U.S. Curling News, February 2011 by USA Curling

Curling News UNITED STATES

February/March 2011

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Volume 66 Number 3

Established 1945

www.usacurl.org

Photo by Leslie Ingram-Brown

Growth Spurt

INSIDE: WELCOME, ATL: Atlanta Curling Club forms. Page 3. CAPE-TASTIC: Club raises big bucks for charity. Page 3. COLLEGE DEBUT: New club curling event. Page 6. VOLUNTEERS: Working together for change. Page 8. MOVING ROCKS: Arena clubs create solutions for transferring rocks. Page 9. KEY INGREDIENTS: What makes a curler great? Page 13. TUCKED AWAY: Debut columnist. Page 19.

Sandra Takata (left) instructs Patrick O’Neil (lr), Dixon Freeman, Jeff Williams and Bob Zasowski at a curling camp in Knoxville this summer. The Great Smoky Mountains Curling Club assisted the Atlanta members with a camp to get them ready to curl. The Atlanta club is now an official USCA member and searching for local ice. To learn more about the new club in Atlanta, see story on Page 3.

DEPARTMENTS by Terry Kolesar, Editor

t has become a common theme: Olympic coverage of curling creates curling craze across the U.S. As NBC embraced curling on its networks and aired every draw of action from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the sport once again was

a winner in the hearts of newfound fans eager to pick up a broom and throw a stone. The problem for some, however, is finding a place to curl when no club even exists in your entire state. The eager folks in Atlanta, embraced that challenge.

Please see GROWTH on Page 4.

Continental Crush Team North America dominated this year’s Continental Cup in St. Albert, Alberta. Teams skipped by USA’s Erika Brown and Pete Fenson were part of Team NA. See story on Page 11. Photo by Michael Burns Jr.

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S P O R T

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$2.50

• 2011 National Championships, Page 7 • 2011 Junior Nationals results, Page 10 • 2011 Continental Cup, Page 11 • Winter World University Games results, Page 12 • Karuizawa International Championships, Page 12 • 2011 Club Nationals Preview, Page 13 • 2011 World Wheelchair Championship, Page 14 • 2011 Senior Nationals results, Page 15

USA’s Blake Morton rink finished 6th at the World University Games in Turkey. Pictured at right is Morton, 19.

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Bonspiel Results – P16-19 College Curling – P6 Comics – P15 Curler’s Calendar –P14 Letters – P2 Member Services – P3 Rocket Exhaust – P15 Tales from Sheet 9–P14 USWCA – P4-5

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2011 USWCA Scots Tour a roaring success by Nancy Wilhelm, U.S. Women’s Curling Association

uring the month of January, 20 Scottish women from the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in Scotland toured the United States from Boston to Seattle. It has been 10 years since the Tour has been here. They traveled nearly 2,000 miles by air, more than 3,200 miles by coach, visited 22 USWCA-member curling clubs and played 121 games. The Scot Tour began in Boston, where they curled at Broomstones and TCC curling clubs. They then played at the Cape Cod, Nutmeg, Potomac and Mayfield clubs. From there they traveled to Cleveland, Detroit, Exmoor and Chicago. Next up was Wisconsin as they curled in Milwaukee, Kettle Moraine, Madison, Portage and Green Bay. From there they traveled to the USWCA West Region playing games in Duluth, Curl Mesabi, Fargo-Morehead, and St. Paul. Traveling farther west, the Scot Tour ended with games and closing ceremonies in Seattle. A running total score is kept for the games. The Scots prevailed in the competition with a final

Please see SCOTS TOUR on Page 4.

F I N E S S E

Curling News UNITED STATES

VOLUME 66, No. 3

Next editorial deadline: March 11, 2011 The United States Curling News (ISSN 1064-3001; USPS 392-020) is published five times per year in October, November, February, March and May by the United States Curling Association. The USCA and Curling News office is located at 5525 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482. Telephone 715-344-1199. Subscription price for non-USCA members: $16 per year (North America), $26 per year (overseas), payable in US currency. Single copy price: $2.50. Advertising rates on request. Established 1945. Periodicals postage paid at Waupaca, Wisconsin, and additional offices as requested. Postmaster sends address changes to US Curling News, 5525 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482.

United States Curling Association Officers President Chris Sjue Vice Presidents Kent Beadle Dave Carlson Jerome Larson James Pleasants Treasurer Jack Bernauer Secretary Bob Pelletier Directors Paul Badgero [2012] Kent Beadle [2012] Jack Bernauer* [2011] Craig Brown (AAC) [2011] Dave Carlson [2013] Maureen Clark (AAC) [2011] Lynita Delaney [2012] Janet Farr (USWCA) [2012] Dean Gemmell (AAC) [2011] Nancy Haggenmiller [2013] Peggy Hatch** [2011] Jonathan Havercroft [2013] Cyndee Johnson [2011] Nicole Joraanstad (AAC) [2011] Gwen Krailo [2013]

Jerome Larson [2012] Jan Legacie [2011] Gordon Maclean [2013] Richard Maskel (AAC) [2011] Bob Pelletier [2012] James Pleasants [2013] Leland Rich [2011] Sean Silver [2012] Chris Sjue [2013] Mark Swandby [2011] Ann Swisshelm (AAC) [2011] Beau Welling* [2011] Sam Williams [2011] * Board-elected ** Voice, no vote

USA Curling National Office 5525 Clem’s Way Stevens Point, WI 54482 Office: 715-344-1199 • Fax: 715-344-2279 E-mail: info@usacurl.org • Web site: www.usacurl.org CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Rick Patzke, rick.patzke@usacurl.org DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES: Bev Schroeder, beverly.schroeder@usacurl.org DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: Terry Kolesar, terry.kolesar@usacurl.org CONTROLLER: Sandy Robinson, sandy.robinson@usacurl.org EVENT SERVICES COORDINATOR: Dawn Leurquin, dawn.leurquin@usacurl.org ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Christy Hering, christy.hering@usacurl.org

Off-site staff: Coaching Development Director Scott Higgins 913-449-2933 • scott.higgins@usacurl.org

USA Curling ... Dare to curl

It’s winter: Get me some curling on my TV

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Official publication of the United States Curling Association Editor — Terry Kolesar Associate Editor—Rick Patzke Contributing Editor—David Garber Design: Terry Kolesar

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

have fielded many sad calls through my office in the past few months. It’s winter time and people, especially our newfound fans we gained since the end of the recent Olympic Games, are itching to watch curling on TV. One older gentleman actually hung up on me about a month ago when he didn’t like the reply I had to give him: “I’m sorry, sir, but curling will not be on TV this season.” Explaining that there would be webstreaming opportunities was met with dead air. Another caller, more recently, was sad but expressed his love of the game. He doesn’t curl in his hometown in Florida, but he can’t help but get caught up every four years when the Americans hit the ice with dreams of Olympic gold in their eyes. The struggle lies in money, and network interest. While NBC is reluctant to reveal its viewership numbers post-Olympics anymore, we’ve been told that curling was one of the most-watched sports during the Games. Only twice has curling been featured live on TV in a non-Olympic year (Olympic Trials, 2005 & 2009). NBC partnered with us on the Verizon Ice shows from Whistler, British Columbia, and Rockefeller Center in past years. Other networks have embraced us in the past and shown afterevent games or highlights packages (ESPN, College Sports Network, World Championship Sports Network, NBC Universal Sports). Some will argue that any webstreaming of our

Nationals is better than nothing. While others would argue that we should only stream all the sheets of action from Nationals if it is TV-ready quality as to avoid setting a precedent for poor quality. Currently, we are in a five-year joint marketing agreement with the U.S. Olympic Committee, which means that they own the broadcast digital rights to our National Championships. So, for the moment, this is what we’re offering: Tune in to the 2011 USA Curling National Championships via webstream Feb. 19 for the goldmedal games at http://curling.teamusa.org/live. In addition, the gold-medal matches will air on Mid Continent Cable, which serves TV viewers in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. If you want to talk TV, feel free to call me. Just please don’t hang up on me. My skin isn’t very thick. --USA Curling staff members are raising funds for Portage County’s Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake event on Feb. 26 in Stevens Point, Wis. For the past two years, we’ve been one of the top fund-raising teams for the American Cancer Society’s annual run/walk each fall as we honor our curling friends and family and others who have lost the cancer battle. We decided we needed a winter community event and are now channeling our inner bowling skills. I haven’t told the team yet that my bowling skills are much like my curling and running skills,

From the Editor’s Desk

Ideas? Complaints? Send your thoughts to Curling News Editor Terry Kolesar terry.kolesar@usacurl.org 715-344-1199, Ext. 202

which have been on display for other fund-raisers. Look out, gutter! If you want to donate to my humility and my other skilled co-workers, drop me a line or an email and I can help you make a nice tax-donation friendly investment to our area youth. --There’s a little town less than two hours from the USA Curling national office that houses world champions in the form of football’s Green Bay Packers. Let’s say we add our own recipe for greatness and start a curling dynasty for the U.S. on the world stage comparable, dare I say it...to the likes of Lombardi. Are you with me? That being said, life is about so much more than sports. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Gwen Krailo of Nashua, N.H., a USA Curling director, who lost her husband recently after a brief illness. Make today great, everybody.

National Wheelchair Development Coach Steve Brown National Wheelchair Curling Outreach Development Director Marc DePerno Head Ice Technician Dave Staveteig 701-772-0705 • daveandbrenda@gfwireless.con Head Games Official Bill Forsythe

AMERICAN CURLING FOUNDATION & MUSEUM The Museum is located at the Chicago Curling Club, 555 Dundee Road, Northbrook, IL 60062 CURATOR: James M. Miller Jr. 2011 Glendale Ave. Northbrook, IL 60062 847-272-7224

UNITED STATES WOMEN’S CURLING ASSOCIATION OFFICERS PRESIDENT Nancy Seitz FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Maureen Guay SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Bridget Matzke SECRETARY Mary Ann Hulme TREASURER Carolyn MacLeod USCA LIAISON Janet Farr PROMOTIONS & Nancy Wilhelm PUBLIC RELATIONS

Thank you, Duluth Dear Editor, I want to sincerely thank all the members of the Duluth Curling Club that helped in any way to make the U.S. Mixed Doubles Championship the success that it was. I am aware of all the work that goes into this kind of event and you exceeded all expectations. Yvonne and Glen, umpires, the ice makers, breakfast staff, Flo and all the volunteers on the clocks and on the ice - thank you.

To all the participants of the Mixed Doubles Championship - thank you we all volunteer for you to have the best event possible. MaryPat Shandor Chief Umpire

Wanted: Vintage Curling News copies Dear Editor, My collection of the U.S. Curling News starts in 1964. I have April 1962 and January 1963. If anyone has any North American Curling News magazines pre-1964, I would be prepared to purchase these or exchange for Scottish curling items. Kind regards, Robbie Scott scottlandscape@btopenworld.com

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Your contact: Bev Schroeder, beverly.schroeder@usacurl.org; 1-888-287-5377, Ext. 203

Curling for Charity at Cape Cod nets over $20,000 by Russ Lemcke, Cape Cod Curling Club Cape Cod Curling Club hosted its sixth Curling for Charity event in November. Twelve teams from local organizations, such as

police departments, research institutes, churches and area businesses participated. It is a requirement that players have not previously curled, so club members were busy training more than 70 wannabes for

the event. Each team was required to raise $1,000 and the event sponsor contributed $2,500. Club members sold raffle tickets, and donations were taken at the door, which resulted in $20,500

being raised. Friends and family members came to cheer on their friends, resulting in a packed house for the entire day. These events not only raise needed funds for charitable organizations, but

Curling Camp 2010 kicks off Atlanta Curling Club Volunteers needed at World Seniors, Mixed Doubles in St. Paul The St. Paul Curling Club is looking for four experienced – at least Level 1, preferably level 2 certified – individuals to work as game umpires at the 2011 World Senior Champion-ships and World Mixed Doubles Championship in St. Paul in April. Volunteers would work directly with the head umpires for each event to provide assistance and relief to the head umpires. The positions would be volunteer with no financial compensation; meals would be included. This is a great opportunity for people looking to gain international experience. Event dates are April 16-23. There are other volunteer opportunities available as well. If you are interested in finding out more or signing up to volunteer, contact Mike O’Neil at mocurl59@gmail.com.

You’re always on the button with our unique curling gifts for home, hearth and warm room. Jewelery Desktop Curling Games Notepaper and Notecards Trivets and Towels Playing Cards Bumper Stickers and More www.onthebuttongifts.com

Eric Kortebein (left) of the Great Smoky Mountains Curling Club assists David Corbin, Dan Weddermann and Maxwell Williams at a camp held for the Atlanta club members.

Submitted by The Atlanta Curling Club

he Atlanta Curling Club recently held Curling Camp 2010, its first official event, in conjunction with the Great Smoky Mountains Curling Club at the Ice Chalet in Knoxville, Tenn. Since no one in the Atlanta club had curled before, they relied on members of the Knoxville curling club to teach and coach them through many drills, strategy sessions and practice games. A lot of focus was placed on training the leadership of the Atlanta club, since they will need to be the trainers back in Atlanta. Currently the ACC is obtaining equipment and looking for an ice rink in the greater Atlanta area that they will be able to call home. ACC members enjoyed the practice ends they played in Knoxville. Many members found that curling is a bit harder than they realized it was going to be, and that it really is a game of both skill and strategy. However, sometimes it just clicked and some quite good shots were made. Jeff Williams, ACC vice president and curling beginner, made a nice button shot in one end, ultimately scoring

his first curling point. “It really felt good as I released it, and I was amazed how it looked like it would be spot on when it got to the other end,” he said. Encouraged and excited, the Atlantans returned to the south, working out the next steps toward getting their curling club up and running. Many members are also seriously considering signing up for the next Rocky Top Bonspiel in Knoxville, scheduled for June 2011. Founded in February 2010, while watching curling during the Winter Olympics, the Atlanta Curling Club was first formed as an online community on Facebook, intended to gather together curlers, curling enthusiasts and people who just wanted to try curling together. The ACC still has a sizable presence on Facebook where there have been many brainstorming discussions about forming the curling club, and where articles and links have been published to curling resources. Visit the Atlanta Curling Club at their new website, http://atlcurling.org. Also, visit the Great Smoky Mountains Curling Club’s web site at http://curlknoxville.com.

Certiﬁcations Level I Instructor P. J. Feinson Ivar Gailans Charlene Harmon Renee Harmon Scott Heatwole Susan Hopkins-Heatwole Nancy Jennett Jason Jorski

Larry Lieberman Joe Mecca Tim O’Donnell Alan L. Roberts Julie Rosoff Jeff Steffek Lynn Taylor Barbara Thomson Jeff Turnham

Lucinda Tutterow Justin Walker Nicholas Witcraft Level II Instructor Jason Sethi Level I Official Sue Ryan Gwen M. Thorson

they also increase awareness and position the club as a force for good in the community. Moreover, several participants ultimately join the club. Charity and curling – a winning combination.

