Detroit Curling Club
Encyclopedia
The Detroit Curling Club is an organization that promotes the sport of curling
in the Detroit area. Its home is a four-sheet facility located in Ferndale, Michigan
. It is one of the oldest curling clubs in the United States
, originally founded in 1840. The present-day club was founded in 1885.
The club first moved to an outside facility next to the Detroit Athletic Club and built its first indoor facility in 1906 at 1236 Forest Avenue in Detroit. In 1979, the facility was bought out by an expanding Wayne State University
, and the club moved to a new home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Hard times fell on the club in the mid-1990s when small membership numbers and high taxes threatened the life of the club. For a few years, the club looked for a new, dedicated facility that would suit the club for years to come. An arrangement was drawn up with the city of Ferndale
, the club purchased land in Martin Road Park, then donated the land back to the city, and leased the property for 99 years. This allowed the club to build a new rink with curling in mind.
The current facility opened in January 2002. With network coverage of curling during the 2002 and 2006 winter Olympics, membership has soared and in Feb. 2006, a single day open house drew a crowd of 500 first-time curlers.
The facility also doubles as a community center in the summer time when the club does not curl as it is too difficult to maintain the ice during the summer heat.
The club is a founding member of the Ontario Curling Association
despite being in a different country. Members are allowed to play in provincial championships in Ontario.
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
in the Detroit area. Its home is a four-sheet facility located in Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Oak Park to the west, Hazel Park to the east, Pleasant Ridge to the north, Royal Oak Township to the southwest, and Royal Oak to the north....
. It is one of the oldest curling clubs in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, originally founded in 1840. The present-day club was founded in 1885.
Origins and history
The Detroit Curling Club was founded by local farmers and was actually one of several organizations that had been formed in the Detroit area post-civil war. These groups largely contested their games on a frozen Orchard Lake - in recent years, divers have found curling rocks from these games at the lake's bottom.The club first moved to an outside facility next to the Detroit Athletic Club and built its first indoor facility in 1906 at 1236 Forest Avenue in Detroit. In 1979, the facility was bought out by an expanding Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, and the club moved to a new home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Hard times fell on the club in the mid-1990s when small membership numbers and high taxes threatened the life of the club. For a few years, the club looked for a new, dedicated facility that would suit the club for years to come. An arrangement was drawn up with the city of Ferndale
Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Oak Park to the west, Hazel Park to the east, Pleasant Ridge to the north, Royal Oak Township to the southwest, and Royal Oak to the north....
, the club purchased land in Martin Road Park, then donated the land back to the city, and leased the property for 99 years. This allowed the club to build a new rink with curling in mind.
The current facility opened in January 2002. With network coverage of curling during the 2002 and 2006 winter Olympics, membership has soared and in Feb. 2006, a single day open house drew a crowd of 500 first-time curlers.
The facility also doubles as a community center in the summer time when the club does not curl as it is too difficult to maintain the ice during the summer heat.
The club is a founding member of the Ontario Curling Association
Ontario Curling Association
The Ontario Curling Association is the governing body of curling in Southern Ontario. Northern Ontario is governed by the Northern Ontario Curling Association. The OCA sends a team to represent Team Ontario at all major Canadian Championships except the Scott Tournament of Hearts. The NOCF sends a...
despite being in a different country. Members are allowed to play in provincial championships in Ontario.
External links
- Detroit Curling Club - Ferndale, MichiganFerndale, MichiganFerndale is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Oak Park to the west, Hazel Park to the east, Pleasant Ridge to the north, Royal Oak Township to the southwest, and Royal Oak to the north....