// TALES FROM SHEET NINE Medford celebrates 100 years of curling fun


by David Garber, Emeritus Editor dj.garber@tds.net


club’s 100th anniversary. Te club, founded in 1914, opened its current four-sheet facility in January 1946, on land donated by the Hurd Mill- work Co., and with roof trusses and lumber do- nated from a building no longer in use. Members have made periodic improvements, maintaining a modern, first-class curling facility. Te party featured ample hor d’oeuvres, pre-


O


pared by the Lochettes, and beverages from the club’s famous bar. Te area’s Wisconsin sena- tor and representative presented the club with a congratulatory citation from the state legislature, and with a flag that had flown over the state capi- tol. Bill Grunewald was emcee and Elmer Balko, Carol Arnett and Jim Peterson told great stories of the old days. I was honored to be invited to speak in view of


my past connections with both the club and the United States Curling Association (USCA), com- mencing in 1960s when my parents had compet- ed several times in the Medford Mixed Bonspiel. In 1970, my brother’s high school team had lost to Medford’s state champs in the sectional final. Ten from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, my rink mates and I competed in the annual Silver Dollar Bonspiel, and on Monday nights, in the Tombstone Pizza Super league. We enjoyed the fellowship, good competition with teams from Eau Claire, Wausau, Marshfield, and Medford,


n Jan. 23, more than 100 curlers and friends gathered at the Medford (Wis.) Curling Club to celebrate the


plus free pizza, but not always the 90-minute drive home. Te centennial chair is Jeff “Sixty” Mueller;


club president is Mary Nelson. Congratulations to the Medford Curling Club! Reader input: Are your WWII stones at the bottom of the Atlantic?


Angus MacTavish, historical scholar/member


of the Detroit Curling Club, contacted me and asked if I would encourage readers to respond to this question: “Did your club lose an order of stones during World War II due to the delivery ship being sunk by German U-Boats?” At least two clubs have said “yes.” But … Angus has found a convincing article


debunking a story told in 1974 by the then De- troit club historian: “In 1941 … a lousy Boche sub sank the ship carrying our stones. Some- where in the deep Atlantic lie fiſty sets of beau- tiful Ailsa Craigs. …we had to wait until the following season for the replacements before we could curl with our new matched stones.” Check this link to find out why this did not hap- pen: http://detroitcurling.blogspot.com/2013/03/ even-james-cameron-could-not-find-them.html. Te Wausau Curling Club evidently has a sim-


ilar story. Club members are welcome to contact me at dj.garber@tds.net with stories of lost rock shipments incurred, in any war since 1511. Scottish Intelligence seeking Curling News Columnist


I confess to having an extensive international


criminal record. In 1957, I brought an old-style manual lawn mower into my cousins’ home in Cardiff, Wales, and mowed the carpet (which


never grew back). In 1977, I became a


productive


member of the Victorian Sporting Club in Lon- don, participating in games of chance, quite le- gal, but indicative of a questionable lifestyle. Inevitably, in 2003 in Italy, my dear spouse


and I were pinched for the serious crime of jay- walking across railroad tracks, when we should have lugged our heavy bags down the steps, un- der the rails, and up the steps. For this crime, we each paid 5 Euro fines following our arrest by two railroad cops (no one was roughed up). To avoid a further charge of bribery, I waited until the paperwork was completed and the fines were paid before asking the cops if they had kids. Tey did, so I gave each a USCA lapel pin to give to the kids, as a gesture of reconciliation, hoping this act would ensure we could cross into Europe on future trips without having to take off our shoes in some poorly lit concrete-block-lined back room at Schiphol. So all seemed well, until recently. Not long


aſter I meddled in the recent Scottish indepen- dence election, through comments written in this very column, I was contacted by Scottish MI6 agents stationed “somewhere in the Mid- west.” Tey wanted to know if I had any single malt mini-bottles leſt over from my return from the 2001 USCA Scotland Tour. I said yes (I can- not tell a lie), but refused to disclose where I kept them. I think they are actually aſter a wee dram from the Balvenie 21 Port Wood bottle I hide on my property. Bring it on, lads. n


USOC Helping to Lay the Foundation for USA Curling Te United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has renewed a matching grant


to help USA Curling Build the House. Tis grant will provide up to $25,000 additional dollars to support the growth of curling in the United States.


For every new donor who contributes, or current donors who increase their giſt, the USOC


will match the donation dollar for dollar. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your donation. Make your giſt online at www.2dialog.com/usacurling/donate or mail your giſt to: USA Curling, 5525 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482


USA Curling (( 31


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