What do you think of when you hear someone yell “Sweep! Sweep Hard!”??? Have you ever asked if the pebbled ice has been nipped? Have you ever been short of the Hogline? If you have you are probably familiar with a contest with throwing stones upon the ice… the sport of Curling.
Curling originated in Scotland in the early 16th century, the first written account of curling dates back to 1511 where a monk played a game on a frozen lock with a relative of an abbey. It was nicknamed the “roaring game” and quickly became a favourite winter pastime later being organized as an Olympic event in 1924. It was not until 1998 that the sport finally attained medal status.
The Kinross Curling Club is the oldest in the world dating back to 1668 and possibly earlier. Thousands of people would gather on a frozen loch, the stones would sound like thunder gliding over the ice. Soon over 2,000 outdoor rinks were created throughout Scotland. The Grand Caledonian Curling Club was the first to create official rules of the game in 1838 and governing body soon after becoming The “Royal” Caledonian Curling Club in 1843 after a demonstration of curling fascinated Queen Victoria. With the ability to freeze ice indoors, the first indoor curling rinks in Glasgow started in 1907.
Wherever Scotts settled around the world, curling followed but the stones remain the same. The original stones were found in riverbeds smoothed and rounded by running water. They consisted of different sizes and weights. They were brittle and inconsistent.
Since the 1860’s the vast majority of curling stones are derived from a very specific micro-granite only found on the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig. A green granite is used for the body of the stone due to it’s durable and springy abilities, where the blue granite is used on the sliding surface on the ice as it is so dense there is no absorption of any moisture. The first 200 stones were shipped from the island of Ailsa Craig to Canada in 1829.
Fast forward a century, a few decades and years later the sport of curling is alive and well within the community of Milo. Annual bonspiels bring curlers from all over Southern Alberta to our village, the events are as fun as they are social. The support from surrounding businesses donating prizes and raffle draws is amazing, I’ve said it before, the Village of Milo and surrounding community are a rare gem, one in a million.
On January 31st, “Curling Day in Canada” ( https://curlingdayincanada.ca/ ) welcomed the public to support the sport nationwide. This year’s highlight was the “Great Canadian Shoot Out,” a wonderful initiative to spread awareness and raise funds for local clubs.
A Stones Throw RV Campground was proud to lend some curling stones for the occasion. Our family comes from a long line of red headed curlers—we even have old curling stone handles on our garage doors! (https://www.instagram.com/p/CBcSDJrHG2q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) We hope to one day see curling stones roaring over the ice of the Ueland Reservoir with our campground guests. It’s good to have goals!
Happy Camping,