Chess on ice

The cold Wisconsin winters, dreaded by many, fly by for Bob Porsche, an active curler who spends many of his winter nights on the ice at the Milwaukee Curling Club.

“(Curling) makes time go so much faster in the winter,” said Porsche, president of Milwaukee-based General Plastics Inc.
Porsche has been curling in Milwaukee for the past eight years and previously competed in the sport for six years in Chicago. He belongs to the Milwaukee Curling Club, located in Cedarburg, and has headed the club in past president, president and vice president roles.
During this year’s season, which will kick off in November and run through the end of March, Porsche will veer away from administrative club duties to focus almost solely on the sport, competing three nights a week with three different teams. One of those teams will include his wife, Donna, who he has turned on to the sport, along with his stepdaughter, Kiley Kostak.

For Porsche, who primarily functions as a skip, curling is a “chess game on ice” dependent on strategy.
It is also a social outlet, one that opens up a departure from the everyday routine and gives him a place to both ease his mind and flare his competitive side.
“It’s the idea of being with friends and having a good time and enjoying ourselves, but competing at the same time,” Porsche said.