The PRCL History
Early Years at the
University of British Columbia
Thunderbird Winter Sports Complex
Twenty-five years ago, a small group of friends organized a small curling bonspiel for the gay and lesbian community. The success of this bonspiel proved the viability of forming a gay and lesbian curling league the next year. For the first several years, the PRCL members got together once a week at UBC to curl in a fairly neglected facility with very little atmosphere. Initially, the league operated with an informal drop-in format. It was the first gay and lesbian curling group in Western Canada. From that simple informal beginning, the league slowly, but steadily grew in membership and popularity. By about the 7th season the league had grown to 16 teams. Photos from that era are available in the gallery in the members section, and may be accessed by clicking here.
Since 1993 at the Vancouver Curling Club
In 1993 UBC closed their curling facility, and what seemed at first to be devastating news turned out to be a true blessing. The league moved into The Vancouver Curling Club one of the country's gems in the history of the sport. At the time, the Vancouver Curling Club was losing money and was suffering from a shrinking membership, and so the PRCL was welcomed with open arms. Almost instantly, the fortunes of both the league and the club improved. After one year in the VCC the league had grown to 20 teams. A few years later, it had grown to 30 teams. And then just as quickly, it grew to 40 teams, making the PRCL the largest curling league in the entire province of British Columbia. The VCC became equally successful during this period, and all 5 sheets of ice are in heavy use all season long. While the club's fortunes are a result of the wonderful hard work of many, the Pacific Rim Curling League has contributed greatly to this end. Our members have served on the VCC Board in many capacities including several past presidents. Currently several members of the VCC Board curl in our league.
PRCL Trophies
The PRCL has several plaques and trophies that are awarded to the winners of the special events, and to the top teams in the different divisions of league play. In the early years, winners received the John Barley Trophy. This trophy was named after a gay bar that once existed in the Gastown area of the city. For league play, there is a plaque for the grand aggregate winner during the regular season, and a plaque for the winner of each division during the playoffs. These plaques are on display at the VCC above the VCC notice board.
The initial invitational bonspiel, first held 26 years ago, has been repeated every year under different names. It is now known as the Pacific Rim Cup Bonspiel (more commonly known as the Pac Cup), and not surprisingly, the winner receives a trophy in the form of a large cup (similar to the Stanley Cup or the Grey Cup). During each Pac Cup Bonspiel, a special competition is held to determine which curler can draw closest to the button. The winner receives a trophy known as the Old Farts Cup. The Old Farts Cup was donated by Murray James in 1994.
For several years, the PRCL has held a "funspiel" known as the Pink Broom (the invitational bonspiel was known as the Pink Broom for some years before becoming the Pac Cup). In the Pink Broom funspiel, each player is on a different team for each game, and when the final scores are tallied over all the games, the best skip, best third, best second and best lead are determined. These four winners receive the Pink Broom Trophy. For many years, the four winners have also received a pair of pink slippers, lovingly knit by Roy Wilson's sister.
In 2009, an Honour Roll was established in recognition of outstanding dedication and service to the Pacific Rim Curling League. To see the names of the people who have been honoured and to read about their service to the League, click here.
The lists of winners of PRCL events and league play can be seen by clicking here.