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ENGLISH CURLING ASSOCIATIONApril 2009

NEWSLETTERWelcome to this edition of the English Curling Association Newsletter. This edition once again emphasises the breadth of news and information the ECA is attempting to distribute to its members and the energy b e i n g e x p e n d e d b y t h e volunteers who make up the committee in meeting the needs of its valued members.

In this edition you will find news on various clubs, competitions and world curling news together with a letter from the ECA president.

Although this edition is packed with news, and thank you to all the contributors who made it possible, we are constantly seeking contributors and ideas. Please share your ideas with us and, if you feel you could contribute, then please contact Steve Scanlan with your ideas or contributions. We welcome any news on curling, pictures and competition details.

F inal ly, i f you have any comments on this edition then please let Steve Scanlan know.

IN THIS EDITION Presidents Letter Developments in Curling

Club News South East Curling Club

Preston Curling Club Upcoming Competitions World Curling News Why curl outdoors? FUN

£1(or subscription to ECA)

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There have been a number of possible initiatives to begin curling at Sheffield. A company headed by Paul Pruszynski, a former international bobsledder and a member of the National Olympic Committee were proposing to build an indoor bobsled start ramp which would be about 100 meters long and would incorporate an ice climbing wall in its structure. There would also be room in the “Icehouse” for a 4 lane curling rink - 2 sets of 2 lanes end to end.

They gave a presentation at the ECA AGM in 2007 but the project became mired in local politics and got bigger, and the last I heard was that Paul was trying to lever the “Icehouse” part of the project out from the rest of it so that he could develop it independently. All has gone quiet recently.

T h o s e w h o h a v e b e e n t o iceSheffield will have seen that it contains two separate full size ice hockey rinks with a central core from where both rinks can be observed. It would be an ideal venue for the European Curling Championships and the ECA secretary has started discussions with UKSport about the possibility o f b i d d i n g f o r t h e 2 0 1 3 Championships – which would be the last one before the 2014 Olympics and would have the added cachet of having the British teams (in all probability Scottish players) playing there before they go the Games.

The next meeting took place on 20th March when the ECA and UKSport met Sheff ield City Council Major Events team who organise and stage events in Sheffield. They would have a major role to play in organising the event and there is also the

possibility of funding coming from the Reg iona l Deve lopment Agency, Yorkshire Forward.

All this is a long way down the line and the immediate milestone is to get a Business Plan approved by UKSport by June 2010 so that we can make a bid to the European Curling Federation in October 2010. Volunteers wanted to help produce this Plan.

iceSheffield was the host for the curling events when Channel4 ran their celebrity competition called The Games 3 or 4 years ago. There are still two sets of circles on the ice in Sheffield and for a while they have been holding corporate events of ice block curling where blocks of ice with rubber handles frozen in have been used as ‘stones’. These only last as long as the blocks do not melt and the handle falls out!!

They have recently purchased from Scotland some artificial curling stones which are basically plastic coated concrete which they are hoping to use for corporate events.

The ECA Secretary v is i ted iceSheffield in January and has arranged for the ECA to hold a Grand Match be tween the Northern Clubs and the Southern Clubs on the day of the AGM – 31st May between 1300 and 1500. This will be preceded by an Open Meeting for all ECA members to discuss issues with the Council and followed by the AGM. It is hoped that the refurbished stones belonging to the London Curling Club will be available for use that day.

John Brown

Curling in Sheffield?

WHERE TO CURL There is current ly on ly one dedicated curling rink in England at the moment, Fenton’s, Kent. There are rumours and hints at new rinks occurring constantly. For the moment these remain only rumours but as these rumours get stronger there is hope that we will see the next curling centre open soon.

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CLUB

NEW

S 20

09April

The SECC’s third season has been an exciting time for our young club. It has also been a period of transition with several new faces on the club committee after many of the club’s founders reached the end of their tenure. Under the presidency of Gordon Bryan the SECC has gone from strength-to-strength and, through its partnership with Fenton’s Rink, has continued to offer a wide range of competitions for players of all levels of experience on England’s only dedicated curling rink. Our games take place every Tuesday and Wednesday with additional competitions on Saturdays.

One initiative this year has been to set an ambitious target of attracting fifty new players to the club over the season. In order to meet this goal we have increased our marketing efforts focusing on the large volumes of people that come to the rink through private bookings. Funding from a WCF DAP grant has allowed us to produce flyers, business cards, pens and posters, which have been distributed to these potential new players. With more than thirty new regulars already playing alongside our pre-existing members we feel this drive has been a great success.

Another big development has been the launch of our new, blog-style website (www.southofenglandcurlingclub.com) that has enabled us to keep members updated with club news and has provided another way of attracting would-be curlers to the club. This season the SECC has also introduced a new range of club clothing, including t-shirts, polo’s, jackets, jumpers and beanie hats, and these have offered a popular way for members to support and promote the club.

The club has been running four independent leagues this season. The Mixed League took place in the first half of the season, as a single round-robin with seven teams entered, and was won by John Brown, Lana Watson, Steve Amann and Jane Clark. The main Club League has been running throughout the season wi th ten teams entered. Following a single round-robin the

winning team comprised Mark Wilkinson, Steve Amann, Kerr Alexanda, Paul Topley. This season’s Saturday League reached its conclusion on 21st March with the final two rounds of the double round-robin competition between seven teams. Jamie Malton’s team of Keith Wilson, Sebastien Doussin and Adam Bermange have wrapped-up this league although Michael Opel’s side still had a late chance of catching them. Finally, the Open League took place in the second half of the season, with two groups of five teams playing a single round-robin followed by a final round of placement games. Eventual winners were Derrill Palidwah, Kenny Watson, Lance Baron, Chris Hall.

In addition to our leagues and regular social games the club has run a number of bonspiel’s and points competitions. The 2nd staging of the Great Gordino Classic occurred on 22nd November. This was a great success, with five teams entered, and was won by Sam Fowler, Ian Baxter, Alison Barr and Gary Tapp. Another excellent bonspiel was played for the John Brown Jubilee Novice Trophy on 7th March; for this competition the back-end players were required to have less than three year’s curling experience. Six teams entered with the trophy going to Gary Tapp (in his first season), Naomi Robinson, Derr i l Palidwah and Suzie Law.

Finally, we held a Christmas Points Competition on 20th December, which was won by Ivan Zadorozny with thirty-eight points. Another points competition is planned for 4th April, which is also the date of the club’s AGM where members will get the chance to voice their ideas for the future so that the club can continue to flourish and meet the needs of the curlers of the South of England.

The clubs AGM took place on the 4th April and Jo Ostermeyer was elected asthe new President. The meeting gave our members the chance to voice their ideas for the future allowing the club tocontinue to flourish and meet the needsof the curlers of the South of England.Adam Bermange

South of England Curling Club

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We are pleased to send our article to the new BLOG site and hope it will become well used by all current and future curlers!

At the AGM on 19th March we acknowled-g e d o u r r e t i r i n g P r e s i d e n t – P h i l Atherton. Jim Aitken is now President for two years. Ian Sayers was e l e c t e d a s V i c e President.

T h e c l u b a r e main ta in ing ac t ive curlers at about 18 – which means we can have four rink matches on 9 Thursdays a year at Lockerbie. Get in t o u c h i f y o u a r e interested in curling with us – you will be made very welcome.

I’Anson Competition – everyone who has taken part rates it highly. The dates this year are Friday 20th to S u n d a y 2 2 n d November. We hope to have 16 rinks take part. The first matches a r e o n F r i d a y afternoon with two m o r e g a m e s o n Saturday. The top 8 rinks play again on Sunday morning. Get in touch wi th Phi l Barton if you have any questions.

Club Dinner: Takes place on Friday 3rd April. We are certainly very successful at celebrating and having a good time.

Chinese BanquetW e h a v e a n o t h e r annual banquet – a tradition now! This will be on 8th August in our f a v o u r i t e C h i n e s e r e s t a u r a n t i n Blackpool.

Ron Thwaites – a member f o r many years has retired. Ron lived in Helensburgh a n d t r a v e l l e d t o Lockerbie. He also represented England in the Seniors at World C h a m p i o n s h i p f o r many yea rs . Bes t w i s h e s i n h i s retirement.

World Seniors – We w i s h t w o o f o u r members all the best for the World Seniors – John MacDougall is an ever present in the rink. He is joined this year by Phil Barton (he w a s a l t e r n a t e i n Copenhagen in 2006) John Brown is skip ands Robin Gemmell – lead in the England rink. They leave for New Zealand in mid April.

Phil Barton

CLUB

NEW

S 20

09April

PRESTON CURLING CLUB

ENGLISH CURLING FORUMDid you know that there is an English Curling Forum? It has been operating for a little over a year and has a staggering 109 active users. Discussing all aspects of curling including ice, rules, teams and playing the forum is an active discussion of English Curling. With members based in 7 other countries including Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Scotland the site covers so much more than just the English scene. So if you want to know what is happening in English Curling or want to contribute to the discussions then join up now and see what is happening.

www.englishcurlingforum.com

[5]

April

ENGL

ISH C

URLIN

G

Truthfully, I don’t think curling will ever be a massive sport in England. There I’ve said it! You may all be sitting there choking on your corn flakes thinking, “what kind of ambassador is she for English curling?” but I’m not going to let my heart rule my head.

I would love for curling to be a big sport in England. I would like to be able to talk to people and for them to know what curling is, and be proud of the achievements of their national t e a m s . I w o u l d l o v e t h o s e representing their country at the top level not to have to pay for the privilege themselves or give up playing because they can’t afford it anymore. I would like every ice rink in every town to offer curling.

But it’s not going to happen.

I live and work in Scotland, a country that won the European Championship in December, the World Junior Championship in March, will host the 2009 European Championship and is traditionally viewed as the home of curling. Of the 2000 employees in the organisation where I work, about 2% know what curling is. The man in the street in Scotland doesn’t know what curling is so how can we expect anyone in England to know?

We are always going to be a minority sport, fighting for recognition. The

only way we’ll be able to get any funding is by increasing numbers and winning medals. And the only way we’ll be able to win medals is by securing funding and training for our curlers. The best way to increase numbers is to offer curling in more areas, but the ice rinks want curlers before they’re prepared to offer curling. It’s a chicken and egg situation.

While we may not be big, we need to make English curling something we can all be proud of. Make sure you go to the AGM this year, join in the curling and the open forum. Make your voice heard and volunteer to help out if there’s something that interests you or where you have a particular skill.

Surely we all want what’s best for the sport. There still appears to be a north / south divide and we need to get over that first and work together, otherwise we’ll never be able to progress the sport for the good of the whole country.

It won’t be long before we’ll be fighting to keep English curling going rather than becoming part of a wider British curling organisation……………..but that’s an article for another day.

Sarah McVeyPresident ECA

Letter from the President

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With 6 men’s teams playing a double round robin and 3 women’s teams playing a triple one, it was a busy 4 days when t he Eng l i sh Championships were held at Greenacres Curling Club in Scotland.The men’s competition was wide open with 5 of the 6 teams featuring past champions, and at the end of the day it took a play-off to separate the top two when Jamie Malton came from behind to defeat the reigning champions skipped by Andrew Reed.Team Reed started strongly, being the only team to win its first two games, and at the half way point he led on 4 wins with Malton and Phil Atherton just behind on 3 wins.

Atherton faded badly in the second round robin, winning just one game while the team skipped by John Brown burst into contention winning 4 games out of 5 to finish third overall. Included in that run was a last round win over Reed which enabled Malton to force the play-off.The winning team was Jamie Malton, Michael Opel, Henry Carter and Keith Wilson.

Over 5 years after playing together in the European Championships in 2003, Lorna Rettig and Fiona

Hawker were back together to oppose the resigning champions skipped by Kirsty Balfour, who herself had a late change when Nicola Woodward joined the team. A third team skipped by Glenda Barrowman was a welcome addition to the field.

With Glenda’s team on a steep learning curve, the vital games which would decide the

title were perceived to be those between Rettig and Balfour. Kirsty struck the first blow with a 12-4 win but Lorna won the second meeting by 9-3. Then a surprise, but well deserved victory for Glenda over Lorna meant that Lorna would now have to win twice over Kirsty to take the title as a play-off would be necessary if she won the first one.And this third meeting between the top 2 was the only one all weekend to go to an extra end before a last stone tap back by Kirsty won her the game and thus the title.The winning team was Kirsty Balfour, Caroline Reed, Suzie Law and Nicola Woodward.

4 NATIONS - England beat Scotland - twice!

The annual 4 Nations tournament was held in January in Hamilton and for the very first time England defeated Scotland in both the men’s and women’s competition at the same tournament. The men won the Tom Ballantyne Trophy by 41-36 while the women won the Connie Miller Trophy by 18-12. In addition England defeated Ireland by 29-22 but they unfortunately lost to Wales quite badly - 25-35.

English Teams

announced 2009-10

MALTON & BALFOUR WIN NATIONALS

ECA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

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The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the English Curling Association will be held at iceSheffield on Sunday 31st May. Following on the results of the Members’ review and the poor attendance at recent AGMs, we have decided to combine the AGM with a social event and also designed the day to give members more time to debate issues with the Council and each other. A full agenda will follow but it is proposed that the day will be run as follows: 1000 Ladies Branch AGM 1100 OPEN MEETING – This is a new concept for the ECA –

basically it is an informal meeting so that all members can raise issues for discussion for which there might not otherwise be time at the AGM. No votes will be taken but as a result of the discussions at the Open meeting, the Council will be able to bring forward proposals to the AGM which will follow later in the day.

1300 ECA Council meeting 1300 GRAND CURLING MATCH between NORTH and SOUTH on

the ice at iceSheffield. This will reflect the basis of the Grand Match in Scotland. All members are invited to attend and play – there will be two sheets of ice and so the length of games will depend on the numbers who turn up.

1500 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

2009 AGM

MacDougall wins mixed title

Alan MacDougall, Lana Watson, Andrew Reed and Suzie Law retained their ECA Mixed title at Fenton’s Rink, coming out top of a 5 team round robin. It is their third title and they remain undefeated in those three years having won all 11 games they have had to play.

Three teams, skipped by Steve Amann, John Brown and Neil Maycock were tied for second on two wins while Stephen Hinds failed to record a win. Full scores can be found here.

Alan MacDougall also won the only other ECA Mixed title that has been contested, in 2005, but with a different team.

STOP don’t miss the ECA

AGM

2009 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

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First English Province and

Preston Curling Club

I’Anson Competitionat the North West Castle Hotel, Stranraer

Fri 20th Nov to Sun 22nd Nov 2009

A very poplar event in the north of the country.The entrance fee is £40 per rink. Please send cheque payable to Preston Curling Club with entry. Ice charges are included

in the accommodation charges paid to the hotel. Non residents are liable to pay ice charges.

Please note that you require to book your own accommodation at the North West Castle. (please refer to

the I’Anson event) Tel: 01776 704413

Contact Phil Barton for more information. pb@starleyhall.co.uk Fax: 01383 860956

LOREM ORCI

Maecenas aliquam maecenas Sociis mauris in integer, a dolor netus non dui aliquet, sagittis felis sodales, dolor sociis mauris, vel eu libero cras. Interdum at. Eget habitasse elementum est, ipsum purus pede class. Sodales nulla ante auctor excepturi wisi, dolor eros condimentum dis, sodales lacus nunc.

Upcoming Competitions

Curl in the Tropics

TropiCurl 2009RMU Island Sports Center 7600 Grand Avenue,

Pittsburgh, PA 15225Date: July 2-5Format: Open

Spiel size: 48 TeamsIce: Specially prepared arena - 5 sheets.

Guarantee: 3 gamesRink fee: $380

Hotel: Holiday Inn Airport 8256 University Bvd,

Andy Banfield:

president@pittsburghcurlingclub.com

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AUTÓ-ESKORT CURLING BONSPIEL CUP

DEBRECEN, HUNGARY

31. 07. 2009 – 02. 08. 2009

AUTÓ-ESKORT CURLING BONSPIEL CUP

Please obtain your registration form and return

until 31 May, 2009 at the latest

fr

om/to marketing@debrecenjegcsarnok.hu.

Information: www.debrecenjegcsarnok.hu, phone:

+36 52 537 272, +36 30 326 0175

HUNGARIAN CURLING ASSOCIATION

Dumfries Ice Bowl

Summerspiel,

July 17-19, 2009.

sloan.ranger@hotmail.co.uk.

