The Kitchener-Waterloo Granite Curling Club (branded as the KW Granite Club) is a

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 slidi ...

club on Seagram Drive in

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto. Due to the close proximity of the ci ...

History

The club was formed in 1927 as the Granite Club by the Athletic Association of Kitchener and Waterloo (AAKW), which was briefly called the Kitchener Curling Club. The club played on a five-sheet rink at 69 Agnes Street in Kitchener. The AAKW had been formed by members of the clubs located at the corners of Erb and Regina streets in Waterloo and Gaukel Street in Kitchener (previously Berlin). Curling had been played at those clubs since the 1880s. The club adopted the name "Granite Club" to appeal to more than just curling. Artificial ice was added in 1928. In 1928, the Kitchener Tennis Club built five courts next to the club, and in 1931 the K-W Badminton Club added an addition. From 1941 to 1948 the K-W Skating Club also called the Granite home, until moving to the

Waterloo Memorial Arena The Waterloo Memorial Arena was an arena located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 1947 and primarily used by the Waterloo Siskins junior B hockey team, although it was also once briefly home to the Waterloo Hurricanes major junior tea ...

. Also in 1948, a Ladies section was added to the club. On May 8, 1955 a fire caused by careless children destroyed half the building, gutting the badminton club and some of the curling facilities. Damages totalled at $200,000. The club rebuilt and remained on Agnes Street until moving to its present location Waterloo in 2003. The badminton club remained on Agnes Street. The current

Waterloo Park Waterloo Park is an urban park situated in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada on land within Block 2 of the Haldimand Tract. Spanning 111 acres within the Uptown area of Waterloo, it opened in 1893 and is the oldest park in the city. Managed by the Cit ...

site of the Granite Club previously housed the K-W Skating Club before it relocated to

RIM Park RIM Park is a 500-acre (2 km²) city park facility offering both outdoor and indoor amenities on the northeast side of the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, near the Eastbridge neighbourhood. Key facilities and features include the Manulif ...

. Called the "Rink in the Park", the Granite Club officially opened the building to the public on September 30, 2003, in time for the annual curling season. The club has hosted the 1980

World Junior Curling Championships The World Junior Curling Championships are an annual curling bonspiel featuring the world's best curlers who are 21 years old or younger. The competitions for both men and women occur at the same venue. The men's tournament has occurred since 19 ...

, the 1969 and 1975 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship and the 2004 M&M Meat Shops Skins Game. The club also hosts the annual KW Fall Classic

World Curling Tour The World Curling Tour (WCT) is a group of curling bonspiels featuring the best male, female, and mixed doubles curlers in the world. History The World Curling Tour was founded by former World Champion Ed Lukowich, with later assistance from John ...

event.

Provincial champions

References

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External links

Official site
Curling clubs in Ontario Sport in Waterloo, Ontario Sport in Kitchener, Ontario Curling clubs established in the 20th century Sports clubs and teams established in 1927 1927 establishments in Ontario Sports venues in Waterloo, Ontario Sports venues completed in 2003