Curling

Curling, often referred to as "chess on ice," is a sport that traces its roots back centuries. With a rich history that spans several countries and cultures, curling has evolved from a simple pastime on frozen ponds to a globally recognized winter sport. In this article, we will delve into the fascinating history of curling, exploring its origins, development, and the milestones that have shaped the game we know today.

The origins of curling can be traced to 16th-century Scotland, where the sport was born out of the necessity to find a form of recreation during the harsh winters. The first written record of curling dates back to 1541 in the town of Paisley, Scotland where it is said that the notary John McQuhin recorded a challenge about throwing stones across the ice between a monk at Paisley Abbey and a relative of the abbot. Early forms of the game involved sliding stones across frozen lochs and ponds, with players using brooms to sweep the ice in front of the stone to control its trajectory. Local to our HQ here in Duns is Duns Curling Club with history dating back to 1801, and a written constitution and rules published by Sir H H Campbell of Marchmont in 1807. Follow the link to find out more about the Silver Kettle competition on the Loch at Manderston (a stately home with beautiful gardens that you can visit if you are in the area!), and an international at Talkin Tarn near Carlisle where Scotland took on England. We are glad to report that the victory was Scotland's and the ladies of Duns receiving credit! The Kettle competition continued with the Hay family from Duns Castle, and it is not until 1921 that it was decided that if Jack Frost didn't produce a frozen lake by February they would play indoors at Haymarket.

Curling quickly gained popularity in Scotland and soon spread to other European countries. The game's simplicity and accessibility contributed to its widespread adoption, with communities in Sweden and Switzerland embracing curling as a winter pastime. By the 19th century, the sport had established itself in various European nations, each developing its own rules and variations.

The game became so popular that it demanded a national club to regulate the game and in 1838, the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was founded in Scotland, marking a significant milestone in the formalization of the sport. By 1842 the club had sought royal patronage and has been the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC) ever since. The club established standardized rules for curling, providing a framework for competitions and promoting the growth of the game, providing medals for competitions between member clubs and encouraging groups of clubs to come together into regions so larger bonspiels could be played, such as the North versus the South. This organizational structure laid the groundwork for the future internationalization of curling. Some claim that curling was "the game" in Scotland in the 19th century, however it wasn't until 1907 that the first indoor rink in Scotland was built; Crossmyloof in Glasgow, quikcly followed by two more rinks in Edinburgh and one in Aberdeen in 1912.

Curling made its way across the Atlantic to North America through Scottish immigrants. The first recorded game in Canada took place in 1807 in Montreal, while the United States saw its inaugural match in 1832 in Detroit. The sport's popularity grew steadily in both countries, with the establishment of curling clubs and the hosting of regional competitions.

Curling was included in the programme in the very first Winter Olympics in Chamonix in 1924, but it didn't gain official Olympic status until the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, where Switzerland took home the gold in the men's competition and Canada in the women's game. The inclusion of curling in the Olympic program elevated the sport to a global stage, attracting new enthusiasts and expanding its reach. The Olympics showcased the strategic and competitive aspects of curling, captivating audiences and solidifying its status as a premier winter sport.

Over the years, advancements in technology have influenced the equipment used in curling. Traditional granite stones have been refined, and new materials have been introduced to enhance performance. Curling was back in the spotlight at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and all the stones used by the competitors originated from an uninhabited Scottish island, Ailsa Craig. Kays Curling's workshop in Mauchline in Ayrshire handcrafts all the stone for the World Curling Federation. The company was founded in 1851 and has been providing curling stones for the Winter Olympics since the Chamonix Games in 1924. Playing surfaces have also evolved, with dedicated curling rinks featuring carefully maintained ice to ensure optimal conditions for the game.

We love getting involved with local clubs and societies here at ScotlandShop, so when we established our shop in Albany, NY we of course immediately had to introduce ourselves to the local curling club. And what a club it is, with over 100 years of history! R.S. (Dick) Emmet is generally credited with introducing the sport to Schenectady, having learnt to curl in Illinois and Wisconsin. He and his three brothers were involved with the Mohawk Golf Club in the early days of this century and all four Emmets were charter members when the Mohawk Golf Club launched a curling club with Dick as chairman. There was one sheet of ice and a makeshift warm room during the first season at Mohawk, and by 1919 membership climbed to 96, and club records mentioned the need for improvements to the warm room and rink.

