INSIDE - Grand National Curling Club

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INSIDE
GRAND NATIONAL CURLING CLUB
The Official Newsletter of the GNCC
February 2015 | Vol. 26, No. 1
Wheelchair Curling Reaches New Heights in GNCC
by Matt Berwick
Now practiced in 24 countries, wheelchair
curling had its beginnings in the US in
the 1990s. Games are played with the
same rocks on the same ice as regular
curling, and just about anyone with
access to a wheelchair
– paraplegics,
quadriplegics,
amputees, post-polios,
people with MS,
spina bifida, people
recovering from
strokes – can play.
I had the pleasure
of curling in the
9th Annual U.S.
Open Wheelchair
International Bonspiel,
held this season,
December 5-7, at the
Utica Curling Club.
Fourteen teams participated, including
teams from Scotland, Russia ,and Korea,
as well as several teams each from Canada
and the US. The GNCC was very well
represented. I was a member of Team USA
3, but we could have just as easily been
called “the GNCC Team Plus One”. Our
team consisted of Bob Prenoveau (skip),
and Mark Taylor (vice), both from The Utica
Curling Club. I hail from The Pittsburgh
Curling Club, and our 4th spot was
alternately filled by a Russian or Korean
spare.
We had an exciting and challenging
weekend facing some very talented
teams from all over the world. On Friday,
we played Quebec in a very close game
but suffered a loss in the final end. We
also played the USA
Veterans team and
came out successful!
Saturday brought
us an early morning
match versus Team
USA 2, and once
again we were
victorious. The next
two games we played
were not quite as
fortuitous, with
losses both to Team
Ottawa 1 and Team
Toronto. Sunday,
the last day of the
tournament, we had an early 7:45am
game against Team Russia, the Silver
Medalist from the 2014 Sochi Paralympic
games. We played really well as a team,
had them on the edge the entire game,
and when it came down to the last end
we were able to force a tie. This was and
enormous success, given that we knocked
Team Russia out of the gold medal game
and pitted us against Team Nova Scotia.
We played really well and once again
came out victorious. Over all, our team,
made up of 3 members from the GNCC.
finished 3-3-1 and in 5th place out of 14
teams from around the world.
2
2
Paralympic Camp
Free Curling Software
3
Message from the President
8
Spirit of Curling Awardees
4
9
10
GNCC Club Updates
Junior Championships
Davies Rink 8-Ender
11
GNCC Senior Women’s
12
USCA Volunteer of the Year
11
GNCC Club Playdowns
GNCC Curlers
Qualified for Nationals
Congratulations to all of the many
GNCC Curlers that have qualified for
Nationals! We wish the best of luck
to this amazing group of curlers.
It’s an Exciting Time
to Be a Curler!
Arena clubs continue to make great
strides in the GNCC. The Jersey
Pinelands Curling Club makes its
official debut in the GNCC while
Bucks County continues to grow
and introduce the sport to new curlers.
Triangle and Charlotte Curling Clubs
wrap up building dedicated facilites
to make NC a curling destination.
Free Curling Software
submitted by Howard Griffin
Over the past several years, the
Potomac Curling Club has developed
custom written software to help
manage our volunteer opportunities,
open house crowds, and other
smaller event reservations. In 2012
the Chesapeake Curling Club asked
if I knew of a timer to help keep
friendly games and bonspiels moving
forward in a timely manner. I didn’t
know of one so a simple game timer
application was developed to keep
friendly games and bonspiels moving
along. A “virtual” strategy board
suitable for video projections for larger
crowds was also developed.
All of the software developed by
the PCC is available to any club
or organization, absolutely free
of charge. Point your favorite web
browser to howardgriffin.org, try
the applications out online, and then
download any that you wish to use.
Master Webmaster(s)
Needed for the GNCC
Website
We are currently seeking someone with
experience in Content Management
System software (such as Joomla) who
wants to work on a feature-rich website
(trust me, there’s far more behind the
scenes than the average user sees).
A lot of work is involved regarding
mailing lists, membership data, and
event calendars. Contact Rob LeVine,
[email protected] if you
are interested or know someone who is.
Paralympic Veteran Curling Camp Held on Olympic Ice
submitted by Amber McKernan
Following on the heels of the 2014
Paralympic Winter Games, the US
Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team,
their coaches and support staff, and 11
Disabled Veterans arrived in Lake Placid
on Wednesday evening, September
3rd, to train and to participate in a 3-day
Paralympic Veteran Curling Camp at the
USA Rink of the Olympic Ice Center. The
camp was organized by Marc DePerno of
Utica, NY, National Director of Paralympic
Curling, and supported by our local
curling club, Lake Placid Curling Club,
whose members play weekly at the
Saranac Lake Civic Center, and by Jim
Ridenour, Certified Ice Technician of the
Schenectady Curling Club.
