Curler’s Corner: First year in the new 1949 rink
Curler’s Corner is a column written by the Kamloops Curling Club’s Randy Nelson. This column will highlight moments of Tournament Capital curling history and noteworthy athletes from over the decades.
The following article appeared in the Kamloops newspaper on Nov. 21, 1949:
“Unless something unforeseen happens, members of the Kamloops Curling Club are going to have a chance to throw a rock or two Wednesday in their curling rink west of the Memorial Arena. Several energetic members of the club yesterday cut in the hacks, the hog lines, and the rings for the house.
The first two nights will be largely in the form of a school for curlers since there are about 75 members who have never curled before. Experienced followers of the ‘besom and stane’ (a bundle of twigs used as a broom and a stone) game will give demonstrations of the ‘in’ and an ‘out’ turn, and most of all will try to impress upon the newcomers the need for aiming at the broom and not the rock.
There are 32 sets of matched rocks for the use of curlers. Brooms will also be supplied by the club. The season’s fee of $20 which was set at the club meeting in the Oddfellows hall on Friday night, will include the use of rocks and brooms.”
Curlers used to bring their own set of two rocks to the club in a wooden crate.
The article then refers to the spacious clubroom upstairs, great viewing, washrooms and locker rooms. There was a very large attendance at Friday’s meeting, when the club officials outlined the plan for the coming season.
Since there will be so many members who had no curling experience at all, it was decided that each rink would have to use two inexperienced curlers. There were still a few $100 debentures to be sold to finalize the fund raising for the club.
The year 1949 was the launch of something special in Kamloops, and the rink has remained a mainstay of community spirit ever since. The club remains a social hub of activity and has seen everything from weddings to funerals over the years.
