Broomstones Curling Club is the largest
curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...
club in the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area, with a membership of over 400 active curlers, four sheets, and curling leagues every day of the week during the winter curling season. Broomstones is affiliated with the
Grand National Curling Club
The Grand National Curling Club (GNCC), founded in 1867, was the first National Curling Organization encompassing the entire United States. It remained the national organization until it created the United States Curling Association (USCA) in the ...
. A unique feature of the club is its origin by and separate maintenance of three separate curling clubs in the area that combined to share resources, but maintain individual identity for national competition purposes.
History
The sport of curling was introduced to the Boston area in the 1800s, and the first indoor curling club in the United States was opened in Boston, MA in 1881. The Boston area was home to the first ever curling game held on purpose built artificial ice, in the Boston Arena, on January 18, 1911 A large number of curling clubs formed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, either curling on outdoor ice, or indoors within the purviews of a Country Club or other sporting organization. Some clubs did not have their own ice, but instead rented access from others.
Three Boston-area curling clubs, the
Brae Burn, Wellesley, and Weston
country club
A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offer ...
s had been renting ice from
The Country Club
The Country Club, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, is the oldest golf-oriented country club in the United States. (The Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854, was the first country club for any sport.) It holds an important place in ...
, and wanted to have their own ice. When Wellesley and Weston denied petitions to build a curling facility, the curling members of those country clubs decided to affiliate and build a facility which the respective clubs could share.
At the time, it was decided that the clubs would maintain their own identities, memberships, and finances. Broomstones, Inc. was established to act as the owner of the facility, and two of the three clubs (Wellesley and Weston) rented ice-time from it. The arrangement was successful, and in 1978, Brae Burn joined Broomstones.
Over the years, a group identity and sense of camaraderie was established, and in 1992, Broomstones became more than just the facility owner; it became a curling club in its own right. Today, the Brae Burn, Wellesley and Weston curling clubs still exist as independent entities, but most curlers at Broomstones are members of the Broomstones Curling Club, Any Broomstones member can choose to also join one of the other three clubs.
Broomstones Curling Club, like many American curling clubs, has enjoyed a huge increase in membership since Curling has become a Winter Olympic Sport in the 1990s. Broomstones is part of the Grand National Curling Club, the United States Curling Association and the United States Women's Curling Association.
Championship Host Site
Broomstones, along with The Country Club (Brookline, MA) were the hosts for the 2011
United States Senior Curling Championships
The United States Senior Curling Championships are the annual national curling championships for seniors in the United States. The United States Curling Association (USCA) defines seniors as adults over the age of 50. The champions go on to represe ...
The club also hosted the
2012 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, held from December 7 to 11, 2011
In 2019, Broomstones hosted the
USA College Curling National Championship.
In 2023, Broomstones is set to host the USA Junior National Championships.
Notable members
* Shelly Dropkin won Silver as the lead on Team USA for the
2022 World Senior Curling Championships
*
Korey Dropkin
Korey Dropkin (born June 11, 1995) is an American curler originally from Southborough, Massachusetts.
Curling career
Juniors
As a junior curler, Dropkin won three United States Junior Curling Championships, playing third for brother Stephen ...
originally curled at Broomstones prior to his professional career.
*
Monica Walker
Monica Walker (born February 20, 1987) is an American curler originally from Brighton, Massachusetts. She is a three-time national champion.
Curling career
Walker began curling in 1997. In adult competitions, she placed 4th at the U.S. Natio ...
and mixed doubles partner Alex Leichter are Broomstones members.
References
External links
Official Broomstones website
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Curling clubs established in 1968
Curling clubs in the United States
1968 establishments in Massachusetts
Curling in Massachusetts