Sweepings Balayages - April 2016 The Pointe Claire Curling Club News - The Best Curling Club on the Planet
←
→
Transcription du contenu de la page
Si votre navigateur ne rend pas la page correctement, lisez s'il vous plaît le contenu de la page ci-dessous
Sweepings • Balayages
April 2016
The Pointe Claire Curling Club News
The Best Curling Club on the Planet
This is the first issue of Sweepings / Balayages for 2016
Alexander Simard & Patricia Brown Editors
Many of you probably noticed the black line on sheet 3
The President’s
and some have even tried to remove it. That’s our new ice
monitoring system Steve installed to record ice tempera-
Message
ture fluctuations which will help better improve ice condi-
tions. It also notifies us immediately if there is any signifi-
Du Président
cant change in ice temperature to help us prevent
shutdowns.
Our new financial system, GG Curl, is now in place and
The first day of Spring is up- allows members to keep track of their own accounts daily.
on us as I am writing this The system was installed during the summer and fall.
message to the members. Thank you to Jim Redston for his countless hours of hard
It has once again been an work. Thanks to Tom Litchfield for taking charge of our
exceptional year at our club with good curling, great new curling stones drive. Our new rocks will arrive in time
social events and wonderful experiences. We are for the fall season. It was Tom who did the research and
completing our 95th season of curling and plans are encouraged the membership to support this endeavour
already underway to celebrate our 100th anniversary by participating in the “Buy a Rock program”, making a
in 2021. donation or participating in our events during the season
to raise money.
This is a time for me to thank all those members who
donate their time to our club to make it the best in This will be the mid-point in my tenure as your President. I
Quebec. We are all familiar with our outstanding event have been very fortunate to be a part of this club since
organizers but I would like to thank all those other volun- 2000. It was through my friendship with Bruce Lerner that
teers who give their time and are never recognized. These I became a member of Pointe Claire. In remembering
are members who work in the summer on club repairs, Bruce I am also saddened by the loss of members who
help Jim Redston in keeping our financial affairs in order, passed away this year. Mark Pogue, Bob Panet, Kathy
work with Patricia Brown in hosting social events and give Lamont and Jim Templeman were friends who will be
Bob Dods help in running the many on ice competitions remembered by all.
we offer each year. So when you are enjoying an event at I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer and hope to
our club please take a moment to thank these members see you all in the fall.
and maybe offer your own services at the next event.
Bill Ellyett
I would like to congratulate all those competitive teams
from all sections of the club who qualified to play or are
about to play in a Provincial Championship. You have
made us all proud.
Traduction par Claude Renaud
There have been a number of changes in the club both
physically and technically. We had our dining room floor En ce premier jour du printemps, je rédige ce message
sanded, new tables and chairs added, a new stove in the aux membres. Notre club a encore une fois connu une
main kitchen and an ice making machine for the bar. année exceptionnelle avec du bon curling, d'excellents
Thanks to Harold Aubie for looking after these improve- événements sociaux et des expériences merveilleuses.
Nous terminons notre 95e saison de curling et nous com-
ments. Steve Hewlett installed our new boutique display
mençons déjà à planifier les célébrations de notre 100e
as well as our new stereo system that now is available in anniversaire en 2021.
all areas of the club. Steve Mariano started the year with
a new look and more member-friendly website, installed Je prends cette opportunité pour remercier tous les
a more powerful Wi-Fi system, and updated the members membres qui donnent de leur temps à notre club pour en
faire le meilleur au Québec. Nous sommes tous familiers
computer in the lounge. Suzanne Smith and her team did
avec nos organisateurs d'événements exceptionnels mais
a massive cleanup of both kitchens, leading to better je voudrais aussi remercier tous les autres bénévoles qui
organization. donnent de leur temps et ne sont jamais reconnus. Ce
sont les membres qui travaillent en été sur les réparations
au club, qui aident Jim Redston à garder en ordre notre sur la glace 3 et certains ont même essayé de l'effacer.
situation financière, qui travaillent avec Patricia Brown C'est notre nouveau système de surveillance des glaces.
à l'organisation d'événements sociaux et aident Bob Steve l'a installé pour enregistrer les variations de tem-
Dods dans l'organisation des nombreuses compétitions pérature qui nous aideront à améliorer les conditions de
que nous offrons à chaque année. Donc, quand vous la glace. Ce système nous informe aussi immédiatement
profitez d'un événement à notre club, s'il vous plaît, pre- de tout changement significatif de la température de la
nez un moment pour remercier ces membres et peut- glace, aidant ainsi à prévenir les fermetures.
