Club History

Curling has been popular in High River since the Curling Society was formed in 1906 with a lofty annual fee of $10.

The first draws were held in the “Big Skating Rink”. Within a few years the club built its own facility on Centre Street and the sport flourished. In 1916 Bert Poile of High River was elected president of the Alberta Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. As well, several early High River curling enthusiasts are Life Members of the Alberta Curling Federation.

Following World War II, a new 4 sheet cement block curling rink, complete with lunch counter and viewing lounge, was constructed on the same street. In 1953 an artificial ice plant was installed and local curling no longer depended for its ice on the whims of Alberta winters and their Chinook heat waves. No longer was it necessary to slide, deliver and sweep rocks in several inches of water or slush.

Fifty rinks were entered in the 1955 Green Spiel and an equally popular event was the Foothills bonspiel which was hosted each year by a rotation of six curling clubs in surrounding foothills towns. The present curling club was established in 1981 with the completion of the “Recplex” and it was around this time that the name was changed to Highwood Curling Club. Over the years the club has sent many rinks to provincial and national playdowns. Competitive men's, ladies', high school, Legion, and farmers' rinks have all been a credit to the Highwood Club.

• Senior Men's in 1981
• Mixed in 1987 and 2008
• Tournament of Hearts Ladies' in 1989
• Senior Ladies' in 1989
• Masters Men's and Ladies' in 1995,2009 and 2010

In 2011, the club successfully hosted the Provincial Men's Brier which was staged on arena ice in High River. It was, without a doubt, the most prestigious curling event ever held here and was a real crowd pleaser and financial success. Among the rinks competing were the Canadian and World Curling Champions (Kevin Koe), and the Olympic Champions (Kevin Martin).

 

Today, the Highwood Curling Club offers a diverse range of programs for all ages. We have been very successful in developing our Junior and Teen leagues, with many of our older teens progressing to participate in evening league play. Our Seniors’ Mixed Curling and the ever-popular Seniors’ Mixed Sturling leagues continue to thrive, reflecting strong and consistent participation.

Our evening leagues are also experiencing steady growth, including Monday Mixed Doubles and Wednesday MixUPs. Looking ahead to September 2026, we are excited about the anticipated launch of a Ladies League, which we expect will attract strong membership.

We are also proud of the long-standing commitment of our members. Our oldest member, Kay Wild, will celebrate her 92nd birthday this November. Kay remains an active participant in Seniors’ Mixed Curling and proudly represented the Highwood Curling Club when we hosted the 2024 Provincial Stick Curling Championships. She had the honour of delivering the official ceremonial rock during the opening ceremonies.  One of our longtime club members, Ray Ryland, along with Tyler Tardi, who served as the alternate on Brad Jacobs’ Canadian team that won gold at the 2025 World Men’s Curling Championship were on hand to sweep Kay's rock into the House.

Please feel free to contact our club with any questions or enquiries that you may have.   Thank you.

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Kate Renz,   President

HIGHWOOD CURLING CLUB  ~~ WHERE OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTS