
From left, Claude LeBlanc, Brenden Sealy, Kayla Young-Daigle, Pierrette Pallagi, Pat Maher, Rita McGrath, Lynn Fontaine and Omer Fontaine.
Click on photo to enlarge.
Since 1898 in Bathurst, since 1908 at the Bathurst Curling Club. An all volunteer club except one.
Curl in an Air Conditioned curling club. Don't we have cold air to sell?;-)
http://www.lonestarcurlingclub.org
Today is the Family Spiel and we hope that there are lots of families in attendance and that the fun is as great as it usually is. With Christmas behind us, and the end of the year in sight, it is fitting that we take a look at where the club is this year.
Monday Night Competitive is in full swing with fourteen teams and two draws: It has been a considerable number of years since we have been able to say that.
Tuesday night is drawing four sheets of fun curlers.
A small but hopefully growing group of Ladies are playing – and eating – on Wednesday Ladies Night. This is a small group but, as we have seen with the ‘Industrial League, small beginnings can grow to bigger things.
Another four sheets play on Thursdays and our week is rounded out with four sheets of seniors on Tuesdays and Fridays afternoons plus four rented sheets of UCT play on Sunday before the Little Rocks take to the ice. This makes a total of nine draws a week, every week and we still have a substantial number of Pay-As-You-Play members.
Compared to where we were just a couple of years ago, we are in considerably better shape than we have been. Hopefully we can build on this success and get the club back to former levels of participation.
I hope everyone realises that these things don’t just happen: There has been a lot of work from the executives, volunteers, and people like Emile Babineau, Bob Quinn, Pat Maher and Beth Sullivan in making it happen. Bar Chair Ken Leaman and Treasurer Guylaine Cote are other major contributors. Above all, it has taken support and participation from all levels of members to make this happen. To the club and it’s members, Happy Hogmanay! (That’s Scots for Happy New Year).
On Sunday December 17th, in UCT play, Raj Chettiar got by Emery LeBlanc, Val Saulnier outscored Alvin Lavigne, Roe Doucet beat Andy Savoie and John Ferguson defeated Albert Mazerolle.
On Monday, December 18th, Fred Elhatton outscored Alvin Lavigne, Dale Glendenning squeezed by Omer Fontaine (in 9 ends! – my team!), John Ferguson beat Paul Laframboise, Bob Nicolle defeated Emile Babineau, Pat Maher won over Terry Giberson, David Godin got by Marc Imbeault and Joel Roy defeated Andy Savoie on the final stone.
Tuesday December 19th saw close to 40 afternoon curlers have their Christmas bash, which was greatly enjoyed. Along the way they celebrated Julian’s birthday (83rd?) and had a gift of appreciation for Bud Hanley. There were celebrations at the evening curling also, while in evening play there were only two sheets on which Ken brown defeated the Comeau team and Amy Anderson defeated Dale Glendenning.
The Wednesday Evening Ladies will next be held around January 10th and we still hope that this event will gain in popularity in the New Year, so sign up soon, ladies.
Due to Christmas and Boxing Day falling right in the publishing window for the Northern Light, the deadline had to be moved ahead, so that Peter, Greg and the staff could get some time off, and the Thursday December 21st results will be added in to the next column, which will be either January 2nd or 9th depending on when I get back from visiting family. Drive carefully, don’t wear your wobbly boots too often over the holidays and I will see you on the ice later in the month.
We thank Jim Duncan for his views and news:
This isn’t the place for a Rick Mercer Rant or a Rex Murphy Diatribe, but the decision to do away with the juniors’ zone play has really got under my skin! My daughter won the Zone here, at 12, and went off to crash and burn in the provincials. It is still a treasured memory to her. I partied around Zone and Preliminary play and it is one of my treasured memories: We never won the Provincial either. Without zones you can expect that all teams in the provincials will be from Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton, with no treasured memories in the ‘provinces.’ In my opinion the CCA has ruined the adult game for clubs, pandering to television, and is in the process of ruining the juniors by taking the fun out of the game. The first victims will be the smaller clubs, but what they are doing is suicide by slow poison: They are killing future teams. The final affect will be a simple lack of players and clubs. Already curling is a sport with more TV followers than participants. What is my solution? Consider golf, why is it not the same? Why are golf clubs burgeoning while curling dies? The P.G.A.! The Professional Golfing Association: If you want to play for big bucks, qualify for a ticket and get on the circuit. You don’t go to the Gowan Brae Open and play Mike Weir. If you are trying to get out of this province, in curling, you will play Russ Howard. We need a P.C.A.: A Professional Curling Association. We could employ the CCA or the NBCA (to whom we tithe $250 per sheet, per year) to run it. They are doing diddly for the small clubs! They have lost the place and the context. They are supposed to be an association of clubs to help clubs. They are running – and ruining – the sport! It is time the clubs took the asylum back from the lunatics. The clubs like ours will only survive if we can bring back the fun!
The Bathurst Junior cash spiel went well, as our opening event, with 7 boys’ and 7 girls’ teams participating. As reported, the Howard Girls’ team and the McIntosh boys’ team walked off with the ($1,000) top prizes but our junior boys were in evidence, participating on other teams. This included one on the McIntosh rink and two on a team taking home Qualifier money. Similarly, a revamped girls’ team gave it a strong try.
On Monday night we have two draws, for the first time in a long time. The results were: Fontaine fell to Roy, Doucet downed Laframboise, Savoie defeated Maher, Elhatton beat Imbeault, Glendenning got by Ferguson, Godin outscored Giberson and Lavigne won over Nicolle.
Tuesday has ten teams, of which eight were in action, and saw Brown defeat Boucher, Chettiar defeat Savoie, Anderson outpoint Chapman and Comeau overtake LeBlanc.
In November 20th UCT play Saulnier downed Mazzerolle, LeBlanc beat Savoie, Lavigne got by Doucet and Ferguson outscored Chettiar.
We have fourteen teams in two draws on Monday, ten teams on Tuesday and, I believe, eleven teams on Thursday along with the afternoon seniors, who are approaching ten teams, not to mention the Little Rock renaissance and that there is the Wednesday Night Ladies to come and the monthly funspiels. The club is, possibly, staging a membership comeback! Numbers will tell, Brenda and Claude are working on it.
This doesn’t mean that we lack room for more players, the fun is piling on, if you are interested, come on down and join in the fun. It is economical and open to all ages. See you on the ice.
12 February Ice 2A 6:30 p.m. vs. Babineau, E.