Crooked Ice at City View
by Jim Brydon, President, 1964
(ed note: This is one of a series of historical reflections writen by past and present members for our 50th anniversary season)
Hands-up! Who has curled on crooked ice? Early CVCC members, 1957 to 1964, had to learn to curl on the second worst curling ice in the Valley (next to Winchester CC). A draw might fall 3-feet against the turn. Don Muldrew’s well-known mutter began when, after he pounded an opponent’s draw shot out a back corner of the house, the rock slid sideways and rolled back into the house, biting the eight-foot.
The cause was different frost-heaving as a result of frost penetration under our ice sheets. The culprit was the notorious Leda clay underlying our property. Our installation of a concrete pad under each sheet delayed the problem but did not solve it. President Art Graves, a Civil Engineer, measured temperatures and tested the soil. He reported that the contractor had leveled the property with gravel (which does not frost-heave) and that the different heaving was related to different depths of gravel above the Leda clay. Most clubs excavated and filled with six or so feet of gravel during construction and other clubs did so afterwards – at huge expense.
The 1964 Annual Meeting was split and couldn’t agree to excavate in light of the extra cost of the concrete pad and the threat of collapse of the footings. But they did agree that I, newly elected President, should fire Mr. Fykes, our long-suffering ice maker. You might imagine the difficulties of the Ice Committee and its Chairmen trying to provide decent curling ice for those seven years. Mr. Fykes took the hit and I was the messenger. Fortunately, Al Leach was elected Ice Chairman, and my luck changed.
Through my work, I learned from contacts at the NRC that tests on high-strength Styrofoam installed under the pipes might prevent the frost from penetrating into the soil. Al Leach, a City builder inspector, went after his people and OCA officials and, with the help of countless CVCC members, we had a thorough report. The club decided to purchase sufficient 2-inch planks of high-strength Styrofoam from Dow Chemical for a double thickness under each sheet. In the 1965 off-season, the usual small army of CVCC volunteers lifted the pipes and removed the sand, laid the Styrofoam on the concrete pad, fitted plastic sheeting over the Styrofoam, re-laid the pipes, installed new headers and replaced the sand between the pipes.
In the next curling season we had perfect ice, an eerie sound, and happy curlers. Temperature measurements showed no frost below the four inches of Styrofoam. That structure has lasted for forty years with no change and no problem with the ice.
Fixing the frost-heaving and crooked curling ice has been one of my proudest moments while I was CVCC President in 1964. In saying that, I must acknowledge all the hard work of many members in pulling off this caper, but especially Art Graves and Al Leach, both Past Presidents.