Elmvale Curling Club welcomes all to the sport

ELMVALE, Ontario — Curling may seem perhaps confusing or even complicated, but once you get on to it, it’s easy to understand – the game, terminology, strategies; you’ll be on the ice with the rest of them!

The game started with Scottish newcomers who had curling in their background. Curling alleviated long winters as a sporting activity, and later changes were made to bring the outdoors in, with covered rinks as the sport continued to develop. The growing sport grew with ‘friendly’ matches between towns; it was the start of artificial ice; growing the sport from provincial to national, world championships and the Olympics. Through history, it has attracted all ages and levels of society to participate, becoming the ‘grassroots’ of Canada.

The Montréal Curling Club was the first organized club in North America. Initially iron stones were used until the mid 1900s. More recently, granite manufactured in Scotland, quarried in the Trefor Mountains of Wales were used to produce the stones. Ailsa Craig granite is the hardest, purest, and most dense granite extant. There were no specific dimensions for a stone in the early game, until 1838 when the standardization of stones was implemented after much controversy.

In 1879, Manitoba’s first curling club was formed, and the loser of the game were customary to requiring a donation of a barrel of oatmeal to the hospital. That same year, the first game was held in Saskatchewan and clubs were formed in Lethbridge Alberta in 1887, and then Calgary and Edmonton in 1888. Curling was booming with the arrival of the railroad making travel easier, curling became a staple with Canadians in villages and towns. 1895 saw the Scot miners bring the game to BC.

With the development of roads, ease of access, and cars becoming more common, curlers could drive to clubs where greater numbers could gather. It attracted most members of the community. The sport captivates so many Canadians, although it has undergone changes from 1759, when luck was a bigger component; skill is now the major component.

In the beginning, the stone was thrown straight down the ice – straight handle, no turn. It was the parish of Fenwick that began the uproar of the ‘illegal’ twist to the handle; the stone could curl around the opposition rock and be hidden. This brought forth the in-hand and out-hand. The ‘curl’ in curling came to Canada around 1840. Then came the ‘slide’ with many methods attempted to improve footwear to improve the ease, achieving the ability for a curler to slide any distance.

The Canadian Ladies’ Curling Association was formed in 1960. In 1982 the first Scott Tournament of Hearts was held and is Canada’s longest running sponsored national event to this day. The initial introduction of time clocks was introduced in 1983 with the worry from organizers that the game could drag on and the necessity for timing the length of each team’s game.

Elmvale curling club is for all ages – from junior curlers to a robust senior’s league. Curler Jennifer Roberston was first introduced to curling in high school when in physical education class they would go to the Elmvale curling club to learn to play. “When I finished post-secondary school and moved back home to Elmvale, I took up curling, playing in multiple leagues – Ladies Wednesday night, Mixed curling Friday night, and Sunday morning competitive. Eventually I began to play in competitions in particular Scottie Tournament playdowns. We played against teams skipped by Sherry Middaugh, a well-known national level curler. Our competitive team began playing in the Penetang league with many competitive men’s teams in order to improve. Eventually, our children’s extracurricular schedules took over our schedules and I took a break from curling.”

In 2021-2022, Jennifer thought she would begin curling again only to discover the Wednesday night ladies league no longer existed. She decided to see if she could get enough interest to bring it back.  They began with five teams last fall, moving to six in January and this year they have started the season with eight teams. Jennifer says it is such a great opportunity to meet new people, get some exercise and develop new skills!

Curling is made accessible to everyone, if you’re starting out, it begins with community clubs. There are opportunities for officials and umpires, timers and observers, and support for anyone interested in just getting involved.

If you’re interested in joining as a player, Elmvale Curling Club has several competitive curlers, in both regional and provincial competitions, but it’s also about friendships and having fun for residents in the surrounding areas. Founded in 1870, the club hosts an active membership with leagues and programs for all age and skill levels.

To learn more visit www.elmvalecurlingclub.ca

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