The club petitioned for membership of the Grand National Curling Club of America (GNCC) which was granted in 1907 and Schenectady Curling Club now ranks as the third oldest member in New York State behind New York Caledonian and Utica. Curling did almost come to an end in 1923 when a fire totally destroyed the Mohawk Golf Club, and again the Emmet family came to the rescue with "Uncle Bill" Emmet coming up with a location on Front Street in the Stockade which, with donations from the brothers, allowed a three-sheet rink and two-story clubhouse which opened in 1924. An ice-making plant was not installed until 1928 and it was designed to maintain natural ice rather than to freeze new ice so the club was still very much subject to the elements and flooding of the Mohawk River in the 1940s caused several closures. And so the committee had to consider a move to a new building, and many years later and much fund-raising Balltown Road became the new home for the club.

Thirty-four matched stones were sent all the way from Scotland, a gift from H Laurence Achilles, and in January 1952 curling commenced at the new location. Schenectady Curling Club played host to the US Women's Curling Championships in 1958 and 1966, and the US Men's Championship in 1974, raising the profile of the sport among the population of Capital District. Women were only introduced to the club in the early 1950s with the first invitational Bonspiel held in February 1953 allowed them to meet with sister clubs. This then led to mixed curling which was a huge success and resulted in 24 rinks coming together for friendly competition in March 1960 and continuing for years to come, with the Chabawab Cup famously awarded to the runner-up of the fourth event for "outstanding efforts in a losing cause". The teens followed hot on the heels of the ladies and officially began playing in 1956 with the Schenectady Teenagers quickly gaining the reputation as the "team to beat". The Teen 'Spiel, which started in 1962 as the Gazette Trophy, and rededicated as the John G. Green Trophy in '63, names Schenectady as the winning club for four straight years. It is noticeable that the teenage curlers are larger the sons and daughters of adult members demonstrating the true family friendly and community spirit of the club.

We are proud to have become a sponsor of the club in 2024 and you can spot our name on one of the stones and up on the boards surrounding the rink. We will be popping up at a Bonspiel soon and hope to see you there. If you want to get involved with this lovely bunch please contact the club via their website.

While there isn't any hard evidence to prove that Robert Burns was a curler, he did devote 2 stanzas from his poem Tam Samon's Elegy to it so there is no doubt he knew all about it:

When Winter muffles up his cloak,
And binds the mire like a rock;
When to the loughs the curlers flock,
Wi’ gleesome speed,
Wha will they station at the cock,
Tam Samson’s dead?

He was the king of a’ the Core.
To guard, or draw, or wick a bore,
Or up the rink like Jehu roar
In time o’ need;
But now he lags on Death’s hog-score,
Tam Samson’s dead.

The "cock" refers to the "tee" and to "wick abore" was to wick through a port, technical terms that any keen curler will be familiar with today!

They came, they played, they conquered!
We were delighted to support the Scottish women's tour to Sweden in November 2024 that saw tartan clad Scots from eleven different clubs take part in a long-standing tradition. The exchange between the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, the Ladies' Branch and the SCF has been going on since 1968. This will be the seventh time a Scottish squad has made the trip, travelling to Sweden every 10 years to take on curlers from the Scandinavian nation, with a Swedish team making the return journey in between. This year's team is made up of players from Kelso, Ayr, and Perth, to Kinross, Aberdeen, and Inverness, visiting Gävle, Uppsala, Norrköping, Jönköping, Karlstad, Sundbyberg and Danderyd.

The competition is a friendly international match between our countries, where every point, in every match, counts and no matches can be suspended. To reinforce the feeling of international competition and sisterhood, there are marches with standard bearers from Scotland and Sweden in the respective halls. Sometimes to live music and sometimes to pre-recorded music, sometimes to Scottish tunes and sometimes to Swedish.

The travelog from this trip is fabulous with Abba sing-alongs, fabulous food, a parade of brooms in Uppsala, the raising of the Scottish flags on the bridge over Motala Ström in honor of the Scots, and much more. But this trip was not purely about curling, the squad – along with mascot ‘Hamish’ the gonk – made the trip wearing blue and yellow tartan in honour of late Scottish rugby legend and MND campaigner Doddie Weir. Tour organisers were inspired to support the foundation after watching Weir salute the crowd when Scotland played the All Blacks at Murrayfield.

Terry Paterson the tour captain, from Rhu, in Argyll, said: “We needed a tartan for the tour, and after seeing Doddie at Murrayfield and his wonderful blue and yellow colours, we knew it was the right one for us, and the perfect cause to support”. So we wove a special edition fine wool tartan stole for the team, perfect for their day and evening events, and super light for travelling.