Grand National Curling Club

Grand National Curling Club

Sport	Curling
Jurisdiction	Regional
Membership	73 curling clubs
Abbreviation	GNCC
Founded	1867
Affiliation	None
Official website
www.gncc.org

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 1950s, which split the GNCC into 10 Regions to compete in a U.S. Men's National Curling Championship. The champion would represent the United States in the newly created Men's World Curling Championships.

The GNCC is the union of curling clubs in the Eastern United States. Following the splitting of the GNCC into 10 regions in the 1950s, the GNCC remained as the Eastern US Region, with most of its clubs located in the North-East US From Maine to Virginia. In recent years the growth of new clubs has included both the North-East and South-East United States. As of December 2021, the GNCC includes 73 curling clubs in 18 States.^[1][2] States represented include, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.

Origins and history

In response to a May 1867 advertisement in The Scottish-American Journal, 33 delegates from seven clubs from across the U.S. met on June 26, 1867 in the Caledonian Club rooms in New York City. The seven original clubs were:

1. Caledonian Club (New York, New York)
2. New York Club (New York, New York)
3. Thistle Club (New York, New York)
4. St. Andrew's Club (New York, New York)
5. Paterson Club (Paterson, New Jersey)
6. Caledonian Club (Buffalo, New York)
7. Burns Club (Cleveland, Ohio)

Rather than join the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in Scotland, the delegates decided to form a national organization. On a motion by Mr. James Brand, Caledonian, New York, the new club was called the "Grand National Curling Club of America" and became the first national curling organization in America. Within a few months, additional clubs joined the GNCC from Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The earliest documented club in the current GNCC geographic area was the New England Curling Club of Boston, established sometime prior to 1839.^[3]

In the 1950s a Men's World Championship was being organized. The GNCC reorganized and created the United States Curling Association, dividing the GNCC into 10 Regional organizations. This division was to allow a National Playdown with 10 teams. The Grand National Curling Club became a regional association representing the clubs in the eastern United States. Regional based national playdowns are no longer competed to determine the United States Championships.

The GNCC provides many services to its member clubs. These include, mentoring new clubs, stone rental program for the creation of new clubs, training programs for curlers, coaches and ice technicians, just to name a few. The GNCC also has programs to help clubs perform emergency repairs, programs to help clubs become dedicated ice facilities, and programs to support Junior Curling development. This is NOT an all-inclusive list. New programs are created as needed to help the regional clubs develop and grow. The GNCC works to develop and nurture clubs from initial inception through building dedicated facilities and beyond. The GNCC also has a GNCC Club insurance program available to its member clubs, providing great coverage at reasonable rates.

The GNCC holds many regional championships. Including, Men's, Women's, Mixed, Jr Men's, Jr Women's, Mixed Doubles, Senior Men's, Senior Women's, College, Arena, 5 & Under Men's, 5 & Under Women's and 5 & Under Mixed. The GNCC Holds 2 annual International Events. The oldest dating back to the 1870's is the Gordon International, with the GNCC competing with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, Montreal Branch. In the 1960s the Ross Tarlton was created with the GNCC competing with the Ontario Curling Association. The GNCC began the Scottish Tour with competition between the GNCC (then representing the entire United States) and the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland in the late 1800s. The GNCC/Scotland Scottish Tour held a competition every 5 years, alternating between the United States and Scotland. With the creation of the United States Curling Association in the 1950s, the Scottish tour was changed to the United States Curling Association vs the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland. The Scottish Tour continues to be held every 5 years alternating between the United States and Scotland.

In addition to the activities above, the GNCC represents its clubs to the USCA, acting as the conduit for their clubs to the USCA. In 2022, the USCA Board of Directors removed the GNCC as a member region due to non-compliance with the USCA bylaws. ^[4] Two-thirds of the USA Curling members voted to ratify the decision at the annual Members' Assembly in October 2022.

