History and Progress of the  Coldwater Shuffleboard Club When a couple of individuals decided to start a Shuffleboard Club in Coldwater they soon realized it could not be done without the help of many others, but they took the gamble and it is now paying off in spades for the 115 members who have joined the club . It was realized there would be several items that must be purchased before a Club could ever begin to open its doors and function as a shuffleboard club and expenses were tried to be kept to a minimum as the cost of start up was being financed and shared by the two individuals. The first item on the agenda was to secure a facility suitable for playing indoor Floor Shuffleboard and what better place than the Coldwater Curling Arena. Late in the fall of 2006 affordable deal was struck with the Coldwater Curling Club that allowed the Shuffleboard Club to start making plans for the following season. Used equipment was hauled back from Florida where the two individuals spend their winter months. Used white and black discs were purchased from the Lakeland Florida Shuffleboard Club and were plenty good enough to start a Club. Eight used scoreboards were purchased from the Georgetowne Mobile Home Park in Lakeland Florida and eight more used scoreboards were donated by Avon Park in Florida, were two of the Coldwater members reside or play shuffleboard during the winter . A court stencil was purchased from Allen Shuffleboard Supplies; this and all the other used equipment was hauled home from Florida in the spring of 2007 . This is when the work began. The courts had to be measured and mapped out on the floor of the Curling Arena and it was decided that 16 courts could be laid out with plenty of space between the courts. As it so happened the stencil purchased in Florida was not made for the extra work load of spray painting 16 courts. The stencil was made of a thin plastic material and soon curled up from the drying paint. Masking tape was laid down for the court outlines and although it did work well it was going to take forever to lay out all 16 courts, and many rolls of tape would be required. A stencil was then cut from a piece of linoleum and it soon allowed us to finish the line painting work. A protective coating of Nela Seal was applied to each court surface to help protect the court lines as well as make the court surface slippery. Court dressing beads were going to be a huge expense that we were not prepared for, but an unexpected donation of beads from a dedicated shuffleboard player in South Western Ontario was a welcome gift to help the Club begin. 16 sets of Disc baskets had to be made and a disc polishing machine was conjured up using an old floor polisher as the spinning devise. The scoreboards were mounted on plywood backing and the chalk trays made from vinyl eve trough and all were secured to the Arena walls. All this sounds easy now that it’s all done and looking back it was fun and enjoyable. The Coldwater Lions Club was approached and their financial support was certainly appreciated. A constitution was finalized prior to registering the Club and although the original board members may have changed, the Club continues to follow the by laws written in the original constitution. A legal name search was done for the Coldwater Shuffleboard Club and the Club was soon registered as a Not for Profit organization and received their registered charter in the fall of 2006. Being registered as a Not for Profit organization allowed the Club to apply for a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. An OTF grant of $14,200.00 was received in the spring of 2008 and has enabled the Club to purchase new discs, cues, score boards, 4 roll out courts and other supplies necessary for the operation of the shuffleboard club. The Canadian National Shuffleboard was generous with their contribution to the Coldwater Club in support of the Coldwater member’s assistance during the International Tournament in 2007 played in Midland. A winter storage facility for the Club equipment was purchased with the money received from the CNSA. A Club Logo using the maple leaf was designed and made available by a local sign company in Coldwater and the Logo has now been used on shirts and hats for club members. The 2006 team photo appeared in the newly released Coldwater Centennial Coffee Table book that will be keep sake for player’s families in years to come. The club continues to play every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon each week during the summer months in the Coldwater Curling Arena. The skill level continues to rise each week as the novice players improve and become more competitive. Several of the more experienced players spend their winter months in Florida where competitive Tournament Shuffleboard is played throughout the State. They have helped teach the novice players the finer points of the game and it is beginning to pay off with the stronger competition. The wrap up of the season is concluded with an Annual General Meeting and new officers are elected to the board at this time. The final day usually begins at 1:00 pm with several games of shuffleboard followed by the AGM and then a catered banquet in the Clubhouse of the Curling Arena. The response to the summer shuffleboard has been overwhelming and has now prompted the plan to have shuffleboard during the winter month. Four Roll out courts have been purchase and will be laid down in the auditorium of the Coldwater Municipal Arena. Games will be played one day a week on the roll out courts and sign up for winter members is in full swing. Much of the Coldwater Club’s original used equipment has now been passed on to the help the Picton Shuffleboard Club get started. The Coldwater Shuffleboard Club is a member of the Ontario Shuffleboard Association as well as the Canadian National Shuffleboard Association and members of the Coldwater Club are directors in both these Associations.   Casino Rama Pubilic Relations Director Sherry Lawson presenting a cheque to Barbara Pipher Shuffleboard Treasurer.