Veterans, Paralympians, and their
coaches came from all over the
United States to participate in this
camp, with some hailing from as far
away as Washington state, Missouri,
Texas, Wisconsin, and closer to home,
Massachusetts and New York state.
At the Olympic training facility,
participants were introduced to the sport,
some for the first time, with an overview
of the game, terminology, equipment
and the rules of the game. On-ice
instruction in the USA Rink was provided
by coaches, support staff, Team USA
Paralympians, and local curlers.
In early November, Wheelchair Curlers
played to qualify for the 2014-2015
TEAM USA National Wheelchair Curling
Team, which will represent the US in
national and international competition.
Message from the President
Grand National Curling Club
submitted by Sally MacKenzie
Welcome to the 20142015 curling season!
We apologize for not
being able to send
out a fall newsletter.
However, our website
has been undergoing a major overhaul,
and we are still working out the kinks
of how to send out email blasts to
the members and uploading the new
member information. Please check
out the new website when you have a
chance. Many thanks to Rob LeVine for
putting in hours of work for the new site.
We just completed the Men’s and
Women’s Club Playdowns, as well as
the Junior Playdowns. Many thanks to
the clubs that hosted these events, and
to all of the volunteers and officials and
Officers and Directors
players. Events like these cannot happen
without your time, resources, and
hard work. Results are included in this
newsletter.
Detailed information about this year’s
Annual Meeting, to be held again in
Norwalk, CT, May 15-17, 2005, will soon
be forthcoming. The primary topic to be
covered will be insurance, and we will
have a representative from our insurance
company, Loomis & LaPann, speak about
the insurance needs and requirements
for our GNCC clubs, as well as answering
your questions.
Wishing everyone keen ice and great
shots!
President Sally MacKenzie
1st Vice President Chris Banino
2nd Vice President Dan Boerger
Secretary Joel Leneker
Treasurer Gwen Krailo-Lyons
Immediate Past President
Dick Macartney
At Large Directors George Shirk,
Maryann Vermeulen, Marj Moore
GNCC News is published by the
Grand National Curling Club of
America, Inc. The newsletter is
distributed free to members of the
Grand National Curling Club. The
annual subscription rate for nonmembers is $10.00 (US). Advertising
rates are available upon request.
All correspondence should be sent to:
GNCC Curling News
46 Ledgewood Drive
Norwalk CT 06850
Editor & Art Director Jacki Temple,
[email protected]
Rink Equip. Ltd.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Toll Free Phone 1-888-832-3728
Celebrating 44 years of service to the curling world
Manufacturer of curling stones & curling rink equipment
Originator of the Rent/Purchase curling stone agreement
Check all the videos on our website at
www.thompsonrinkequip.com
Contributors Matt Berwick, Sally
MacKenzie, Howard Griffin, Maryann
Vermeulen, Amber McKernan,
Steve McKee, Barb Murphy, Jane
Sharp, Murray Jackson, Keith Scott,
Jay Davies, Carol Arakelian, Kristen
Conrad, Ashley Lawreck
GNCC Club Updates
Charlotte Curling Club
by Steve McKee, President, and Kristen Conrad
The Charlotte Curling Association invited the public to
visit its new dedicated facility on Saturday, December
13th. The Grand Opening began with the curling
tradition of a bagpiper leading guests into the
building, and then following a brief welcome, visitors
were invited to tour the facility, view live curling
action, try throwing a curling stone, and sign-up for
discounted Learn-to-Curl sessions, all while Charlotte
Curling members were on hand to explain the sport’s
rules and history and answer any questions. Hourly
drawings were held for chances to win free Learn-toCurl sessions. Boone’s Bar-B-Que Kitchen on Wheels
was on-site with food for purchase.
The Charlotte Curling Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2010 and has grown
to include more than 80 junior, adult, and senior
members, ranging from zero to 50+ years of curling
experience.
This brand new 17,000-square-foot facility features
12,000-square feet of ice, plus locker rooms, a warm
room, and other amenities. It allows expanded curling
opportunities for participants of all ages, including
women’s, men’s, college and youth leagues, in
addition to opportunities for the visually impaired and
other differently-abled participants. Additionally, the
club recently received a grant of $6,000 from the U.S.