être pour leur offrir vos propres services à l'événement
suivant. GG Curl, notre nouveau système financier, est mainte-
nant opérationnel et permet aux membres de consulter
Je tiens à féliciter toutes nos équipes compétitives de leur compte en tout temps. Le système a été installé au
toutes les sections du club qui se sont qualifiées pour cours de l'été et de l'automne dernier. Merci à Jim
jouer ou sont sur le point de jouer dans un championnat Redstone pour ses nombreuses heures de travail
provincial. Nous sommes fiers de vous. acharné. Merci à Tom Litchfield qui a pris en charge
notre programme pour l'achat de nouvelles pierres. Ces
Nous avons procédé à un bon nombre d'améliorations pierres toutes neuves arriveront cet automne, à temps
physiques et techniques. Nous avons refait le plancher pour la prochaine saison. C'est Tom qui a fait les
de la salle de banquet, remplacé les tables et les recherches et encouragé les membres à contribuer à
chaises, et installé un nouveau poêle dans la cuisine, son programme, soit en faisant un don ou en participant
ainsi qu'une machine à glace dans le bar. Merci à Ha- à nos événements de levée de fonds.
rold Aubie pour s'être occupé de ces améliorations.
Steve Hewlett a installé un nouvel étalage de notre bou- J'en suis à la moitié de mon mandat en tant que votre
tique, ainsi qu'un nouveau système de son, qui est main- président. Je me trouve chanceux de faire partie de ce
tenant disponible dans toutes les pièces du club. Steve club depuis 2000. Ce fut par amitié avec Bruce Lerner
Mariano a changé l'apparence de notre site web, mainte- que je suis devenu un membre de Pointe-Claire. En me
nant plus convivial, installé un système Wi-Fi plus puis- souvenant de Bruce, je suis également attristé par la
sant, et mis à jour l'ordinateur des membres dans le sa- décès de quelques uns de nos membres cette année.
lon. Suzanne Smith et son équipe ont fait un nettoyage Mark Pogue, Bob Panet, Kathy Lamont et Jim Temple-
massif de deux cuisines, conduisant à une meilleure or- man étaient des amis et nous nous souviendrons d'eux.
ganisation.
Je vous souhaite un été agréable et sécuritaire. Nous
Plusieurs d'entre vous avez remarqué une ligne noire espérons vous revoir tous à l'automne. Bill Ellyett
Our Fine Fillies! Team Declerq
Kim Declerq, Chantal Robichaud, Kathy Ware
and Edith Legault had a great first year, winning
the McCallum trophy!
I feel very grateful to have curled with a great
group of women. I went into this competition with
no expectations (of myself) and end after end,
game after game, my confidence grew. Although
being in a competitive situation, I was always
pleasantly surprised of the support and
encouragement we received from our opponents
after our wins; this sport is very unique and it makes you feel like you’re part of a community. Oh, and I
really enjoyed our meeting points at Tim Horton’s and carpooling conversations/strategy talks on our
way to the games ;) Edith Legault
The Fillies’ experience was fantastic! The team played really well and we stayed focused the whole
time. I'm really looking forward to skipping this amazing team again next year. You guys rock!
Kim Declerq
Day Ladies Curling Update The Day Ladies have wrapped up another very busy curling season. We kicked off the year by hosting the Scottish Ladies tour at our club. Now all is done after holding 9 draws, numerous clin- ics, participating in outside events and bonspiels, and holding special events at the club. The ladies AGM and luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 6th at 11 am. We want to wish the team of Anne Howard (skip), Martha Guerriero (3rd), Carole Ouimet (2nd) and Pat Saito (lead) all the best when they travel to Sherbrooke to represent our club in the Travelers Provincial Club Championship, April 8 to 10. Have a wonderful summer and see you all in the fall. Daina Peize Day Ladies President Photography Bob Rondeau
Machu Picchu, a magical place…
Story and Photography by Claude Renaud
It's not easy to visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, in the
Andes of Peru. But last December, I made the trek with my daughter
Catherine, her husband Enrique, my 15-year-old grandson Marcel and
my 12-year-old granddaughter Julianne.
