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In Minnesota’s small town of Eveleth sits Curl Mesabi at The Range Recreation Civic Center (curlmesabi.com), a center that has been home to major international and national curling events. Phill Drobnick, a Woodbury resident and former national team director of USA Curling, has helped bring such events to his hometown of Eveleth. He also helped launch the Curl Mesabi Foundation, which aims to promote the sport in Eveleth and the nearby cities of Gilbert, Mountain Iron and Virginia, and support community health and wellness. “[Drobnick’s] involvement is noticeable,” says Matt Uhan, Curl Mesabi Foundation treasurer. “He brings people together much like iron rangers do, and he has a knack to do it. He’s the best at doing that.”
What started as a small program at Curl Mesabi has since grown to 50 to 60 junior curlers ages 10–19 on the rink, some of whom have gone to play in state, national and international competitions. Uhan says Drobnick has been essential in bringing awareness to the sport in the Iron Range. “Eveleth is Hockey Town, USA … It’s no surprise that he forged ahead in a niche sport that not a lot of people know about or have ever participated in. To see him leading the charge, to all of us—close friends and classmates—it’s no surprise at all.”
