Say hello to one of Aksarben’s newest curlers, Julia Castle!
Julia is a Nebraska native, born and raised in Lincoln, NE. She still lives in Lincoln today and attends the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She is looking forward to finishing her senior year off strong and graduating in May with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. As part of her studies, Julia works as a digital marketing intern for Sandhills Global. One of her goals post graduation is to start her own photography and videography business! Currently, she enjoys photographing just about anything, but loves couples and families especially. Her other hobbies include cooking and occasionally playing pickleball and golf.
When Julia isn’t busy with school and work, you’ll catch her curling all weekend long. Her main leagues are Friday night and Saturday Doubles, but she subs at most Sunday leagues too! If you play against Julia’s team, you’ll probably see her throw second or vice, but more commonly vice. Vicing is her favorite position at the moment since she gets to do all the things - throwing, sweeping stones, and calling lines. When asked what her favorite shots are, she would tell you that a good takeout is really satisfying when done right!
In her short 11 months of curling, Julia has taken advantage of everything curling has to offer. When she’s able, she enjoys broomstacking at Backlot Taphouse after leagues and getting to talk with other curlers in her league. She recommended everyone to try their crab rangoon pizza when it’s available! In addition to broomstacking, she’s come to love the traveling aspect of curling. She’s only been able to go down to Kansas City Curling Club’s dedicated facility a few times, but looks forward to traveling to other facilities in the future.
One of her favorite memories since starting her curling career was getting to go to her first bonspiel in Kansas City with Isaiah Jacobsen, Molly O’Brien, and Nic Ridder. At that bonspiel, her team did so well and ended up winning the whole thing! Dedicated ice was fun for her to curl on for the first time, and she’s looking forward to when Aksarben gets their own. Another favorite part of curling for her is the great community it provides. The immediate connection and camaraderie over a shared interest is really special. Plus, being able to say she’s a curler is a unique fun fact to share with others! Not only is the community amazing, but it’s also a good way to stay active without stepping foot in the gym. Julia loves that she can leave the stress of school and life on the bleachers and have fun when she gets on the ice!
Despite being a novice curler, Julia has some great advice for brand new curlers. She’d encourage everyone to take advantage of practice ice times and sign up to sub for as many leagues as possible. Also, she would tell new folks to make sure to not be too hard on themselves and show themselves grace when a shot is missed!