First, a fairly comfortable 11-hour flight from Montreal to Panama, con-
necting to Lima, where we stayed for a few days. The flight from Lima
to Cusco climbs from sea level to 3400 meters. You immediately feel
out of breath and light-headed as you walk the narrow cobblestoned
streets of Cusco. Fortunately, I did not suffer from the more severe
symptoms of mountain sickness. Hotels in Lima have emergency
oxygen for unlucky tourists. I was happy just to sip a lot of coca tea,
a local remedy.
From Cusco, there are two ways to get to Machu Picchu: walk or train.
The organised walking trip takes 4 days and 3 nights, covering some 80
kilometers. I preferred to take the 3-hour train trip. At 6am, the taxi took
us to the train station, 40 minutes away, to board a modern comfortable
train, with assigned seats and breakfast service, much better than
VIA, let me tell you. The train followed a river for most of the way, with
beautiful vistas of mountains on both sides. At some point, the train has
to switch back to gain altitude. But in the end, we actually go down, as
Machu Picchu, at 2340 meters, is lower than Cusco.
Once at the Machu Picchu station, buses await the passengers for the final 30-minute climb to the actual Inca site,
an unpaved winding road on the side of a cliff. Finally, here we were at the remarkable Incan ruins of Machu Picchu,
named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 and voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Machu
Picchu, built around 1450, was “lost” after the Spanish conquest of the Inca empire until it was rediscovered in 1911.
It stands on a high plateau in an extraordinarily beautiful setting, with giant walls, terraces and ramps surrounded by
spectacular rock escarpments.
Our private guide for the 5 of us described life in this hidden city and
showed us the incredible irrigation system that controlled this very rainy
place. We were lucky it did not rain that day but it was overcast and around
5C; a real mountain environment.
Walking around the ruins of Machu Picchu for about 5 hours one cannot
help but feel that this is a magical place, a unique setting unlike anything I
have ever visited in the world. Back by bus down to the station – say your
prayers – we return by train to Cusco, train delayed by 3 hours, and get
back to our hotel some
19 hours after we left.
It's not easy to visit Machu Picchu…
but it is so extraordinary that it is well worth
the trip.
Olympic Champion Jennifer Jones at Pointe Claire by Keith Mallette
On Sunday, March 6, Pointe Claire Curling Club had the pleasure of
hosting a fundraising event that featured reigning Olympic gold medallist
Jennifer Jones. Originally scheduled for last April but postponed due to
Jennifer being ill, the event was organized by UniAction to support West
Island Community Shares. The three on-ice clinics and luncheon raised
over $7,000 for this important cause.
While the majority of the 70 on-ice participants were active curlers, there
were a few novice and first-time curlers, including National Bank CEO Louis
Vachon and West Island Community Shares Executive Director Caroline Tison. By far the star of the show was
Jennifer Jones, who drove in from watching her husband Brent Laing at the Brier in Ottawa to participate in
our event.
Despite her stature as one of the most famous and recognizable curlers in the
world, Jennifer displayed a down-to-earth charm and friendliness that impressed
all of those in attendance. As well as her ability to adapt her on-ice sessions to
cater to the various skill levels of the curlers, she regaled everyone at the luncheon
with her storytelling skills, and she had the audience hanging on to her every word.
Jennifer took all of those present on her incredible journey from the disappoint-
ment of missing the chance to represent Canada at the 2010 Olympic Games in
Vancouver to winning gold four years later in Sochi. In the interim, she and her team overcame the urge to leave
competitive curling and made a significant change to the team, replacing Cathy Overton-Clapham with Kaitlin
Lawes. In curling-crazy Winnipeg, this was equivalent to the Canadiens trading Carey Price, and they were highly
criticized in the Western Canadian press.
Jennifer then suffered a potentially dream-ending injury at the same time that she found
out she was pregnant. Within a year of the birth of daughter Isabella and having undergone
successful knee surgery, she and her team dominated the December 2013 Olympic Trials.
The lunchtime audience of about 90 people sat in astonishment as she recounted how she
and her team overcame these different challenges to eventually make it to the 2014
Olympics and come home with the top prize. Jennifer shared her Olympic experience as
part of the larger Canadian delegation in Russia, going out to cheer on other athletes and
feeling their respective support as she and her team succeeded in their journey to win an
Olympic gold medal. With a little prompting, she then brought out her gold medal and
allowed everyone to hold it. Her smile never waned as she agreed to pose for as many
photos as there were people present.