Eight-Enders Kettle Moraine On Dec. 3, 2010, during the Friday Night Mixed League at the Kettle Moraine Curling Club, Hartland, Wis., an eightender was laid by the Larry Maier rink. The eight-ender happened on Sheet 2 in the seventh end. Curling with Maier were Cyndy Seitz, Jeff Moylan and Katie Carrera. Nutmeg An eight-ender occurred during the in-house Achilles Bonspiel held on Jan. 15 at the Nutmeg Curling Club. It is a newmember bonspiel at the club and the teams are comprised of three new curlers from the last Olympics or more recently, and one experienced curler. Curling on the team were Charrissa Lin, John Larson, Andy Vojt and Mary Reilly. St. Paul On Nov. 19, 2010, at the St. Paul Curling Club, St. Paul, Minn., an eight-ender was laid by the Loni Strassman rink during league play. The eightender happened on Sheet 8 in the fifth end. Curling with Strassman were Rachel Orvik, Michael Gerba and Erin Gerba. Superior It was a Monday night league game, on Feb. 2, 2009, at the Superior Curling Club, Superior, Wis., when an eight-ender was laid by the Jim Bradshaw rink. The eightender occurred on Sheet D in the third end. Curling on the team were Jim Bradshaw, Todd Malpass, Patrick Plys and Dave Strang. Mankato An eight-ender was laid on Jan. 12 at the Mankato Curling Club, Mankato, Minn., during the Wednesday evening open league. Curling on the team were Mary Maidl, Russ Weingartz, Jake Palmer and Anna Martin.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Curling News UNITED STATES

USA Curling ... Dare to curl

Winning attitude is greatest asset

By Nancy Seitz, USWCA President president@uswca.org

“What would you try if you knew you could not fail?” Definitely that triple takeout comes to mind; or signing up for the regional and then for the national playdowns and then – of course – the Olympic Trials. The phrase is not my own, and it doesn’t pertain only to the aspirations of curlers. But the expectation of finding success in what you choose to do is something that creates a winner, and fuels the determination that makes it a reality. When it comes to curling, that winning attitude on the

Building relationships, mentoring new curlers is USWCA backbone ice flows from strategy to teamwork to execution. For women of the United States Women’s Curling Association, that same attitude runs through our passion for the sport off the ice as well. Building stronger alliances with other clubs, winning the respect and friendship of curlers wherever we go and winning new devotees of the sport in the most unexpected places; how could we fail to grow

support for curling if we spread the word? USWCA exists to develop, nurture and promote the sport of curling among today’s women and youth. Our members love the sport and know that the stronger the programs, the greater the opportunities and the broader the network of curlers, the more certain we can be that curling will remain a strong and vital sport for the future.

For the past year, I have had the pleasure of witnessing that winning attitude on an almost daily basis. Undaunted by the challenges and inspired by the opportunities, we have continued our traditions, broadened our programming and tackled the modernizing of our organization to better serve the new curling generation. I turn the gavel to new leadership this month, and it is with confidence that when it comes to building opportunities for women and youth in curling, these women will never stop trying and they will not fail.

Scots Tour has long, rich history This article was written by Shirley P. Elwell of the Milwaukee Kilties and printed in the United States Women’s Curling Association Historical Review 1947-1997 Tours to Scotland: 1955 – United States of America and Canada: Eight ladies from each country 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 – A tour team of 20 USWCA members Tours to the United States: 1958 – A team of 16 ladies 1963 – Three teams East, three teams West 1971, 1981, 1991 – A

The 2011 Scottish Ladies USA Tour pin

tour team of 20 Royal Caledonia Curling Club Ladies’ Branch Members These unforgettable exchange curling tours had their beginning when a joint team of eight Americans and eight

Canadians visited Scotland for a month in 1955. The opportunity to reciprocate some of the famous Scottish hospitality came in 1958, when 16 Scottish ladies arrived to spend one week in Montreal, one week in Ontario and two weeks in the USA from Illinois to Massachusetts. It was at the Winchester Country Club that this first team to visit America had their farewell dinner, Feb. 8, 1958. The first tour that was held exclusively in the USA was participated in by 24 Scottish ladies when they returned in 1963. All six rinks flew into Chicago

SCOTS TOUR

At that time a definite schedule for these exchange visits of an alternate fiveyear program of three-week tours was agreed upon. As Jean Gow, captain of the 1958 Scottish Team, said in her speeches here: “The primary purpose of these exchange tours is the fun of curling and the international goodwill engendered by the friendly matches. And as both associations have always fully subscribed to this purpose, there has never been a trophy to compete for and it is hoped that that will always remain the case: to true curlers “winning” new friends is reward enough!”

GROWTH

Continued From Page 1

USA to tour Scotland in 2016 score of 1,072 for the Royal Caledonian’s and 672 for the USA. Needless to say – even with the rigorous schedule, the Scot women prevailed. For complete details of the Tour, for photos and the itinerary, and to learn more about the women of the tour, please go to www.uswca.org. Click on USWCA Tours, Scot Tour 2011. The USWCA will be sending a Team of USA women to Scotland in 2016. You can learn more about becoming part of that tour by talking with your club’s USWCA representative, or by visiting the USWCA website. Another Scot Tour will be back in the United States in 2021.

and curled against members of the area’s eight clubs. From there the team was divided, three rinks curling in Wisconsin and Minnesota, three rinks traveled east to curl in New York and Massachusetts all were reunited once again in the Boston area. It was in 1966 that the first exclusively American Team toured Scotland when 20 USWCA members curled at all eight of the curling centers existing at that time. As a result of this successful tour, the USWCA became the first associate member of the RCCC Ladies’ Branch in October 1967.

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They went to Facebook and created an interest group and then traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., and held a curling camp. Even more excited now, they went back home and formally started a club, got accepted by the Grand National region and became USA Curling members. Since the flame was snuffed in Vancouver, 14 new clubs have formed across the U.S. and become official USA Curling members. The sport has now found a home in 39 of 50 U.S. states. The new total membership is not yet known (dues are collected each January but some clubs file late, and typically the total membership number is revealed months later, so please stay tuned). In 2002, USA Curling had 11,510 members. By

2006, we had 12,231. Just two years later we had climbed to 14,395. As of Feb. 8, 2011, with 117 of 167 clubs reporting dues and rosters, we have 14,478 members. Some of those missing clubs are some of our larger ones in Minnesota, which should take us well over the 15,000 mark. Of those 117 clubs that have reported membership numbers so far, 90 percent have shown an increase in curlers. The Grand National region has added the most clubs since Vancouver, with seven new sites and several more in the developmental stages. Now, I’m no mathematician, but I know that means growth. How much growth will the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games bring? We can’t wait to find out.

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UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Utica women capture Senior Bonspiel by Nancy Wilhelm, USWCA Public Relations Chairwoman

he 29th Annual USWCA Senior Women’s National Bonspiel – “Lights ‘n Ice” – was held in Janesville, Wis., at the Blackhawk Curling Club Dec. 1-5. Twentyfour teams from the four regions of the United States Women’s Curling Association participated. Lights ‘n Ice began with a kit party at The Armory Dinner Theatre on Wednesday evening. Participants were welcomed by representatives from Wisconsin’s Governor’s Office, county officials, Janesville’s city manager and the president of the Blackhawk Curling Club. Entertainment was provided by The Blackhawk Boys – the curling club’s own musical troupe. The skip’s meeting was conducted by Carolyn MacLeod who served the 29th Bonspiel as the head official. Opening ceremonies took place at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday with the first stone thrown by USWCA President Nancy Seitz. On hand to sweep the stone were past presidents Janet Farr, Peggy Jacobs, Judy Maier and Anne Robertson. Thursday evening the participants enjoyed cocktails and dinner at one of three house parties hosted by members of the Blackhawk Curling Club, and a Lights ‘n Ice cocktail was invented especially for

these parties. Curling continued Friday and the bonspiel banquet was held that evening at Janesville’s renown Rotary International Botanical Gardens. The banquet was the inaugural evening for the Garden’s beautiful Holiday Light’s display. Saturday – the day when the teams for Sunday’s finals are decided. The games were very competitive and the ice was fast. Sunday was dedicated to the final events and the determination of the champion. Because BCC is three sheets, the fourth and third events were played at 8 a.m. - and the second and first events games were held at 10:30. Each draw was led onto the ice by a piper and a drummer, and of course the Piper was paid. Congratulations to all the 2010 Senior Bonspiel participants and especially to the 2010 champions from the Utica Curling Club. Here are the results of the 29th Annual USWCA Senior Women’s National

Winners of the first- and second-event at the 29th annual USWCA Senior Women’s Bonspiel celebrate with a toast (above). Winners of the third- and fourth-event winners put up a toast as well (below). The event took place in December at the Blackhawk Curling Club in Janesville, Wis.

Winners of the 29th USWCA Senior Women’s Bonspiel from the Utica Curling Club are (l-r) Susan Williams, Carol Jones, Ylva Cortright and MJ Walsh.

Bonspiel: 1EW–Utica: Susan Williams, Carol Jones, Ylva Cortright, MJ Walsh 1ERU–Chicago: Susan McDonald, Marilyn Wilson, Joby Berman, Judy Johnson 2EW–Hibbing: JoAnn Getz, Jane Miettunen, Sue Vidmar, Michele Drlaca 2ERU–Philadelphia: Rosemary Morgan, Jo Hess, Maggie McMahon, Adrianne Hiser

By Carla Casper and David Garber Bette J. Kriwanek, 86, died Dec. 21, 2010. Bette married Russ Kriwanek in 1948. They began curling in 1960 at the Green Bay Curling Club, which had been founded in 1958. Bette and Russ soon developed a love for curling and their fellow curlers. They chaired and otherwise volunteered at the popular Green Bay Summer Bonspiel from its inception in 1971 to the mid-1990s. For decades they actively volunteered to help at most GBCC events. The Kriwanek’s founded B&B Specialty in 1973, a curling pin/merchandise company which supplied many pins for clubs nationwide. In 1976, Bette was honored to be one of 20 women on the USWCA Scotland Tour Team. The following year, she and Russ went back to Scotland so she could show him the country and people she had fallen in love with. The year after that they organized a tour group to visit and curl in Scotland. She used to say: “If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as a Scot because they are so much fun.” Bette served as the first woman president of the Green Bay Curling

3EW–Arden Hills: Myrna MacKinnon, Maureen Guay, Judy Taylor, Michelle Christianson 3ERU–Ardsley: Diane Muldowney, Nancy Clancy, Mieko Takiguchi, Kris Liddle 4EW–Aksarben: Kelly Stephens, Sigrid Festersen, Jean Vorachek, Bobbie Greenspan 4ERU–Albany: Roberta Crain, Florence Springstead, Linda Felice, Gloria Martino

Club in 1981. She served two terms. She organized all club history files like only she could do. Bette also served as Badger Women’s State President during this time. Russ and Bette were also great ambassadors for U.S. Curling as well, attending at least 16 World Championships. They made many cherished friends around the world. In 1989 they chaired and ran the Media Center at the World Curling Championships in Milwaukee, the first to include both men and women. Bette was also committed to her community, volunteering for many local and civic organizations. She served on the local PBS channel board of directors and also on that of the Catholic Women’s Club. She was Secretary of the Allouez Beautification Committee, a member of The Home Economics Association, Theta Phi Alpha, and Wisconsin Czechs. Bette Kriwanek is survived by Russ, three children, and five grandchildren. Long time club-mate Carla Casper writes, “No one will ever know all the wonderful things Bette has done because she did them quietly from her heart without a need for recognition.”

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Curling News UNITED STATES

USA Curling ... Dare to curl

College Curling

Last chance to sign up for National Tourney 20th annual tournament on tap March 11-13 in Chicago

by Rich Larko, College Tournament Coordinator

hirty two teams or more will gather in Chicago starting March 11 to compete in the 20th National College Curling Championship event at the North Shore and Chicago curling clubs, just north of Chicago. Special note to new teams and teams with little experience: Don’t be timid! It’s the best curling experience you will ever have. The event format divides the championship into separate divisions based on team experience so teams with similar experience play against teams at their own competitive level. Each of the four divisions will have awards pins for first-, second-, and thirdplace teams. All divisions play at the same time so you will be

playing alongside experienced curlers. You will meet really good curlers and learn more in three days than you will in a year at home. You will also meet and socialize with more than a 100 curlers from around the country. For information regarding how to enter the tournament, eligibility, hotel information, a local map and general event information, visit www.collegecurling.org. To enter, contact registrar Dr. Robert Richardson, richards.rob2@uwlax.edu. Entries with check for $120 must be in hands of Dr. Richardson no later than 5 p.m. March 1. The same deadline applies to insure teams receive the low hotel rate of $69 plus tax per night. Checks should be made out to the Illinois State Curling Foundation.

The schedule of events for the 20th annual tournament will be: • One game Friday evening, includes hot dinner • Two games Saturday, includes lunch and dinner • Finals on Sunday morning, includes lunch In addition to the meals listed above, a continental breakfast will be available at the curling lodge on Saturday and Sunday. Through the first 19 championship events we have seen teams from more than 135 schools and over a thousand student/curlers participating in these events. Along the way at least 40 certified curling clubs all over the country donated ice time, and countless instructors, coaches and mentors to help get new curlers into their curling careers. Many

who began curling in school have gone on to become dues-paying members of regular clubs around the country. From the beginning in 1992 with five teams in La Crosse, Wis., then several years at the Wauwatosa club, where the event grew steadily, it then moved to the larger Madison club in McFarland, Wis. The program and championship then moved again to St. Paul, Minn., where it grew to 32 teams. Finally, and currently, the Chicago Community Trust, the Illinois State Curling, and support from the USCA now hosts the 20th annual championship at two clubs in Chicago. We look forward to a record event with 40 teams from all over the country in 2011. As always we thank the

dozens of clubs that have provided ice time and instruction, the clubs hosting regional college events and the National Tournament, and the many, many workers who helped run college events over the past years. Finally thanks to the board of directors of the ISCF, the staff of the U.S. Curling News (especially Terry Kolesar) and USCA support, and the administration staff of the Chicago Community Trust. Special thanks to Dr. Robert Richardson, who for many years has done so much administrative work for all our events. We hope to better solidify our relationship with the USCA so that the college curling program can continue and insure that this worthwhile program can continue to expose the sport to more and more people and contribute dues-paying curlers to our sport.