Curling Association’s Darwin Curtis Fund to install a lift that will allow curlers with
mobility challenges to access the ice surface.
Charlotte also plans to expand its tournament schedule, which currently includes
the wildly popular Grits ‘n’ Granite and Pajama Curl bonspiels, both attracting teams
from across the United States and Canada. For more information about the club and
bonspiel updates, please visit our website at www.charlottecurling.com.
Bucks County Curling Club
by Barb Murphy
As we mark our fifth anniversary, it has been an exciting
year for Bucks County, given that 2014 was an Olympic year,
and we saw an increase in our Learn-to-Curl classes and in
membership overall. We also had the bonus of the National
Championship being hosted just outside of Philadelphia.
We took full advantage of the fact that people had been
watching curling on TV and then had the opportunity to see
it live in their own community. As a result, we held a very
successful open house, and saw an increase in membership.
This season started off in high gear, and we’re having great
fun with it. We’ve had several successful bonspiels, we’ve
had a team travel to San Francisco, CA, and three of our
teams had an especially memorable time at the USWCA
5 and under at the Norfolk Curling Club. All 3 teams went
on to the finals. One skip has less than 1 year of curling
experience, and 2 other players had never been to a
bonspiel before.
Last, but certainly not least, on Sunday, December 7th,
Bucks County had its very first 8-ender! How awesome is
that? All the other games stopped play to watch the final
stone as it was delivered and made its way into the house.
Cheers rang out. It’s hard to fill an arena, but our cheers did.
What a terrific way to mark our 5th year!
The official Equipment Supplier of the GNCC
GNCC Club Updates
continued
Triangle Curling Club
submitted by Murray Jackson and Keith Scott
Great progress is being made on Triangle’s new
dedicated facility! Our first board meeting was held
on a cool December night, and many club members
volunteered to lay over 6 miles of one inch pvc piping
laid. Following that, many more were back to help
tie down the rebar needed for the ice pad concrete
floor. The concrete was poured on December 8th,
and the chiller was installed on December 13th
by Everything Ice. This volunteer involvement is a
significant contribution to the club in terms of cost
savings. It also serves to provide members a better
understanding of what goes into building a curling
club.
Still on track for a February 14th grand opening, we
projected that we should be able to start building
ice around January 5th. By January 6th, interior
plumbing and electrical work had passed inspection
and was ready for drywall to be hung. Interior lighting
has already been installed, and outside work is
wrapping up on the gutters and trim. Because of an
unseasonably wet fall and winter, the work on the
retention pond continues to be ongoing. The big key
is getting full power to the building so we can turn
on the chiller! House cameras have been hung, and
we’re getting excited to play on our own ice. It’s so
close!
We’ve already begun planning for our first spiel,
which will take place the weekend of April 24-26. The
Housewarming Spiel promises to be the start of a
long history of good curling in Durham.
With Charlotte Curling Club’s new facility already up
and running, North Carolina is fast becoming the new
curling capital.
Jersey Pinelands Curling Club
by Jane Sharp
The sound of bagpipes on Canada Day, Tuesday
July 1, 2014, ushered in the first game of the Jersey
Pinelands Curling Club at the Igloo Ice Rink in Mt.
Laurel, NJ. Our toast to the piper was led by Bert Yost,
our 82 year-old Honorary First Member. Bert brought
in a curling trophy she won in Alaska, in 1962,
playing outside with corn-strand brooms brought
from home. Also with us the first night were John
Wilman (President of Plainfield Curling Club) and
Maryann Vermeulen (GNCC representative) as well
as reporters from two local newspapers. Maryann’s
photo ended up on the cover of our local paper.
With the help of experienced players from Plainfield,
Philadelphia, and Bucks County, we introduced 22
new players to curling. Over the summer we held a
logo contest among our members and now have club
pins to trade at bonspiels.
For the fall and winter seasons, we have continued
to play at the Igloo and hold Learn-to-Curls every
month to introduce more people to curling. We’ve
also benefitted from expert coaching from Plainfield
members Dean Gemmell and Don Arsenault. Our
members participated in a Friendly with Plainfield
on October 11th, and on November 29th, we hosted
a Friends and Family event in which 70 people, from
preschoolers to grandparents, showed up to play
games of “shorties.”
In December, we launched an Indiegogo fundraising
campaign to help cover our start-up expenses. Even
though we are a new club, we have dreams of our
own facility and have formed an exploratory “We
Need a Home” committee to investigate possibilities.
