It's hard to believe that we are down to the last five weeks of curling. Keeping busy doing something you love sure makes the winter go quickly! And the last five weeks will be the busiest yet, with the Beef and Beer bonspiel on March 3, the Harry Armstrong on March 7 and the Snowbirds on the 24th and 25th. And all this as the various leagues run play-offs in the final drive to the Tournament of Champions! Good luck to everyone as you try to earn your spot!
Thanks to Ross Wuerth, for spearheading the outdoor curling at Winterfest, and all of the volunteers who helped him out with the ice preparation and all of the volunteers who dedicated their weekend meeting the public and showing them what it's like to throw a rock! From all accounts, it was a huge success, with hundreds of people stopping by to throw a few rocks and learn more about our club.
Also, thanks to Al McKenna and Stacey Dunn for suggesting that we capitalize on the interest in curling generated by the Winter Olympics by hosting an open house on Feb 25. Over 175 people stopped in and were provided with on-ice instruction, information, and encouragement to join us in October!
Health and Safety:
You may have noticed some doors in the club that are no longer propped open with cement blocks. This is a good thing! We were reminded during our annual fire inspection that these doors are there for a reason and it is important to keep them closed.
About the same time, we had a power outage and Gord took the opportunity to tour the building in the dark. He noted several places where emergency lighting and exit signs were lacking and so we have made some important upgrades.
Every year we have some falls on the ice. The majority, thankfully, do not result in serious injury, however, it is our policy to call 911 whenever someone is injured and ALWAYS when they hit their head. Gord has placed Incident Report forms by the First Aid Kit (in front of Dwight’s office) and a report is to be completed whenever 911 is called.
BCC General Meeting: The General meeting will be held on April 24th, 2017 at 7pm at the Club. We encourage you all to attend! Gord will send out a notice via email and regular post. If you wish to have something added to the agenda, please ensure you send in your form before the deadline.
Board of Directors Positions: There will be four 3-year Director Positions coming available. I encourage anyone who would like to help make a difference and volunteer on the Board of Directors to please put your name on the Nomination board when it comes out. If you have any questions about this please feel free to reach out to me or any of the current board members.
Events and Fundraising: This year was our first with a formalized events committee and it was great to have so many members involved. If you would like to help with a bonspiel, other event, or have a fundraising idea, please let me know. There is more than enough fun to go around!
2018/2019 Membership Rates: The Membership rates were approved unanimously by the Board of Directors in our last meeting. A few years ago, a formula was created based on a standard 2% rate increase for curling fees and we have continued with that formula. The fee structure has been broken down for all to see and the notable items are a) the membership fee (2% increase over last year), b) OCA fee of $19.95 (same as last year), and c) Capital Fund fee of $40.00 (increase of $4 from last year).
Best wishes to you all as we finish up our season.
Dave Horie
Barrie Curling Club President
BONSPIELS & EVENTS
Our club events provide the greatest contribution to the Club's Fundraising efforts. This year's fundraising will go toward our BCC Capital Fundraiser which includes putting money away for a future new ice surface. Please see our EVENTS page for event flyers, registration forms, and more information.
March 3, 2018 - Beef & Beer (formerly Steak & Suds)
Convenor: Christine Pearson
Having run for over 19 years, this is one of our most popular events and fills up quickly. Three 6-end games with lunch, a roast-beef dinner, and dancing to end the night.
March 7, 2018 - Harry Armstrong Memorial Bonspiel
Convenor: Bill Brown
This one-day spiel for senior Men includes a great day of curling with two 8-end games with lunch, dinner, and prizes.
March 24 -25, 2018 - Women's Snowbird Spiel
Convenor: Women's Section
Two full days of curling with many teams from other clubs. Three 8-end games, great meals, costume contest, and a dance. Great for all women to join in on the fun.
April 24, 2018 - BCC General Meeting 7pm
Doubles League 2018-2019 - Sundays @ 4:30pm
Information will be available soon online and on the registration forms.
The following teams played in the Qualifier round in York on February 17. Although they didn't advance, they represented the BCC well and we are all so proud of you!
Team 1 – Jim Hannigan, Michele Steers, Paul Monahan, Barb Jackson
Team 2 – Gord Smith, Jennifer Marquis, Bill Dawson, Sharon Kiley
The following team had a bye in Port Elgin and advanced to the Provincial Qualifiers which will be held March 10th in Parry Sound. Please wish them well when you see them.
Jeff Flanagan, Gayle McKenna, Brian Collins, Sharon Flanagan
Please congratulate Jennifer Omand and her team who qualified for the Provincial Qualifiers in Intermediate Women.
We wish you all good curling and will be "rooting" for you!
Senior Mens Section
Once more, on March 7th, we will be hosting 28 senior men's teams from across Ontario (one from Niagara Falls) to participate in our annual Harry Armstrong Seniors Men's Bonspiel, sponsored by Marshall Insurance Brokers. This might possibly be the largest one day Senior Men's Bonspiel in the world with 112 senior men taking part. Something for the Barrie Curling Club to be proud of.
