Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 621

I heard today that Avonlea Curling Club is closing permanently and will not reopen in the fall. There was some investment required for chillers etc. so the owners decided to sell the property to a developer.

A shame, it had 16 sheets and looked to be very busy. Dave Gardner was a great person to deal with too.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Milton, Ontario
Posts: 1139

You're kidding?

Where did you hear this from? The avonlea curling club website makes no mention of this, nor does their answering machine.... don't know how long it's gone since the website was updated though.

I find it doubtful they'd close the whole club because of an equipment upgrade, unless you heard this from a incredibly reliable source. This is stuff they would have budgeted for years ago....

Who'd you hear this from?

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 621

Unfortunately, one of the members confirmed it with the TCA President. I wonder if the owners were hoping to slip it by without too much notice.

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Does anyone know what company or person purchased the club?
What are they going to do with the space?

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According to a Toronto Social Club, who had 36-40 teams playing regularly at Avonlea, it is to become an indoor soccer facility.
I'm sure Avonlea played host to many rental leagues, and most clubs in the Toronto area are filled to the point that they will not be able to accomodate all of these displaced leagues. It's a real shame.

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Registered: Oct 2003
Location: Hamilton, ON
Posts: 46

There is a formal annoucement on the Avonlea site http://www.avonleacurling.com/

It is infact official... sad day for curling and paricularly for Toronto curlers.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Milton, Ontario
Posts: 1139

That's brutal, they're closing a busy 16 sheet curling club, which is an obvious moneymaker, for indoor soccer?? All based off the fact that the owner didn't plan ahead properly for routine equipment maitenance.

This is truly a shame, I wonder if there's anything can be done.

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Registered: Jan 2003
Location: Regina
Posts: 68

I played one year at Avonlea 4 years ago and to be honest this doesn't surprise me in the least. While playing there the curlers were good people but I had the impression that the ownership was not very interested in curling at all and only in it for the money. When they saw an opportunity to get out they took it.

It will be very difficult for the membership to find other clubs to play in as replacing 16 sheets of ice will not be easy. I wish them good luck and I hope they find a good club to play in.

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quote:

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Originally posted by duct_tape
That's brutal, they're closing a busy 16 sheet curling club, which is an obvious moneymaker, for indoor soccer?? All based off the fact that the owner didn't plan ahead properly for routine equipment maitenance.

This is truly a shame, I wonder if there's anything can be done.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Milton, Ontario
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quote:

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Originally posted by curler90


I understand that the owners have wanted to sell for years so this is just a good excuse.

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Registered: Dec 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB
Posts: 10

I curled there a couple years ago.

The 16 sheets were divided into two sides. One side was fine to curl on, but the other eight sheets were virtually unplayable, 6 feet of fall and there were spots along the 4-foot where I literally couldn't give ice for a hit. Supposedly an underground stream or something ran under those sheets making them so bad.

I can't imagine many curlers would stick with that ice for more than a season.

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Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Brampton
Posts: 43

What was their membership like? If it was even close to full, you are looking at a lot of people needing a new club to join. I guess Leaside, Royals and maybe even High Park will see their memberships grow - if they have the room to take them.
I will miss Avonela....the arctic-like temperatures, the swing in the ice and the train rumbling by during your backswing.
It is a sad day for curling in Ontario when a club the size of Avonlea is closed.

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Registered: Oct 2004
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The Toronto Curling Association has issued a news release, now posted at The Curling News Blog

----
Subscribe TODAY to THE CURLING NEWS!
www.thecurlingnews.com

READ the BLOG!
curlnews.blogspot.com

BUY the *NEW* BOOK!
www.blackbookofcurling.com

SUPPORT wheelchair curling!
www.shootforacure.org

RAISE FUNDS for your CLUB!
www.travelrebates4curling.com

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Registered: Nov 2003
Location: zone 16
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I wonder what happens to the Banners that were won at the club ? Do they go to the skips Basement to hang from a wall there.

It is a shame that clubs are closing - dont seem to read about new clubs opening, rather the other way around. Is this an overall comment on the health of this sport we all love ????