It was a thrill to host such a prestigious occasion at Pointe
Claire and I’d like to thank Thi Be and Bruno Demerle of
UniAction for choosing our club and for organizing the event.
Jennifer Jones arrived quietly and unassumingly at Pointe
Claire on that Sunday morning and left just as humbly six
hours later, but she gave us all an insight into her wonderful
character and of her love and devotion to curling. She is a
truly remarkable ambassador for the sport and for Canada.
Thanks Jennifer!
It Was an Amazing Event The members PCCC, were honoured by Jennifer Jones presence at an amazing event organized by UniAction for the benefit of Community Shares. I arrived for the 10 am group practice and had a chance to chat with Jennifer before going on the ice. I was not disappointed with my first impression; she is friendly, chatty and down to earth. On the ice, each group had a PCCC member assisting with the clinic. She gave tips on delivery, in my case how I held the stone, and spoke of the importance of practicing your slide to the broom, on which 80% of her practice time is very focused. She gave an outstanding speech during lunch; she was engaging, entertaining, and spoke passionately of her love for the game; “the smell of the ice was like going to the spa in a very economical way”; the necessity of good team dynamics, in curling and in your everyday life; their amazing journey to the Olympics in Sochi and winning the gold medal (which she displayed with pride), an athlete’s dream come true; of becoming a strong team with the arrival of Kaitlin, her love for her team and of their support. Her message was clear; anything is possible with hard work, determination, passion and a strong support group. I left the club with a big smile on my face and an even bigger fan of Jennifer Jones. What a woman! By Jackie Van Geffen
A Very Special VisitorA typical three-man
L 1011 crew
As usual, I was early in the dressing room when Jennifer
Jones came running in to get ready for her first on-ice
session.
As we changed into our curling clothes we had a nice chat
about her drive from Ottawa, her daughter, her husband
playing in the Brier. It was just like talking to one of my
teammates; she was so approachable.
I didn't know what to expect on ice for the 1 hour session…
what could she do with all these people?
She started by talking and demonstrating a proper rock de-
livery, and answered a few questions. She worked with each
and every one of us individually, correcting our deliveries,
rock placement, and gave us tips on weight control;
it was unbelievable.
Jennifer was fantastic, gracious, had a ready smile and
always ready to jump in for as many photos as we
wanted to take.
Lunch was a very nice catered fare, but of course we
were waiting for Jennifer to start her talk. She spoke
for 45 minutes about her team's experiences on the
road to the Olympics. She was inspirational, funny
and ready to answer questions, and no one wanted
her to stop.
She proudly showed us her Olympic gold medal; some
people even got to have a photo taken with it.
After lunch Jennifer went back on the ice with the third
group, and delighted young and not-so-young with
more photos and curling tips.
It was a great day for a good cause.
JC Tremblay
A Great Year for Our Juniors Program By Wendy Byrd Our junior program officially came to an end on Sunday, March 20th, as we wrapped up with the ever popular kids versus parents potluck. The juniors were able to put all their new skills into action and earn some bragging rights. Our competitive teams will continue to train on Monday afternoons and still have one more interclub game to play on April 10th in St. Lambert. It is amazing to see how much our juniors have improved over the last six months. The new juniors who showed up on the ice in October with no knowledge of the sport are now able to deliver a stone down the sheet and our return- ing juniors have really improved their delivery and weight control. If any teams out there are interested in having a friendly game, please let us know as our juniors are always eager to play. We have certainly had a busy year with weekly practices, bonspiels and interclub. Pointe-Claire hosted the Tim Caverly Bonspiel in December which was a huge success. Pointe-Claire entered two little rock and two U17 teams and are proud to announce that we had a second place finish in both divisions. Many thanks to Sarah Schmerer, Amber Gargul and Matthew Solomon who ran the Junior Café, with all proceeds going to the junior program. In February, we entered a team into the Montreal West Leprechaun bonspiel. The theme of the year was the 90s - our “Mystery Machine” Team of Michael “Shaggy” Solomon, Hannah “Daphne” Gargul, Amber “Velma” Gargul, Sydney “Scooby” Rozon and coach Neil “Fred” Gargul had a great time finishing first in the round robin and winning the prize for the best theme. Our girls’ team composed of Hannah Gargul, Kyra Johnson, Amber Gargul and Sydney Rozon won the regional play downs and represented Lac St-Louis at the U15 Festival Inter-Jeux this March in Laval. This was a great opportunity for the girls to play against other teams from across Quebec. They will continue to train in hopes of representing the region at the 2017 Jeux du Quebec in Alma next March. Some of our juniors were invited out on Sunday, March 6th to meet and curl with Olympic Gold Medalist, Jennifer Jones. Jennifer gave each of the juniors little pointers on how to improve their body/rock position to ensure a clean delivery. It was a huge thrill for the juniors to meet Jennifer and hold an Olympic medal in their hands. A huge thank you to our amazing team of coaches; Neil Gargul, Bob Jackson, Stephen Janidlo, Tom Zevnik, Mark Paterson, JC Tremblay, Dave Ward and Michael Solomon. The junior program wouldn’t be possible without the commitment of these coaches. Many thanks to everyone at the club who has been so supportive of our juniors and the junior program.
