ECC 50th Anniversary Snippets- Do You Want to Bonspiel

Editor: Ron Keyser
Date: 2024-03-13

DO YOU WANT TO BONSPIEL?

March is always a busy bonspiel month and this year is no exception with the long-held ROBERT YOUNG WOMEN’S spiel followed by the equally historic “SKINS” and then a CLUB CLOSING spiel. If you look in the trophy case at the Club you will see that a team of  D McKee, S Challice and P Munroe skipped by E Tedford won the Robert Young in 1977. Looking at another trophy you can see that Bill Howard, his son Russ (yes, that Russ) and Russ’s son Steven with – won the 1996 “Skins.” Sometimes bonspiels in those early years were known for other than their distinguished guests. The EMERALD ISLE and the CANDLELIGHT AND WINE spiels seem to have a special history. Previously hidden photos reveal scenes that may reflect the effects of the candlelight or it may have been the wine. Who knows?

There are tales of spiels that began on a Friday and ended late Sunday only in time to go to work Monday morning. Rumours persist that on some occasions activities continued through the night that involved more liquid than curling. The CHICKEN SPIEL, started by BLAIR and CAROLYN MILLS, ran for at least 24 years maybe mostly on the fumes of the “Yellowbirds” Blair’s recipe created. But you know rumours are often untrue.

Whatever the truth about the past, our spiels seem to have mellowed over time. A more restrained RUSTY SHOTS opened seasons for several years and “CURL FOR A CAUSE” over 12 seasons raised in the area of $90,000.00 for local charities. And those are only a few of the bonspiels that have been held at the ECC.

One of the relatively recent highlights was hosting the PROVINCIAL SENIORS competition, which coincided with the huge renovation the Club took on in 2014. The Ontario Curling Association representatives were delighted – actually amazed – that a Club so small as ours could produce such remarkable results. The legendary “Hutch” and others from OCA (now CurlOn) have often repeated how much they enjoyed Ennismore hospitality and well-run competition.

With the Closing Spiel for 2024 soon to take place, we might look back at the highly successful Closing Spiels run by SUE and RON HAWTHORN and LINDA and MIKE BOSILJEVIC. A person had to sign up near the start of the season to ensure a place. Each season a chosen country was celebrated with costumes and delicious food from that nation. At the end of the spiel, people voted on what country to celebrate in the next year. 2018 was Canada. But even good things don’t last forever. And then came COVID.

This year the Club has 10 bonspiels, almost as many as the busiest years of 14 before COVID. Those big years often saw half visiting and half Club teams. Those same years, ECC curlers were reciprocating the visits from other clubs and curling in Interclub and other away spiels and in Provincial competitions. The level of activity was higher than almost all other clubs in the area and we have returned to near that, a tribute to all the ECC people who make these bonspiels happen.