CLUB NEWS
What makes the Wausau Curling Center 'state of the art?'
By David Garber, Emeritus Editor
bers had extensive work to clean up each fall and vacate each spring. But the club was able to maintain a healthy membership, be a leader in high school curling, and add a fiſth sheet in the 1970s. Te Wausau Curling Center is a continuation of that progressive curling tradition. During the planning process for the new facility, Cal Tillisch visited
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Eight sheets of ice await members and visitors to the Wausau Curling Center in Wausau, Wis., which opened its doors in 2012.
Continued from Page 10: “During construction, Cal and other club officials hosted delegations
from the World Curling Federation and the Chinese Curling Federation, a tour arranged by the USCA, and the Great Britain Tourism Authority as the project attracted widespread attention from the curling world.” (Tillisch has always planned to host national and international events, the first being the 2014 U.S. Senior Men’s National Bonspiel.) Wausau CC President Jeff Stubbe and Immediate Past President Corey
Sandquist: “Cal Tillisch has been devoting countless hours to the vision of the club for over 10 years.” Brian Gumness, Executive Director of the B.A. and Esther Greenheck
Foundation, a major donor, recalls, “I was a rookie curler at a fall rookie clinic 12 years ago, instructed by Cal Tillisch. Since then, Cal spent count- less hours, he wore his passion on his sleeve as he developed the relation- ships required to make this project come to life.” How does one raise $5 million plus land in a small town?
In 2002, area architects donated drawings for Cal’s use to show poten-
tial donors, political entities and others. “Te process started slowly and snowballed so much that the last three years were crazy.” Tillisch knew that substantial donations would be needed to convert the vision to reality. “Te Olympic sport connection helped with publicity and helped enable the club to gain status as a non-profit organization (501c3). Non-profit status opened the door wide for foundation giving. “We have a large cemetery on one side of us," Tillisch said. "Te Cemetery
Association donated 16 acres of land. Te other side of our property is an old landfill on which soccer fields are now being built. We are proud of the new access road, built by the city, which is called Curling Way. Te Wausau Curling Center is the ‘front door’ to the new soccer fields.” Cash donations totaled $3.5 million; in-kind donations are valued at
about $1.5 million, including a commercial-grade kitchen; ducts and fans for heating, air conditioning and dehumidification; all tile in and outside the building; and bathrooms fixtures. Te financial future looks good, says Tillisch. “We have a positive cash
flow right now with no additional dues increases. On the other hand, we will need to start thinking about capital needs in several years to be pre- pared for 30-40 years from now when major building maintenance needs inevitably arise.” n
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usacurl.org ))
other large curling facilities, like the Curl Mesabi and Duluth clubs. He also asked several experts to “wave your magic wand” to create the best facility you can imagine. Included among this group were experienced ice makers Mike Fraboni, Larry Sharp and John Williamson, Paralym- pic coach Steve Brown, and others, who provided tips and ideas for an ideal facility. Here are some of the world-class features of the Wausau Curling Center: •
Plenty of electrical outlets are installed just behind the glass for computers and equipment for coaches, timers and others, some- thing not needed 20 years ago.
• Te facility is highly accessible for wheelchair curlers and spec- tators.
• A unisex locker room saves space; there are separate gender bathrooms and changing rooms.
• A modern classroom can seat 35 students. • Overhead cameras and TVs for behind the glass viewing of each sheet are situated to show the house and short guards.
•
Ice lighting meets modern TV standards; no additional lights need be brought in for televised events.
• Te laser-leveled 5-inch concrete pad (standard is 4”) should last more than 40 years.
•
Four hoses are used to flood, from a 1,400 gallon tank of reverse- osmosis water also used for pebbling. Pebbling water is heated in large quantities for eight sheets. Outside water is treated four times: soſtened, carbon-filtered, then twice through reverse os- mosis.
•
In the scraper room, the scraper blades rest on a cooled surface using small coolant pipes split off the main pipes, eliminating need for a warm-up period before scraping.
• Te 3.5” space between plastic coolant pipes leaves smaller gaps than the 4” standard.
•
Six-foot walkways all around keep the ice away from outer walls and doors to eliminate “bad outside sheet syndrome.”
• Te building is aligned directionally to minimize sun on walls of ice areas.
• Te stones are new, Welsh Red Trevor, secured through a foun- dation grant Tillisch wrote. Finally, Tillisch conducted a mem- ber survey to determine priority needs for the new club facility. Te top three preferences were to have “bigger women’s rest- rooms, keep the club room on the side of the sheets, and have a plaid carpet.” Tese preferences have been fulfilled. n
urling in Wausau (pop. 39,000) started in the early 1920s, and by the 1940s, a club facility was established in Marathon Park, in a building used for farm animals in summer. Te mem-
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