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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2002-10-23, Page 13News Seaforth Curling Club celebration 225th anniversary Rich Scottish heritage marks beginnings of Seaforth curling By Shelly McPhee Hoist Focus News Magazine Editor A rich Scottish heritage and long, cold winters made a dandy combination for the beginnings of curling in Seaforth. As early as the mid 1800s Seaforth folk could be found out and about on cold winter days, throwing rocks and sweeping them along frozen ponds and swamps. In fact local folk were enjoying the "roaring game" long before Seaforth became a town in 1875, according to local historian Isabelle Campbell. Today the Seaforth Curling Club remains one of the oldest continuous curling clubs in Ontario and is celebrating its 125th year. It is among six such clubs in the province to share the historic distinction of receiving its charter from the Ontario Curling Association in 1876. Early history also notes that folks were playing the sport on frozen ponds around the community as early as 1866. By 1880 an indoor curling rink was added to the popular Dominion Ice Rink. Competition was keen with teams from St. Marys, Stratford, Wingham, Guelph, London, Clinton, Exeter, Goderich, Galt and Southampton. Among the wins and trophies collected , by Seaforth teams was the 904 Silver Tankard Trophy in Guelph, for which the club paid $2 for a $150.00 insurance policy. There was lots of good play, and hard work in the early days. In 1905 shareholders known as the Seaforth Skating and Curling Rink Company let a contract to Joseph Keating to build a large frame rink. The company purchased $4,200 to start the building. According to information from Isabelle Campbell, flooding was done by filling a barrel with water from a nearby pump and drawing it on a sleigh to the ice surface. It took many trips to flood the entire surface. The rink was partitioned by wooden boards - one section used for skating and the other for curling. In 1950 the building was sold to Ball and Macaulay Lumber Supply in Clinton and the curling club began sharing ice with hockey at the new Memorial arena. Until the mid 1950s curlers, skaters and hockey players shared the ice surface at the arena. In 1954 the curlers each pitched in several hundred dollars and land was purchased to build a curling club. That summer when the Dinsmore construction crew was working on the highway through town, they came over and dug a big hole for the clubhouse, and volunteer labour during the hot August month, the building was erected. An addition was added in 1961 to accommodate regulation sized sheets of ice. The club flourished in those years with members from throughout the area, along with personnel from RCAF Station in Clinton. With more than 125 members, the club hosted many bonspiels and had several curling leagues including those for men, women, youth and a Farmers Club. While many of the early records have been lost, among the collectibles from the earliest days of curling in Seaforth is a roughly hewn wooden curling rock. Weighing in at about 10 pounds, the wooden rock was a precursor to the 40 pound granite rocks that are now in use today, and still produced and imported from Scotland. Bill Campbell Sr., knows about these details of the sport. He curled in Seaforth from 1954 until 1979, and still loves the sport but doesn't play these days because of his aging knees. "In the early days we used to really sweep with the corn husk brooms, now with the new brooms they do a pushing motion. We swept until our arms hurt. We also used to pick up the rock, pull it back and throw it out on the ice. Now players slide the rock," Bill says. Bill has a great fondness for curling and loves to tell stories about the sport. He is also proud to be remembered as the first icemaker at the present club, built in 1955. It was a painstaking job, that required many hours on the job, and often the ice did not meet the curlers' expectations. "The ice used to be squirrely," recalls Irma Pryce. "we used to pump in the brine from the old Memorial Arena across the street. The brine was set at the level for the hockey rink and they needed soft ice and curlers like hard ice." The curling club got its own ice machine in the mid 1970s. "In the 1970s and 1980s our curlers were prominent in Ontario and Canada," Irma said, noting that local teams won at various bonspiels. Today the curling club continues to be active, although membership is down to about 75. Irma, who was once an avid curler and coach, admits that arthritis keeps her from participating in the sport as much as she would like. She remembers, 'In the early days I used to come and curl in the afternoon and be back home again by the time the kids were home from school." Bill Moore, Lee Learn, Scott Hobkrik and Carn Rowcliffe were avid curlers taking in a bonspiel in British Columbia in 1962. Mae Habkirk, Shirley Moore, Mary Rowcliffe and lois learn were the wives to match the competitors in the above photo wearing the Seaforth tartan. long -timer curlers Mary Rowcliffe (the first secretary for the ladies curling) and Bill Campbell display some of the memorabelia that will be part of Saturdays 125h anniversary event. Curling changed but always sociable By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor With players wearing their winter boots and an assortment of different sized and weighted rocks, curling looked a lot different in Seaforth when the club firs opened in the mid 1800s. Curlers used everything