Grand National Curling Club

Grand National Curling Club

Sport	Curling
Jurisdiction	Regional
Membership	69 curling clubs
Abbreviation	GNCC
Founded	1867
Affiliation	United States Curling Association
Official website
www.gncc.org

The Grand National Curling Club, also known as the GNCC, Was the first National Curling Organization encompassing the entire United States, founded in 1867. It remained the National organization until it created the United States Curling Association (USCA) in the 1950s to split the GNCC into 10 Regions to compete in a U.S. Men's National Curling Championship. The champion would represent the United States in the newly created Men's World Curling Championships.

The GNCC is the union of curling clubs in the Eastern United States. Following the splitting of the GNCC into 10 regions in the 1950s, the GNCC remained as the Eastern US Region, with most of its clubs located in the North-East US From Maine to Virginia. In recent years the growth of new clubs has included both the North-East and South-East United States. As of December 2021, the GNCC includes 73 curling clubs in 18 States.^[1][2] States represented include, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.

Origins and history[]

In response to a May 1867 advertisement in The Scottish-American Journal, 33 delegates from seven clubs from across the U.S. met on June 26, 1867 in the Caledonian Club rooms in New York City. The seven original clubs were:

1. Caledonian Club (New York, New York)
2. New York Club (New York, New York)
3. Thistle Club (New York, New York)
4. St. Andrew's Club (New York, New York)
5. Patterson Club (Patterson, New Jersey)
6. Caledonian Club (Buffalo, New York)
7. Burns Club (Cleveland, Ohio)

Rather than join the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in Scotland, the delegates decided to form a national organization. On a motion by Mr. James Brand, Caledonian, New York, the new club was called the "Grand National Curling Club of America" and became the first national curling organization in America. Within a few months, additional clubs joined the GNCC from Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The earliest documented club in the current GNCC geographic area was the New England Curling Club of Boston, established sometime prior to 1839.^[3]

In the 1950s a Men's World Championship was being organized. The GNCC reorganized and created the United States Curling Association, dividing the GNCC into 10 Regional organizations. This division was to allow a National Playdown with 10 teams. The Grand National Curling Club became a regional association representing the clubs in the eastern United States. Regional based national playdowns are no longer competed to determine the United States Championships.

The GNCC provides many services to its member clubs. These include, mentoring new clubs, stone rental program for the creation of new clubs, training programs for curlers, coaches and ice technicians, just to name a few. The GNCC also has programs to help clubs perform emergency repairs, programs to help clubs become dedicated ice facilities, and programs to support Junior Curling development. This is NOT an all-inclusive list. New programs are created as needed to help the regional clubs develop and grow. The GNCC works to develop and nurture clubs from initial inception through building dedicated facilities and beyond. The GNCC also has a GNCC Club insurance program available to its member clubs, providing great coverage at reasonable rates.

The GNCC holds many regional championships. Including, Men's, Women's, Mixed, Jr Men's, Jr Women's, Mixed Doubles, Senior Men's, Senior Women's, College, Arena, 5 & Under Men's, 5 & Under Women's and 5 & Under Mixed. The GNCC Holds 2 annual International Events. The oldest dating back to the 1870's is the Gordon International, with the GNCC competing with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, Montreal Branch. In the 1960s the Ross Tarlton was created with the GNCC competing with the Ontario Curling Association. The GNCC began the Scottish Tour with competition between the GNCC (then representing the entire United States) and the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland in the late 1800s. The GNCC/Scotland Scottish Tour held a competition every 5 years, alternating between the United States and Scotland. With the creation of the United States Curling Association in the 1950s, the Scottish tour was changed to the United States Curling Association vs the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland. The Scottish Tour continues to be held every 5 years alternating between the United States and Scotland.

In addition to the activities above, the GNCC represents its clubs to the USCA, acting as the conduit for their clubs to the USCA.

Member clubs[]

