WAUWATOSA CURLING CLUB & WAUWATOSA GRANITES

(Combined as one club in 1989-90)

PAST PRESIDENTS

M. S. Grant*............... 1940-41

Kneeland Godfrey*.....1941-42..... Daphne MacNeill*

L. S. Brodd*.................1942-43..... Deutzia Wells*

H. E. Fellows*..............1943-44..... Mildred Nell*

Joe Fuss*.....................1944-45..... Sarah Tray*

Norman Scott*............1945-46..... Lucille Nelthorpe*

Hugo Biersach*...........1946-47..... Mina Mackenzie*

T. L. Cottam*...............1947-48..... Kathryn French*

J. O. Dunlop*.............  1948-49..... Helen Miller*

T. F. Miller*...............  1949-50..... Cora Atkinson*

Erwin Nell*................ 1950-51.....  Syd Dunlop*

Homer Binder*...........1951-52.....  Alice Lemmer*

Fred Haldy*................1952-53.....  Florence Rathkamp*

H. H. Roberts*............1953-54.....  Lee Johannis*

Red Hughes*..............1954-55.....  Violet Trantor*

Del Hamilton*............1955-56.....  Estelle Hughes*

Dan Mullarkey*..........1956-57.....  Win Dunlop*

Earl Easton*............... 1957-58.....  Jeanette Goodale*

W. B. Brenckle*..........1958-59.....  June Wegner*

C. H. StLouis*............ 1959-60.....   Marion Bruett

C. Hallquist*...............1960-61.....   Marion Ingerman*

A. J. Deniger*............ 1961-62.....   Jane Himes

Scotty Palmer*...........1962-63.....  Dorrit Cormany*

C. S. Haagensen*........1963-64.....  Gail Haagensen*

Luke Collins*.............. 1964-65.....  Beth Palmer

Chuck Stanchfield*.....1965-66.....  Shirlee Borgwardt*

Hal Chapman*............1966-67.....  Win Walker

John Paige*................1967-68.....  Eva Roberts*

Fred Borgwardt*........1968-69.....  June Held

Heath Crider*.............1969-70.....  Ginia Lewis

Stan Lewis*................ 1970-71..... Jibby Harris

Sam MacNeill.............1971-72.....  Jeanne Tesch*

Jack Tesch*................1972-73.....  Marge Hoerig*

Curt Hoerig*..............1973-74.....  Bernice Oswald

George Wolz*..............1974-75.....  Carol Houghton

Bob Rowland*..............1975-76..... Helen Zentner

Don Zentner*.............1976-77.....  Mary Van Ess*

William Atherton........1977-78..... Henrietta Brehm

Fred Chapman............1978-79..... Pat Brady

Dave Grant.................1979-80.....  Petrea Brenckle

Tom Christman...........1980-81.....  Rosie McCarthy*

Tom Vaughan*............1981-82..... Beej Wakefield*

Greg Dunlop............... 1982-83..... Roylee Pflughoeft*

Charles Sazama...........1983-84..... Gae Bergmann

Robert Hipke*.............. 1984-85..... Dawn Matthews*

Art Wedemeyer..........1985-86..... Diana Baker*

Robert Noel................1986-87..... Lois Heiden*

Till Bruett................... 1987-88..... Kay Noel

Tom Powers................1988-89..... Jackie Hipke

Rick Barrie.................. 1989-1990

Tom Bruett................  1990-1991

Wally Dinsmoor*.......  1991-1992

Glen Vanic.................  1992-1993

Doug Krueger............  1993-1994

Lois Heiden*...............  1994-1995

John Cornwell............ 1995-1996

Gary Kebbekus........... 1996-1997

John Vivian...............   1997-1998

Sue Nees...................  1998-1999

Quentin Swain*..........1999-2000

Bob Brenckle............. 2000-2001

Tom Rave.................. 2001-2002

Sandy Brown............. 2002-2003

Tom Havas................  2003-2004

Peter Muller...............2004-2005

Rebecca Nguyen.........2005-2006

Scott Matchette..........2006-2007

Stacey Bast................  2007-2008

Scott Masloroff.......... 2008-2009

Rick Lemke...............   2009-2010

Mike Link..................   2010-2011

Deb Holger*................  2011-2012

Ben Davis..................  2012-2013

Mike Willeman........... 2013-2014

Beau Moore............... 2014-2015

Mike Elwing............... 2015-2016

Mike Trotta................ 2016-2017

Kara Sacia................. 2017-2018

Dawn Majewski......... 2018-2019

Tim Torgerson............ 2019-2020

Kelley Burian............. 2020-2021

Jason Dobbs.............. 2021-2022

Lauren Robb.............. 2022-2023

Rachel Koebel............2023-2024

* Indicates Deceased

Location:
7300 W Chestnut Street
Wauwatosa, WI 53213

Phone: 414-453-2875

Celebrating Over 100 Years of Tosa Curling

Located just west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Wauwatosa Curling Club boasts four sheets of ice, a fun and friendly membership, and some of the best bonspiels in curling. The year 2021 was a big one for the membership, as it marked the 100-year anniversary of the club.

