Lethbridge Curling Club
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Lethbridge Curling Club
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From curling on ponds and sloughs in 1887, a two-sheeter with electric lights in 1895, a four-sheeter in 1910, to the modern facilities enjoyed today, the Lethbridge Curling Club has grown to meet the needs of an active curling community. The Club's strong focus on the future of the sport will ensure this tradition continues.
The Lethbridge Curling Club, established in 1887, was one of the first organized curling clubs in Alberta. Spearheaded by Johnnie Bruce, Tom Kirkham, Duncan Duff, Dr. McClure, Harry Bently, Norrie MacLeod, Fred Freeman and the Scott brothers, this group of eager sports enthusiasts organized the club and the construction of a frame building in an area across from Fourth Street and First Avenue South. The momentum was followed with clubs in Calgary and Edmonton in 1888 and Fort Macleod, Banff and Anthracite in 1889. Until 1904 when Alberta formed its own curling branch, most of these clubs were affiliated with the Manitoba branch of the Royal Caledonia Club of Scotland.
Until the coming of artificial ice, there were many times when bonspiels in Lethbridge had to be canceled due to Chinook winds blowing in and melting the ice. When the City Fathers in Lethbridge installed a waterworks system in 1904, the curling club began plans to relocate. A group called the Lethbridge Curlers Limited then formed with the sole purpose of building a new rink. The new four sheet rink, later expanded to five sheets, was built at Thirteenth Street and Fourth Avenue South. The Club moved to The Civic Ice Centre, which is home to the Lethbridge Figure Skating Club in 1950 where it operated until moving to its new home in 2016. The club currently resides at the ATB Centre at 74 Mauretania Road West and has 10 sheets, among the largest in Canada.
What has remained constant throughout is the enthusiasm for the sport of curling, the motivation of the teams who have brought home many provincial and national titles and the camaraderie of the curlers and curling fans of all ages.