On Thursday, March 17th we got to take the day off school to go watch draws 16 and 17 of the Brier in Ottawa. On way
to TD Place, we stopped at the Ottawa Curling Club to go to the Hogline Proshop. While we were there, we got the
pleasure of watching Team Homan practice at their home club. It was awesome to see such an amazing team just
throwing draws like we do every week at practice.
When we arrived at the Brier, we went straight to the Patch to listen to the Q&A
with Glenn Howard, Kevin Koe, Brent Laing, Richard Hart and Mark Kennedy. They
talked about their experiences and answered questions from the audience. When
asked if they had any advice for juniors, Mark Kennedy said to practice and have
fun. Then they had the autograph session with Team Laycock from Saskatchewan
and Team Simmons representing Canada. Amber got a Team Saskatchewan auto-
graphed Ice Pad from Dallan Muyres that was actually used during one of the
games. From there we were off to watch draw 16 but not before a quick stop at the
souvenir shop to get Brier pins to add to our collec-
tion. We had amazing seats – six rows up on the hog
line. Team Quebec was playing on the sheet right in
front of us and you could hear the conversations,
the scratching of the brushes and the screams of
Martin Crête. Between games, we tried to find a res-
taurant to eat in but they were all full. We decided to go to Whole Foods and were sur-
prised to find Team Jacobs and Team McEwen there fueling up for their next matches.
After dinner it was back to TD Place for draw 17 when we had the pleasure of witnessing
Craig Savill’s return to curling as the honorary fifth member of Team Canada. Later in
the game, all the sheets came to a stop as Craig was welcomed onto the ice and threw
lead stones for Team Ontario. With his first he threw up a perfect centre guard and then
buried his next shot behind the guard. He walked off the ice to a standing ovation - the
energy and emotion around us was so powerful.
As we looked around at the many fans, we spotted Team Homan enjoying the game and Amber went and got a selfie
with Rachel, Emma and Joanne. We had a great day in Ottawa at the Brier, we saw many amazing teams, spectacular
shots and it was awesome to… LIVE IT LIVE.
Hannah and Amber Gargul
On Day 1 of our first Brier experience, we stood for over an hour in front of a chip truck waiting for our
lunch… so we missed all the pre-game fun: Patch time and players’ practice. The next day, I wanted to
make sure we got there early to get it all in…
so we showed up, and to our surprise, were the
first to open up the Patch—that’s when we
realized that the game time schedule had
changed. John took a picture thinking it was
pretty funny… So my Brier lesson is: if you
buy tickets way ahead of time online, make
sure to check the game times closer to event
day… or show up with more friends!Mixed Green Salad Bowl
Played on March 19, 2016
Jim Kyle
The mixed league holds this event at the end of the season to give our new players, affectionately
known as “Greens”, a chance to play all team positions. Each player plays 2 ends at each position.
It is restricted to greens, and, if room allows, to 2nd year players. This season we put together
4 teams and they competed for the coveted Mixed Green Salad Bowl.
The teams were appropriately named.
The Curling Cabbages, Cool-cumbers, Icebergs and the Sweep Peppers.
After hard-fought games the Curling Cabbages came out “A Head”.
Congratulations to Geny Proulx, Mike Freeman, Charles Cazabon, and Kathy Ware.
After the game everyone enjoyed the salad and snacks and agreed that they all gained a new
respect for the job of Skip.
Thank you to all the participating players.
