Minnesota has long been a hotbed for curling in the United States, 2018 olympic gold medalist John Shuster is from a few hours south in Chisolm. But what do you do when you don’t have a curling rink? In the case of the International Falls Curling Club, you hop across the border to Canada.
That’s what the International Falls Curling Club has been doing since its founding on Nov. 26, 1963. The Fort Frances Curling Club (now known as the Curl Fort Frances Community Centre) was located much closer to the bridge connecting the two towns in those days at the intersection of Portage Ave and Nelson St. That building was condemned in the 1990s and a new curling club built in the north end of Fort Frances opened in 1993.
Tom Mayer is the convener of the International Falls Curling Club he started curling with the club when he moved to the Falls in 1985 with his father in law Dave Johnson.
A newspaper clipping of an article detailing the club’s beginning
The former League Trophy, found in the back of the International Falls Elks Club.
Over the years, the league has grown to include more than just American players, it has added several Canadian teams over the years.
“Initially it was what they called the Elks league, I think there were six, seven, maybe eight teams, and then it started getting called the American league,” Johnson Said. “A few years ago Bruce Martin brought his rink in from the Canadian side and now we’ve got 11 teams and six of them are Canadian.”
The league could also be called the Can-Am league, someone said.
Mayer thinks that has grown because of the monthly steak fry that the league hosts at the International Falls Elks Club throughout the season. The Times was invited to attend the February steak fry and learn about the club, but in the spirit of disclosure I paid for my meal.
“There were some guys who probably had dual citizenship… and curled over there in many of the leagues,” Mayer said. “But then, you know this is special for us, the steak fry, this is a special unique thing. I think the Canadians like coming over here for cheaper drinks and you know $15 US you can’t get a steak dinner and these drinks for that price.”
The league often fundraises to keep the price of the dinners reasonable, selling tickets on gift baskets and other prizes throughout the season.
The league currently sits at 11 teams which means there’s always a team with a bye week. The team with the bye week on steak fry night is responsible for preparing baked potatoes, and salad and getting the grill started at the Elks Club. Then upon arriving curlers will choose their steak, season it to their own taste and then cook it themselves over the charcoal grill. On steak nights teams start a little earlier and only play six ends, giving them extra time to hop across the border for a few hours of social time at the Elks Club.
The club has rebounded well from the COVID years when there was no cross-border travel.
“Everything was shut down…for two years,” Mayer said, “I curled with Donnie DeBenedet and he told me he talked with his wife and they agreed I could come and live with them.”
In the spring of 2022 after the border reopened the curling season was wrapping up, the Americans who had been without a chance to curl regularly were in for a treat.
“Rick (Grenda, curling club manager) called me to say that on the last curling night, April 4 or something, Rick said the curling club in Fort Frances wanted to donate an open ice night,” Mayer said. “So a lot of us went over for the first time in two years. I was fortunate, Donnie had a playoff game so when our guys left I went and sat with Donnie, and then he passed away two weeks later. So at least we got one last visit.”
Over the years there has been some talk about building their own curling rink on the US side of the bridge, Mayer says.
“There was talk, I remember some talk about 30 years ago, ‘we should build a Quonset hut and a three sheeter.’ but why split the resources? Mayer said. “Why not keep everything together?”
In addition to the Tuesday night league, the International Falls Curling Club also hosts The Ice Box of the Nation Bonspiel in January every year. The spiel draws teams from all around, including further south in Minnesota and around northwestern Ontario. The bonspiel has become known for its prime rib dinner and dance on the Saturday night. This past January, at the 29th annual event they had over 30 teams in the open event.
