That diamonds are sometimes referred to as rocks and ice is particularly applicable just now for the Elmira Curling Club: the organization is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

To celebrate the anniversary of the local sports club, volunteers and the Elmira Curling executive are hosting an open house, complete with a trip through club history and awards for lifetime members.

“We have these great big boards made up – one for every decade. They’ll have pictures, who the president was, what the club fees were, some old trophies. We just want to show how the sport in Elmira has progressed,” said Sue Martin, a club member for 40 years.

The club, which initially reserved a night at the community arena for a few ends of curling, got going in 1956. Much has changed since then.

“When I started, we used a corn broom and you had to sweep really hard. You get a good workout if you are a sweeper,” she said, adding that not everything is new.

“The new brushes are a lot easier than the corn brooms. They are also a lot cleaner. You used to get bits of straw over the place. And, of course, the footwear has improved so much. You can now get different levels or grades of sliders, but the nature of the game is still the same.”

Elmira curlers will also be hosting teams from across Ontario as the host of the final ends in the Home Hardware Bonspiel on Nov. 19.

The club building, adjacent to the golf course clubhouse, has been getting a few upgrades, just in time for the open house, including screens in the viewing area and new scoreboards.

She says the club wouldn’t be where it is without the help of volunteers, and a new batch of curlers looking to play. There are about 30 players new to the club this year, thanks to the Curling 101 program.

“For years, we distributed flyers, bought ads, and we weren’t having a lot of success. We started a whole league because of Curling 101,” said Martin, adding that volunteerism is what allows the club to expand. “Every club member is asked to step up and do something, and they do. For example, we pebble and scrape the ice ourselves, volunteers serve all of our food and drinks – you get that feeling of being a member of the club. It is all volunteers.”

Martin has been a member for four decades and says it is the community within curling that keeps her coming back, and of course, wanting to win a few.

“I like the social aspect, and I like the competition as well. I have a competitive nature. I just love the sport. I am not sure what exactly it is,” she said. “I am the super spare. If anybody asks me to come and play with them, I am there. It is a really great sport. I like to curl in a variety of leagues because I like to know a lot of people.”

The beauty of curling is that is really is for everyone. The club has over 300 members, including 50 kids who play in their own league on Sunday afternoons.

“We have some juniors that started at age seven, and we have seniors,” says Martin. “There are no restrictions in age. You can curl with your kids, your spouse, your mom and dad. There are not a lot of sports that have that kind of environment.”

The open house at the Elmira Curling Club is on Nov. 5 at noon until 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.elmiracurlingclub.ca or call 519-669-4220.