The Cool Cumbers The Ice Bergs
Pat Smith / James Scrimgeour / Edith Legault / Mike Rist
The Sweep Peppers The Curling Cabbages
Ray Lamarche / Myriam Thibert / Noreen Lavallée / Warren Smith Geny Proulx / Kathy Ware / Mike Freeman / Charles CazabonThe Pointe Claire Curling Club Goes to the Gordon
From March 17 – 19, 2016 the Gordon International Competition
was held in the Boston area. I was very fortunate to be able to play
in this historic event along with Keith Mallette (skip), Martin Walpert
(third) and Jim Purvis (lead).
Before I delve into the weekend's activities a brief historical
perspective is necessary.
The Gordon International Competition was first held on February
8th, 1884, in Montreal, between two rinks each from the United
States and Canada. In the 133 years since 1884 the competition
has actually been held 121 times – the 12 times it was not held
were due to the two world wars and a lack of ice in the late 1800s.
Until 1901, competitions were played with two rinks to each side. Today matches are typically contested with 20
rinks per side, playing two games each when held in the United States, or, when played in Canada, 20 American
rinks playing two games each and 40 Canadian rinks playing one game each. The outcome of the match is
determined by the total number of stones scored by each side in the two Gordon Medal games. Including this year,
Canada has won 90 matches and the Americans have won 31.
Traditionally there are two “friendly” games played prior to the medal games. We played our first friendly on
Thursday night at 8:00 pm against a team from Utica, NY at the Broomstones Curling Club just a little west of
downtown Boston and played our second friendly early Friday afternoon at the Nashua Curling Club in southern
New Hampshire (about 45 minutes north of Boston) against a team from Lake Placid, NY. We played well (or at
least better than the other teams) and won both friendlies.
We only had the one game on Friday so we decided to head into downtown Boston for the evening. I had always
wanted to go to the famous Cheers bar (the famous TV series that ran from 1982 to 1993). Luckily my teammates
enthusiastically embraced the idea and by 5:30 pm e found ourselves having a beer in the pub.
We had two Gordon medal games on Saturday. The 8:00 am (ugh) game was against a team from Rochester, NY
(which we won) and the 3:30 pm game was against a team from Norfolk, Connecticut which they won with the last
rock in the 8th end. We ended the medal play plus 2, but unfortunately the US beat Canada by a miniscule 6 rocks
(287 to 281). See attached photo of our team holding the famous and valuable Gordon Medal.
It is a great event representing a great deal of history and tradition and we all feel honoured to have been able to
play in this competition representing PCCC. Hopefully we can do it again next year when the competition returns
to Montreal.
Derek WaltonNews from the Senate Well, it’s hard to believe but the season is slowly winding down. The Senate has enjoyed a great season so far but there is still a lot of exciting curling to come. Following are some important dates to remember: April 5 Senate Closing Dinner April 7 & 8 Senators’ Skins April 19 Senators’ AGM 10:30 at PCCC The Skins games will again be managed by Ron O’Shaughnessy (thanks Ron) and will take place as mentioned on the 7th and 8th; we are reducing the entry fee from $40 to $25 in order to entice more par- ticipation in this fun event. Please sign up ASAP. Our Interclub teams, ably managed by Ralph Carter, have been challenging, standings wise (when other clubs know they are playing PCCC, they send out their best teams) but enjoyable none the less, and Interclub remains an important Senate offering. Due primarily to the fact that we are approximately 12 fewer Senators, we will be reducing the number of teams for the following season from 11 to 10. Every- one is eligible to sign up. The skips will rank themselves and teams will be chosen from the sign-up list. All players not chosen will be automatically on the spare list. Online sign-up will be available starting March 15th. Again we would like to thank everyone for your support of the fundraiser for our chosen charity, the West Island Women’s Shelter. Your generosity was truly remarkable ($1050) and the Shelter was extremely grateful. We will be counting on your support for the Shelter one more time at the Closing Dinner. Just a gentle reminder that when you sign up for a Senate event (suppers and luncheons) and do not cancel 24 hours in advance, the food is purchased and your at- tendance is expected. Therefore, if you do not show up, your pay- ment is still due. Thank you for your understanding. Lastly, we have had an unusual high number of injuries and ill- nesses this year, off and on the ice, so keep your head up and take care of yourself. Leo Leblanc Senate Chair
Education and Compliance Update
This has been a very good year for education and compliance. Along with the 5 clinics mentioned in my last message
at the beginning of December; we have done these additional clinics:
Clinics
December 17th – Strategy for Leads and Seconds – Kevin Golberg
January 3rd – A balanced slide – David Ward
January 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th – Stick Curling – Dan Janidlo
February 2nd – Strategy (Day Ladies) – Don Aitken
February 16th – Third’s play (Day Ladies) – M. Guerriero and L. Ellyett
March 6th – Curling basics – Jennifer Jones
I would like to thank each of the people mentioned above for
their contribution.
