Curling has a roughly thirty‑five‑year tradition in the Czech Republic, so there are still not many curlers who have moved through all categories—from the youngest, junior category (up to age twenty‑one), all the way to the senior category (over fifty). One of the players who has done that is Tomáš Válek, who began his curling career as a junior in the skating arena Hasa in Prague’s Vršovice district, witnessed the birth of the Zbraslav curling hall, and today competes in senior competitions as well as in all other available categories.
You are one of the very few Czech curlers who have gone through all categories from juniors to seniors. At what age did you start curling?
I started quite late, around the age of 19. All the more reason why I’m happy I’ve been able to experience the sport across all categories.
How long have you been playing curling?
With a few breaks, I’ve been playing curling for about 33 years now, so it’s actually a big part of my life.
How old were you when you started, and what keeps you in the sport to this day?
I started around 19, and from the very beginning I was fascinated by the spirit of curling—it’s not just a sport, but also a strong community and a social experience. That combination is what keeps me in it even today.
How do you see the development of the sport? I assume you began at Hasa Arena [which is not used for curling since the opening of the dedicated Roztyly Arena]. Did you help get the Zbraslav hall running as well?
Yes, I started at Hasa in Prague-Vršovice. We trained once a week in the evening, usually after 9 p.m., right after the figure skaters. From today’s perspective, the conditions were almost comically modest—we prepared the ice ourselves, drilled and poured the hacks by hand, carried the stones onto the ice before every practice, and stored them afterward. It was a bit of a “guerrilla operation”, but maybe that’s exactly what made me develop such a strong bond with curling.
The real leap forward came with the opening of the Roztyly hall, which created much better conditions, especially for young players.
As for Zbraslav, I was involved from the very beginning—from the preparations and construction to the first seasons when official competitions started being held there.
You play mixed teams, mixed doubles, and traditional teams—what do you enjoy the most, or does each format have its own charm? 😊
I’ve tried all these disciplines, and each has something special. But I still feel closest to classic team curling—there, the sport is the most complex, in my opinion. I haven’t had the chance to try the new triples format yet, but it definitely appeals to me.
