Club History

CURRENTLY UNDER REVISION

Eau Claire Curling Club History                                                                                       Written and Photos By Bob Fuller 
Founding of the Club (1876 & 1956)

The history of the Eau Claire Curling Club (ECCC) dates back to January 14, 1876, as discovered in a 2012 article from the [CLICK] Eau Claire Daily Free Press. The initial establishment was informal but reflected the growing popularity of curling in Eau Claire. Curling, a sport that originated in Scotland, found its way into the cold Wisconsin winters, allowing residents to participate in the age-old game.

Fast forward to 1956, the club formally incorporated as the Indianhead Curling Club. On June 20, 1956, George Carroll, J.W. Lowe, Ian MacKenzie, Sy Manix, Harold Smith, and Raymond Beede signed and notarized the Articles of Incorporation, which were filed by Wisconsin Secretary of State Mrs. Glenn M. Wise on June 22, 1956. This marked the official beginning of the modern ECCC which officially changed it's name form the Indianhead Curling Club to the current Eau Claire Curling Club in 1995. 

First Venue: Eau Claire County Fair Building

Initially, the Indianhead Curling Club began its indoor curling operations at the Eau Claire County fair building on Fairfax Avenue in Altoona. The building was modest, featuring just two sheets of natural ice. Due to its small size, the sheets had to be shortened. Initially, there was no water source during the winter months, so ice was made by hauling in 50-gallon drums of that precious commodity.

The clubroom was equally humble—a repurposed, uninsulated kitchen used for 4-H meal preparation in the summer. Members would bring in space heaters to keep warm, offering little respite from the Wisconsin cold. The ice arena was neither insulated nor heated .

Expansion and Improvements into the 1970s

As the club grew, so did its facilities. The county added a larger section perpindicular to the existing building, allowing for two sheets of regulation ice. By the 1970s, a third sheet of ice was added, although the narrow width of the addition meant that the sheets were not regulation width. Consequently, a "biter" (a stone just touching the edge of the sheet) was considered off the ice and removed from play. A modular viewing room was introduced, but it had to be assembled each season and stored off-site during the summer.

Modular viewing room.
Sections were stored off-site during the off season

 Construction of A Permanent Clubroom (1975)

A milestone came in 1975 when club members built a dedicated permanent clubroom. The facility included restrooms, a small kitchen, gathering space for "Broomstacking", and a free-standing fireplace. This development was significant because it provided an on-site space for members to socialize (Broomstacking) and store rolled up curling ice mats, the viewing room, stones, brooms and other curling artifacts during the off-season. It had a garage door to facilitate moving large items in and out and a linked passage to the ice arena.

 Artificial Ice and New Lighting
The club added fluorescent lighting and moved to artificial ice during the same period. Numerous removable, sheet-long mats were connected to a used compressor and cooling tower. The latter had a tendency to "freeze-up" during the really cold times. Each season the mats were moved out of the new clubroom and rolled out over annually spread sand which was primarily used at the south end to level the curling floor. It  was about 1 1/2 inches different from south to north. While artificial ice helped to guarantee a more consistent curling season, it still took many, many floods to bring the ice to a level playing surface. When a new, permanent, heated viewing room was constructed by members, the mats were extended to provide additional space behind the hacks which had been against the walls in prior seasons. Bernie Bernicke, long-time ice maker, hand documented his ice making procedures in "the old days with artificial ice". 

 
Summerspiel and Junior Training
In the Summer of 1988, the club hosted its first Summer Bonspiel, better known as the [CLICK] "Summerspiel".  Held at Hobb's Ice Arena in Eau Claire, it ran until 2001 when more clubs had summer ice - curlers preferred "dedicated" ice - and other considerations ended the spiel. During the Summerspiel lifespan, it expanded from 4 sheets to 5 and  accommodated as many as 40 teams. 

During this time, the United States Curling Association (USCA) capitalized on the summer ice availability and established a Junior's Camp in July, attracting young curlers from across the country to Eau Claire for training and competitions.

Unfortunately, the Summerspiel came to an end in 2001, largely due to the availability of dedicated curling ice at other clubs and logistical considerations. Nonetheless, it left a lasting legacy for the ECCC and the broader curling community.

Women in Curling (1970s)
During the early years of the club, men were the only curlers. In the 1970's a "Mixed League" brought women into the club and by the end of the 70's a Women's League was established. [CLICK] Read about the history of the early Women's League. 2007 saw the second 8-end in the club scored during league play. In 2010 the Women's League was temporarily disbanded. During the 2021-2022 season a strong effort to revive the league brought nearly 30 participants and a Sisterhood Spiel was established between ECCC and the Rice Lake Curling Club for a few seasons. 

Transition to Eau Claire Curling Club and New Facility Construction
 In January 1995, the club's name was officially changed to the Eau Claire Curling Club. By August 1995, a dedicated group of club members began constructing a new facility. The effort was spearheaded by members Geoff Goodland and Doug Ottum, with assistance from various trades, the general contractor, and numerous members who volunteered countless hours during the Fall of 1995. 