Lessons
The lesson program has been a great success this year. We have done about 90% of what is scheduled for lesson pro-
gram. Again, I would like to thank the league coordinators, Anita Glen (Day Ladies), Ron Willoughby (Senators), Brian
Francis (Mixed) and all the skips who have given lessons to date. I look forward to everyone’s cooperation and partici-
pation for the remainder of the year.
David Ward
Education and Compliance
Education - Mise à jour
Cela a été une très bonne année pour l'éducation. Avec les 5 cliniques mentionnés dans mon dernier message au
début de Décembre, nous avons fait ces cliniques supplémentaires:
Cliniques
17 décembre - Stratégie de curling pours les leads et secondes - Kevin Golberg
3 janvier – Le lancer équilibrée - David Ward
Janvier 6, 13, 20 et 27 – Le bâton de livraison - Dan Janidlo
2 février - Stratégie (Dames) - Don Aitken
16 février – le rôle du troisième joueur (Dames) - M. Guerriero et L. Ellyett
6 mars – Les principes de base - Jennifer Jones3 et
Je tiens à remercier chacun des personnes mentionnées ci-dessus pour leur contribution.
Cours
Le programme de cours a été un grand succès cette année. Nous avons fait environ 90% de ce qui est prévu pour le
programme de leçon. Encore une fois, je tiens à remercier les coordonnateurs de la ligue, Anita Glen (dames), Ron
Willoughby (sénateurs), Brian Francis (mixte) et tous les skips qui ont donné des leçons jusqu’à date. J’apprécierais de
la coopération et la participation de tout le monde pour le reste de l'année.
David Ward
EducationThe PCCC Colts Experience: The Players Love it All! I still remember Bernie Filiatreault asking Hugues, Rémi and me to go up to Brownsburg to play in our first Colts Spiel. It was the middle of my first year curling and I remember being nervous that we were going to play against players with 5 years’ experience. We ended up making it to the C final and got most of our entry fee back. We were hooked!! Colts has been an important part of my curling season for 5 years now. We've worked our way up the ranks. Last year we lost in the Provincial finals on the last shot. We could taste it, but it slipped away. One year later, we just qualified Q1 in the Montreal region and Provincials start on April 22. In our final year we'd really love to bring home a Provincial Championship. I've really enjoyed the Colts experience and would highly recommend that those who are still eligible get together and enter a team…………..Neil Gargul. What stood out for me was the camaraderie and how the team meshed together quickly in all aspects of the game. Another touching occurrence was the support and encouragement we received not only from Hugues and his team, but also from many in the PCCC community who took time to come and watch the games………..Ian Finlay. For us it’s all about communication and staying positive. When we do this, we play well………... Hugues Demol. Colts has been a lot of fun. Our team of Martin, Bernard, Ian and Alan came together quickly and communicated well (our strength). I'd also like to mention the encouragement we received from Team Demol. Good models and great guys………….Drew Hardy. I really appreciated the fact that in our second game, we played against Remi's brother (who plays on a team from Boucherville). This guy was very nice and fun to be with....I guess it runs in the family……...Bernard Blais. What I have taken out of this year's Colts experience is that as long as you think you can win, you can win! That, and the incredible feeling of working with a group of other "young" curlers. We are fortunate to curl in the foot- steps of a successful PC Colts team and they have encouraged us as well as inspired us. If it wasn't for their success and support, perhaps we wouldn't have done as well as we have this season. That and I think we have an exceptional team dynamic with a strong desire to have fun and win. Looking forward to the opportunity of meeting Demol, Portugais, Gargul and Janidlo in the Provincial Finals in April. Go PCCC!...............Alan Morton.
