Cleveland Skating Club

About Cleveland Skating Club

Cleveland Skating Club: Curling at a Historic Shaker Heights Club

Cleveland Skating Club on Kemper Road in Shaker Heights was founded in 1936 by families who wanted a private indoor skating rink. They acquired the clubhouse and grounds of the Cleveland Tennis & Racquet Club, installed ice-making equipment from the 1936 Great Lakes Exposition, and became one of the first figure skating clubs in the country to own its own building. Olympic champions including Carol Heiss, Hayes Alan Jenkins and David Jenkins trained there.

Curling joined skating at the club in the late 1950s and has been a favorite pastime ever since. Curlers play on arena ice, with five sheets laid out on the club’s rink, and the club is a USA Curling member club. The curling section has been featured on PBS Western Reserve’s Local Focus series, which introduced viewers to the pebbled ice and the strategy of “chess on ice” through games filmed at the club. In 1970 the club expanded into an adjacent National Guard armory, adding to its facilities.