Intercollegiate club curling premieres This curling season saw the beginning of Intercollegiate Club Curling at two sites in the upper Midwest. Five colleges and universities took part in two rounds of competition followed by a playoff. The first round took place at the Green Bay Curling Club on Dec. 4 and pitted the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Lake Superior College (Duluth, Minn.) and Michigan Technological University (Houghton, Mich.) against each other. The second round and the playoffs took place at the Copper Country Curling Club, Calumet, Mich., on Jan. 22-23, with Lake Superior College and Michigan Technological University being joined by Carroll University (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Finlandia University (Hancock, Mich.). The “Intercollegiate Club Curling” format sets club against club rather than individual rinks against each other. Each club is permitted to bring as many players as they want and to substitute between games as much as they want. The results on ice are attributed to the club and not to a specific rink of four players. All events are “open,” that is, any combination of men and women are permitted on ice. There is only one eligibility requirement to participate in Intercollegiate Club Curling. The participants

must be members year’s events saw of a formally recone “triangular ognized club on meet” and one their college/uni“quadrangular versity campus. meet” each with One of the pria round robin formary goals of mat. There is Intercollegiate great potential for Club Curling is these formats the promotion and plus a “dual” or development of by Gordon Maclean, “head-to-head” on campus curling Chairman, College format to make clubs. While Curling Committee frequent and regmany college/uniular competitions versity campuses between college have curlers who participate curling clubs possible. in curling activities at nearMaintaining a smaller event by community curling size also makes it easier for clubs, few have formally the college clubs to organorganized into campus ize and host events and clubs. There are many minimize ice time requireadvantages to being a recments if rental costs are ognized on campus club, involved. Our two events including added student this year had draws starting body exposure to curling every three hours with activities and access to stueight-end games. With this dent organization funds that format, a four-team round may help defray the costs of robin that started at 9 a.m. curling activities. was completed by 5 p.m. The second immediate Looking to the future, goal of Intercollegiate Club building on the concept of Curling is to increase the competitive curling at the opportunities for curlers college club level could attending a college or univery well result in the estabversity to compete against lishment of college curling their peers at other academassociations or conferences. ic institutions. Trying to As with other sports, netjuggle classwork and curlworks of nearby, closelying can make it very diffirelated schools competing cult for students to dedicate on a regular basis will proan entire weekend to a travide an element of rivalry ditional bonspiel. and the interest among the By keeping the time student bodies that such commitment to a minimum rivalries produce. Increased and not locking the on-ice interest may allow curling teams to specific individual to transition from a club sport to a varsity sport at curlers, more students are some schools. able to participate in more For Canadians, the concompetitive events. This

Competitors from the four schools competing in the second round of the Intercollegiate Club Curling Championship get together for a group photo. Lake Superior College of Duluth, Minn., went on to win the championship. Submitted photo

cept of varsity-level curling in colleges and universities is far from unusual. In fact, there are several established conferences north of the border that hold regularly scheduled college curling competitions. There is no reason to believe that curling could not make this transition here in the U.S. One of the participating schools in this year’s tournament, Lake Superior College, has already established a varsity level curling program and its students are reaping the benefits. “I already have students staying at LSC to take part in the varsity program, and have had inquiries from high school aged junior curlers looking for an avenue to stay competitive after juniors while they continue into post secondary education,” said Robert Carr, coordinator of curling, Lake Superior College. “I

think my team is even more excited about this program than I am. The two bonspiels held this season (Green Bay, Wis., and Calumet, Mich.) were very enjoyable for me and our team as we had the opportunity to play against and meet other students from a variety of schools across the northern states.” Looking ahead to the 2011-12 season, I am hoping to hear from students or faculty advisors from college curling clubs in other regions of the U.S. who are interested in competing against other colleges or universities in their area. For the record, congratulations to the Lake Superior College Huskies for winning the first College Club Curling championship, finishing the two rounds of competition with a 5-1 record and sweeping the playoffs.

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

2011 Nationals begin Feb. 12 in Fargo by Terry Kolesar, Editor

he 2011 USA Curling National Championships will take place Feb. 12-19 at Scheels Arena in Fargo, N.D. The winning teams will represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Championships. The Women’s Worlds will take place March 19-27 in Esbjerg, Denmark, while the Men’s Worlds will be played April 2-10 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The teams will play in a weeklong round robin followed by the Page playoffs Feb. 18-19 to determine the champions. The Pete Fenson and Erika Brown teams are the defending champions. To order tickets and join the fun, you can still get tickets at the door or log on to http://2011usacurlingnationals.com. Here is a look at the field of 20 competing teams and their hometowns: MEN’S QUALIFIERS: Team Birr: Todd Birr (Mankato, Minn.), Greg Romaniuk (Snohomish, Wash.), Doug Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Kevin Birr (St. Peter,

Minn.), Tom O’Connor (Golden Valley, Minn.) Team Brown: Craig Brown (Madison, Wis.), John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.), Greg Johnson (Appleton, Wis.), Derrick Casper (De Pere, Wis.), Jeremiah Dotlich (Hermantown, Minn.) Team Disher: Craig Disher (Rolla, N.D.), Kevin Kakela (Rolla, N.D.), Chad Carlson (Devils Lake, N.D.), Peter Annis (Owatonna, Minn.), John Benton (St. Michael, Minn.) Team Fenson: Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.), Shawn Rojeski (Chisholm, Minn.), Joe Polo (Duluth, Minn.), Ryan Brunt (Bemidji, Minn.) Team George: Tyler George (Duluth, Minn.), Chris Plys (Duluth, Minn.), Rich Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), Phill Drobnick (Duluth, Minn.)

2010 national champions (l-r) Shawn Rojeski, Pete Fenson and Joe Polo will try for another title in 2011 in Fargo. Photo by Brownewell Photography

Team Goodland: Geoff Goodland (Eau Claire, Wis.), Pete Westberg (Naperville, Ill.), Tim Solin (Mahtomedi, Minn.), Ken Olson (Plymouth, Minn.), Tim Jeanetta (Elk River, Minn.) Team Hamilton: Matthew Hamilton (McFarland, Wis.), Jeremy Roe (Rio, Wis.), Joseph Bonfoey (Duluth, Minn.), Patrick Roe (Madison, Wis.), Paul Pustovar (Hibbing, Minn.) Team Jacobson: Zach Jacobson (Langdon, N.D.), Kevin Deeren (Chicago), Zane Jacobson (Langdon, N.D.), Kraig Deeren (Waunakee, Wis.), Mike Farbelow (Minneapolis, Minn.) Team Larway: Jason Larway (Lynnwood, Wash.), Colin Hufman (Seattle), Sean Beighton (University, Wash.), Joel Larway (Lynnwood, Wash.) Team McCormick: Heath McCormick (Sarnia, Ontario), Bill Stopera (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.), Martin Sather (Hastings-onHudson, N.Y.), Dean Gemmell (Short Hills, N.J.) WOMEN’S QUALIFIERS: Team Brown: Erika Brown (Oakville, Ontario), Nina Spatola (McFarland, Wis.), Ann Swisshelm (Chicago), Laura Hallisey (Medfield, Mass.), Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.) Team Haag: Jenna Haag (Milton, Wis.), Chloe Pahl (Green Bay, Wis.), Grace Gabower (Milton, Wis.), Erin Wallace (Green Bay, Wis.), Joy Pahl (Green Bay, Wis.) Team Haase: Chrissy Haase (Schenectady, N.Y.), Monica Walker (Brighton, Mass.), Karen Walker (Enfield, Conn.), Nicole Vasser (Framingham, Mass.) Team Karst: Lori Karst (Madison, Wis.), Sherri Schummer (St. Paul,

Spring board meeting scheduled The 2011 USA Curling Board of Directors will meet for its spring board meeting April 29-May 1 at the Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington in Bloomington, Minn. In addition, the annual member’s meeting will be held Saturday, April 30 (same location). The public is invited to attend the committee and board meetings. Committee meetings take place on Friday afternoon and evening as well as Saturday morning. The Board of Directors meeting begins at noon on Saturday, April 30, and typically concludes in the early evening with the meeting convening Sunday morning. A complete meeting schedule will be finalized as the meeting draws closer. Feel free to call the USCA office at 1-888-CURLERS for updates and to let us know if you’re planning to attend.

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Erika Brown (front) celebrates after winning the 2010 Nationals in Kalamazoo along with teammates (l-r) Laura Hallisey, Nina Spatola and Ann Swisshelm. Photo by Brownewell Photography

Minn.), Emilia Juocys (Oak Park, Ill.), Heather Van Sistine (Hartland, Wis.) Team Lank: Patti Lank (Lewiston, N.Y.), Caitlin Maroldo (Rochester, N.Y.), Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.), Mackenzie Lank (Lewiston, N.Y.), Christina Schwartz (Fargo, N.D.) Team O’Leary: Norma O’Leary (Silver Bay, Minn.), Margie Smith (Shoreview, Minn.), Theresa Hoffoss (Minneapolis, Minn.), Patti Luke (Duluth, Minn.) Team Potter: Cassie Potter (Birchwood Village, Minn.), Jamie Haskell (White Bear Lake, Minn.), Maureen Stolt (Plymouth, Minn.), Stephanie Sambor

(Williston, N.D.) Team Pottinger: Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Nicole Joraanstad (Madison, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.), Tabitha Peterson (Eagan, Minn.) Team Reiser: Nicole Reiser (Mandan, N.D.), Michelle Wagner (Fargo, N.D.), Gabrielle Coleman (Mountain View, Calif.), Ann Drummie (Washington, D.C.), Charrissa Lin (New Haven, Conn.) Team Sormunen: Aileen Sormunen (Duluth, Minn.), Courtney George (St. Paul, Minn.), Amanda McLean (Duluth), Miranda Solem (Cohasset, Minn.)

The U.S. Curling Association is proud to recognize the following sponsors who support our sport and organization:

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Volunteers are heart of USA Curling

he strength and the promise of any organization, especially a not-for- profit, is its people. USA Curling has leveraged its six paid staff with 30 support committees, peopled by curling volunteers from across the USA. These 30 committees are managed by four volunteer vice presidents and one volunteer president with support by a volunteer treasurer and secretary. Policy and direction of USA Curling is developed by a volunteer board of directors. The board consists of 18 state/regional elected directors, currently two boardielected directors and six athlete elected directors. In addition, there is one director from the USWCA. Also on the board is a former board member who has a voice but no voting rights as one of USA’s representatives to the World Curling Federation. USA curling’s legal name is United States Curling Association, Inc. (USCA). USCA was organized in 1958 as a member, non-stock corporation in the State of Wisconsin. The members of USCA are the state and regional curling associations. Thus, the USCA is an association of associations. This is a unique structure amongst the national sport governing bodies. Other Olympic national governing bodies (NGBs) are structured as non-member, board of director based organizations. A second unique aspect of the structure of the USCA governance is the overlay of authority and responsibilities between its paid COO and the volunteer president and other officers. In one context, the president, four vice presidents, treasurer and secretary, as members of the board of directors, are the “bosses” of the COO. In another context of the dayto-day operations of the USCA, the COO and the officers work together as equals to sustain the organization. One of the projects before the USCA today is examining the effec-

Hall of Fame ceremony for Fenson set in Fargo Bob Fenson, Bemidji, Minn., will be formally inducted into the USA Curling Hall of Fame prior to the start of the men’s first draw at the 2011 USA Curling National Championships on Feb. 12 in Fargo, N.D., at Scheels Arena. Fenson, 64, coached son Pete Fenson to curling’s first Olympic medal in 2006 when Pete’s team defeated Great Britain for the bronze medal in Torino, Italy. Fenson also won the 1979 Men’s Nationals and 2003 Senior Men’s Nationals. He has coached at nearly ever level of curling competition in his career.

tiveness of its unique governance structure. An ongoing effort is being made to identify what works well and what impedes the effectiveness of the USCA. The USCA has recby Dave ognized that to Carlson, succeed in meetVP of ing its future Marketing & goals an updatOperations ing of our governance will be necessary to adopt to the changes in the world of curling that have occurred since 1958. These are changes in how individuals spend their time and resources, and changes in how all sports, including curling, may sustain excellence at local, state and regional, national and international levels. More about the project to revise the governance to address these issues will be communicated to the U.S. curling community over the next seven months. It is intended that this communication will be a dialogue amongst those who are passionate and thoughtful about the USCA and its role in curling. A component of the dialogue sought by the USCA is an openness to any and all individuals who wish to contribute their insights, time and efforts to serve as volunteers. Each of the 26 committees listed below are responsible for specific areas which are needed to enrich and further the sport of curling. Membership in any of these committees listed below is not limited to members of the Board of Directors. Those curlers who are interested in volunteering are welcome to contact the USCA office and from there talk to the committee chairs about their interest. • Arena Curling, Janet Farr

• Club & Membership Development, Nick Kitinski • College Curling, Gordon Maclean • College Curling Tournament, Rich Larko & Robert Richardson • Training & Instruction, Sandra McMakin • Youth Curling, Dave Jensen • Awards, Nicole Joraanstad • Event Site Selection, Lynita Delaney • Field of Play, Richard Maskel • Format, James Pleasants • Rules & Officiating, Sam Williams • Request for Ruling, Sam Williams • Adaptive Curling, Sheila Longie & Marc DePerno • Coaching, TBD • Elite Programs, Kent Beadle • Sports Science, Richard Maskel • World Team Preparation, Jan Legacie • Athlete/Curler Recognition, Richard Maskel • Bylaws/Governance, Dave Carlson • Finance/Audit, Jack Bernauer • Human Resources, Mark Swandby • Large Donor/Corporate Sponsorship, Beau Welling • Leadership Development, Bob Pelletier • Media/PR, Terry Kolesar • Planned Giving, Sean Silver • Revenue Development, Dave Carlson The 2010-11 Donation Program is another means by which individuals may show support of curling. Each local club has an opportunity to benefit both itself and USCA through the Donation Program. For funds raised on a per club basis equal to or in excess of $1,000, 25 percent is returned to the local club. The donation levels and premiums are identified below. Please contact your state or regional USCA Director, your local club president or donation chair or the USCA national office for more details and to make a donation. Also, you may make a donation on line. The website is http://usacurl.mybisi.com/.

U.S. teams advance to World Rotary Curling Championship The International Curling Fellowship of Rotarians launched 2011 in grand style with the 57th Annual Rotary CAN-AM held in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Jan. 20-22. Thirty Canadian teams and two American teams competed for a chance to participate in the Rotary World competition to be held in Washington, DC, April 1-6, 2012. The Gilmore rink of Niagara Falls, Canada, and the Paul Matzke rink, of Madison, Wis., and Mark Curtis rink of Fayetteville, Ark., advanced to the Worlds. Competing with Matzke are Ted Tibbits, Rich Lepping and Jim Sirianni. Curtis’s teammates include John Zimmerman, Ken Miller and Kurt Olson.

Every year, curlers from Canada and the United States get together for fellowship and competition. The CAN-AM (CanadianAmerican Bonspiel) is held the third week in January to select the teams that will represent that country in the Rotary World Tournament. These teams are joined by the teams selected from Scotland and England. “This is one of the bestkept secrets,” said Sirianni, a member of the Madison, Wis., Sunrise Rotary Club. “It’s a chance to do two things I love; curl and travel, and I get a chance to visit with old friends and make new acquaintances along the way.” Curling in Canada and Scotland is part of their heritage and past time. The

curling competition is keen, and the sport draws interest throughout the countries. In the United States, we have to do a bit more work to find Curling Rotarians. Canada and Scotland, each with more than 40 teams, have created real competition in this sport. Olympic curling has prompted awareness and the opening of additional U.S. curling clubs all over the country, but your help is needed. We encourage every Rotarian to join our group. If you don’t have an existing club in your area, please give us a call and we will help you locate the one nearest you. Contact Rich Lepping at richl@borderpatrolwi.com. Find out about our little secret. You’ll be glad you did.