State	Club Name	City/Town	Type	Sheets	Year Founded	Notes
Alabama	[4]	Huntsville	Arena	5	2018	Hosted at the Ice Sports Center in Huntsville, Alabama
Connecticut	[5]	Hartford	Arena	3	1908	Originally incorporated 1908-1973, re-incorporated 2015. Hosted at Veterans Memorial Ice Skating Rink in West Hartford, Connecticut
	[6]	Bridgeport	Paper			Named after Long Beach Island, NJ
	[7]	Norfolk	Dedicated	2	1956	Destroyed by arson in December 2011, rebuild completed in October 2013
	[8]	Bridgeport	Dedicated	3	1960	Dedicated facility acquired in 2006
Delaware	[9]	Newark	Arena	1-5	2017	Hosted at the Patriot Ice Center in Newark, Delaware
Florida	[10]	Jacksonville	Arena		2017	Hosted at Veterns Memorial Arena in Jacksonfille, Florida
	[11]	Lake Worth	Arena	4	2019	Formerly the Palm Beach Curling club. Hosted at Palm Beach Skate Zone in Lake Worth, Florida
	[12]	Orlando	Arena		2014	Hosted at Ice Factory in Kissimmee, Florida, and at Daytona Ice Arena in South Daytona, Florida
	[13]	Tampa Bay	Arena		2017	Hosted at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Florida
Georgia	[14]	Atlanta	Arena	5	2010	Hosted at Atlanta Ice Forum
	[15]	Marietta	Dedicated	3	2015	Dedicated facility acquired in 2015
Maine	[16]	Belfast	Dedicated	3	1959	Facility constructed 1962
	[17]	Portland	Arena	3	2015	Hosted at William B. Troubh Ice Arena in Portland, Maine
Maryland	[18]	Easton	Dedicated	3	1980	Located at the Talbot County Community Center in Easton, Maryland. No ice due to renovations during the 2005-2006 season
	Potomac Curling Club[19]	Laurel	Dedicated	4	1961	Acquired dedicated facility in 2002
Massachusetts	[20]	Hopedale	Arena		2016	Hosted at Blackstone Valley IcePlex in Hopedale, Massachusetts
	[21]	Boston	Paper		1890	Originally outdoors at Fresh Pond, Cambridge, Massachusetts and later on Scarboro Pond in Boston, Massachusetts
	Broomstones Curling Club[22]	Wayland	Dedicated	4	1968	The largest dedicated curling club in the Boston area
	[23]	West Roxbury	Paper		1961	Currently plays on ice belonging to The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts
	[24]	Falmouth	Dedicated	3	1969	Curling in current facility since 1975
	[25]	Worcester	Arena	3	2016	Hosted at Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
	[26]	Pittsfield	Arena	4	2017	Hosted at The Boys and Girls Club in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
	[27]	Orleans	Arena	3	2018	Hosted at Charles Moore Arena in Orleans, Massachusetts
	[28]	Lowell	Paper		2008	Formerly the 2006 Greater Lowell Curling Club (paper), now plays at the
	[29]	Nantucket	Arena		2016	Hosted at Nantucket Ice in Nantucket, Massachusetts
	[30]	Walpole	Natural Ice		1951	Started in 1951 with three stones originally from the , founded to experience curling on natural (outdoor) ice
	[31]	Boston	Arena		2017	Hosted at Steriti Memorial Rink in Boston, Massachusetts
	[32]	Petersham	Dedicated	2	1960	Dedicated facility built in 1960
	[33]	Bridgewater	Arena	5	2010	Hosted at Bridgewater Ice Arena in Bridgewater, Massachusetts
	The Country Club[34]	Brookline	Dedicated	4	1920	The site of the first indoor artificially-created ice rink dedicated to curling on December 19, 1920[35]
	[36]	Weston	Paper		1960	Affillated with Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, Massachusetts
New Hampshire	(Hollis, NH)	Nashua	Paper			Plays out of
	[37]	Conway	Arena		2011	Hosted at Ham Public Ice Arena in Conway, New Hampshire
	[38]	Nashua	Dedicated	4	1928	Curling began in 1928 on a frozen pond which is now the thirteenth hole. Dedicated ice shed construction began in 1947
	[39]	Plymouth	Arena	4	2014	Hosted at Plymouth State University Ice Arena in Holderness, New Hampshire
New Jersey	[40]	Mount Laurel	Arena	5	2014	Hosted at The Igloo Ice Rink in Mount Laurel, New Jersey
	Plainfield Curling Club[41]	South Plainfield	Dedicated	2	1963	Current indoor facility constructed in 1967
New York	[42]	Albany	Dedicated	2	1955	Curling happened on the frozen lake at Albany's Washington Park from 1866 to 1902, prior to the 1955 incorporation of the Albany Curling Club
	[43]	Macedon	Paper			Reportedly used by some curlers out of the
	[44]	Ardsley	Dedicated	3	1932	Also home of the New York Caledonian's Curling Club. Initially played out of , its current dedicated facility was constructed in 1966
	[45]	Brooklyn	Arena		2014	Hosted at the Lefrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
