Longwell's owner Eric Marsh knew he created a great new game when he saw a player storming off after his team lost.Â
"I saw this guy walk off (ticked) after losing," said Marsh, the creator of "keg curling," the Haymarket bar's newest winter game. "I was gleaming with pride."Â
Marsh created the sport three weeks ago to combat a decline in visitors that typically accompanies the winter season. Luckily, he had an ice rink just outside the bar that he said was largely unused during the week.Â
"It's used well during weekends, but it's open during the week," he said of the rink at the Railyard.
Initially, Marsh wanted to offer curling, but quickly found out that he was going to need to be more creative. Official curling stones were too expensive and they weighed so much that they could sink into the ice.Â
People are also reading…
"I thought 'Why not just use the kegs as stones?'" he said.Â
So, Marsh created his own unique spin on the sport. He described it as a mix of curling, shuffleboard and bocce ball. It may sound confusing, but it's easy to get the hang of.Â
Teams, typically made up of three players, alternate pushing three quarter-barrel kegs toward a larger keg. After each player pushes their keg, the three kegs closest to the target are recorded. The closest keg is worth three points, the second-closest is worth two and the third-closest is worth one.Â
"I sat down for, like, 15 minutes and thought of the rules," Marsh said.Â
The league took off. It's already filled up with 10 teams, prompting Longwell's to start a second league that has almost reached capacity as well.Â
Marsh said the goal is to create a multileague sport that competes throughout the week, concluding with a tournament of champions at the end of the season.Â
"We're well on our way to that," he said.Â
It's a competitive league already, despite only being around for a few weeks. There's banter about the rules and some intense matches where a tape measure has to be brought out to determine who's awarded points for the closest keg.Â
For Marsh, that's how he knows there's a future in the league.Â
"The goal is to have fun," he said. "It's a creative way to use the ice."Â