USA Curling ... Dare to curl

Premium list for the 2010-11 Pin Donation Program

$25 Donation A donor of $25 receives the USA Curling 2010-11 Donation pin. This pin is 1 1/4 inches and proudly bears the USCA’s new logo (actual pin in is red, white and blue)

$50 Donation A donor of $50 receives the USA Curling 2010-11 Donation pin and the historical 1995 donation pin as shown above (actual pin is color)

$100 Donation A donor of $100 receives the USA Curling 2010-11 Donation pin. In addition, this donor will receive a longsleeve T-shirt embroidered with the 2010-11 donation pin logo. $250 Donation A donor of $250 receives the USA Curling 201011 Donation pin. In addition, this donor will receive a set of USA Curling pint glasses with the new USA Curling logo.

$500 Donation A donor of $500 receives the USA Curling 2010-11 Donation pin. In addition, this donor will receive an official USA Curling world competition jacket embroidered with the donor’s name and with USA on the back.

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UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Moving the rocks, arena style by Dan Johnson, Dallas-Fort Worth Club

wo ongoing challenges for curling in an arena (polite way of saying hockey ice) are what do you do with the rocks when you aren’t curling and how do you get them to and from the ice. You can’t store the rocks on ice as in a dedicated curling club; they must be removed and stored off ice or they would be in the way of hockey players or some curious free skate person might think it’s a good door stop and take the $400 curling stone home. Makes me shudder just thinking about that possibility. When our club formed after the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, we set the rocks on a wood lattice structure to protect the running surface; the storage location was far from the entrance to the ice. Carrying 64 rocks one or two at a time was out of the question and if someone dropped a rock, we didn’t even want to contemplate that kind of a disaster. So we built a flat platform with wheels, which could handle 32 rocks at a time. This was laborious to say the least and the rocks not being cold burned into the ice, so we built boxes around the rocks and covered the rocks with tarps and had the arena dump snow on them on the days we curled. All this to try and cool down the rocks resulted in more work--lots more work. Once we got the snow off, and shoveled it outside, we had to lift and dry each rock, put it on the platform, then pull it to the ice entry and lift again to the ice. At least they were colder and did not burn in as much. But this still meant lifting each rock four times and each lift is a chance for a dropped rock and a chip or some other damage. After the Vancouver Olympics last year we were very well prepared for the onslaught of interest in curling and were able to earn enough money to afford the cost of a walk-in refrigerator. Some of our members had become close friends of the Cape Cod Curling Club. When they heard Cape Cod was getting rid of a large walk in refrigerator, we offered to take it off their hands. One of our members, Andy

Bahr, designed move a fully some carts that loaded cart. were sized Best of all we specifically for now lift each the opening of rock once to the this refrigerator, ice and once off and that could the ice. Greatly hold a full sheet limiting the of 16 rocks. chance for a Actually as it damaged stone worked out they and reducing can hold 18, so the tremendous we are ready in amount of work Wanna learn more? case they ever we had been Send Dan an email at change the game doing to get the curlingdan@gmail.com in some weird curling rocks on nine-stone way. and off the ice. Maybe make the skip throw All four carts (one per sheet three since all front ender’s of rocks) fit nicely inside know that skips don’t really the refrigerator; the rocks work! Ok, maybe not! stay cold and can be quickThanks to the Cape Cod ly moved to the ice. NO Curling Club for saving us BURN IN! lots of money! This actually got started The carts have three by talking with Lyle Sieg of shelves, each shelve holds the Bay Area Curling Club; six rocks, the top two they have two walk-in units shelves rotate up and out of and acquired them from a the way and are held up by distributor located a few a pin. The wood shelves miles from us in North have beveled holes to hold Texas. One call led to each rock securely, are another and another and it stained and have a clear became curling club helpwater-proof coating to help ing curling club helping them last as long as possicurling club. ble. They also have very Our new “rock carts” heavy-duty wheels. I estiwill help us extend the life mate a cost of $125 and six of the rocks, no more snow, to eight hours of work per no water trying to seep in cart. Donated labor saved the rocks and cause cracks. us even more money, other- As for the old “rock wise that $125 cost would boxes,” Andy says they will be much higher. They roll make nice firewood for his easily and one person can workshop if they ever dry

The USWCA Circuit Event Compete in Women’s Bonspiels and Earn Points for Area and National Cash Awards! Learn about The Circuit: • How you can compete in The Circuit in Women’s Bonspiels in all Areas of the USWCA! • How your club's Women's Bonspiel can become part of The Circuit! Register your Club’s Bonspiel for Increased Participation! Register yourself as a Circuit Participant!

www.uswca.org Click on “USWCA Circuit Event” on the Home Page

Two DFW Curling Club members remove the tarp and snow covering the rocks. The snow had to be shoveled outside and the rocks dried and placed on a flat cart and moved to the ice. Submitted photos

Two rock carts loaded and being pushed into the walk-in refrigerator (above). The top two shelves on the club’s new rock carts (below) flip up and out of the way for easy loading and unloading.

out! If you would like details about these carts or anything else, send an email to curlingdan@gmail.com, and we will see if Andy has plans to share. Cheers, and good curling.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

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USA Curling ... Dare to curl

WI women, MN men capture Junior Nationals Round robin results, women: Minnesota I 8-1 North Dakota II 7-2 Wisconsin I 7-2 Wisconsin II 5-4* Minnesota II 5-4 Alaska 4-5 New York II 4-5 New York I 2-7 North Dakota I 2-7 Washington 1-8 * defeated MN II in tiebreaker match

Team USA (l-r) Becca Hamilton, Tara Peterson, Karlie Koenig, Sophie Brorson and Rebecca Funk.

by Terry Kolesar, Editor

isconsin’s Becca Hamilton rink and Minnesota’s Aaron Wald team will represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Junior Championships after winning the USA Curling Junior National Championships Feb. 5 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Wald and teammates Joshua Bahr (Bemidji, Minn.), Jared Zezel (Hibbing, Minn.) and John Muller (Hibbing, Minn.) finished runner-up at the past two Junior Nationals and can now put those second-place finishes behind them as they defeated Stephen Dropkin’s team from Massachusetts, 6-3. “We’re excited. This is my last year as a junior and our last chance to get together,” Wald said. “We played the best we could, and we hoped it would go our way.” Hamilton (McFarland, Wis.) and teammates Tara Peterson (Eagan, Minn.), Karlie Koenig (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Sophie Brorson (Duluth, Minn.) return to familiar turf as junior champions. Peterson and Brorson have now won three straight titles while Hamilton and Koenig were teammates back in 2008 when they won the title. In their first year playing as a team, that past experience on the

Team USA (l-r) Aaron Wald, Josh Bahr, Jared Zezel, John Muller and John Landsteiner.

Wald, Hamilton rinks will represent USA at 2011 World Juniors in March in Scotland international stage favored the Wisconsin-based team as they defeated Minnesota’s Miranda Solem, 11-4, in the first appearance in the goldmedal game by Solem and teammates Miranda Schieber (Portage, Wis.), Julie Lilla (Trempealeau, Wis.) and Chelsea Solem (Cohasset, Minn.). “We came out strong, and it was all downhill after that,” Hamilton said. Dropkin and his team of Korey Dropkin (Southborough, Mass.), Thomas Howell (Brick, N.J.), Derek Corbett (Rochester, N.Y.) and Cameron Ross (Princeton Junction, N.J.) only led briefly when they got the first points of the game with a steal of one point in the third end. Wald’s team scored a deuce in the fourth and then posted back-to-back steals to gain the upper hand. Dropkin’s team could only muster a single in the seventh but then tried to rally with a steal in the eighth to cut the deficit to one point. In the ninth end, Dropkin was able to get two guards up but Bahr doubled them out. Bahr then followed up with a shot to chip out the count rock belong to Massachusetts. Dropkin missed an open takeout and

Washington’s Jake Vukich rink were the winners of the Men’s Curtis Cup for Sportsmanship. Team members include (l-r) Jake Vukich, Patrick Connolly, Michael Tomlinson and Ryan Dunn.

Wald was able to draw for two and take a 6-3 lead. “Getting two in the ninth was a big turn for us,” Wald said. “The team played well the whole game.” Massachusetts split the house with two stones in the 10th but Wald made a hit to earn his team’s first trip to the World Juniors. Wald previously played in the World Juniors in 2006 as an alternate for 2010 Olympian Chris Plys, when the event was staged in South Korea. The Hamilton rink took a less dramatic route to their junior national title as they catapulted to a 5-0 lead after three ends of play against the Minnesota state junior champions. Solem’s team got in the game with a deuce in the fourth but couldn’t catch up to the Wisconsin team and surrendered four points in the eighth end that sealed the win for Hamilton’s rink. Hamilton said it was “a bit never-wracking” in the seventh end but Minnesota was able to pick up only one point. “But, we came back with four in the eighth, and it was over,” Hamilton said. It was just the second loss of the week for Miranda Solem, 19, who will play in the 2010

All-Star Team Selection: Women: Skip: Miranda Solem, Minnesota I Vice skip: Tara Peterson, Wisconsin I Second: Karlie Koenig, Wisconsin I Lead: Anna Hopkins, North Dakota II Men: Skip: John Landsteiner, Wisconsin I Vice skip: Josh Bahr, Minnesota I Second: Jared Zezel, Minnesota I Lead: Jared Wydysh, Massachusetts I

Women’s National Championship next week in Fargo, N.D., as lead for two-time U.S. junior champion Aileen Sormunen with a chance to advance to the Women’s World Championship. The 2011 World Junior Championships will take place March 5-13 in Perth, Scotland. The U.S. women’s team, which included Peterson and Brorson, won the bronze medal at last year’s event. The U.S. men last medaled in 2009 when Wald’s former teammate Plys won the bronze after winning gold in 2008. The U.S. women last won world junior gold in 2002 when Cassie (Johnson) Potter, who went on to skip at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, captured the first and only gold medal for the U.S. junior women’s program to date. The 2012 USA Curling

Minnesota II’s Cory Christensen rink were the winners of the Women’s Curtis Cup for Sportsmanship. Team members include (l-r) Cory Christensen, Elizabeth Busche, Anna Bauman and Sonja Bauman.

*WI II MN II

Tiebreaker: 010 411 04 x x 11 102 000 10x x 4

*MN1 NDII

Page 1-2 430 102 02x x 001 020 10x x

12 4

*WI I WI II

Page 3-4: 010 200 101 1 000 021 010 0

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Semifinal: 101 020 000 0 020 101 111 1 Final: *MNI 000 201 10x x WI1 221 020 04x x *last stone in first end *ND II WI I

4 8 4 11

Round robin results, men: Massachusetts I 7-2 Minnesota I 6-3 Massachusetts II 6-3 Wisconsin I 6-3* Wisconsin II 6-3 North Dakota I 5-4 Alaska 4-5 North Dakota II 3-6 Minnesota II 1-8 Washington 1-8 * defeated WI II in tiebreaker match

*WI I WI II

Tiebreaker: 220 022 1xx x 002 100 0xx x

9 3

*MA I MN I

Page 1-2 001 002 020 20 7 000 310 201 02 9

*MA II WI I

Page 3-4: 010 040 202 x 100 101 020 x

*MA I MA II

Semifinal: 010 200 002 10 6 003 001 110 02 8

Final: *MN I 000 211 002 x MA II 001 000 110 x *last stone in first end

9 5

6 3

Junior Nationals will take place Feb. 4-11, 2012, at the Madison Curling Club in McFarland, Wis. Editor’s note: Thank you to Harry Maier of the Green Bay Curling Club for post-game interviews with Wald and Hamilton and additional game insights.

Alaska’s Meredith Hazen (above) received the Katie Beck Memorial Award for excellence at the second position.

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USA Curling ... Dare to curl

UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

North America sets points record, captures 2011 Cup by Terry Kolesar, Editor eam North America wears the pants in the curling world. After claiming the Cup title a day early when they eclipsed the magic 201-point total necessary to win, a bonus $13,000 and a piece of history were on the line in the final night of the 2011 World Financial Group Continental Cup at the Servus Credit Union Place. The men’s “C” skins event closed out the Cup with a bonus $13,000 going to the winner of the match between Canada’s Kevin Martin and Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud in a rematch of not only the recent Olympic gold-medal final but the last Cup finale played in 2008. Norway marched in for the pregame promenade wearing their Loudmouth pants and suit coats in a pink paisley pattern. Moments later, the umpire promptly asked them to change into their proper Team World uniform – basic black pants. Turns out that the Norwegians needed the lucky pants that were made so famous during the Vancouver Olympics as Martin’s foursome secured the bonus money and points record in the seventh end of the match. In clinching the win, North America amassed 298 points to Team World’s 102. The 298-point output is the most ever by a Continental Cup team, surpassing the 290 total North America posted in 2007 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Canada had a chance to clinch the bonus money in the sixth end when a 23point skin was up for grabs, but it carried over into the seventh when the Olympic gold medalists couldn’t score the two points needed. To count a skin, the team with the last rock must score a minimum of two points. Canada’s uncharacteristic unsteady play continued into the seventh end with 35 points up for grabs but Ulsrud just missed a double takeout, despite proclaiming “show me the money” just before the rocks made contact. The miss left a Canadian rock closest to the button for the steal, and most importantly, the win as only 12 skins could be left to grab in the eighth end, which wouldn’t be enough. “I was sure I had it, I felt

Discipline: Mixed doubles – Round 1 Women’s team – Round 1 Men’s team – Round 1 Women’s team – Round 2 Men’s team – Round 2 Singles (+ bonus) Men’s/Women’s/Skins “A” Mixed doubles – Round 2 Men’s/Women’s/Skins “B” Women’s Skins “C” Men’s Skins “C” Total score:

kind of stupid when I turned over to the World bench and called out ‘Show me the money!’ and...whoops, jammed,” Ulsrud said. Most curlers don’t enjoy winning on someone else’s missed shot, including Martin. “Thomas is a character, he would make that shot more than he misses it – so we were a little lucky,” he said. USA’s Erika Brown (Oakville, Ontario/ Madison, Wis.) became the first American to win three Cup titles. The veteran skip is a two-time Olympian (1998, 1988) and six-time U.S. champion. “It’s always fun to win so I’m happy about that,” Brown said. “I enjoy playing at this event. It’s a great opportunity to play with so many great athletes.” This is the first Cup title win for Americans Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Shawn Rojeski (Chisholm, Minn.) in three tries. Ann Swisshelm (Chicago) and Joe Polo (Duluth, Minn.) also earned

Team World 0 6 6 0 10 0 17 6 28 13 16 102

Team North America 18 12 12 18 22 18 43 12 62 42 39 298

their first title in their second appearances. For rookies Nina Spatola (McFarland, Wis.), Laura Hallisey (Medfield, Mass.) and Ryan Brunt (Bemidji, Minn.), their first Cup experience comes in dominating fashion. Earlier, Canada’s Cheryl Bernard rink defeated China’s Bingyu Wang, 4213, to win the final women’s skins event. That game started out with an offensive showdown as both ends featured all 16 stones in play. China grabbed the 13-point skin in the third, but Bernard came through a port to convert a double takeout in the fourth end to get on the scoreboard with six points. It was all Canada in the second half of the match as the Chinese 2010 Olympic bronze medalists couldn’t make the big shots when they counted most. Total attendance for the four-day event was 16,340. The 2012 Cup will take place Jan. 12-15 in Langley, British Columbia.

