The 2014 Winter Olympics came to a close this weekend with the United States racking up 28 medals. Viewers who spent two weeks watching as their countries competed in events such as snowboarding, skiing, curling, and many more. But little did they know, they can participate in these same events over 5,000 miles outside of Sochi. Chicago offers different facilities at the disposal of residents to channel their inner Olympian.

The North Shore Chicago suburb of Northbrook is home to Chicago’s Curling Club, at 555 Dundee Road, a facility that houses different levels of curling. The facility offers leagues for more advanced curlers, as well as Learn2Curl sessions for those wanting to get involved in the sport and use the facility for the first time.

“Members can curl, depending on membership level, on either a limited basis, which basically means one night during the week and any time on the weekends, or as a full member, as much as one wants,” Jessica Thompson, director of communications and publicity at the Chicago Curling Club, said.

The organization had roughly 110 new members this year alone and sees a significant increase in members.

“There is a much greater interest in the Learn2Curl sessions,” Thompson said.

Although you must be a member of the club to participate on the ice, the Learn2Curl program gets you up to speed on the sport before the first time you hit the ice. The program is per person and is offered on select weekends throughout the curling season, which is October through March, with the general duration of two and a half hours. According to their website, the sessions include a short video on the history of the game, stretching and warm up prior to curling, one-ice instruction under USCA certified instructors, a two-end simulated game, food, and an overview of membership opportunities.

“Together, through the tireless effort of volunteers, we work toward building a social community whose members are brought together solely by a shared love of the sport,” Lloyd Yanis, President of the Chicago Curling Club, said.

Chicago also offers the Chicago Outdoor Hockey League that provides rinks on the South and North Sides so that residents can get a chance to emulate their favorite hockey players from the Sochi Olympics.

The Chicago Outdoor Hockey League is a coed recreational hockey league for those 18 years old and older, according to their website. The leagues have weekly games from December through March. Returning players registration fee is $195 per person and new player registration fee is $250 per player. Chicagoans can register as individuals or as teams.

If you’d rather watch some hockey, tickets for the Chicago Blackhawks and their minor league affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, are available for fans of all ages.

Another very popular outlet that Chicagoans can use to keep the Olympic spirit is to utilize the ice skating rink right at our fingertips in Millennium Park. The rink is located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison and has been available since November 15th of last year and will continue to be open until March 9th.

Residents can use the rink casually with friends, or like Elizabeth Chitjian, a DePaul University student, to brush up on their figure skating skills.

“I started skating when I was about six years old,” Chitjian said. She later quit when she began feeling overwhelmed by the time commitment.

Having left the sport nearly seven years ago, the DePaul senior says that the Olympics inspired her to relive her passion for the sport and start again.

“The Olympics have definitely motivated me to work harder when I practice, also, when I get the chance and when the weather permits I’ll go to Millennium Park, but it can be difficult to practice there if there are too many tourists on the ice with me,” Chitjian said.

With the holidays passed, the rink is less likely to fill up. If you need to rent skates, they are available for $10 and the rink is free if you have your own. The ice is regularly Zamboni’d to keep a smooth surface, therefore at times skaters will be asked to step off the ice.

“If you’re a beginner, I think it’s a great environment to learn in, there’s no pressure and everybody is having fun,” Chitjian said.

With limited indoor ice skating rinks, during the winter months residents are given more opportunity to practice and enjoy figure skating as those participating in Sochi did.

Chicago residents in general aren’t the only ones with Olympic themed events at their disposal, DePaul University students in particular have workshops they can participate right at their very own campus recreation center, the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center. As a part of their campus recreation, there is an outdoor adventure program open to students that allows them to escape the city life and explore and experience outdoor activities. During the winter months, the program offers a ski and snowboarding trip to Devil’s Head Resort in Merrimac, Wisconsin and an alternative spring break trip to Colorado National Monument and Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

Students wanting to work towards the skills of Shaun White or Jamie Anderson, who won the gold medal for the United States in the women’s slopestyle event in Sochi, can sign up for the ski and snowboarding trip to Devil’s Head by signing up at The Ray. All trips are guided and are mostly ran by student trip leaders, however, John Washo administers the program.

“Our programs are not competitive in nature, but are instead experiential opportunities,” Washo said.

Therefore, instead of a competitive snowboarding or skiing trip, students engage in a healthy, learning experience including sports they’ve watched for the last two weeks coming out of Sochi. The activities are open to all students and fill up fairly quickly, the skiing and snowboarding trip to Devil’s Head filed up three weeks before the deadline and is currently on a waiting list for anyone interested.

“The spring break is also a partial service trip in which participants will be helping to restore camp sites and camping areas within Colorado National Monument,” said Washo.

The Olympics may be coming to an end but that doesn’t mean our enjoyment that the events give us has to.