Chamonix International Tournament

16 October 2009 at 08:00

Chamonix International Tournament

16 October 2009 at 08:00

End Time:18 October 2009 at 18:00

Location:Chamonix

Town/City:Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Email:

To Karine Caux on Facebook

Description42 teams, into 3 sections. 5 games for everyone,

welcome buffet & drinks for people arriving on the

thursday evening, Sat Dinner (+ Fancy Dress +

Dancing!), Pasta party on sunday, LOTS of FUN,

perfect ice, Prizes for all the teams, etc !!!!! We can

arrange transportation from & to Geneva airport (only

1 hour drive from Cham).

Entry fees : 300 €

contact -Karine Caux on Facebook

Viry CupViry Chatillon, France

May 29-31 2009

The 32éme Viry Cup, a very popular event with the English

and only in its second year back after a long lay off.

Contact: ccvirychatillon@wanadoo.fr

http://ccvirychatillon.free.fr

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WORLD MENS

At the time of writing the world mens competition is just starting in Moncton Canada. The resul ts of th is competition will determine which teams go through to the Olympics so by the time you read this the list will already be issued on the World Curling Federation Website. Why not take a look and start to get excited about the Olympics.

This is also the 50th anniversary (51st edition) of the world men’s curling championship, which was contested as the Scotch Cup for the first time in 1959 in Scotland and featured a team from Canada (skip Ernie Richardson) against one from Scotland (skip Willie Young).

WORLD WOMENS

GANGNEUNG, Korea. Only ten years ago, Bingyu Wang of China didn’t know what a curling stone was. The sport was new to the country and to the team representing China at the womens world championships. In Gangneung, Korea she and her teammates defeated Annette Norberg, 2006 Olympic champion from Sweden to capture the Mount Titlis World Women’s Curling Championship. Winners of 11 straight games coming into the final, the squad from Harbin exchanged misses with Annette Norberg’s Swedish foursome over the first few ends, swapping single points. China scored the first deuce in the fourth end, for a 3-1 lead.

Wang captured the World University Games gold medal at her hometown in China last month. Her list of wins has increased since her curling career started in 1998 until she finally won over a poor playing Swedish team.

With a crowd of 3,800 buzzing in anticipation the Chinese went on to win an historic championship 8-6.

OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION

The olympic qualifications will be f i n a l i s e d f o l l o w i n g t h e Wo r l d championships. the mens are still being determined but the womens are decided and issued by the World Curling Federation

Olympic Qualification, Men

1. Canada*2. Germany3. USA4. Scotland/GBR5. France6. Norway7. Sweden8. Switzerland9. Australia10.China11.Denmark12.Finland13.Czech Republic14.Korea

Olympic Qualification, Women

1. Canada*2. China3. Denmark4. Sweden5. Switzerland6. USA7. Scotland/GBR8. Germany9. Russia10.Japan11.Italy12.Korea13.Czech republic14.Norway

Notes:Top 10 from each group proceed to Olympics

*Canada gain automatic entry as host nation

WOR

LD N

EWS

2009

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So why curl outside?Have you ever wondered what it is like to curl outdoors? Have you ever wondered how it is to deliver a stone in bright sunlight, to drink champagne at the side of the sheet, to watch snow powder the ice? All this and so much more is experienced in outdoor curling.

Outdoor curling is where the game originated all those years ago. Even now when the ice of a lake or a pond freezes over in Scotland or Canada a great cry goes up and people rush from their offices, grab their sliders and race to the ice. It is one the most exciting and fun ways to play this enchanting game.

These pictures were taken in Switzerland, on the side of a mountain where there lies a 6 sheet rink that is man-made but has all the possibilities and thrills of natural lake ice. It is uneven, slow when the clouds come out and extremely fast when the sun shows. The change in speed of the stone is almost instantaneous. You will release a stone under

dark cloud with as much energy as you can, not expecting it to reach the hog line when suddenly the sun pokes out and casts shadows along the sheet. The stone does not slow as anticipated and looks as though it actually gains speed as it races towards the house and eventually slams against the boards.