Member clubs

State	Club Name	City/Town	Type	Sheets	Year Founded	Notes
Alabama	Rocket City Curling Club[5]	Huntsville	Arena	5	2018	Hosted at the Ice Sports Center in Huntsville, Alabama
Connecticut	Hartford Curling Club[6]	Hartford	Arena	3	1908	Originally incorporated 1908-1973, re-incorporated 2015. Hosted at Veterans Memorial Ice Skating Rink in West Hartford, Connecticut
	LBI Curling Club[7]	Bridgeport	Paper			Named after Long Beach Island, NJ
	Norfolk Curling Club[8]	Norfolk	Dedicated	2	1956	Destroyed by arson in December 2011, rebuild completed in October 2013
	Nutmeg Curling Club[9]	Bridgeport	Dedicated	3	1960	Dedicated facility acquired in 2006
Delaware	Diamond State Curling Club[10]	Newark	Arena	1-5	2017	Hosted at the Patriot Ice Center in Newark, Delaware
Florida	Jacksonville Granite Curling Club[11]	Jacksonville	Arena		2017	Hosted at Veterns Memorial Arena in Jacksonfille, Florida
	Loggerhead Curling Club[12]	Lake Worth	Arena	4	2019	Formerly the Palm Beach Curling club. Hosted at Palm Beach Skate Zone in Lake Worth, Florida
	Orlando Curling Club[13]	Orlando	Arena		2014	Hosted at Ice Factory in Kissimmee, Florida, and at Daytona Ice Arena in South Daytona, Florida
	Tampa Bay Curling Club[14]	Tampa Bay	Arena		2017	Hosted at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Florida
Georgia	Atlanta Curling Club[15]	Atlanta	Arena	5	2010	Hosted at Atlanta Ice Forum
	Peachtree Curling Association[16]	Marietta	Dedicated	3	2015	Dedicated facility acquired in 2015
Maine	Belfast Curling Club[17]	Belfast	Dedicated	3	1959	Facility constructed 1962
	Pine Tree Curling Club[18]	Portland	Arena	3	2015	Hosted at William B. Troubh Ice Arena in Portland, Maine
Maryland	Chesapeake Curling Club[19]	Easton	Dedicated	3	1980	Located at the Talbot County Community Center in Easton, Maryland. No ice due to renovations during the 2005-2006 season
	Potomac Curling Club[20]	Laurel	Dedicated	4	1961	Acquired dedicated facility in 2002
Massachusetts	Blackstone Valley Curling Club[21]	Hopedale	Arena		2016	Hosted at Blackstone Valley IcePlex in Hopedale, Massachusetts
	Boston Curling Club[22]	Boston	Paper		1890	Originally outdoors at Fresh Pond, Cambridge, Massachusetts and later on Scarboro Pond in Boston, Massachusetts
	Broomstones Curling Club[23]	Wayland	Dedicated	4	1968	The largest dedicated curling club in the Boston area
	Canadian Club of Boston[24]	West Roxbury	Paper		1961	Currently plays on ice belonging to The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts
	Cape Cod Curling Club[25]	Falmouth	Dedicated	3	1969	Curling in current facility since 1975
	Colonial Curling Association[26]	Worcester	Arena	3	2016	Hosted at Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
	Curling Club of the Berkshires[27]	Pittsfield	Arena	4	2017	Hosted at The Boys and Girls Club in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
	Lower Cape Curling Club[28]	Orleans	Arena	3	2018	Hosted at Charles Moore Arena in Orleans, Massachusetts
	Merrimack Valley Curling Club[29]	Lowell	Paper		2008	Formerly the 2006 Greater Lowell Curling Club (paper), now plays at the Nashua Curling Club
	Nantucket Curling Club[30]	Nantucket	Arena		2016	Hosted at Nantucket Ice in Nantucket, Massachusetts
	New Pond Curling Club[31]	Walpole	Natural Ice		1951	Started in 1951 with three stones originally from the Lake Placid Curling Club, founded to experience curling on natural (outdoor) ice
	North End Curling Club[32]	Boston	Arena		2017	Hosted at Steriti Memorial Rink in Boston, Massachusetts