Bill Brown - Event Coordinator
What's Happening in the Women's Section
We are in the final third of the curling season, but still lots of the season left to go and great things still to come.
Snowbirds Bonspiel: There are still a few spots left for team entries for this 2-day fun filled event on March 24-25, 2018. Be sure to get your registrations in ASAP. Forms can be found on the club website. Registration will be closing on March 5, 2018.
Women's Closing Meeting and Social: Mark Wednesday April 4, 2018 on your calendar for the end of season meeting and social. More details to come as we get closer!
Tournament of Champions: Congratulations to all the women's teams who have qualified for the TOC so far. Remember, if you have qualified more than once, you will need to find a spare. Please contact Jessica Ebert (jess.a.ebert@gmail.com) in order to complete a spare form.
Anne Graham Memorial Golf Day: As we have been enjoying some warmer weather the last few days, thoughts of golf are on our minds. The Anne Graham Memorial Golf Day is May 26, 2018. More details to come. Sign up will be available soon at the bar.
Junior/Little Rock Program
Our Youth Programs have been very busy since the Christmas break and now with only a few short weeks to go it’s hard to believe the season is almost over.
On January 6 our Junior/Little Rocks hosted it’s first FUNspiel at our club. The ‘Barrie Spirit Cup’ as it was named was conceived with the intent of inviting young curlers from our neighbouring clubs to join us for a day of fun and games. The day was limited to one draw which we filled with 7 outside teams joining 7 Barrie Curling Club teams. The theme for the day was the Winter Olympics in which all teams were encouraged to choose the country they wished to represent, dress in the appropriate attire for their home country then, upon arrival at the club, draw and color a banner or flag to lead their team as they parade onto the ice accompanied by a bagpiper for the Opening Ceremonies. A day of fun, food and games was followed by the presentation of Gold Medals (and a trophy) to Team Ireland from Aliston, Silver Medals to Team Tasmania (yes Tasmania) from Coldwater and the Bronze Medals go to Team Germany, a team of 9 year old’s from Barrie. The team included Bethany O’Connell (Skip), Abi Crawford (Vice), Ethan Kinnear (Second), and Jackson Oliver (Lead).
The FUNspiel was a huge success, however, none of it would have been possible without the assistance of Renee Dadswell in association with The Mortgage Station who supplied the medals and trophy for the event along with the fabulous generosity of many of our members who stepped up to the plate supplying prizes and cash to buy additional prizes for the event. Everyone’s support of the event is greatly appreciated.
Two of our Juniors Teams (one Women’s and one Men’s) attended a cash spiel in January hosted by the Burlington Curling Club. All curlers came home a little cash in their pockets (some more than others) however, the experience they gained by attending the event was priceless. That experience lead both teams to the zone play-downs Ontario Curling Association (OCA) Junior Provincial Competition (Under 18 event) held in Midland on February 23-25. Although they did not advance further into the competition, both teams played very well while proudly representing themselves and the Barrie Curling Club. Congratulations to both teams.
On February 3, one week after our Juniors attended the Burlington Cash Spiel, the Barrie Curling Club had 3 teams of under 12 curlers attend a U12 event in Burlington. By all indications, all curlers enjoyed the days events plus many curlers had the chance to experience a bonspiel for the first time.
As our season winds down, we would like to remind all club members to attend the final evening of the Tournament of Champions on Saturday April 7th when we will have four teams from our Youth Programs (two Little Rock teams and two Junior teams) competing against each other. It gives our members a chance to see what’s in store for competition......in 2028.
During the weekend of February 3 & 4, the Barrie Curling Club made its debut entry into the annual City of Barrie Winterfest. Using the Heritage Park duck pond as a venue, we were privileged with the volunteer help of many of our club members over a two-week period to clear snow , prepare two sheets of ice, haul stones and equipment from the Club and instruct members of the public. A highlight of the event was the demonstration match Saturday held by our Junior club members. Throughout Saturday and continuing into Sunday morning, there was a steady public curiosity who came to try the sport of curling. Overall, we were able to introduce roughly 350 people into the fine art of stone throwing and sweeping. Winterfest was a highly successful event that enabled our members a chance to experience the outdoor version of our game and introduced the sport to the citizens of the City of Barrie. We would like to thank all volunteers who assisted! Without you, none of it would be possible.
BYOB!
(Bring Your Old Books)
The Club is collecting used books (e.g. popular paperback & hardcover, current travel, self-help, etc) for resale to Club members. The library will be open at the start of the 2018/2019 curling season, and the money raised will be used to support our Capital Projects fund. Contributions may be dropped off in the BCC boardroom during regular working hours in the curling season, or any Thursday during the off-season. Please Note - No textbooks!
For more information please contact Carol Martin or Paul Monahan.