Musings from Cochrane, Alberta
Last night I wanted to check the outside temperature so I went
to my computer to take a look. I knew the temperature automat-
ically pops up on the I-phone and tablets that are somewhere
around but at the time I was close to the office and my
old-fashioned desktop and the other devices were nowhere in
sight. I punched my query into Google and it informed me it
was 5 degrees in Cochrane. I noticed too that it said “about
372,000,000 results (.56 seconds)”. This struck me funny
as just the night before I was reading a book on the Royal Tyrell
Museum of Paleontology and I remembered it had said that “around 375 million years ago, Alberta
was completely underwater.” Now I’m trying to decide which is more precise, about or around, and
are we really more accurate at measuring time and collecting facts or are we only fooling ourselves.
I find that lately I don’t seem to get caught up in the speed at which time passes. However, it has
passed and shortly we’ll be moving along. I could just as easily make a picnic, go and sit on a hilltop
and maybe write a poem and look out over the vast landscape that sprawls out in front of me. It’s
amazing, it’s beautiful and it’s everywhere and it’s Alberta, a truly immense array of natural landscapes.
There is everything from the Rocky Mountains and the spectacular mountain lakes to the fabulous
grasslands, range lands, parklands, farmlands, badlands, wetlands, prairies, foothills, ice fields, forest
ranges, valley glaciers, ravines, coulees and meadows to name just a few. And the rivers I have seen all
wind and meander comfortably through the towns and cities and countryside. There are Big Blue Skies
“that aren’t cloudy all day” and all kinds of wildlife. (Note: - At home we have bug spray, here they have
bear spray - BIG DIFFERENCE!)
There is Dinosaur Country and Wild Rose Country and of course the famous Chinooks and the hoodoos
and jack pumps and wind farms and the many roads that just dead end when they hit a mountain that
goes straight up or a valley that goes straight down. And as Zena says, they seem to have very happy
cows and horses that roam the range year round and probably somewhere someone’s singing a coun-
try western song and they have Ian Tyson. There seems like thousands of provincial and federal parks
with names such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump or Writing on-stone Provincial Park. And down the
road less than 3 kms away from us there is Glenbow Farm Provincial Park which totally encompasses
the spectacular view of the region leading to Calgary 30 km away. The most fun view from Glenbow
however is when a train goes by in the valley floor beside the Bow River and the cows are out in the
grassland on the far side of the river on the edge of the foothills with the Rocky Mountains in the back
ground and the clouds highlighted in the sunshine.
I once read a suggestion that we should take a picture of a place that is close to our heart; study that
picture once a week for a year and go back to it whenever we need to take back some of what we’ve
given. Great idea, as we all know we need to take back every once in a while. But it’s more fun when
you visit the places that take your breath away or find new special places that we find all the way along.
A very peaceful way to eliminate the disconnects that life can offer up. See you in June!
Jon & ZenaThank you all so very much!
This page represents just a fraction of all those who made K4K 2016 such a great success.
$36,403.00
These Curling Angels
ask you to please read and follow
the simple instructions below.
They promise that your game
will improve quite a bit.
1. Thou shalt worship the lord thy skip with all thy heart and all thy
soul. Thou shalt not taketh the name of thy skip in vain.
2. Thou shalt observe each curling day as a holy day. Six days shall ye
toil, but on curling day thou shalt enter the House of Curling and par-
tieth on.
3. Thou shalt not wear thy street shoes upon the surface of the ice. The
skips must stone any infidel who bringeth unholy crap upon the ice.
4. Thou shalt not pass wind in the direction of thy opposing skip. If
this ye doest, the penalty shall be dire.
5. Thou shalt place thy skip's rock before the holy hack with the handle
pointed in thy skip's preferred position.
6. Thou shalt not wear pants of outrageous design. If this ye doest, thy
fellow curlers must heapeth scorn and insults upon thee.
7. Thou shalt not covet thy opponent's in-turn or out-turn. Neither
covet thy foe's draw weight.
8. Thou shalt not hoggeth thy rock in the shoot-out. If this ye doest, ye
must offer up a double round to appease the wrath of thy team-mates.
9. Thou shalt not let thy head swell with victory over thy betters. Woe
unto he who does, for he shall come crashing rudely to the earth.
10. Thou shalt not heap blame upon the keepers of the ice for thy losses.
Neither shall ye blame the makers of the rocks. Blame not thy team-
mates, yet look inward to thyself for fault.
http://www.sportsjokecafe.com/A Toast to Old Friends, Near and Far
Vous pouvez aussi lire
