Photo: Randy Nelson

More than 100 years after women first started curling in Kamloops, women’s curling is alive and well, with noteworthy U18, U20 and two other competitive teams.

Curler's Corner is a column written by the Kamloops Curling Club's Randy Nelson. Published each Monday morning for the next several weeks, this column will highlight moments of Tournament Capital curling history, and noteworthy athletes from over the decades.

Searching the history of curling revealed many surprises.

Curling has been traced back to the late 1800s in Kamloops. Women were not part of curling in the early years, although attempts were made as early as Feb. 6, 1917.

On that date, Kamloops ladies posted an article in the Kamloops Standard pointing to the community of Golden where "Ladies play at the curling rink. There are 12 rinks, and a lady is on every one of them. This might be tried in Kamloops where the club is an exclusive male organization.”

The article never resulted in immediate changes but, over time, it did occur. On Jan. 15, 1925, ladies curling was officially formed in Kamloops, as per reporting in the Kamloops Standard. The first year was free, and opened the door to ladies curling much earlier than many curling clubs.

The Vernon Curling Club was one of the earliest curling clubs in the Interior with their own building in 1905. Women curlers, however, were not welcomed until the 1947-48 season.

An article in the Vernon news on Dec. 4, 1947, reads, “Although all but a dozen or so of the women interested have never thrown a rock before, the men had better watch their trophies judging from the enthusiasm with which the ladies are going at this popular winter sport.”

The popularity of women’s curling has developed over the years, right along with the men’s sport. In the glory days of competitive men’s curling, there were mixed views, and it was not until the early 1990s when women were allowed to participate in the Kamloops Super League.

Most curlers readily approved of the move, but a few were reluctant to accept the change. A few short years later in 2000, Allison MacInnes became the first woman to have her name etched on the championship trophy. Today, the trend continues and the Tuesday time slot, that was traditionally a men’s night, has turned into an open league.

More than 100 years after the first ladies were allowed to curl in Kamloops, women’s curling is alive and well. Locally, Kamloops has two competitive ladies’ teams as well as two up and coming teams in U-18 and U-20 categories.