USA’s 2010 national champions teamed up with four of the top Canadian teams at the 2011 Continental Cup held in January in Alberta. Competing Americans included (above, l-r) Nina Spatola, Ann Swisshelm, Erika Brown and Laura Hallisey and the men’s team of (below, l-r) Ryan Brunt, Pete Fenson, Joe Polo and Shawn Rojeski. Photos by Michael Burns Jr.

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American teams earn silver and bronze in Japan by Terry Kolesar, Editor

yler George (Duluth, Minn.) led his team to a second-place finish and Patti Lank (Lewiston, N.Y.) earned the bronze as the 2011 Karuizawa International Championships wrapped up Jan. 30 in Karuizawa, Japan. George and teammates Chris Plys (Duluth, Minn.), Rich Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Phill Drobnick (Duluth, Minn.) defeated Canada’s Ted Appelman rink in the semifinal, 7-6, to advance to the championship final to face Japan’s Yusuke Morozumi rink. Morozumi’s team knocked off the No. 1 seed led by Korea’s Keun-Lee Dong in the other semifinal, 6-5. In the gold-medal match, USA’s offense was limited to just single points but Japan made the most of its last-rock advantage, twice, scoring three points en route to an 8-3 victory. In the men’s bronze-medal match, Korea bounced back to defeat Canada, 7-4. “We would have liked to come away from the event with a gold medal but we ran into a hot Japan team in the finals., Drobnick said. “All in all it was a wonderful event and it was great to see both U.S. teams on the

medal stand. This event has helped us prepare for the U.S. Nationals later this month.” Lank and teammates Caitlin Maroldo (Rochester, N.Y.), Jessica Schultz (Richfield, Minn.) and Alex Carlson (Wayzata, Minn.) lost a close semifinal match to Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa, 8-7, in an extra end. The Americans had a 5-3 advantage late in the game before Japan scored three points in the eighth end and stole a single in the ninth. The Americans tied the game in the 10th with a deuce but gave the last-rock advantage back to Japan as they went on to win. The American ladies struggled in the early ends in the bronze-medal match against China’s Jinli Liu, who lost to Canada’s Jennifer Jones in the other semifinal, 10-7. The U.S. women gave up an opening-end steal of two but then battled back to take the lead in the fifth end and held off the Chinese ladies to earn the bronze medal. Canada would go on to defeat Japan, 8-4, to win gold. “We are very thankful for the opportunity to compete in Japan. It was a good experience for the team, leading into nationals,” said Schultz, a member of the 2006 Olympic team. “The Japan team played very well, capitalizing on our missed opportunites, and

Karuizawa International Championships: Men’s gold-medal line score: Japan 003 003 02x x 8 *USA 100 100 10x x 3 Women’s bronze medal line score: China 201 000 101 0 5 *USA 010 210 010 1 6

USA’s Blake Morton delivers one of his skip stones while Tommy Juszczyk (left) and Calvin Weber prepare to sweep during round robin action in Turkey at the Winter World University Games.

they won the right to move to the finals. The bronze game against China was a battle, and we executed to have the hammer in the 10th, which put the game in our favor. We had a solid week leading into the semis, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the U.S. at this event.” The Karuizawa International Curling Championship is sponsored annually by the Japan Curling Association in commemoration of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. Karuizawa hosted the curling competition for the 1998 Games, where curling was first contested as a fullmedal Olympic sport. “The trip to Japan was a great experience for myself and our team,” Drobnick said. “We got the opportunity to play on great ice and against some top level teams from around the world. The host committee and the people of Japan run a great event. They go out of their way to make sure everyone is treated well.” The U.S. team of (l-r) Phill Drobnick, Rich Ruohonen, Chris Plys, Tyler George and Coach Al Hackner earned the silver medal at the Karuizawa International Championships in Japan.

Photo by Leslie Ingram-Brown

USA finishes sixth in Turkey by Terry Kolesar, Editor

he Americans finished on a high note with a 7-1 win over Slovenia to conclude their stint at the 2011 Winter World University Games in Erzurum, Turkey. With a 4-5 record in the round robin, Blake Morton (McFarland, Wis.) and teammates Marcus Fonger (Cottage Grove, Wis.), Tommy Juszczyk (McFarland, Wis.) and Calvin Weber (McFarland, Wis.) were unable to qualify for the playoff round. The Americans finished in sixth place in their first international competition wearing the red, white and blue. In the final game of the round robin, the Americans took an early 3-0 lead against Slovenia’s Gasper Ursic rink after stealing singles in the third and fourth ends. After holding Slovenia (0-9) to a single in the fifth, the U.S. scored a deuce and would steal the next two ends before the Slovenians would concede the match. Highlights from the curling action will air on FOX College Sports in March (dates and times to be announced; please check

Standings, Round Robin: South Korea 7-2 Great Britain 7-2 Switzerland 7-2 Czech Republic 6-3 Canada 6-3 USA 4-5 Norway 4-5 Sweden 3-6 Turkey 1-8 Slovenia 0-9 Semifinals: *Korea 001 002 010 1 5 Czech Rep. 000 100 102 0 4 *Switzerland 301 020 101 01 9 Great Britain 010 101 020 30 8 Bronze medal: Czech Rep. 000 010 100 1 3 *Great Britain 001 000 010 0 2 Gold medal: Switzerland 001 020 201 x 6 *Korea 040 201 030 x 10 *last stone in first end USA games: Switzerland 12, USA 6 Korea 11, USA 2 USA 6, Norway 5 USA 9, Sweden 1 Great Britain 8, USA 2 USA 9, Turkey 5 Canada 6, USA 5 Czech Republic 5, USA 4 USA 7, Slovenia 1

the USA Curling website for updates). In the men’s gold-medal game, South Korea defeated Switzerland, 10-6, and the Czech Republic got past Great Britain, 3-2, to win the bronze. In women’s action, Great Britain defeated the Russian Federation, 7-6 in an extra end to win gold. South Korea defeated Japan for the bronze. USA did not field a women’s team at this year’s event.

The U.S. team of (l-r) Coach Neil Harrison, Alex Carlson, Jessica Schultz, Caitlin Maroldo and Patti Lank earned the bronze medal at the Karuizawa International Championships in Japan.

USA’s vice skip Marcus Fonger prepares to deliver during action in Turkey at the Winter World University Games. Photo by Leslie Ingram-Brown

Curling News The makings of a great curler

USA Curling ... Dare to curl

he second National Championships after the Vancouver Olympic Games sees the best 20 qualifiers compete for the top spot. One hundred players will compete for the top domestic prize and one team each will represent the United States at the World Championships in men’s and women’s divisions. This is the beginning of the second year of the Olympic preparation cycle, and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games are three years away. What will it take to reach Sochi 2014 at the end of this Olympic cycle? We know from research and practice that the individuals and teams that have the following qualities are more likely to compete every year for the National Championship and be able to strive for World level play. They are more likely to be at the Olympic trials for Sochi, too. 10 things that make great curlers 1. Strong environmental support that includes access to training facilities and ice time most days of the year

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

UNITED STATES

By John Coumbe-Lilley, USA Curling sports psychology consultant

(every day if possible) 2. Communities of committed performers that learn, train and improve 3. Family members that are skilled and effective teachers. 4. Accepting and applying the demands of purposeful and deliberate practice 5. Coaching by effective and skilled practitioners 6. Reliable and random practice approaches 7. Structured and unstructured learning 8. Mental toughness 9. Strong solo practice work ethic 10. Strong desire and

high levels of intrinsic motivation Think about this for a minute: Look at the top men’s and women’s skips in the USA that have shown consistency in performance over the last five years and those from Canada, China, Sweden, Norway, Scotland and Switzerland. What is different and the same between them? Then do the same for the vice, second and lead positions. Look at where the density of the best coaches is in the United States and what clubs they belong to and who they have worked with. Imagine what it would be like to have access to the best ice, coaches, weekly club competition, learning tools, and combine that with a hard work ethic for improvement, too. How awesome would that be for your curling? The challenge ahead The challenge that top men’s and women’s curlers have is to determine what they want to accomplish, what improvements they want to make, and how those improvements will be made and measured. As this

process unfolds, competitors are often confronted with tough questions that ask if they are prepared to pay the cost it takes to reach the pinnacle of domestic and world level play. Most athletes in most sports are confronted with these challenges. But some are more likely to reach their goals in curling because of how the previous 10 points relate to these seven points: 1. Wisconsin and Minnesota should produce top players and coaches 2. Communities with the best and most accessible ice should produce better players 3. Communities with several national, world and Olympic representatives should produce the best players 4. Communities with a density of good coaches and strong curling minds should provide better learning environments 5. Clubs that provide skill-appropriate competition should provide better players 6. Clubs with strong accessible champion role models are more likely to

grow top players 7. Clubs that have a solo practice culture are more likely to develop mentally tough curlers The path to Sochi 2014 will end with the last few feet below the pinnacle of curling performance being the hardest to achieve. But, if the personal, social, emotional and spiritual preparation has been done and brought to bear, the opportunity for great performance is much higher. Whether you are a top curler or not, now is a good time to start improving whether your goal is to be a better curler or to be a champion curler. This article was inspired by research that was done on the communities, habits and support programs of curling’s top players in the United States and beyond. The following books helped form the thoughts above: Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin; Bounce by Mathew Syed; Clutch by Paul Sullivan; Mindset by Carol Dweck and The Power of Full Engagment by Jim Loehr, in addition to several reports from the United States Olympic Committee and UK Sport.

Field set for 2011 Club National Championships The five-sheet Mankato Curling Club will host the 2011 USA Curling Club National Championship March 5-12 in Mankato, Minn. A field of 20 teams representing their home clubs will fight for the right to earn the club national title in the seventh year of the event. Live end-by-end scoring of the event will be posted on the USA Curling website (www.usacurl.org) as well as the host website (www.mankatocurling.org). Visit the host website if you are interested in volunteering at this event. Here is a look at the competing teams and the clubs they will represent: WOMEN: At-Large region, Denver: Cynthia Smith, Dena Rosenberry, Alyssa Rossnagel, Shawna McIntoss

Great Lakes region, Detroit: Brooke Schneider, Kathy Cross, Michelle Falvey, Jenny Zukowski, Jamie Roberts Grand National region, Plainfield: Janice Langanke, Rachel Howell, Shara Dellatore, Barbara Klug Illinois region, Exmoor: Tracy Lawless, Leslie Armstrong, Anneliese Crawford, Shelley Pilon Minnesota region, St. Paul: Shelley Kinney, Amy Lou Anderson, Peggy Gazzola, Julie Smith, Megan Pond Mountain Pacific region, Hollywood: Marissa Messier, Cindy Wood, Jennifer Gamboa, Donna Umali Mountain Pacific region, Evergreen: Eleanor Robertson, Yvonne Perceval, Kathy Plecak, Kendall Speten-Hansen

Need to update your mailing address? Did you move and need to update your mailing address so you don’t miss any of your Curling News mailings? If so, please call (1-888-CURLERS) or email Christy Hering (christy.hering@usacurl.org) at the USCA office.

North Dakota, Grand Forks: Beth Bohlman, Susan Stern, Amy Bushaw, Dawn Zimney, Gail Ingwalson Washington region, Granite: Em Good, Jill Lamberts, Jennifer Westhagen, Hannah Volkman Wisconsin region, Centerville: Lynita Delaney, Sara Hein, Elyse Sorenson, Nora Kraemer, Ericka Overgard MEN: Alaska region, Fairbanks: Dave Flippo, Ryan Flippo, Michael Anderson, Tom Kent, Dan Bogan

At-Large region, Denver: Darrick Kizlyk, Drew Gibson, Barry Fish, Matt Culbertson Great Lakes region, Detroit: Chad Roberts, Benjamin Levy, James Fletcher, Mark McElwee, Adam Rivera Grand National region, Plainfield: Ivaylo Petrov, Mark Mooney, Don Arsenault, Christopher Gould Illinois region, Exmoor: Jeff Wright, Russ Armstrong, Russ Brown, Steve Waters, Steve Wright Minnesota region, Duluth: Seppo Sormunen, Jeff

Ritchie, Michael Huska, Roger Hendrickson Mountain Pacific region, Orange County: Justin McBride, Kenneth Millar, Richard Ramirez, Gordon Harder North Dakota region, Fargo-Moorhead: Ryan Berg, Mitchell Oakland, Randy Askew, Jordan Brown Washington region, Granite: Benj Guzman, Philip Tilker, Darryl Pahl, Jeremy Dinsel Wisconsin region, Madison: Mark Swandby, Stan Vinge, Wally Henry, Craig Lee

2010-11 Championship & Playdown Schedule February: North Dakota Mixed Playdown Wisconsin Mixed Playdown 2011 U.S. National Championships GNCC Mixed Playdown United States Senior Men’s Curling Association National Bonspiel Alaska Mixed Playdown 2011 Winter Deaflymics 2011 World Wheelchair Championship Minnesota Mixed Playdown Mountain Pacific Mixed Playdown Washington Mixed Playdown

Dates: 2/10-2/13 2/12-2/13 2/12-2/19 2/17-2/20 2/17-2/20 2/18-2/20 2/18-2/26 2/22-3/1 2/25-2/27 2/26-2/27 2/26-2/28

Site: Grand Forks CC, Grand Forks, N.D. Blackhawk CC, Janesville, Wis. Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D. Petersham CC, Petersham, Mass. Chicago, Ill. Anchorage CC, Anchorage, AK Vysoke Tatry, Slovakia Prague, Czech Republic Two Harbors CC, Two Harbors, Minn. Granite CC, Seattle, Wash. Granite CC, Seattle, Wash.

March: 2011 World Junior Championships 2011 U.S. Club National Championships 2011 Capital One Women’s World Championship 2011 U.S. Mixed National Championship

3/5-3/13 3/5-3/12 3/19-3/27 3/19-3/26

Perth, Scotland Mankato CC, Mankato, Minn. Esbjerg, Denmark Midland CC, Midland, Mich.

April: 2011 Ford Men’s World Championship 2011 World Senior Championships 2001 World Mixed Doubles Championship

4/2-4/10 4/16-4/23 4/16-4/23

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada St. Paul CC, St. Paul, Minn. St. Paul CC, St. Paul, Minn.

Curling News UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Clock keeps turning but traditions stay true

he men’s and women’s senior national championships are in progress as this column is written. Reminds me that over age 50 curlers have been the backbone of the game since I started in the curling racket as a tyke circa 1961. Since that hallowed time, lots of aspects of the Roarin’ Game have changed. The other day I was wandering around and came upon a large semi-trailer parked in front of a curling club. It was open so I went inside. I thought I had been transported to the movie Lost Horizon (substitute the Alps for the Himalayas)— the place was full of modern curling stuff and staffed by Olympian Debbie McCormick. It’s always a pleasure to see Debbie, we had a nice visit, then I toured the premises and here’s some of what I found. First, I bought a nice wine bottle stopper with a mini curling stone on top. I am a sucker for these good quality knickknacks because they were so rare, in the USA at least, in my early curling days. The Chinese did not curl then, let alone win world championships, and neither did they manufacture curling stuff. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, as I journeyed around the world of curling, I bought more and more stuff, and pretty soon I had a small collection—minigranite rocks, crystal rocks, and my favorite, books about curling. Now, unfortunately for Debbie, this uncontrollable urge to collect curling stuff does not apply to curling equipment. Equipment needed to be familiar and broken in, and therefore kept in small quantities, and made to last as long as possible.