The idea for Jersey Pinelands Curling Club (JPCC)
originated during the 2014 Olympics after a group of
Medford, NJ, residents tried curling on a local lake.
JPCC would not be possible without the generous
assistance of the broader curling community,
including the GNCC, Granite and Ice Inc., Brooms Up
Curling Supplies, and our local clubs. Special thanks go to the management and staff
of The Igloo Ice Rink for being incredibly accommodating and supportive. We are
extremely grateful to everyone who has come out to help us, and we invite everyone
to come play any time. Our league schedule is on our website (www.jerseycurling.
org), and photos of our activities can be found at Curl South Jersey on Facebook.
The Spirit and Love of the Game
submitted by Ashley Lawreck
The GNCC Spirit of Curling awards were presented
to Team Schoder (L-R: Susan Dudt, Ellen Schoderskip, Sarah Ogawa, Sere Politano) and Team White
(L-R: Jonathan Beldner, Sean White-skip, Christopher
Basciani, Kyle Bensink-not pictured) at the 20142015 GNCC Junior Playdown and Championship on
December 30, 2014, for exemplifying the true spirit
of curling. These teams were selected by their peers
for playing honorably and for being a team of fierce
competitors on ice, but most importantly, always
friendly and respectful off the ice.
This award was developed and is presented in honor
Eydie Savett, a longtime official at Junior Championship
events. The GNCC Junior Championship and Playdown
held a special place in her heart, and she worked to
ensure a positive experience for all who participated.
Eydie is remembered fondly by past junior GNCC
curlers as “perfect for officiating” with her “direct and
disciplined, yet genuine and caring” demeanor. She was
“completely selfless and truly passionate” in dedicating
herself to a competition that she believed hugely
important. Her commitment to sportsmanship and fairness helped many junior
curlers grow and develop into the adults they are today. Eydie had a special way of
making each junior curler feel worthy and capable. She was the essence of the spirit
of curling.
The pin presented with this award was designed by Phyllis and Hannah Ely
(Rochester Curling Club). Phyllis provided a wonderful explanation of the design:
“The design represents Eydie’s bright spirit, love of the sport, and especially her love
for junior curlers. The three flames symbolize qualities that were important to and
demonstrated by Eydie herself: sportsmanship, friendship, and citizenship.”
Congratulations to Team Schoder and Team White, for preserving the spirit and love
of this game that Eydie held so dear.
Proud Partners of the GNCC
GNCC Junior Championships and Playdowns
submitted by Ashley Lawreck
The 2014-2015 GNCC Junior Men’s Championship and
Playdown was held December 26-30, at the Rochester
Curling Club in Rochester, NY. During this event, six
teams from across the GNCC competed in a round robin,
with the top two teams advancing to the 2015 US Junior
Curling Nationals. Team Clawson (Hunter Clawson,
Caleb Clawson, Ethan Kennedy, and Tyler Oliver) finished
the double round robin undefeated to become the
GNCC Champion and will represent the GNCC at Junior
Nationals. Team Clouser (Cody Clouser, Daniel Dudt,
Andrew Dunnam, and Andrew Dudt) also advanced and
will represent Pennsylvania.
The 2014-2015 GNCC Junior Women’s Championship
and Playdown was held December 26-30 at Rochester
Curling Club in Rochester, NY. During this event, four
teams from across the GNCC competed in a double
round robin, with the top two teams advancing to the
2015 US Junior Curling Nationals. Team Bear (Madison
Bear, Jenna Burchesky, Allison Howell, and Annmarie
Dubberstein) finished the double round robin with
a record of 5 wins and 1 loss to become the GNCC
Champion. They will represent the GNCC at Junior
Nationals. Team Cousins (Elizabeth Cousins, Elizabeth
Pettee, Ivy Mancuso, and Sydney Mullaney) finished the
round robin with a record of 4 wins and 2 losses also
advanced and will and represent Massachusetts.
The 2015 US Curling Junior Nationals will be held at
Devils Lake, North Dakota, from January 16-24, 2015.
All of a Sudden, There Were Eight!
submitted by Jay Davies
At the Potomac Curling Club in Laurel, MD, on Thursday,
November 20th during an open league game, the
Jay Davies rink accomplished the nearly impossible
by finishing an end with all eight of their rocks in the
house. The games on other sheets paused, and the
whole club came to a standstill when this occurred,
giving everyone an opportunity to see the house and
take photos.
