But the quiet didn’t last for long. Soon enough, the recently-renovated rink was filled with the earsplitting sound of cowbells, cheers in a variety of languages and heavy curling stones smashing into each other.

Intensity and focus shone in each curler’s eyes as they lined up shots, released the stone, furiously swept the icy path and called out numbers, letting teammates know how far they estimate the stone will glide.

Spectators leaned forward in new bleacher seats as they tried to guess how close to center the stone would get.

A loud cheer swept through the stands when the U.S. team made a big play, ricocheting a stone into two other ones in a perfectly lined-up shot, knocking theirs closer to the center and pushing Sweden’s away.

USA curlers, from left, Sydney Mullaney, Anne O’Hara and Rebecca Rodgers work together to sent a stone down-ice at the kick-off for curling for the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games on Friday at the renovated Saranac Lake Civic Center. Team USA won its first session against Sweden 10-3. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

When Sweden responded a couple of minutes later, landing a stone right on the button near the end of a round, the Swedish men’s curling team erupted into cheers of “Bravo!”

Victor Martinsson, the coach for the Swedish men’s curling team, was sitting with his team in the stands watching their female counterparts battle it out with the U.S. They were mentally preparing for their first match of the Games at 7 p.m.

Martinsson said his team is used to high-profile games, so they were hyped and nervous but used to the pressure of play.

“It seems great. Ice was good yesterday during practice,” Martinsson said. “It’s competition ice.”

The civic center got a massive upgrade ahead of the games, funded by $5 million in Upstate Revitalization Initiative funds from Empire State Development, through the North Country Regional Economic Development Council and over $1.8 million raised by the community. This upgrade included a new ice plant for the rink.

Curling for the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games kicked off Friday at the renovated Saranac Lake Civic Center. Team USA won its first session against Sweden 10-3. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Pierre Arsenault, a member of the Canadian delegation, said their coach from the men’s curling team said the ice was great. Where he is from in New Brunswick, curling is very popular, he said.

“I think the building looks great,” Saranac Laker Andrea Audi said.

She thinks it’s cool the building can be a local venue and also hold national and international competitions “at the caliber people expect.”

Audi said she’s brand-new to curling, so she was learning the rules from Arsenault.

“All the people I know in Saranac Lake who are curlers, they’re like a tribe that is always trying to recruit people,” she said. “And I’m starting to get it.”

USA curlers Sydney Mullaney, left, and Rebecca Rodgers sweep a stone onto the scoreboard at the kick-off of 2023 FISU Winter World University Games curling on Friday at the renovated Saranac Lake Civic Center. Team USA won its first session against Sweden 10-3. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Mike Rushford traveled up to see the games from Kingston, New York, with his sons — Harper, 9, and Caden, 5. Rushford said he used to live in Plattsburgh and they visit Lake Placid often. Last summer, they saw all the renovations going on in preparation for the games, so he knew they had to come back for a weekend and give his kids the chance to see some of professional sports’ more “obscure” disciplines in person.

They were rooting for all of the teams, but mostly the U.S. team.

Harper loved watching the games. He said he would like to compete as a slider.

Rushford said the renovated building was beautiful.

“Nice and cozy, even though it’s on ice,” Rushford said.

Team Japan curlers clear the way for a stone at the kick-off of 2023 FISU Winter World University Games curling on Friday at the renovated Saranac Lake Civic Center. Japan won it’s first session against Australia 6-2 on Friday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

The rink was plenty warm with its upgraded heating and dehumidifiers. Curlers from around the world were seen shedding layers of jackets in the first minutes of play.

After the session of play on Friday, USA came out on top, scoring 10-3 over Sweden. Japan won it’s match against Australia 6-2. China beat out Spain 9-5. Korea pulled off a 6-5 win over Canada. And Great Britan beat Switzerland 6-4.

Teams are competing in a “round robin” tournament style — meaning each team plays each team. So there’s plenty of curling still to be had.

Twenty teams representing 13 countries are competing in men’s and women’s divisions.

Tickets are $15 for curling games, with gold medal competitions in both divisions costing $35. Tickets can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3vMJfOf. Locals can get a 40% discount by using the promotion code LOCALS40. “Locals” basically means anyone who knows about the code.

Team Sweden curlers clear the way for a stone at the kick-off of 2023 FISU Winter World University Games curling on Friday at the renovated Saranac Lake Civic Center. Team USA won its first session against Sweden 10-3 on Friday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)