	Petersham Curling Club[33]	Petersham	Dedicated	2	1960	Dedicated facility built in 1960
	South Shore Curling Club[34]	Bridgewater	Arena	5	2010	Hosted at Bridgewater Ice Arena in Bridgewater, Massachusetts
	The Country Club[35]	Brookline	Dedicated	4	1920	The site of the first indoor artificially-created ice rink dedicated to curling on December 19, 1920[36]
	Weston Curling Club[37]	Weston	Paper		1960	Affiliated with Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, Massachusetts
New Hampshire	Granite Curling Club (Hollis, NH)	Nashua	Paper			Plays out of Nashua Country Club
	Mount Washington Valley Curling Club[38]	Conway	Arena		2011	Hosted at Ham Public Ice Arena in Conway, New Hampshire
	Nashua Country Club[39]	Nashua	Dedicated	4	1928	Curling began in 1928 on a frozen pond which is now the thirteenth hole. Dedicated ice shed construction began in 1947
	Plymouth Rocks Curling Club[40]	Plymouth	Arena	4	2014	Hosted at Plymouth State University Ice Arena in Holderness, New Hampshire
New Jersey	Jersey Pinelands Curling Club[41]	Mount Laurel	Arena	5	2014	Hosted at The Igloo Ice Rink in Mount Laurel, New Jersey
	Plainfield Curling Club[42]	South Plainfield	Dedicated	2	1963	Current indoor facility constructed in 1967
New York	Albany Curling Club[43]	Albany	Dedicated	2	1955	Curling happened on the frozen lake at Albany's Washington Park from 1866 to 1902, prior to the 1955 incorporation of the Albany Curling Club
	Amherst Curling Club[44]	Macedon	Paper			Reportedly used by some curlers out of the Rochester Curling Club
	Ardsley Curling Club[45]	Ardsley	Dedicated	3	1932	Also home of the New York Caledonian's Curling Club. Initially played out of St. Andrew's Curling Club, its current dedicated facility was constructed in 1966
	Brooklyn Lakeside Curling Club[46]	Brooklyn	Arena	5	2014	Hosted at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
	Finger Lakes Curling Club[47]	Ithaca	Arena	4	2017	Hosted at Community Recreation Center The Rink in Ithaca, New York. The 2018-2019 season was cut short due to structural issues.
	Kayuta Lake Curling Club	Forestport	Natural Ice	Varies	2001	Holds the annual Kayuta Lake Curling Club Winterfest bonspiel on outdoor natural ice in February. Ice conditions permitting.
	Lake Placid Curling Club[48]	Saranac Lake	Arena	5	1981	Hosted at Saranac Lake Civic Center in Saranac Lake, New York since 2013
	Long Island Curling Club[49]	Syosset	Arena	4	2008	Hosted at the Long Island Sports Hub in Syosset, New York
	New York Caledonian Curling Club[50]	Yonkers	Paper			Curls out of the Ardsley Curling Club
	Rochester Curling Club[51]	Rochester	Dedicated	4	1961	A two-sheet dedicated facility was constructed in 1966 and expanded to four sheets in 1972. RCC maintains a connection to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in Edinburgh, Scotland
	Schenectady Curling Club[52]	Schenectady	Dedicated	4	1907	Front Street facility at Mohawk Golf Club constructed and opened in 1924 with artificial ice introduced in 1928. Current facility on Balltown Road constructed in 1952
	St. Andrew's Curling Club	Dobbs Ferry	Paper		1903	Curls out of the Ardsley Curling Club
	Utica Curling Club[53]	Whitestown	Dedicated	6	1868	The facility on Francis Street was destroyed by fire in 1995. The current facility on Clark Mills Road opened in 1996
North Carolina	Charlotte Curling Association[54]	Charlotte	Dedicated	4	2010	Current dedicated facility opened in 2014. Formerly known as the Charlotte Centre Curling Club
