Unique sport of burling booms in Wauconda

WAUCONDA – While curling grabs the world’s attention as part of the Winter Olympics, a similar sport is drawing fans from throughout Lake County and beyond.

This one involves plastic gallon jugs of ice hurled on a frozen lake.

“Burling … yep, it’s a thing!”

The tag phrase used for this “ice jug curling” sport – a combination of bocce ball and curling – becomes more familiar every year, especially in Wauconda, where burling originated seven years ago.

The inspiration?

“Winter dog day boredom,” said John Bader, who thought of the idea with his son-in-law Joe Sovran of Island Lake while watching the 2014 Winter Olympics. Bader glanced out his window at the frozen Bangs Lake in Wauconda, itching for a winter activity.

With the slide stones used in the sport of curling costing thousands of dollars, the sport isn’t readily accessible to the public.

“Burling is very accessible,” said Bader, a Wauconda Park District commissioner. “We froze our own jugs and the sport started.”

All the spo

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Candace H. Johnson-for Shaw Media Grant Stanger, of Wauconda shows off his Bone Jugs n Hominy Burling House sweatshirt he wears while competing in the Wauconda WinterFest Burling Open tournament at Lindy’s Landing in Wauconda. (2/12/22)

rt requires are the frozen jugs, of course, but mainly an opening and a willingness to have fun and, perhaps, shiver a bit.

The sport has an official list of rules. Basically, burlers must slide the frozen jugs 40 feet toward a burling target, known as a hominy.

Like in bocce ball, the objective is to position the jugs as close to the target as possible. Burlers who keep their jugs upright earn more points. A team wins by scoring 21 or more points and leading by two points. Unlike curling, there are no brooms or sweeping in the sport of burling.

“It’s kind of like baseball where you have to keep your eye on the ball, kind of the same premise,” Bader said. “Everybody has their own way they execute their shot. The ice is a big part of it. The ice isn’t always going to be perfect. It’s going to be slushy or bumpy. You have to adapt to the conditions or you’ll lose. There’s a lot of strategy involved.”

What began in 2015 with four burling teams, including Bader’s Jugrnaughts, has grown annually.

The Wauconda Burling Association at goburling.com has official merchandise and swag. There are 16 teams – all with their own trademarked logos – competing this season in weekly tournaments on Bangs Lake.

A recent tournament hosted during Winterfest 2022 at Lindy’s Landing in Wauconda drew 21 teams ranging in size from four to 10 players. A new team of burlers from Wauconda named Fun Times won first place. Last year’s first-place winner, Slippery When Wet, took second.

Burling newbies last year, Slippery When Wet has had quite a run. Team member Eric Wroblewski of Wauconda doesn’t really know why the team has succeeded.

“We don’t even live on a lake,” he said. “It’s just the competitiveness in us, I believe.”

Like many, he joined simply because he heard about it. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to try that,’ ‘’ he said.

With more than 100 participants, the Winterfest event drew a large crowd of onlookers.

Drinks and food, including chili stands, usually accompany burling tournaments, which start with the national anthem.

“It’s quite an operation when we head out there,” said Bader, commissioner of the Wauconda Burling Association.

For most involved, it’s not really about the competition.

“It’s just about going out and having fun,” said Brian Dudey of Wauconda, who has played the sport for about five years. His team, the Lumberjacks, came in fourth place at the Winterfest event. His wife’s team, the Lumberjills, didn’t fare as well. They were knocked out in the first round.

“It’s just a great way to hang out and to get outside during the winter,” Dudey said. “I am aware this group doesn’t get the winter blues because we spend so much time outside in the winter.”

And there are no age limits to burling, with burlers ranging in age from 17 to 65.

The biggest challenge?

Not falling or slipping on the ice, Dudey said.

“If you’ve never been on the ice before, I think people get a little trepidatious about it,” he said.

With travel teams from Mundelein and Palatine already part of the tournaments, Bader said he hopes to start traveling tournaments next year, perhaps in Island Lake, where village leaders have shown interest.

“It transcends politics,” he said of the sport. “Everyone’s out there freezing their butts off, but they all have grins on their faces.”