Predicting what the sun will do and how it will affect the ice as well as when it will appear is all part of being a good outdoor skip. The better skips have played numerous times on all types of ice, negative, slow, dirty as well as fast. They will know how to adjust the call at speed and when to wait for the sun to appear. Good skips are a joy to watch on outdoor ice, as is evidenced in the picture below, a live game outdoors. Crowds flood to the ice, or maybe it is to the outdoor bars made of ice that they flood.

Whatever the reason, go play some outdoor ice and enjoy the best game of your life.

Why miss out on this?

WOW!

[12]

What is Nigel thinking?

Best caption published next edition

FUNCAPTION COMPETITION

CURLING TERMIN

OLOGY :

Tough shot :

Anything th

e Skip

miss

es.

Shit shot :

Anything yo

u miss

.

Blanked end : Nob

ody h

ad draw

weight.

Bury : What

you do w

ith yo

ur hea

d when yo

u

hog yo

ur rock

in th

e eighth en

d.

Double : What

you or

der at

the bar

when yo

u

lose.

Draw weight :

Damned

if I k

now!

100 Club

The English Curling Association runs a ‘100 Club’ to

raise funds for the Association. Shares in the club are

open to any ECA member and cost £1 per month. An

individual can hold up to 15 shares at any one time.

Payment is by Standing Order and you can get details

from the secretary via the Contact page on the ECA

website.

Each month there are three prizes - for £40, £30 and

£20. In December the prize money is doubled and in the

month of the AGM it is quadrupled. So there is a total of

£1440 of prize money each year.

If you want more information then visit the ECA website.

TOP TEN SIGNS YOU'RE HAVING A BAD GAME :

10. They start pebbling the ice in the fourth end.

9. Your skip keeps saying, "Nice try!"

8. Your opposition starts hanging its score on the next

sheet.7. While you're in the washroom, your team-mates

sneak away to the bar.

6. The Ice-maker starts heckling you.

5. It's only the third end and already you owe your

team-mates six drinks.

4. Your opposition is lying four and your skip wants you

to throw your rock through the house.

3. You throw out your knee in the first end and your

team-mates don't even notice.

2. Your sweepers burst into laughter when you release

your rock.1. You score an eight-ender in the second end and you

have to throw your last rock to win 9-8.

[13]

M a c D o u g a l l w i n s mixed title

Alan MacDougall, Lana Watson, Andrew Reed and Suzie Law retained their ECA Mixed title at Fenton’s Rink, coming out top of a 5 team round robin. It is their third title and they remain undefeated in those three years having won all 11 games they have had to play.

Three teams, skipped by Steve Amann, John Brown and Neil Maycock were tied for second on two wins while Stephen Hinds failed to record a win. Full scores can be found hereAlan MacDougall also won the only other ECA Mixed title that has been contested, in 2005, but with a different team.

Where To Curl

London & The South

The only dedicated curling rink in England can be found near Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Further details can be found on the Province of London Website or the curling rink website, Fenton’s Rink.

North-East England

Curling in this area is played at the Kelso Ice Rink, just over the Scottish border. The main English based club in the area is the Glendale club. For further details please email James Dixon at James.Dixon8@btopenworld.com

North-West England

The main English club in this area is the Preston club who play up in Scotland at the Lockerbie Ice Rink on alternate Thursdays. Please contact the club secretary, Phil Barton on pb@starleyhall.co.uk .

Curling can also be played in Wales on Mondays between 1 pm and 9:30 pm at the Deeside Leisure Centre, Queensferry, just over the Welsh border to the west of Chester - check out the website of the Welsh Curling Association.

ECA MUSINGS

English Curling

President: Sarah McVey

President elect: Stephen Hinds

Convener: Philip Barton

Secretary: John Brown

Treasurer: Caroline Cummings

Useful Links• www.englishcurling.org.uk

English Curling Asscoaition website

• www.englishcurlingforum.com

Englisg Curling Forum for beginners and experts alike

• www.worldcurling.com

ECA NEWSLETTERContact:

Stephen Hinds -

stephen@englishcurling.org.uk

Steven Scanlan -

sscanlan@kyzyl.co.uk

The ECA is YOUR

Association