Building Exterior Walls	The Shell Completed and Roofing Begins
Tubes Set in Chairs at 4" Apart Were Embedded in Concrete	Facia & Soffit Installed Followed by the Exterior Skin
The New 4-Sheet Ice Arena at the Eau Claire Curling Club	Bernie Delivers First Stone in New Club 1/12/1996

Evolving Amenities
The new facility, located on Lorch Avenue in south Eau Claire, opened in January 1996. During the Men's Bonspiel, long-time member and ice-maker for many decades, Bernie Bernicke, delivered the first ceremonial stone on the club’s new ice. The facility now includes four sheets of ice within a heated curling arena, a full kitchen, and restrooms. A spacious clubroom now includes video viewing of both houses and ends on each sheets, as well as large observation windows, comfortable seating, multiple large screen TVs, and a fireplace. Beginning with the 2023/2024 Season all [Click] league matches and bonspiel competitions have been streamed for watching current action or recorded playbacks. Significant on-site storage is also available including space for the making and storage of deionized water.

In 2010, the ECCC undertook significant administrative changes by revising its ByLaws and Articles of Incorporation, aligning itself for non-profit status. This move expanded the club’s fundraising abilities, making it easier to support community programs and invest in long-term growth and sustainability, while also reinforcing its commitment to promoting the sport of curling.

The Magic of Outstanding Curling Ice
From natural ice to artificial ice the curling surface in the ECCC ice arena has evolved over its 70 year history.  Advancing technologies and techniques have impacted the ice making and maintenance processes resulting in ever improving and sustainable curling surfaces. Multiple scrapers, maturing flooding procedures, varing pebble alternatives, deionized water, regular and repeatable ice preparations, many trained volunteer ice prep specialists and a commitment to a high quality curling experience make membership in the Eau Claire Curling Club a valued encounter.   ECCC ice makers over time, have left their stamp on the evolution of this important component of the curling adventure. Ice makers have included Bernie Bernicke, numerous club volunteers, Chris McMahon, Fred Fetzer and the current Ice Manager since 2014/15, Jason Card. His team of committed ice installers and maintainers assure a consistant positive experience during daily leagues, bonspiels, and National Competitions. Jason has taken numerous training courses and not only leads ECCC ice support but has served on ice teams for [CLICK] National Curling events.

Jason Card, Ice Manager
[CLICK] Image

Prior to the 2012/2013 season, volunteer club members worked with a specialist to replace the headers which are connected to the compressor and supply the coolant to freeze the floods and pebbling. The wooden floor at the club room end of the ice arena was lifted, all original connections were removed, and new ones installed.

Notable Events and Championships

The ECCC has become a prominent host for curling competitions, including USA Curling Championships, state curling playdowns, and mixed doubles tournaments. Notable events ECCC Hosted include

Additionally, our Annual Metropolis Junior Bonspiel has been a U21 Nationals qualifying event 3 years.

Member Achievements 

The club is home to numerous champions. [CLICK] Mike Peplinski, a member of Team USA at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, is one of the most notable members. Additionally, club members have claimed titles at the national, high school, junior, and college levels, as well as in mixed national and senior national competitions.

In 2011, [CLICK] Geoff Goodland led his Senior Men’s team to a Silver Medal at the World Championships. The team was honored by USA Curling as the “Team of the Year” for 2011.

[CLICK] Team Hebert began its competitive journey in 2019. The team members include: Caden Hebert, Skip; Benji Paral; Jackson Bestland; Jack Wendtland; and Shane Nelson. Their curling careers began at an early age in the ECCC’s Saturday Junior League. Caden began curling at age 7, Benji at 7, Jackson at 13, Jack at 13, and Shane at age 9. Most recently the team scored a Silver at the World University Games 2025 in Torino, Italy, January 2025.

Club Members Score Eight Ends
[CLICK] Since its beginnings in 1956, the club has witnessed eight "8-ends”. The first was lead by skip Bob Scott in 1980, the second by Nora Fuller in 2007, the third by Stuart Lorentz in 2008. Keith Hammond, a club member, skipped a team to an 8-end during the Centerville Mixed Bonspiel in 2012.  Gary Kučko skipped an 8-end team in 2014.  In February, 2021, Cory Ward‘s team scored an 8-end. Caden Herbert's team scored an 8-end at the 2022 Badger State Games - Junior Division, January 2022. Spencer Eklund's team had an 8-end during the Rice Lake Summerspiel in August 2023.

Competitor's Corner Recognition Established
In the Fall of 2021, the club unveiled a large display, [CLICK] Competitor's Corner”, recognizing the state, regional, national, international, and Olympic competitions of past and current club members. 

Strategic Planning
The ECCC developed a Strategic Plan from August 2013 through December 2014.  With a Mission to "provide an exceptional experience through the spirit of curling", our Vision is "to sustain a diverse organization which serves, promotes and enriches Curling within our community." [CLICK] Learn More

New Rocks Campaign
Also during 2021 the [CLICK] "Raising the Rocks" Campaign moved forward under the leadership of Spencer Eklund.  The 2022-2023 season was the first year for our new rocks.

Past Presidents Have Lead the Club
Since 1956, over   [CLICK] 40 individuals have served as President of the club. The Board of Directors elect the president each spring.  Board positions and the Presidency are volunteer positions. 

Membership Growth & a Wesite

The 2001/2002 season and before saw about 100  and fewer members. Membership saw significant growth following the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, rising from 138 members in 2008 to 315 members by the 2010/2011 season. The club also modernized its operations and launched a website that allowed for online registration for club and bonspiel participation. It also provided tracking of league scores and statistics. Memberhship continues with over 300 individuals and curling 7 days per week.