Davies’s team was having a lot of success curling draw
shots around a front guard to the 4 foot, where they
already had 3 other rocks. The opposition tried freezing
up against their rocks but went a bit heavy and “pinballed” through. There was also some help by the
opponents to advance their rocks during the course of
the end. Davies had the hammer and both skips suddenly realized the final count
was for 8. The other 3 sheets had stopped play as word of the possible 8-ender spread
around the rink, and all the other curlers watched the final successful draw shot, then
broke into applause.
Both teams were surprised by this event occurring during a Thursday night league
game. Of the Davies Rink, James and Kathy Carr are in their 4th year of curling, while
Matt Wiles is in his 2nd year. Jay has been curling for 50 years and has never before
been present at a game in which an 8-ender occurred, making it a wild event for all 4
members of the team.
Vernon Davis
submitted by Jay Davies
Are you ready to hit the broom? If you are in New Yorkin March, then we have an
exciting event for you. NFL star Vernon Davis will be there, and he is taking his
support skills to the curling ice once more.
The San Francisco 49ers tight end is scheduled to join U.S. Olympians Pete Fenson
and Jessica Schultz for the Manhattan Curling Cup, an interactive event to be held at
the Sky Rink in New York’s Chelsea Piers neighborhood March 12. Davis, who served
as honorary captain at the 2014 and 2010 Olympics for the Americans, will help
coach participants competing for Manhattan bragging rights and a traveling trophy.
The USA Curling competition will pit teams from the worlds of tech, media, finance,
and marketing against each other in a battle for those bragging rights.
Need some training? We’ve got that handled. Pete Fenson, 2006 Olympic bronze
medalist, and Jessica Schultz, two-time Olympian (2014, 2006) will be on hand to
make sure you know how to throw stones and sweep hard with the best. And every
competitor will take home exclusive curling supplies and more.
This one-of-a-kind event has room for only20 teams. Hurry hard to get your team
registered today!
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Events/Manhattan-Curling-Cup
GNCC Senior Women’s Championship
by Carol Arakelian
The 5th GNCC Senior Women’s Championship
“Falmouth in the Fall” was hosted at Cape Cod Curling
Club. The three-day event began on November 7, 2014.
Twenty teams from eleven different clubs competed,
making this the largest field of teams ever to participate
in this event and bringing together longtime friends and
new additions to the senior bonspiels. The Philadelphia
team, skipped by Rosemary Morgan, won the first event
over Jennifer Stannard’s Nutmeg team. Cape Cod,
skipped by Mary Colacchio, won the second event over
Tish Orr’s Green Mountain team. Broomstones, Shelley
Dropkin’s team, won the third event over a composite Schenectady/Albany team,
skipped by Charlene Fitzgerald. Albany, skipped by Martha Naber, won the fourth
event over Utica’s team, skipped by Kathy Palazzoli.
GNCC Club Playdowns
submitted by Sally MacKenzie
Congratulations Team Stopera (Ardsley - Andrew Stopera,
Bill Stopera, Peter Austin, George Austin, Martin Sather)
for winning the GNCC Men’s Club Championship and
Team Findlay (Potomac - Dawn Findlay, Majik Jones, Susan
Armiger, Dominique Banville) for winning the GNCC
Women’s Club championship. Both teams will represent the GNCC and compete against
9 other men’s and 9 other women’s teams at the Club
Nationals at the Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club in Fargo,
North Dakota, March 7-14, 2015. Best of luck to both teams!
USCA Volunteer of the Year
adapted from the United States Curling News
Congratulations to Mary Fanette, recognized by the USCA for her resilient, wellorganized, and very determined leadership in the wake of the arson and sunsequent
rebuilding of the Norfolk Curling Club. Her energy and leadership have been
described by club vice president Ted Stone as instrumental in getting the club rebuilt
less than two years after the tragic fire, and it’s worth noting that club members so
wholeheartedly supported her efforts and leadership that they voted to amend the
club bylaws to allow her to serve a thrid term as president.
The United States Curling Association Volunteer of the Year Award was established
in 2012 to provide recognition for the work that curlers throughout the nation do to
advance curling on the club level, with primary consideration going to members who
volunteer in their own clubs. And though Fanette’s own club nominated her for this
award, she gives full credit for the success of the club to each of the members. Club
secretary Vickie Brown states, “Mary would be very upset if we did not give credit to
all the hardworking members of the Norfolk Curling Club, who put in so many hours
to make our dream happen, as well as to the general curling community who so
graciously gave their support in so many ways.”