Eight sheets of ice and a new home in the former Olympic curling venue at Hillcrest Centre have brought a surge of interest and hundreds of new members to the Vancouver Curling Club.

Club president Scott Allen said the move from the six-decade old rink with five sheets of ice at the Riley Park Community Centre meant a majority of leagues have expanded. Club members first toured the rink in September and pre-season clinics started later that month. "Membership has increased. Almost all of our evening leagues have grown-some a little bit and some substantially," he said.

Exact membership numbers will be tallied next month but, said Allen, "As of right now, our estimate is that we will be over 1,000. Last year we were just under 850."

The competitive teams curling during the Thursday Open include new players to junior, provincial and world champion curlers. That league has grown from 24 to 36 teams since the Vancouver Curling Club, established nearly 100 years ago in 1912, set up this fall in Hillcrest.

The enormously popular Pacific Rim, an all-inclusive league open to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender curlers and their supporters, now counts 48 teams. "It must be one of the biggest leagues around," said Allen.

The Vancouver Curling Club has high school leagues, a league for visually impaired curlers, for couples, women or men only, seniors and novices.

The sport can be competitive and bonspiels are organized through the year, but many leagues draw participants because curling lends itself so well to socializing. "You can get a physical work out, there are some great tactical strategies and thinking that are required when you're on the ice, and one of the most important parts is the social aspect both on the ice and after in the lounge," said Allen, who was involved with the city's bid for the 2010 Games. "And at the end of the day, it's a relatively inexpensive sport."

Membership is $30 annually and league fees range from $200 to $300 a year.

To celebrate the grand opening of Hillcrest Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Vancouver Curling Club hosts free coaching clinics for members and non-members as well as the Capital One Rocks and Rings, an event held on carpet to introduce kids to curling.

The Brier Cup-the Stanley Cup of men's curling in Canada-and the Continental Cup will be on hand in addition to music, dancing and more. For more information, visit vancurl.com.

mstewart@vancourier.com

Twitter: @MHStewart