For three evenings from November 14-16th, 1956, an estimated dozen curlers turned out to provide instruction for 36 men who had never before thrown a rock. The first draw in the new Dixie Curling Club started November 19th with 72 rinks participating. In addition, there were 47 spare players listed who were not appointed to a rink.
Of the 330 active members who had signed up for the new club, only 25 percent had curled anything more than a few games. At least 200 of the new male members were curling for the first time. The draw committee’s letter to new members contained these words. “With regard to the attached sheets, a word of explanation is in order. At the outset, it will be appreciated that any attempt to ‘balance’ teams has been impossible. However, we have drawn all rinks with at least one experienced man on it and in some cases, two, depending largely on their length of experience.” The postscript was also rather interesting. “ Be sure to come equipped with a pair of rubbers or curling boots and gloves.”
It was remarkable that the ice was ready for curling on November 14, 1956. It was just one year earlier that the first meeting was held to consider the idea of a curling club in Dixie. Curling had been discussed earlier by farmers in the area and by a handful of residents from Port Credit and Cooksville who curled at the Brampton, Oakville and Toronto clubs. But it wasn’t until a St. Catharine’s man, Gord Mikkelborg, moved into Applewood Acres (2190 Breezy Brea Drive) and talked to his neighbours, Arn Calder and Russ McBrien, about the Grantham Curling Club (started in the Niagara region in 1951), that the actual plans took shape for curling in the Dixie community.
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