	[46]	Ithaca	Arena	4	2017	Hosted at Community Recreation Center The Rink in Ithaca, New York. The 2018-2019 season was cut short due to structural issues.
		Forestport	Natural Ice	Varies	2001	Holds the annual Kayuta Lake Curling Club Winterfest bonspiel on outdoor natural ice in February. Ice conditions permitting.
	[47]	Saranac Lake	Arena	5	1981	Hosted at Saranac Lake Civic Center in Saranac Lake, New York since 2013
	[48]	Syosset	Arena	4	2008	Hosted at the Long Island Sports Hub in Syosset, New York
	[49]	Yonkers	Paper			Curls out of the
	[50]	Rochester	Dedicated	4	1961	A two-sheet dedicated facility was constructed in 1966 and expanded to four sheets in 1972. RCC maintains a connection to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in Edinburgh, Scotland
	[51]	Schenectady	Dedicated	4	1907	Front Street facility at Mohawk Golf Club constructed and opened in 1924 with artificial ice introduced in 1928. Current facility on Balltown Road constructed in 1952
		Dobbs Ferry	Paper		1903	Curls out of the
	Utica Curling Club[52]	Whitestown	Dedicated	6	1868	The facility on Francis Street was destroyed by fire in 1995. The current facility on Clark Mills Road opened in 1996
North Carolina	[53]	Charlotte	Dedicated	4	2010	Current dedicated facility opened in 2014. Formerly known as the Charlotte Centre Curling Club
	[54]	Wilmington	Arena	4	2011	Hosted at the Wilmington Ice House in Wilmington, N.C.
	[55]	Durham	Dedicated	4	1995	Opened its own dedicated facility in 2015
Pennsylvania	[56]	Wilkes-Barre	Arena	4	2006	Hosted at Toyota SportsPlex in Coal Street Park in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania since 2010. Formerly known as the Scranton Curling Club and hosted at the Ice Box in Pittston, Pennsylvania 2006-2008
	[57]	Warminster	Dedicated	4	2010	Dedicated ice since 2015
	[58]	Meadville	Arena	4	2016	Hosted at Meadville Area Recreation Complex (The "MARC") in Meadville, Pennsylvania
	[59]	Pennsylvania	Arena		2019	Hosted at Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State University
	[60]	Paoli	Dedicated	2	1957	Current facility constructed and opened in 1966
	Pittsburgh Curling Club[61]	Pittsburgh	Dedicated	4	2002	New dedicated facility opened Stowe Township in February 2020. Formerly hosted at Robert Morris University Island Sports Center in Glenfield, Pennsylvania
	[62]	Altoona	Arena		2018	Hosted at Galactic Ice in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Rhode Island	[63]	Cranston	Arena	5	2009	Hosted at Veterans Memorial Arena in Cranston, Rhode Island since 2011
South Carolina	[64]	Charleston	Arena		2017	Hosted at Carolina Ice Palace in Charleston, South Carolina
	[65]	Greenville	Arena	4	2010	Hosted at Greenville County Pavilion Recreation Complex in Greenville, South Carolina
Vermont	[66]	Burlington	Paper		2005	Currently play at the in Bedford, Quebec (10 minutes into Canada from the I-89 crossing)
	[67]	Rutland	Arena		2007	Hosted at Giorgetti Arena in Rutland, Vermont
	[68]	Woodstock	Arena		2008	Also known as Upper Valley Curling. Hosted at Wendell A. Barwood Arena in White River Junction, Vermont.
Virginia	[69]	Charlottesville	Arena	3	2016	Hosted at Main Street Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia
	[70]	Richmond	Arena	3	2011	Hosted at The Richmond Ice Zone in Chsterfield, Virginia
	[71]	Roanoke	Arena		2018	Hosted at Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia

Events[]

These events are GNCC Sponsored Events, and do not include the events that are sponsored by the GNCC Member Clubs.

• Men's
  • Francis Dykes Bonspiel (5 and under)
  • Ross Tarlton
  • Senior Men’s
  • Gordon International
  • Gordon-Emmet – The oldest consecutive event in North America.
• Women's
  • Senior Women’s
  • Elisabeth Childs Challenge (5 and under)
• Mixed/Open
  • Senior Mixed
  • Raymond Kayser Memorial Bonspiel (5 and under)
  • Mixed Doubles
  • Arena Club Championship (open event for arena club members only)^[72]

Past presidents[]

In 2018, the GNCC implemented a "New Management Plan". This expanded and reorganized its leadership positions. As part of this change, the highest-ranked officer of the GNCC is now "Chairman of the Board of Directors", eliminating the position of "President".^[74][75]

References[]

External links[]

• Grand National Curling Club