A Century of History

The Wauwatosa Curling Club played its first game in 1921 in a shed that was part of Stickney Field Club on Stickney Avenue, just south of where Wauwatosa's City Hall stands today. In 1925, the shed was moved to the confines of what is now Hart Park, a 19.5-acre plot of land nestled on the Menomonee River in the Village (now City) of Wauwatosa.

Hart Park, first dubbed City Park in 1921 until it was renamed in 1960, bears the name of Charles Hart, Wauwatosa’s founder. Over the years, the park grew to house a football/soccer field, baseball diamond, field house, tennis courts, a skate park, and nature trails. While the Wauwatosa Curling club took up residence in Hart Park in 1925, indoor curling wouldn’t come to Wauwatosa for another sixteen years.

In 1941, the club adopted its current home, also in Hart Park, in the then newly-constructed Muellner Building.

In the wake of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal employment and infrastructure program which sponsored several public works projects, including the construction of public buildings. The program brought improvements to the park which included stone walls, a new football field with bleachers, parking areas, and finally – with a refrigeration plant supplied by the club – indoor curling in the Muellner Building, the very first artificial indoor curling ice in the state of Wisconsin.

The Hart Park Howard Muellner Building, formerly the Wauwatosa Recreation Building, exists today, as it did in 1941, as a shared-space recreation facility. In addition to the Wauwatosa Curling Club, the Wauwatosa Senior Center, Hart Park staff offices, and city meeting rooms reside in the Muellner Building.

In addition to four sheets of ice, the club enjoys a clubroom and locker room on the lower level of the building. Spectating is possible with the use of a shared-space room on the main level, adjacent to the ice.

Changing Times

For many years, women in Wauwatosa curled as a separate group called the Wauwatosa Granites. A men’s team and their wives traveled to the Toronto-based Granite Curling Club, where they witnessed indoor artificial ice and women's curling for the first time. Both indoor ice and women’s curling were introduced to the Wauwatosa club within two years of that trip. The women’s curling group at Wauwatosa adopted the "Granites" name in recognition of the club where they first saw women's curling.

During this time, Wauwatosa became a founding United States Women's Curling Association (USWCA) club and held the very first U.S. women's bonspiel.

The Granites combined with the Wauwatosa Curling Club beginning with the 1989-90 season.

Challenges

The club experienced a near-fatal blow in 1998 from a massive flood – the second of its kind in the greater Milwaukee area in less than two years. Referred to by club members from that time as simply, “The Flood,” the clubroom and locker room, located on the lower level of the Muellner Building, were destroyed when the Menomonee River overflowed and completely submerged the club’s space.

Since that time, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in the greater Milwaukee area to better protect the Menomonee River valley from flooding. As for the club, the membership pitched in to rebuild in 1998, and longtime members often share stories of the time and talents of members who rebuilt the club’s broomstacking, kitchen, locker, storage, and bar spaces.  

With the clubroom rebuilt, the next challenge became clear: rebounding the membership numbers. As with many clubs in the United States, the return of curling as an official Winter Olympics sport in 1998 added a much-needed exposure boost, and the club’s numbers have climbed consistently ever since.

100 Years, and Counting!

In addition to a robust membership engaging in leagues and bonspiels, the club boasts lively participation in programs including Adaptive Curling, Try Curling, and group/corporate events. The club membership welcomes any and all opportunities to introduce the best sport in the world to future die-hard curling fans.

The Tosa Juniors program also celebrated a milestone in recent years – the 75^th anniversary of juniors curling at the club.

Many curlers have visited Wauwatosa a time or two for the Valentine Open or Men’s Invitational Bonspiel. If you haven’t had the pleasure, ask around curling circles – you’re likely to find someone with rousing tales of Tosa’s signature hospitality.

Quick Facts:

Pronunciation: wah-wah-toe-sah

Behind the Name: Founded in 1842, the name Wauwatosa comes from the Potawatomi Chief Wauwataesie and the Potawatomi word for firefly. Today, visitors to Wauwatosa, lovingly shortened to "Tosa" by its residents, will find several firefly references throughout the city, including the name of the main floor room that overlooks the curling club's icehouse — the Firefly Room.

Membership: A normal membership year totals 350-375 members, with the season prior to the coronavirus pandemic reaching nearly 400 active members of the club.

Organization: The club is organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and the club's operations are governed by a board of directors.

Families of Note: The Brenckle, Dunlop, Grant, Hipke, and Rowland-Elwing families include 3^rd and 4^th generation curlers with the Wauwatosa Curling Club.

All other questions:
Kelley Burian
Digital Admin
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Officers

Vias Karaouzas.................President

Andy Mentel....................Vice President

Deb Masloroff....................Treasurer

Tom Havas..........................Secretary

Directors

Third Year - Term Expires 2025

Bridget Halenda..........................Neil Fruend.................................Vias Karaouzas

Second Year - Term Expires 2026

Andy Mentel................................Chris Neseman............................Marissa VandenBush

First Year - Term Expires 2027

Bob Draths................................. Katie Moorhead...........................Michael Solger

Ex-Officio
Rachel Koebel

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