objective and movements lower the barriers to entry for participants with varying needs.

“As long as they can push the rocks, they can play the game,” she said.

ESH@Tampines staff have also found that floor curling offers participants a chance to build confidence.

Rather than relying heavily on verbal instructions, players can learn by observing others, trying the technique themselves and receiving immediate feedback from the game.

“I see, I try, I’m successful, I get my confidence,” Zunaidah said, describing the process many participants go through.

Keeping it rolling

The Singapore National Floor Curling Competition, launched in 2025, will be held again on Sept 12 at Keat Hong Community Club.

The top teams from the local tournament will go on to compete in the Singapore-International Floor Curling Competition on Sept 19 against teams from countries such as Russia and Indonesia.

“At the end of the day, as long as people can come together, play and enjoy themselves, that is the most important thing,” Chow said.