	Coastal Carolina Curling Club[55]	Wilmington	Arena	4	2011	Hosted at the Wilmington Ice House in Wilmington, N.C.
	Triangle Curling Club[56]	Durham	Dedicated	4	1995	Opened its own dedicated facility in 2015
Pennsylvania	Anthracite Curling Club[57]	Wilkes-Barre	Arena	4	2006	Hosted at Toyota SportsPlex in Coal Street Park in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania since 2010. Formerly known as the Scranton Curling Club and hosted at the Ice Box in Pittston, Pennsylvania 2006-2008
	Bucks County Curling Club[58]	Warminster	Dedicated	4	2010	Dedicated ice since 2015
	French Creek Curling Club[59]	Meadville	Arena	4	2016	Hosted at Meadville Area Recreation Complex (The "MARC") in Meadville, Pennsylvania
	Nittany Valley Curling Club[60]	Pennsylvania	Arena		2019	Hosted at Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State University
	Philadelphia Curling Club[61]	Paoli	Dedicated	2	1957	Current facility constructed and opened in 1966
	Pittsburgh Curling Club[62]	Pittsburgh	Dedicated	4	2002	New dedicated facility opened Stowe Township in February 2020. Formerly hosted at Robert Morris University Island Sports Center in Glenfield, Pennsylvania
	Rail City Curling Club[63]	Altoona	Arena		2018	Hosted at Galactic Ice in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Rhode Island	Ocean State Curling Club[64]	Smithfield	Arena	5	2009	Hosted at Smithfield Municipal Ice Rink in Smithfield, Rhode Island since 2019
South Carolina	Charleston Curling Club[65]	Charleston	Arena		2017	Hosted at Carolina Ice Palace in Charleston, South Carolina
	Palmetto Curling Club[66]	Greenville	Arena	4	2010	Hosted at Greenville County Pavilion Recreation Complex in Greenville, South Carolina
Vermont	Green Mountain Curling Club[67]	Burlington	Paper		2005	Currently play at the Bedford Curling Club in Bedford, Quebec (10 minutes into Canada from the I-89 crossing)
	Rutland Rocks Curling Club[68]	Rutland	Arena		2007	Hosted at Giorgetti Arena in Rutland, Vermont
	Woodstock Curling Club[69]	Woodstock	Arena		2008	Also known as Upper Valley Curling. Hosted at Wendell A. Barwood Arena in White River Junction, Vermont.
Virginia	Blue Ridge Curling Club[70]	Charlottesville	Arena	3	2016	Hosted at Main Street Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia
	Curling Club of Virginia[71]	Richmond	Arena	3	2011	Hosted at The Richmond Ice Zone in Chesterfield, Virginia
	Roanoke Valley Curling Club[72]	Roanoke	Arena		2018	Hosted at Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia

Events

These events are GNCC Sponsored Events, and do not include the events that are sponsored by the GNCC Member Clubs.

• Men's
  • Francis Dykes Bonspiel (5 and under)
  • Ross Tarlton
  • Senior Men’s
  • Gordon International
  • Gordon-Emmet – The oldest consecutive event in North America.
• Women's
  • Senior Women’s
  • Elisabeth Childs Challenge (5 and under)
• Mixed/Open
  • Senior Mixed
  • Raymond Kayser Memorial Bonspiel (5 and under)
  • Mixed Doubles
  • Arena Club Championship (open event for arena club members only)^[73]

Past presidents

In 2018, the GNCC implemented a "New Management Plan". This expanded and reorganized its leadership positions. As part of this change, the highest-ranked officer of the GNCC is now "Chairman of the Board of Directors", eliminating the position of "President".^[75][76]

References

External links

• Grand National Curling Club