Tales From Sheet Nine

David Garber, dj.garber@charter.net

My first curling shoes were called “boots” and had high tops, ala chukkas. I coveted the Ernie Richardson model. Curling boots were warm, had to be, since many ice houses were not heated. Later, I kept one and sometimes two pair of curling shoes in my personal stock, replacing them only when the right toes wore out from dragging on the ice (the rudder to keep the fish-tail at bay). After the days of corn, for me about age 20, I first used a brush with a small diameter shaft, which I snapped off while sweeping one day (younger and stronger then!) nearly getting the jagged broken edge through the heart. Thereafter, I used an oversized hog hair brush with the sturdiest shaft I could find, made even heavier when I added a custom Tefloncoated hardwood sliding block to the head, to elevate the hairs off the ice and thus avoid drag—a custom job that was possibly preMaskelesque! I still have the 22-pound monstrosity, but I now use a Hammer, which was new when I

bought it several decades ago, much lighter, and made of plastic which I could use for a slider with no drag. I changed the head once so I could say I wore the first one out. Hammers were economical. I noted in Debbie’s trailer that new brushes and shoes are priced like stealth aircraft. I’m not sure if they show up on radar, but they are made of rich Corinthian leather and inch-thick Teflon (the shoes) and the brushes with shafts made of Bucky balls or something unbreakable, all while weighing two grams. The cloth on the heads can make rocks go 30 feet further and not abrade pebble, or something like that. I never owned a broom bag, it was cheaper to use a buddy’s! In those good old days, curlers wore big, wooly, warm curling sweaters. They did not make noise when the curler went in motion. On the other hand, lots of men wore slacks like the Norwegian men in the 2010 Olympic Games, with various Scottish plaids. Icemaking was more an art and less a science than today. I can remember hand scraping with a heavy manual scraper that really provided us young guys with a workout. A few clubs managed to have true, very fast ice. More had at least one of their sheets with poor ice. But the art of ice reading was far advanced compared to today. On the other hand, training is far advanced and today’s curlers of all ages have deliveries that allow them to be much more accurate and consistent on the broom. Fortunately, the most important component of curling, the ethos of the game from club to championship level, survives, with few exceptions.

USA Curling ... Dare to curl

Key: O–Open; X–Mixed; XD–Mixed doubles; M–Men’s; W–Women’s; S–Senior; WC–Wheelchair C–Cashspiel; J–Junior; ST–Stick Events are listed Friday through Sunday but some may begin earlier. Check the club’s website for more information. FEB. 18–20 Belfast, ME–Little Int. M Copper Country, MI O Detroit, MI X Duluth, MN–International MW Grand Forks, ND W Green Bay, WI M Heather, MN M Lake Region, ND–Bantam J Medford, WI–Snowflake W Plainfield, NJ J Portage, WI–Badger Senior SW Utica, NY–Cobb X Waltham, IL M Wauwatosa, WI–5 & Under O FEB. 25–27 Centerville, WI M Chicago, IL X Grand Forks, ND–Can Am J Heather, MN W Kettle Moraine, WI X Lewiston, MI MWX Madison, WI–Curl v. Cancer O Mayfield, OH X Norfolk, CT W Pardeeville, WI–Red Baron M Potomac, MD–Kayser X St. Paul, MN M Utica, NY–College O Wausau, WI–Silver Spoon O MARCH 4–6 Albany, NY–TAM O Appleton, WI–The Stick St Bemidji, MN–Paul Bunyan M Chesapeake, MD–GNCC Sr. SX Curl Mesabi, MN X Grafton, ND W Kettle Moraine, WI J Marshfield, WI–Lobstein X Nashua, NH M Pardeeville, WI O Plainfield, NJ–Stone M Poynette, WI O Schenectady, NY J Tri-City, WI M Vikingland, MN–Runestone O Waltham, IL X MARCH 11–13 Centerville, WI–Fun ‘Spiel O Chisholm, MN–Serrano J Columbus, OH–Wines W Duluth, MN–Dunlop X Grafton, ND M Green Bay, WI–Shamrock W Heather, MN X Lake Region, ND SWM Norfolk, CT–Elisabeth Childs W Pardeeville, WI–HS Alumni O Schenectady, NY–Gordon Em. M Wauwatosa, WI M MARCH 18–20 Belfast, ME–Woods Family O Centerville, WI SM Curl Mesabi, MN–Springspiel M Grand Forks, ND M

Granite, WA–Jr. Novice J Green Bay, WI J Heather, MN–Teen ‘Spiel J Kettle Moraine, WI M Lodi, WI X Nutmeg, CT–Golden Handle O Stevens Point, WI M MARCH 25–27 Aksarben, NE–Irish Open O Arlington, WI SM Blackhawk, WI–Last Chance M Duluth, MN–House of Hearts O Grafton, ND X Itasca, MN–Second to Last O Minot, ND–Shirtsleeve O Pardeeville, WI–Spring Fling O Potomac, MD–Cherry Blossom O APRIL 1–3 Fairbanks, AK–International MW Granite, WA–April Open O Green Bay, WI–Funspiel X Lake Region, ND X Mankato, MN–Bunny X Stevens Point, WI X Two Harbors, MN X APRIL 8–10 Hibbing, MN–Last Chance M Plainfield, NJ–Bonsqueal O Poynette, WI O APRIL 15–17 Coyotes, AZ–Desert Ice O Evergreen, OR O APRIL 24–MAY 1 At Sea, Caribbean–Waterspiel O APRIL 29–MAY 1 Broadmoor, CO O Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX O MAY 6–8 Park City, UT–Rocky Mtn. O MAY 20–22 Poynette, WI O MAY 27–29 Hollywood, C–Blockbuster O San Francisco, CA O JUNE 3–5 Great Smoky, TN O JUNE 10–12 Granite, WA O JULY 7–10 Cape Cod, MA–Summerspiel X JULY 10–13 Cape Cod, MA–Summerspiel W JULY 14–17 Cape Cod, MA–Summerspiel M Green Bay, WI–Tailgate O JULY 17–20 Cape Cod, MA–Summerspiel Wc JULY 21–24 Capital, ND–Summerspiel O AUG. 5–7 Green Bay, WI–Senior Men’s SM Triangle, NC–Carolina Classic O AUG. 19–21 Fort Wayne, IN–Summerspiel O AUG. 26–28 Rice Lake, WI–Summerspiel O SEPT. 30–OCT. 2 North Shore, IL–NS Open O

Don’t see your event listed or it’s listed incorrectly? Send bonspiel dates and corrections to Terry Kolesar, terry.kolesar@usacurl.org

Did you win a bonspiel? Do you need to send in bonspiel results for publication in the Curling News? Send info to Editor Terry Kolesar via email at terry.kolesar@usacurl.org. Be sure to include caption information as well as club affiliations for all the event finalists. The next deadline is March 11.

USA ready for action at Wheelchair Worlds in Prague The 2011 Wheelchair World Championship will take place Feb. 22March 1 in Prague, Czech Republic. USA’s team of Augusto Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.), James Pierce (North Syracuse, N.Y.), James Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.), Jacqui Kapinowski (Point Pleasant, N.J.) and Penny Greely (Green Bay, Wis.) will play in a 10-team round robin with Canada, China, Czech Republic, Korea, Germany, Norway, Russia, Scotland and Sweden. The team is coached by Steve Brown (Madison, Wis.) and Rusty Schieber

(Portage, Wis.) with Marc Deperno (Utica, N.Y.) serving as team leader. Greely is the newest member of the team, replacing Patrick McDonald, who had season-ending shoulder surgery. The team was selected after a skills competition took place this fall at the Green Bay (Wis.) Curling Club. The U.S. has prepared for Worlds with several bonspiels throughout the past few months. Webstreaming from the event can be viewed at www.curlingpromo.cz/curlingove-webove-kamery-hala-roztyly.php.

Team USA (l-r): Augusto Perez, James Pierce, James Joseph, Jacqui Kapinowski and Penny Greely.

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UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Smith, Goodland rinks capture senior titles 2011 Senior Nationals Round robin results double knockout provision: Margie Smith 5-0 Beth Shaw 4-1 Delores Montgomery 2-3 Lori Mountford 2-3 Sharon Vukich 2-3 Mary Jaster 0-5 Tiebreaker: Smith 230 111 xx 8 *Shaw 002 000 xx 2 *last stone in first end

Team USA (l-r): Margie Smith, Debbie Dexter, Sally Barry and Rachel Orvik.

by Terry Kolesar, Editor

innesota’s Margie Smith and Wisconsin’s Geoff Goodland teams will represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Senior Championships after winning the 2011 USA Curling Senior National Championships Feb. 6. Smith’s team finished undefeated while Goodland turned back Phil DeVore, 74, in the men’s final. The 2011 World Senior Championships will take place April 16-23 in St. Paul, Minn., along with the 2011 World Mixed Doubles Championship. This will be the second World Seniors appearance for Goodland, who won back in 2007, but the rookie appearance for teammates Pete Westberg (Naperville, Ill.), Tim Solin (Mahtomedi, Minn.) and

Team USA (l-r): Geoff Goodland, Tim Solin, Pete Westberg and Ken Olson.

Teams will represent U.S. at World Seniors in April in St. Paul Ken Olson (Plymouth, Minn.). Smith (Shoreview, Minn.) and teammates Debbie Dexter (St. Paul, Minn.), Sally Barry (Eagan, Minn.) and Rachel Orvik (Shoreview, Minn.) finished the round robin at the Capital Curling Club in Bismarck, N.D., with a perfect 5-0 record last night. Beth Shaw’s team finished at 4-1. Since the event requires two losses to be eliminated, Shaw and Smith met up for a playoff matchup. It was Smith’s team that got off to a fast start as they stole the game’s first two ends to build a 5-0 lead. Shaw and teammates Pam Oleinik (Brookfield, Wis.), Laurie Rahn (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Stephanie Martin

(Barrington, Ill.) scored a deuce in the third end but wouldn’t score again as Smith’s rink cruised to an 8-2 win. This is the first senior title for Smith’s team. Smith also is playing in the 2011 USA Curling National Championships in Fargo, N.D., as vice skip for Norma O’Leary. Goodland’s foursome also qualified for Men’s Nationals. The men’s division featured 27 teams at the start of the competition on Feb. 2 with the action being played at Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland, Mass., and The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Playing in a bracketed triple knockout, Goodland’s team captured both the “B” event and the “C1” event to

punch an automatic berth in the championship final. Phil DeVore’s team from Minnesota won the “A” event after defeating Goodland but had to play Ross Litman’s Minnesota team in a semifinal matchup after Litman’s Duluth Curling Club team won the other “C” bracket. In the semifinal game, DeVore got past Litman, 64, paving the way to the championship final matchup with 2007 champion Goodland. In the final, Goodland struck first with a deuce in the first end. DeVore (Superior, Wis.) and teammates Larry Sharp (Rice Lake, Wis.), Seppo Sormunen (Duluth, Minn.) and Doug Cameron (Duluth, Minn.) were forced to a single in the second end but tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth. That’s when the momentum swung back in the favor of

Senior Men’s Nationals: Semifinal: DeVore 010 020 21 6 *Litman 100 102 00 4 Final: *Goodland 201 004 0x 7 DeVore 010 020 1x 4 * last stone in first end Men’s action was a bracketed knockout. Goodland’s team won the B and C1 events, advancing to the final. DeVore won the A event while Litman won the C2 spot, which put them in the semifinal.

Goodland’s team as they scored four points in the sixth and held DeVore to a single in the seventh and ran them out of rocks to seal up the 7-4 victory. The U.S. senior men, led by Paul Pustovar of Hibbing, Minn., captured the gold medal at the 2010 World Seniors for the U.S.’s second overall gold medal at this event. The U.S. women have yet to win gold at this level but have won bronze three times. For Smith’s team, they’ll have the home-field advantage as the team calls the St. Paul Curling Club home.

The Funny Side Top 10 Really Fun Hypothetical Curling Foursomes 10] The “Special Ed” Team: Ed Werenich, Ed Lukowich, Ed Risling, Mister Ed 9] The “Howard’s End” Team: Russ Howard, Glenn Howard, Howard Stern, Howard the Duck 8] The Team of Positive Attributes: Bill Kind, James Pleasants, Brock Virtue, Little Miss Sunshine 7] The “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” Team: Jeremy Roe, Pat Roe, Dixie Roe, Edmund Fitzgerald 6] The “United Nations” Team: Jeff Dutch, Tim Irish, Jerry Scott, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder 5] The “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way” Team: Jake Will, Travis Way, Quentin Way, Good Will Hunting 4] The “Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds” Team: Hamilton “Hammy” MacMillan, Joe Zbacnik, Frank Aasand, Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds 3] The “Noble Savage” Team: Elgie Noble, Paul Savage, Marilyn Noble, Doc Savage 2] The “Can-Do” Team: Don Duguid, Gerry Duguid, Dale Duguid, Dudley Do-Right 1] The “Apocalypse Now” Team: Eric Hazard, Paul Buzzard, Fred Blizzard, Wolf Blitzer – Richard Maskel

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Norfolk Men’s The Calder Trophy was played for on Dec. 3-5 at the Norfolk (Conn.) Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—New York Caledonian: George Austin, Stuart Graves, Jonathan Kuniholm, Jim Parsons 1ERU—Schenectady: Dan Machold, Charlie Brown, Richard Gouyeau, Scott Brennen 2EW—Cape Cod: Paul Mort, Michael Minior, Frank Balas, Phil Baybutt 2ERU—Nutmeg: Allan Alward, Dan Mainer, Mike Hope, Mike Kriz\ 3EW—Canadian Club of Boston: Dick Veidenheimer, Robert Yetman, Tim Kelley, Davis Yetman 3ERU—Potomac: George Shirk, Paul Stadler, J. Atkinson, Michaek Campbell 4EW—Plainfield: John DeJong, Jeff Hannon, Bob Howell, Ed Klug 4ERU—Cape Cod: Russ Lemcke, Tony Colacchio, John McCarthy, Todd Benedict

Winners of the Cleveland Skating Club’s 50th Annual Invitational International Mixed Bonspiel were (l-r) Dave MacDonald, Heather MacDonald, Shannon Sliva and Jim Sliva.

Winners of the Laphroaig Scotch Cashspiel were (front, l-r) Todd Birr, Doug Pottinger, Tom O’Connor and Kevin Birr. Runners-up were (back, l-r) Matt Hamilton, Jeremy Roe, Patrick Roe and Richard Maskel.

