A good many years ago our former club secretary, David Morrison, aka Deemo, was contacted by a Slim Wilson of Waltham Curling Club, Triumph, Illinois. Slim had acquired a kettle curling trophy on the internet and as it was embossed with the name Holyrood Curling Club, he was trying to track down its origins. The trophy was clearly a version of the one we still use today, awarded each year to the handicap winner of our annual points competition.
David stayed in touch with Slim and after repeated invitations, we finally raised a team to visit them in the plains of the mid-West in 2012 to play in one of their annual bonspiels. An experience never forgotten.
The relationship has endured over the years, largely thanks to David, and so various members of Waltham CC and associated curlers have visited Scotland on curling tours, playing at various venues against clubs they have established contact with over the years.
After a tour in 2015, the last time we met was March 2020, just days before the COVID epidemic, when two teams from each club wer on the ice.
This time we met just one team and enjoyed an interesting afternoon’s curling with the visitors eventually pulling out a strong lead with some fine curling, particularly from their skip Ryan.
We enjoyed a drink and a meal afterwards in the ECC bar, joined by Jim and Gill who had been accompanied in spectating from the gallery by Rob.
The players photographed are from left to right:
David Morrison (Holyrood)
Dougie Auld (Holyrood)
John Waterlow (Holyrood)
Ken Herd (Holyrood)
Ryan Spielman (US)
Laureen Spielman (US)
James Zee (US)
Stephen Cleland (US)
Not photographed but a key fifth but non-playing member of the American team is Rachel Puckett.
Holyrood Curling Club 
Very accurate recounting of the Holyrood / Waltham CC association to date – I have not been in touch too often with ‘Slim’ of late as more contact has been via Rachel who takes a very active role in the Waltham Club activities.
Of the visiting team I can advise that Ryan and Laureen Spielman both curl with Rock Creek curling club , Lafayette ( Colorado )while Steven ( Steve) Cleland and James ( Jimmy ) Zee both seem to hail from Blackhawk Curling Club located in Janesville ( Wisconsin ). As a point of interest some of you might want to ‘mull’ over the fact that on Route 76 heading East form Lafayette there is a small town call Lochbuie.
The results from the visitors games were – Murrayfield , a win for US, Kinross , a loss for US, Heatherton Stewart ( Greenacres ) a loss for US. I had a message from Jimmy to say how much they enjoyed their visit and the hospitality shown to them – he did say that their Greenacres game had been going well untill the sixth end when, to use his phrase, the wheels came off the waggon, perhaps some late nights and sampling of whisky was taking its toll?
Anyway, well done to all taking part and we hope the hospitality sportsmanship and curling fellowship has left them with a desire to return. Perhaps some of us might venture to enter the Waltham Bonspiels normally held in February of each year – the mens event precedes the mixed event by a week or so.
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Sorry – Stewarton Heather Curling Club not t’other way round.
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