A state with an affinity for winter sports, Minnesota is home to one of the oldest and largest curling clubs in the United States. The Saint Paul Curling Club was founded in 1912 and, like many athletic organizations, was exclusively male for the first several decades of its existence.

That changed in October of 1951 when eight women and three male members of the club met to discuss plans for the formation of a women’s curling club. The landscape of sports was changing, and women no longer wanted to be relegated to watching and cheering from the sidelines.

By January 1952, four women’s curling teams had been formed, and that same year, a club constitution was adopted, and officers were elected to serve a two-year term. With the formation of the women’s club came the need for a name, and The Bonnie Spielers was born. The St. Paul Bonnie Spielers was founded with 21 members: Sandy Anderson, Paula Arnold, Dorothy Bateman, Ann Bayliss, Betty Blilie, Jean Braun, Ellie Cafferty, Betty Clasen, Fran Dillon, Ginny Edgerton, Mary Franklin, Jean Gross, Celia Hauer, Ruth Jamieson, Florence Lindholm, Joanne Schwab, Lorraine Simandl, Marilyn Taylor, Muriel Walker, Todd Williams, and Yvonne Williams.

Creating a curling club just for women was groundbreaking in the 1950s. The vision and foresight by the 11 who voted to create the club – and the 21 original members – set the stage for hundreds of women in St. Paul and across Minnesota to compete in curling. Since 1951, more than 1,500 women have been members of the Bonnie Spielers. Historically, the women’s league competed during the day so the men could continue to compete during the evening. Today, it is a night league with 19-20 teams competing each year.

After becoming a club in 1951, it took 25 years for the Bonnies to become full members of the St. Paul Curling Club. The following year, 1977, two Bonnies were elected to the club board, paving the way for future female board members – and one female club president.

With the Bonnies leading the way, curling organizations around the state popped up in the years following to give women more opportunities to compete on the ice. The Gopher State Women’s Curling Association was formed in 1970 to promote women’s curling, and the Gopher State Women’s Championship was the premiere competitive curling event for many years. The Bonnies have won several titles, and four Bonnies have served as association president.

In 1952, the Bonnies joined the United States Women’s Curling Association, and have competed in many national events sponsored by the organization. Three Bonnies have served as national president, and five times the Bonnies have won the National Bonspiel, a tournament hosted by the USWCA that features the top teams from around the United States. Two Bonnies have also had the opportunity to represent Minnesota and St. Paul in the Scot Tour – a curling event that rotates between the U.S. and Scotland every five years, and features 20 U.S. members.

A Bonnie Spieler team won the right to represent the U.S. at the 1986 World Championships in British Columbia, Canada, and teams from St. Paul have participated in Olympic trials and national championships after curling became an Olympic sport in 1988.

For more than 70 years, women in St. Paul have had the opportunity to compete at a high level thanks to the drive and determination of the founding members. The Bonnie Spielers have become a robust group of women of all ages who come together to compete and support one another in a curling club of their very own.