Rice Lake Mixed The 35th annual Mixed Invitational Stein ’Spiel toook place Jan. 14-16 in Rice Lake, Wis. Here are the results: 1EW–Mankato: John Krenz, Jennifer Witschen, Larry Anderson, Julie Smith 1ERU–Rice Lake: Greg Dahl, Linda Dahl, Larry Sharp, Linda Sharp 2EW–St. Paul: Curt Severson, Caela Severson, Ron Paul, Brenda Paul 2ERU–St. Paul: Chuck McCann, Marie Vranicar, Mike Brombert, Barb Gutzmer 3EW–Centerville: Duane Hebert, Jeanne Parker, Ron Parker, Theresa Hebert 3ERU–Rice Lake: Dale Stoik, Pat Stoik, Steve Lancaster, Mona Lancaster 4EW–St. Paul: Dale Severson, Cindy Severson, Mark Graves, Judy Graves 4ERU–St. Paul: Bob Reichenbach, Gail Anderson, Mike Crea, Donna Crea

Clintonville Men’s The Clintonville Men’s Bonspiel took place Jan. 14-16 at the Clintonville (Wis.) Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW–Clintonville: Doug Gluth, Perry Schroeder, Doug Mouldenhauer, Kevin Krueger 1ERU–Green Bay: Bill Wilberg, Dave Lieburn, Richard Maskel, Al Demerath

Waupaca Men’s The Waupaca Men’s Bonspiel took place Jan. 28-30 in Waupaca, Wis. Here are the results: 1EW–Stevens Point: Tom Okray, Jack Edgerton, Brent Bednarek, Nate Hordyk 1ERU–Wausau: Howie Fischer, Chris Horak, Scott Stensberg, Perry Grueber 2EW–Green Bay: Nathan Jackson, Dennis Hibray, Joe Williams, Gary Linders 2ERU–St. Paul/Waupaca: Tom Hartman, Neil Wenberg, Jim Taylor, Craig Wenberg 3EW–Madison: Dean Zoesch, Bob Cuomo, Wes Cuomo, Jim Stephens 3ERU–Waupaca: Jason Smith Ryan Johnston, Luke Hansen, Nigel Bousfield 4EW–Stevens Point: Ian Journeaux, Dave Carlson, Bill Ehlert, Ken Spatola 4ERU–Wauwatosa, Mike Zimmerman, Bill Christensen, Jason Platek, Andrew Bergersen

Chicago Women’s The Gloamin’ Bonspiel took place Jan. 7-9 at the Chicago Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—Racine: Diane Kelly, Twila Yednock, Deborah Moulton, Carol Stevenson 1ERU—Kettle Moraine: Janis Duncan, Felice Roberts, Michelle Heinze, Karen Burke 2EW—Exmoor: Shelley Pilon, Anneliese Crawford, Bev Laurell, Katy Gross 2ERU—North Shore: Joanie Rowell, Pam Watkins, Therese Anderson, Aileen

Winners of the Rice Lake Stein ‘Spiel were (seated, l-r) Jennifer Witschen, Larry Anderson, Julie Smith and John Krenz. Runners-up were (back, l-r) Linda Sharp, Larry Sharp, Linda Dahl and Greg Dahl.

MacKenzie 3EW—Wausau: Terry Fisher, Susan Sandquist, Carmen Siegle, Tara Schessler 3ERU—Chicago: Barbara Toomey, Donna Slabas, Cathy Westphal, Cindy Smaha 4EW—Blackhawk: Celia Zaccard, Beth Hilt, Dianne Behm, Sally Edelman 4ERU—Wilmette: Lorrie Michaels, Joanne Schmitz, Jackie Johnson, Shannon Hogan

St. Paul Men’s The 18th annual Jack McCann 40+ Men’s Bonspiel took place Dec. 10-12 in St. Paul, Minn. Here are the results: 1EW—Mankato: Randy Cumming, Mike Schneeberger, Vince Bernet, John Eustice 1ERU—St. Paul: Jim Milosevich, Patrick McHugh, Bob Suave, Neil Kay 2EW—Rice Lake: Larry Sharp, Seppo Sormunen, Doug Cameron, Dane Jensen 2ERU—Arlington: Karl Erstad, Chris McMahon, Dale Severson, Kevin Mack 3EW—St. Paul: Darin Holt, Chris Horak, Dale Webb, Darrin Kress 3ERU—Rice Lake: Larry Anderson, Leo Diehl, Duane Hebert, Gary Schieffer 4EW—Mankato: Kevin Vetter, Shawn Runing, Al Rykus, Greg Rheaume 4ERU—St. Paul: Donn Satrom, Dennis Abraham, Jim Lillesve, Ralph Augustin

Cleveland Mixed The Cleveland Skating Club hosted the 50th Annual Invitational International Mixed Bonspiel Jan. 2830. Here are the results: 1EW–Annandale: Jim Silva, Shannon Silva, Dave MacDonald, Heather MacDonald 1ERU–Hamilton: Ken Phillips, Mary Aduckiewicz, Hilary Peterson, Larry Marrio, Nancy Phillips 2EW–Cleveland: Jon Dick, Gail Arnold, Jim Arnold, Suzanne Dick 2ERU–Cleveland: Katy Mercer, Guy Mercer, Marty Rizzo, Mary Ann Michael 3EW–Ridgetown: Doug Young, Sheila Young, Bill Humphrey, Theresa Humphrey 3ERU–Cleveland: Doug Schattinger, Lisa Schattinger, Neal Simpson, Rebecca Storey 4EW–Annandale: Geoff Peck, JoAnne Adams, John Smith, Ginny Peck

Winners of the 2010 Curl Mesabi Cashspiel were Thunder Bay’s Jeff Currie, Brian Adams Jr, Colin Koivula and Dylan Johnston.

4ERU–Mayfield: Roger Peckinpaugh, Martha Peckinpaugh, Phil Henry, Mary Henry

Schenectady Open The Schenectady 10 and under Open took place Dec. 10-12 at the Schenectady (N.Y.) Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—Potomac: Sean Murray, Tim Brooks, Bill MacDonald, Ted Kreutz 1ERU—Schenectady 6: Marek Rzonca, Jeff Muha, Andy Way, Matt Daly 2EW—Albany: Brent Sentiwany, Garth Mashmann, Mike Petersen, Dimitri Garder 2ERU—Utica 3: Conrad Law, Tom Thorngren, Jim Schafer, Bill Turner 3EW—Utica 2: Dan Stuhlman, Roger Rowlett, Jerry Stevens, John Collea 3ERU—Schenectady 3: Dan Navratil, Tom Lancaster, Dan Muller, Eric Haase 4EW—Schenectady 5: Brian Damon, Mike Stefanik, Robert Klees, Peter Drechsler 4ERU—Schenectady 2: Dan Machold, Charlie Brown, Rich Gonyeau, Scott Brennan 5EW—Philadelphia: Mike Graziano, Brian Norsworthy, Chris Ubelacker, Mark Mooney

Winners of the Maine-iac Bonspiel were (l-r) Rich Collier, Dan Naylor, Don Wade and Todd Hebert.

North Shore Women’s The North Shore Lassies Bonspiel took place Jan. 22-23 at the North Shore Curling Club in Glenview, Ill. Here are the results: 1EW—Exmoor: Tracy Lawless, Leslie Armstrong, Anneliese Crawford, Shelley Pilon 1ERU—Chicago/Exmoor: Marcy Calaway, Michelle Rane, Jennifer Geake, Judy Johnson 2EW—Midland: Michelle DeBuck, Katie Nies, Amanda Schmig, Erin Martin 2ERU—Northwestern: Haley Yaple, Clare Rowland, Karah Knope, Rita Cook 3EW—Chicago: Julie Denten, Jenny Houk, Andrea Jourdain, Janine Andrasco 3ERU—Chicago: Susan Bennett, Donna Slabas, Elizabeth Demers, Denise Erazmus 4EW—Independent: Joanie Rowell, Ilse Marchall, Shannon Hogan, Carol Carlson 4ERU—Wilmette: Lorrie Michael, Joanne Schmitz, Jackie Johnson, Ruth Gleason

Winners of the Centerville Junior Open, Division A, were (l-r) St. Paul Curling Club’s Derek Peterson, Aly Pacscuzzi, Alex Patterson and Ian Mathis.

Winners of the Centerville Junior Open, Division B, were (l-r) Aaron Ziegler, Erin Hovell, Amanda Miller and Danielle Alseth.

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Columbus Open The Beers of the World Bonspiel took place Dec. 10-12 at the Columbus (Ohio) Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—Mayfield: Robb Borland, Katie Mercer, Guy Mercer, Jeannie Borland 1ERU—Midland: Pete Waters, Brenda Mason, Scott Schatzley, Janice Hawrelak 2EW—Columbus: Larry Cook, Chris Muenzer, Eric Johnson, Jennifer Mason 2ERU—Midland: John Zimmerman, Pat Zimmerman, Ken Burdett, Loretta Waters 3EW—Detroit: Ben Levy, Sue Mitchell, Sue Gleason, Jenny Zukowski 3ERU—Mayfield: Else Festersen, Bob Bellamy, Dave Fleming, Kristen Roenigk

Mayfield Men’s The 24th annual Mayfield Men’s Invitational took place Nov. 12-14 at the Mayfield (Ohio) Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—Mayfield: Robb Borland, Pierre Lavertu, Byron Sah, Cal Cox 1ERU—Exmoor: Mike Griem, Art Helt, Denis Pepin, Gordon Buntrock 2EW—Milwaukee: Jay Packard, Mark Witt, Chuck Severson, Fred Blizzard 2ERU—Chicago: David Geake, Pete Westberg, Jack Bernauer, Joel Appel, Bob Bellamy 3EW—Columbus: Stu Cohen, Frank Mayer, Mike Groeniger, T J Burkett 3ERU—Blue Water: Bob Morrison, John Penner, Tom Clancy, Tom Ramage 4EW—Fort Wayne: Greg Eigner, George Austin, Andrew Nottingham, Craig Fischer 4ERU—Paris: Mark Chittock, Bill Skeretz, Jeff Vivian, Jeff Watts

Winners of the Waupaca Men’s Bonspiel were (seated, l-r) Tom Okray, Jack Edgerton, Brent Bednarek and Nate Hordyk. Runners-up were (standing, l-r) Howie Fischer, Chris Horak, Scott Stensberg and Perry Grueber.

Winners of the North Shore Lassies Bonspiel were (l-r) Tracy Lawless, Leslie Armstrong, Anneliese Crawford and Shelley Pilon.

Winners of the Jack McCann Over 40 Bonspiel in St. Paul were (l-r) John Eustice, Vince Bernet, Mike Schneeberger and Randy Cumming.

Winners of the Fargo-Moorhead Open Bonspiel were (l-r) Aaron Wald, Josh Bahr, Jared Zezel and John Muller.

Duluth Men’s The Bruce Bennett Memorial Over 40 Bonspiel took place Jan. 7-9 at the Duluth (Minn.) Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—Brian Simonson, Jim Milosevich, Don Mohawk, Ben Gadeski 1ERU—Dave Running, Ron Gervais, Mike Huska, Gene Running 2EW—Mike Marquardt, Tom Zeman, Jerry Priley, Jeff Anderson 2ERU—Jim Luttinen, Bob Johnson, Scott Walker, Steve Moeller 3EW—Randy Cumming, Mike Schneeberger, Vince Bernet, John Eustice 3ERU—Phil DeVore, Seppo Sormunen, Larry Sharp, Doug Cameron 4EW—Vesa Jarvela, Don Pelaia, Hanna Juurakko, Rick Sandberg 4ERU—Chas Simpson, Glenn Kilpatrick, Steve Gillespie, Dave Brown

Fargo-Moorhead Open The Fargo-Moorhead Classic took place Dec. 3-5 in Fargo, N.D. Here are the results: 1EW—Bemidji: Aaron Wald, Josh Bahr, Jared Zezel, John Muller 1ERU—Capital: Tucker Smith, Kyle Young, Amelia Young, Tanya Smith 2EW—Lake Region: Adam Kitchens, Brandon Myhre, Alex Kitchens, Nathan Myhre 2ERU—Lake Region: Curt Bradbury, Jan Legacie, Doug Erickstad, Jade Hanson 3EW—Grand Forks: Elton Brekke, Beth Bohlman, Rich Staveteig, Emily Brekke 3ERU—Fargo-Moorhead: Ryan Berg, Mitch Oakland, Jordan Brown, Chris Desjarlais 4EW—Duluth: Norma O’Leary, Margie Smith, Theresa Hoffoss, Patti Luke 4ERU—Bemidji: Leroy Bergstrom, Nate Holmes, Adam Ruttch, Justin Raymond

Milwaukee Mixed The 61st Mixed Kiltie took place Jan. 7-9, at the Milwaukee Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—Exmoor: Mike Griem, Marcy

Winners of the 63rd Clintonville Men’s Bonspiel were (l-r) Doug Moldenhauer, Kevin Krueger, Perry Schroeder and Doug Gluth.

Calaway, Jim Calaway, Peggy Griem 1ERU—Madison/Milwaukee: Rich Lepping, Betsy Fredericksen, Tom Godar, Mary Beth Goelzer 2EW—Chicago: Colin Rittgers, Michele Rittgers, Wilson Gottschild, Karrie Gottschild 2ERU—Kettle Moraine: Ken Van Till, Pat Van Till, John Geason, Stella Geason 3EW—Kettle Moraine: Larry Maier, Katie Carrera, Jeff Moylan, Cyndy Seitz 3ERU—Exmoor: Larry Brown, Amy Brown, Ken Brown, Ann Brown 4EW—Milwaukee: Ward Wickwire, Kristin Smith, Randy Jacobsen, Matt Goelzer, Peg Jacobsen 4ERU—Miwaukee: Jim Schmit, Maureen Schmit, George Holmes, Pam Holmes

Alpine Men’s The Alpine Men’s Bonspiel took place Dec. 3-5 at the Alpine Curling Club in Monroe, Wis. Here are the results: 1EW—Blackhawk: Ryan Spielman, James Krutilla, Phil Boutwell, Tony Jacobson 1ERU—Stevens Point: Doug Anderson, Tom Okray, Brian Wilson, Jack Konopacky 2EW—Racine: Chris Anderson, Jim Mataczynski, Matt Wood, Jeremy Harms 2ERU—Blackhawk: Paul Rudkin, Dave

Somppi, Ryan Accetta, Mike Swets 3EW—Wauwatosa: Scott Matchette, Dan Mitchell, Adam Mildren, Adam Meinke 3ERU—Madison: Dwight Eng, Jerry Batson, Greg Ardrey, Jim Johnsrud 4EW—Lodi: Ken Treinen, John Steele, Jeff Markgraf, Wayne Buckley 4ERU—Blackhawk: Jason Pickett, Tim Parker, Jim Zee, Cal Marath

Centerville Women’s The Centerville Women’s Bonspiel took place Feb. 4-6 in Centerville, Wis. Here are the results: 1EW–Centerville/Wauwatosa: Lorene Harris, Kara Sacia, Kathy Van Vleet, Cally Hein, Kristi Sachs 1ERU–Centerville: Lisa Hosler, Norma Van Vleet, Trudi Ewing, Shellie Nelson 2EW–St. Paul: Sally Augustin, Judy Taylor, Barb Chapman, Rebecca Schubert 2ERU–Centerville: Kathy Hovell, Betty Crawford, Christy Damitz, Renee Westwood 3EW–Centerville: Sue Wilber, Julie Speck, Patty Haggerty, Diane Bushman 3ERU–Centerville: Mary Brunkow, Donna Hammond, Laurie Marsh, Barb Glomstad 4EW–Centerville/Rice Lake: Elyse Sorenson, Mary Nelson, Jenna Nelson, Debbie Nernberger 4ERU–Centerville: Sandy Nelson, Paula Smith, Amy Anderson, Claudette Truax

Winners of the 63rd Clintonville Men’s Bonspiel were (l-r) Doug Moldenhauer, Kevin Krueger, Perry Schroeder and Doug Gluth.