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Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Brampton
Posts: 43

From what I understand the Provincial banners are the property of the OCA and will likely go back to their offices.
Is there a Canadian Curling Hall of Fame? If so, the many trophies (& the banners) in the cases at Avonlea should end up there.

I think the thing that sucks the most about Avonlea closing is they had so many industrial leagues and rental groups through their doors over the years and that goes a long way to promote our game. I doubt that many of the other clubs in the area will have the time slots available to take on these leagues. How many potential new curlers are we going to lose now that they have one less place to try our game and love it like we do?

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Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:

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Originally posted by flaredit
I wonder what happens to the Banners that were won at the club ? Do they go to the skips Basement to hang from a wall there.

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Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 107

It doesn't really matter what happens with the banners and trophies.

I respect the value of these items, the effort given by those that won them and the "Club" pride that is usually associated with them hanging on the wall.

However the big question now is:

How can we move forward and keep all the players on the ice?

Would this not be a good time for the TCA, OCA and CCA to pool their resources and establish a new facility?
Maybe the City of Toronto is interested in expanding it's commitment to curling as a recreational pastime? With three clubs currently under their banner they should have the available resources to help!

Unless I'm way out in left field - the technology exists to create a temporary home for our fellow curlers that participated at Avonlea.

Temporary ice surfaces have been installed in Vancouver - for a world championship, Vegas for a spiel - Why not in a industrial unit as a short term bandaid while a more permanent facility can be arranged.

An empty warehouse, a roll out brine system from the firm in Burlington and a refrigeration system on wheels from CIMCO (or others) could work for a winter or two.

There must be a way to save curling for all the people affected by the departure of the Avonlea Curling facility.

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Back to banners, they would be the property of the club and do with them as they please. The right thing to do is giving them to people like ED that have won them.....................
Hopefully there is a place for all curlers to play this season.

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quote:

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Originally posted by curlerbroad


I heard that Ed Werenich drove down today to collect his banners, guess he doesn't want the OCA or CCA to grab them!

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I can guess that land values, civic bldg codes, and taxes are pretty rough in the Toronto area....not much of a chance for the membership building a new place?

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Toronto
Posts: 128

A few years ago, there was a thread on Inthehack where someone had been looking at building a new club in the GTA, but it never really got off the ground.

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Registered: Apr 2006
Location: Brampton
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Unbelievable! I have fond memories of Avonlea. I probably made my best shot there on the Wednesday night of the Energizer Bonspiel. We were tied going into the last end with hammer and the opposition was sitting two, both biting the button. The only way to get at the rock was an angle raise double take out which we made to advance to Thursday night (and which we subsequently lost!). Even though the ice wasn't spectacular, the curling atmosphere was always fantastic.

The club and the curlers will both me missed.

Dave

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Registered: Dec 2005
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Avonleas ice was no where near bad! i curled there in April on the right hand side and it was pretty good. try curling in Scotland, then you know about bad ice. pretty supsising though, it seemed really really busy.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 621

The club was a busy place, but the new owners didn't care about that. They wanted to do their thing without a care for the impact on the members.

Someone said to me that City owned clubs or shareholder owned clubs are much safer then clubs owned by private companies.

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It can be argued whether a city or shareholder club is better than a private owner.
But just to add to the comment.

One club that is privately owned is Annandale. This club is possibly the largest dump in the GTA. The locker rooms are filthy and so is the club. It seems the owners double book curling events and social functions all the time. There is no money put back into the club, yet every possible cent is squeezed out of the facility and ice surface. Lucky for them they have a large contingent of rental leagues to keep them going or I could see that ship a sinking soon too.

Humber Higlands. Another 16 sheet private owner club in Mississauga which housed a number of senior and rental leagues closed shortly after it was taken over by private ownership.

Great facts.

Royal Kingston a shareholder club, was offered money for the land they sat on by Queens University. They took the offer and used the money to build a new state of the art curling club to open Oct /06 for the membership to enjoy.

Toronto Royals Curling Club was taken over by shareholders and saved from demolition because the membership/shareholders cared about the club and its history.

In most cases it seems that shareholder clubs are better because the owners are the members. They are concerned about curling and rentals, and money making ventures, and land value come second.

It is sad that we see 1 new club open or saved for every 10 that close.

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