from carved wooden rocks when the sport first began in town to more precise, uniform rocks weighing 40 pounds today. Curling in the 1950s, at the club's current location on Duke Street, Mary Rowcliffe remembers, "Everybody owned their own rocks. They were all different sizes and different weights. They were not matched." Each curler had to know their own rocks and how hard to throw them to compensate for their weights. Rowcliffe remembers a family member using unusually long, flat rocks. "They were as heavy as all -get -out," she said. Bill Campbell, a long-time curler said sometimes the rocks would get mixed up with others but that you'd soon know in a hurry when you went to throw them because they would play different on the ice than the person's own rocks that he or she knew so well from hours of play. "If you got them mixed up, it was terrible," said Rowcliffe. By the early 1960s the club purchased a standard supply of 40 -pound, regulation rocks that everyone could use, making for more evenly played matches. But while the rocks have remained the same, the brooms continued to evolve from original, large corn husk brooms to the now more common rectangular -shaped push brooms made largely of foam blocks or other synthetic material. In the 1950s, curlers still brought their own corn brooms o use but the'brooms shortly after were modified to better suit the sport. Tied in different places to tighten up the brooms and a piece of leather attached in the middle, they became a more solid tool that had a greater impact on the ocks being thrown. "Boy did they ever slap the ice," said Campbell. Rather than just helping the rocks along, the newer brooms could do more. "That's the difference with the leather in the centre. You ould draw a rock if you were a good sweeper," said Campbell. But by the 60s, it began to change again with the ddition of the push brooms of which an only slightly more modified style is still used today. "When I started curling here in the 60s, there were three ush brooms I know of. The rest were all corn brooms," aid Pryce. "For a few years, there was quite a mixture of them," she aid of the different styles being used as more and more people made the change to push brooms. While the new brooms can last indefiniately, the corn rooms could wear out much more quickly depending on ow much curling you did and in the early days of the lub, Campbell remembers people who curled several days f the week, particularly those who competed outside eaforth as well. A competitive curler could go through four corn brooms n a season while some could make theirs last as long as 10 ears. It also depended on how hard a sweeper you were, said ampbell. "I was going through two a year when I was ompetitive," said Pryce. The, curlers said particles from the old brooms could be eft on the ice from sweepers and would be enough to send rock in the wrong direction or bring it to a stop. Now, with synthetic brooms, rocks move faster and nder much more control t Former members returning By Scott Hllgendorff Expi}tAor Editor A week-long bonspiel opened the Seaforth Curling Club's current location on Duke Street and participants at that milestone are welcomed back Saturday to the same location for the club's 125th anniversary celebrations. "We want everyone coming and renewing old acquaintances," said Irma Pryce, one of the event's organizers. "We hope the place is overflowing with people." The club has traditionally had numerous successful bonspiels in its history and various curling programs from junior curling to women's programs. While in a slump now, former curler for Saturday event Irma Pryce, now helping to organize the anniversary event, said they are hopeful the event will help boost its now 75 -member club. Pryce said membership in the pub has fluctuated throughout its history but began to finally dwindle away in the 1980s as hockey programs began to grow and other sports like broomball and figure skating began to take a hold in the community. Membership began to be spread thinner as people chose other sports as well to participate in. Pryce is hoping the event, which will offer free curling in the early evening for those who would like to try it, will help attract new membership as well as renewing old ties between former curlers. "I think the nice thing about curling You've got mail... coming soon A booklet on Government of Canada services. Look for information on: • Career, job and business planning • Protecting the environment • Safe surfing on the Internet • Helping kids do their homework • Retirement planning • Making choices for healthy living For you, your family and your community. It's coming to your mailbox soon! e is it's so sociable," she said. Although not strenuous, she said the sport offers good exercise and requires careful strategy on the ice. People interested will have a chance to try after some fun match -ups throughout the afternoon. Former curlers and the public are invited to drop by the curling club anytime to watch the games and td look over the collection of old photographs and memorabilia Pryce and other volunteers have been amassing this past month for the occasion. Known for its good meals, soup, beef on a bun and cake will be served at the event as well. The events begin at 1 p.m. and won't end until the last story is told, the last acquaintances are renewed and the last new friendship is formed. For more information on government services: canada.gc.ca Service Canada Access Centres 1 800 0 -Canada (1 800 622-6232) TTY / TDD 1 800 465-7735 Canada