Belfast Open The inaugural Maine-iac ‘Spiel was held Nov. 12-14 at the Belfast Curling Club, in Belfast, Maine. Here are the results: 1EW—Broomstones: Rich Collier, Dan Naylor, Don Wade, Todd Hebert 1ERU—Belfast: Bart Read, Mary Collachio, Jim Parsons, Abbie Read 2EW—Broomstones: Shelley Dropkin, Jamie Hutchinson, Candice Clark, Cheryl Pieske 2ERU—The Country Club: Jim Ladd, Lee Ladd, Sandy England, Lissa England 3EW—Sherbrooke, Quebec: Yvan Verville, Nicole Verville, Robert Fortier, Louise Gaudreault 3ERU—Plainfield: Robin Kerr, Julie Tsamoutales, Virginia Bristol, Catherine Offinger 4EW—Broomstones: John Buscaglia, Maria Spitzak, Sharon Quill, Larry Budnick 4ERU—Petersham: Steven Huard, Jennifer Huard, Dave Conaghan, Zack Smith

St. Paul Open The Fireball 500 Bonspiel was held Nov. 26-28 at the St. Paul Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW–St. Paul: Mark Faltesek, Theresa Hoffoss, Tim Gartner, John Hoffoss

1ERU–St. Vital: Diane MacIver, Sharon Travels, Kathryn Rowe, Jan Schneeberger 2EW–St. Paul: Kim Wapola, Mike Floerchinger, Merlin Eddy, Mary Larson 2ERU–St. Paul: Donn Satrom, Michelle Christianson, David Christianson, Linda Satrom 3EW–Duluth: Seppo Sormunen, Randy Cumming, David Bopp, John Eustice 3ERU–Detroit: Chris Robinson, Ben Levy, Sue Mitchell, Jenny Zukowski 4EW–St. Paul: Amy Anderson, Margot Ackerman, Ann Flis, Karen Volkman 4ERU–Winona Yacht & Gun: Tom Kieffer, Terry Espeseth, Robyn Kieffer, Mike Kieffer

ACF&M donations accepted Donations to the American Curling Foundation and Museum, located in the Chicago Curling Club, can be sent to 555 Dundee Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. The curator is James Miller Jr., 847-272-7224.

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Schenectady Men’s The 31st Achilles Men’s Invitational took place Nov. 18-20 at the Schenectady (N.Y.) Curling Club. Here are the results: 1EW—Broomstones 1: Bryan Fink, Mike Platt, Brian Costello, Eric Haase 1ERU—Schenectady 3: Dan Machold, Charlie Brown, Richard Gonyeau, Scott Brennan 2EW—Glenmore: Larry South, Jimmy Savard, Keith Denver, Rick Ackerly 2ERU—Utica 1: Brian Moore, Mike Swiercz, Dave Hooper, Dion Warr 3EW—Ottawa: Johnny Morrissey, Jim Cole, Mike Kessler, George Mitchell 3ERU—Schenectady 2: Pat Fitzgerald, Art Merkley, Jeff Mayott, Pete Drechsler 4EW—Schenectady 1: Dean Wadland, Brian Damon, Mike Stefanik, Jim Sinkins 4ERU—Potomac: Scott Edie, Jack Stopera, Dennis Mellerup, Bill Peskoff 5EW—Broomstones 2: Dan Naylor, Michael O’Neill, Adam Jacobson, Mitch Cherniack 5ERU—Schenectady 5: Marek Rzonca, Jeff Muha, Lou Horton, Matt Daly 6EW—Albany 1: Dave Ryan, Bret Sentiwany, Jay Watsky, Kevin Ryan 6ERU—St. Lambert: Paul Fantie, Rick Munro, Kevin Whelan, Bill Anderson

Winners of the Alpine Men’s Bonspiel were (l-r) James Krutilla, Phil Boutwell, Tony Jacobson and Ryan Spielman.

Winners of the Beers of the World Bonspiel were (l-r) Guy Mercer, Katie Mercer, Jeannie Borland and Robb Borland.

Winners of the Veterans Division of the Minnesota State Senior Men’s Championship were (l-r) Ken King, Mike McDonald, Clay Kirkland and Bud Berry.

Winners of the Senior Division of the Minnesota State Senior Men’s Championship were (l-r) Phil DeVore, Seppo Sormunen, Doug Cameron and Roger Hendrickson.

Winners of the Chris Moore Trophy at the Mayfield Men’s Invitational were (l-r) Cal Cox, Byron Sah, Tracie Moore (handing out the trophy named after her late husband), Pierre Lavertu and Robb Borland (skip).

Winners of the Schenectady 10 & Under Bonspiel were (l-r) Sean Murray, Tim Brooks (holding daughter Maureen), Bill MacDonald and Ted Kreutz.

Winners of the Schenectady Achilles Bonspiel were (l-r) Eric Haase, Brian Costello, Mike Flatt and Bryan Fink.

Winners of the Rocky Mountain Bonspiel were (l-r) Chris Alt, Krystal Kulka, Andy Cooper and Steve Walton.

Winners of the Bruce Bennett Memorial Over 40 Bonspiel were (l-r) Ben Gadeski, Don Mohawk, Jim Milosevich and Brian Simonson.

Winners of the Exmoor Men’s Continental Bonspiel were (l-r) Jeff Wright, Russ Armstrong, Chris Schallmo and Steve Wright.

Exmoor Men’s The Exmoor Continental Bonspiel took place Dec. 8-12 in Highland Park, Ill. Here are the results: 1EW—Exmoor: Jeff Wright, Russ Armstrong, Chris Schallmo, Steve Wright 1ERU—North Halton, Canada: Denis Cordick, Doug McDermot, Dwayne Bushey, Rick Kritschgau 2EW—Exmoor: Sean Silver, Steve Waters, Bob Moulton, Ken Groover 2ERU—North Shore: Steve Neff, Jon Peter, Walter Burns, Craig Carlson 3EW—Northwestern: Marc Palmeri, Albert Lipson, Justin Connell, Rob Yaple 3ERU—North Shore: Mike Pfiffner, Jeff Bodine, Norm Westerhold, Tom Kendall 4EW—Tam Heather, Canada: Norm MacInnes, John Rorabeck, Richard Corner, Dan Geary 4ERU—Milwaukee: Chuck Severson, Dick Quale, Jim Rasche, Randy Jacobson

St. Paul Senior Men’s The Minnesota State Senior Men’s Bonspiel took place Jan. 14-16 in St. Paul, Minn. Here are the results: Senior Division 1EW—Duluth: Phil DeVore, Seppo Sormunen, Doug Cameron, Roger Hendrickson 1ERU—Duluth: Jon Medure, Tony Berarducci, Jim Hill, Kevin Kemp Veterans Division: 1EW—St. Paul: Ken King, Mike McDonald, Clay Kirkland, Bud Berry 1ERU—St. Paul: Art Ruohonen, Dale Gibbs, Steve Jensen, Chuck Stewart

International Falls Open The 18th annual Icebox Days Open Bonspiel took place Jan. 14-16 at the International Falls (Minn.) Curling Club. The club uses ice in Fort Frances, Ontario. Here are the results: 1EW–Fort Frances: Ken Jackson, Keith Tibbits, Kerry Jackson, Ron Cambell 1ERU–International Falls: Tom Mayer, Dave Johnson, Dave Evans, Rodney Kupsc 2EW–Fort Frances: Eric Kaufman, Nettie Kaufman, Gary Saurer, Sylvia Smeeth 2ERU–Fort Frances: Kathie Jackson, Lorne Jackson, Rory Ellingson, Kelly Ellingson 3EW–Fort Frances: Graham Matheson, Moe Fillion, Chris Matheson, Kevin Schulz 3ERU–Fort Frances: Everett Jackson, Maureen Thomson, Jim Jackson, Maureen Jackson 4EW–Fort Frances: Allan Holt, Brian Angus, John Bagacki, Loreen Holt 4ERU–Fort Frances: Rich Peri, Chris Hill, Dave Black, Shane Becket

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Winners of the Exmoor Highlander Fling Bonspiel were (l-r) Hillary Benson, Marcy Calaway, Amy Hartwell and Peggy Griem.

Winners of the 2010 Fireball 500 Bonspiel were (l to r): John Hoffoss, Tim Gartner, Theresa Hoffoss and Mark Faltesek.

Winners of the Miller Lite Superspiel at the Owatonna Curling Club were (l-r) Guy Griesmann, Mark Federspiel, Tom Kari and Matt Chester.

Wisconsin Senior Men’s Championship winners were (l-r) Alan Hafeman, Bob Gebert, Tony Wendricks, Dan Lynch and Steven O’Connor.

Master’s Event Winner of the Wisconsin Senior Men’s Championship were (l-r) Robert Bergmann, Vic Hybinette, (Mert Vaughn, event chair), Bob Brenckle and Jack Baker.

Medford Senior Men’s The Wisconsin Senior Men’s Championship took place Jan. 21-23 at the Medford Curling Club. Here are the results: Master’s Event Winner–Wauwatosa: Jack Baker, Bob Brenckle, Vic Hybinette, Robert Bergmann Master’s Event Runner-up–Arlington: Bill Monteusel, Bernie Dushek, Art Woodward, Larry Manthe 1EW–Madison: Steven O’Connor, Dan Lynch, Tony Wendricks, Alan Hafeman, Bob Gebert

1ERU–Wausau: Steve Sirianni, Tom Wood, Shane Ley, John Worotny 2EW–Madison: Doug McIvor, Tony Perme, Tom Solheim, Mike Lemke 2ERU–Marshfield: David Bjarnason, Dean Markwardt, Darrell Posso, Tom Krake 3EW–Rice Lake: Larry Sharp, Bill Kind, Greg Dahl, Don Drost 3ERU–Portage: Harry Erdman, Chuck Miller, Mark Kretzmann, Dean Teeter 4EW–Clintonville: Merritt Sasse, Steve Fellman, Tom Felts, Al Prudon 4ERU–Rice Lake: Larry Anderson, Richard Boyum, Allen Bock, Gary Schiesser

elcome to my very first column for the U.S. Curling News. Who knows? Maybe it will also be my last. I suppose that depends on the reaction of you readers and the thoughts of my new boss, Terry Kolesar. She is the mean-spirited and dictatorial editor of this publication. (Yes, I often inject humor into my writing. I’ll try to give you a “heads up” when I am being less than serious.) Some readers will remember me from when I used to be a pretty good curler. I certainly did a lot of curling. I hope you remember me fondly and remember me as being pretty good. I certainly remember lots of you fondly and I really miss playing. The lack of cartilage in my left knee, however, must be obeyed...just like a dictatorial editor. The vast majority of you, I am quite sure, have never heard of me. That is truly a wonderful thing. For when I was first starting to play a lot, our numbers were dwindling and our clubs were closing. God bless those souls who put so much time and effort into getting us into the Olympics. Now we get a bump in interest and membership every four years. Sometimes, I think, curlers of my vintage forget how dark those days were getting before this wonderful quadrennial windfall. So allow me to introduce myself to all of you who have never heard of me and, especially, those new to our great game. I’m dang-near 50. I didn’t start curling until my mid-20s. I curled in a lot of leagues. I played in a lot of bonspiels all over the Midwest and Canada. I played-down very frequently. I made it to more than a couple of National Men’s and one fantastic Mixed Nationals. Through all of this, I learned some things. That will be the main emphasis of my columns...I think. I’ll look at what is going on in USA curling and look back at my years in the sport and offer some free advice. Beware; however, of free advice… you do get what you pay for. If you wish for any advice about curling, please contact me. I love talking about the game. I’ll either answer you directly or in a column. So here is my first bit of advice: Go to a bonspiel. Curling is a fun sport.

Tucked in the Back Page

By Ben Tucker tuck@usacurl.org

Leagues can be (and should be) fun. The real fun, however, is out on the road. Ask any seasoned veteran at your club and I’m sure that he or she will agree with me. Even curling fanatics like me would never have fallen that deeply in love with the game if we only shot league. Once you get out of town to a couple spiels, the game will really take off for you. For not only is the best fun out there on the road, curling three games in a couple of days will really sharpen your skills. Playing against some good teams and then sitting behind the glass and talking curling will raise your game (and your love of the game) faster than the mercury in an Arizona thermometer at sunrise. Often new curlers are hesitant to sign up for an out-of-town ’spiel. There is no good reason for this. Ask some of your club mates which ’spiel might be most appropriate for newer curlers, sign up and go. Trust this as gospel truth: The hosting club will be thrilled that you picked their ’spiel. Also trust this: Most ’spiels are not stacked full of World Beaters. You might get beaten fairly soundly and head home with three losses and no wins, but I am sure that you will have found yourself fairly competitive and anxious to try again. An addendum to this advice is aimed not at the new curlers, but to the seasoned vets. Those of you who are considered the better curlers at your club have an obligation to the sport.

Those of you who have curled at the higher levels have an absolute moral obligation. For curling has given so very much to those of us who have been lucky enough to be good at it. For all that it has given us, we must Give Something Back. Helping with the local ice, serving as a bonspiel chair or taking a turn on the board are all very good. If you really want to have an impact on the future, however, take some interested beginners to a fun ’spiel. Now, we ask a lot of our better curlers. We expect them to practice and playdown. We ask them to ’spiel a lot and hit the Canadian spiels. We ask them to teach and help around the club. Nothing, however, is more important than getting newbies on the road and turning them into fellow curling addicts. Kudos to Tyler George. For all his national titles and busy competitive schedule, Ty always takes time for a fun ’spiel or two and doesn’t head there with three club skips and a third. So that is my first piece of advice...Go ’spieling. Ask around your club. I think that you’ll find it to be very good advice. I’d like to end my columns with a couple of random thoughts. Kind of a “For The Good of The Game” sorta thing: If we have an onslaught of new curlers, we might need more bonspiels in the near future. Keep an open mind to adding inexpensive funspiels to your club’s calendar. Get your hind end to Fargo and watch Nationals this month. It’s looking like a really interesting and good field. The hosts have a nice arena and are planning some really fun times. I can pretty much guarantee that you will not be sorry. Sincerely, Tuck (my curling friends call me Tuck)

Tucker is a member of the Grafton Curling Club and makes his living farming in North Dakota. Send questions or comments to Tuck at tuck@usacurl.org. Send complaints to his dictatorial editor (terry.kolesar@usacurl.org).

Did you win a bonspiel? Do you need to send in bonspiel results for publication in the Curling News? Send info to Editor Terry Kolesar via email at terry.kolesar@usacurl.org. The next deadline is March 11.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Curling News UNITED STATES

USA Curling ... Dare to curl