A Brief History of Curling

The origin of this little known but grand old game is a bit vague. Some believe it had its beginnings as "child's play" on the frozen ponds and streams of the Continent. Others insist that the "roaring game" is Scottish through and through. With such words as bonspiel (meaning good play), channelstane, hack, and hog - one would say that the continentals had an argument. On the other hand, it is a known fact that the fascinating game of curling appeared in Scotland in the early sixteenth century - as evidenced by a curling stone, bearing the date of 1511, which was unearthed near Stirling. There is also evidence that at about the same time, the inhabitants of Kilsyth formed one of the first curling organizations, followed soon by other clubs. It was not until 1760, however, that the famous Edinburgh Cannonmills Club was established. Both Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott refer to the game as the "manly Scottish exercise."

In 1838, the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was formed for the sole purpose of fixing standardized rules of the game for use wherever curling was played. This organization is still in existence, but is now known as the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, having been granted this title by Her Majesty the Queen in 1843. Most curling clubs worldwide, through their local associations, are affiliated with this "Mother Club."

Many other countries enjoy the sport - such as Switzerland, where there are upwards of 80 clubs. Here in the highest altitudes, keen natural outdoor ice is found - especially during the months of December and January. England, Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, China, Japan, and Austrialia are among the countries also having curling clubs.

In Canada, the game has flourished since the beginning of the 19th century when the Scottish regiments found themselves in Quebec where the climate in the winter was such that it could be played on the frozen lakes and rivers. Because of the difficulty in obtaining granite stones from Scotland, cast iron "stones" originally made from melted down cannon balls were used. Up until 1955, "irons" were still popular; in fact, many of the natives preferred them to granites.

Curling has been played in the United States since about 1830 when it crept down across the Canadian border into the New England states and into the northern part of Michigan. The first association, known as the Grand National Curling Club of America, was founded in 1867 and is still in operation. The game was revived in the central states in about 1936, having been dormant for almost 30 years. The game also spread to the northwest and Alaska - the Fairbanks Curling Club was formed in 1906, and the Anchorage Curling Club in 1954. The U.S. Curling Association was formed in 1958, and now there are affiliated associations and over 135 curling clubs and over 15,000 curlers in all parts of the United States!  

 Rochester Curling Club (RCC) History  

Introduction to Rochester1

Curling came to Rochester in 1961 when Lewis A. Elkin manager of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) skating rink, read about a group of Kodak employees who had gone to Totonto for a curling match with their Canadian colleagues. He conceived an idea of a curling clinic and bonspiel to introduce curling to Rochester. He called upon two of the Kodakers, Ralph Sutherland and George Greer, to help him.


The first Rochester International Bonspiel and Curling Clinic took place on April 14-16, 1961. Rinks from Utica, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario, brought their own stones hacks and brooms. Several Rochesterians filled out the ranks of these participating rinks, most of whom where Kodakers who had previously curled.


The endeavor was a success, and Elkin then called upon the local group to help him found a curling club. The first meeting was held at Locust Hill Country Club on June 21, 1961, and the name "Rochester Curling Club" was selected.


The Nine Charter Members were:

Bartell was elected president pro-tem and Sutherland secretary and treasurer. RIT offered ice time at their Ritter-Clark rink every Sunday morning on a pay-as-you-play basis.


Curling began October 8, 1961, with RIT providing stones, brooms, and scoreboards. In the Spring of 1962 the by-laws were adopted and the first official Board of Directors was named:

The Board in turn elected Ralph Sutherland president, Jay Moses M.D. vice-president, Richard Hotham secretary, and Eugene Charles treasurer.


The second Rochester International Bonspiel was held April 13-14, 1962, with rinks from Schenectady; Winchester; Niagara Falls, Ontario and Utica participating. A second curling clinic was held October 4 and 7, 1962, followed by an exhibition at the Honeoye Winter Carnival (Janurary 25-26, 1963) and a very successful third Rochester International Bonspiel (April 12-13, 1963). Rinks came from Avon Lea (Toronto); London, Ontario; Utica , Albany and Schenectady.


Interest in curling continued to grow to a point where the members felt the need for their own facility.

 

Rochester Curling Club Facility

At the Annual Meeting in 1966, the membership elected to build its own complex.  This meant that each member would have to invest in the project.  This decision caused a membership drop from 65 to 24.  These 24 hardy individuals raised enough money to build the two sheet version of our current club at a total cost of $62,000.  This included raising money to buy the present property at 71 Deep Rock Road ($10,000 in 1966 dollars) and the refrigeration plant ($13,500 in 1966 dollars).  The money for the building came from a bank mortgage.  Up until November of 2007, the past and present membership held the debentures for the balance of the building debt.

 

In 1972, the club expended the facility to house 4 sheets of ice and enlarged the warm room.

 

Rochester Curling Club Crest

The RCC crest is the emblem encircled within a belt and buckle.  The emblem consists of two Scottish thistles in flower upon a rope of blue and gold.

 

RCC Affiliations

RCC is affiliated with both the Grand National Curling Club(GNCC) and the Ontario Curling Association.  Through contributions from our dues payments to the GNCC, RCC maintains a connection to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (Edinburgh, Scotland).

 

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1 Taken nearly verbatum from the 10th Anniversary RCC Year Book 1970-1971.