Roseland has always been a busy place for curling in the winter, not only on the ice but in the bars and at the restaurant (when it was open) for award nights, Christmas parties and annual banquets. According to long-time curler, Bob Cunningham, the curling starts early on Monday morning when a group of 16 friends – most former teachers – get together to play on two sheets. Then, members of the non-competitive senior league take over with two draws on four to five sheets of ice. Play continues for the second draw well into the afternoon. Teams are made up just before each session, and no scores are actually recorded, no trophies or awards presented. Curlers often stay for drinks and camaraderie after the games to discuss their strategies and play. Then, at 6:30 on Monday nights, the Granite Club takes over the rink with eight teams of 32 members on four sheets. Two trophies are awarded at the end of season: one for the overall winner, and the other to the team that took most ends during the year.
In his book about curling in Windsor, Tedd Szalay says the Windsor Granite Club, made up of Windsor curlers, originally played in Detroit and has been in existence since World War II. Szalay says the league eventually came back to Windsor when Roseland opened and the Detroit Curling Club closed in 1979. It was the heyday of curling at the new club in Windsor, and the idea was floated to hang the logos of different leagues on the east wall of the rink. Permission was granted by the Roseland board on condition that, to qualify, each league must have six full sheets of curlers. There are seven logos adorning the west wall today. The first is for the Granite Club. The second is for the Rondelle League, which curls on Wednesday night, and hosted two draws for years, but is now down to one.
Evening curling has always been most popular in Windsor as many younger people work during the day. The Pharmacy League curled on Tuesday nights with two draws originally, but then cut down to one with a later start because most people were still working in the early evening. Tuesday night is now skip’s entry, open to men’s, women’s and mixed teams. Skip’s entry means that skips pick their teams to compete. The skip’s entry league was started by Sheila Kerrigan and Kristine Nohavicka. Thursday is also skip’s entry, and Cunningham says it’s probably the most competitive of all the leagues. The Burr and Thistle League used to play on Friday nights in the early draw, with the Friday Niners on the late draw, keeping the bar open to almost midnight as a prelude to the weekend.
During the week, the men’s league plays on Thursday mornings, and then senior curling picks up on Friday morning with two more draws that, again, last well into the afternoon. High school curling begins when the seniors leave off on Fridays. There’s open curling on Saturday when anyone can rent the ice. That’s when curling instruction happens, and new people are introduced to the sport. On Sunday the junior leagues take over once again. There’s still some room for expansion. All it takes is someone interested, who has the impetus to put a league together.