Musings of the President - November, 2009

The first half of our curling season is rapidly drawing to a close. Although it seems like we just started, there will be only one more league game, this Sunday, Nov. 22, and then our annual Weird Spiel on Dec. 6.

During our last board meeting, we discussed the potential of additional curling sessions this season. The dates discussed were Dec. 13, and January 17 & 24. Michelle Richter will be contacting everyone to see if there is sufficient interest in holding these sessions. If added to our schedule, these would be additional league games. Please let Michelle know your opinion on adding these dates.

A couple of observations on the first half of the season. Firstly, welcome to all the new members. We have 11 people who have joined our club this season. This has allowed us to make use of all 4 sheets, with an average of almost 30 curlers every Sunday. It is great to see how quickly new members have caught the curling bug!! And my thanks to the membership for their work on training & making the new people part of our club.

A second thing I see is the increased level of enthusiasm this season. This combined with the improving curling skills has led to some very interesting games. I recall back to our club’s first games three years ago, when we had to do things such as reminding new curlers to make sure they put a turn on the rock. Our club is doing well!!

Another comment pertains to our ice conditions. As many of you have seen, at times the ice has been inconsistent, and during some sessions very heavy. We have expressed our concerns to Chaparral Ice, and they are working with us. They blamed the heavy ice conditions on Nov. 8 on a mechanical failure of their ice chiller. They are also working on flooding the ice so that it stays more level. The falls we had last year toward the boards on the end sheets seem to be much less this season.

Make sure to get your strange, crazy, abnormal and odd costumes ready for our Weird Spiel on December 6. The format will be similar to that used last season. When you arrive, you will draw a colored ‘stone’ which will determine the rink you will play on. We will have a round robin draw using 2 end games to determine a bonspiel winner. After curling, you are all invited to a restaurant for Brunch. More details will be coming, so watch for the emails. Thanks to Uly & Pat for organizing this.

On another note, the 2010 Winter Olympics are rapidly approaching. These will be held in Vancouver, BC this upcoming February. Given the planned television coverage, this should generate a surge in enthusiasm for curling. As most of you are aware, our club was organized shortly after the 2006 Winter Olympics. We are anticipating a similar level of interest this year.

Our tentative plans are for one or two Open House / Learn to Curl sessions to coincide with the Olympics in February. If the response is similar to other curling clubs around the US, we can expect a large number of attendees who want to try curling. We will need the help of all of our membership to make this a success. This will be our opportunity to add many new members to our club, and possibly expand to a second weekly draw. Again, watch your email for more updates as we approach February.

Also, is everyone aware that our club now has a Facebook group. If you are a Facebook member, search for the Lone Star Curling Club. The group is open to everyone, both members and the general public. It is also a good way to connect with curlers from other clubs around the country. And you never know what photos might be available, thanks to “Sister Darlene”.

As always, if you have any comments, questions, concerns or criticisms, please discuss or email them to me or any of the board members. Good Curling!!!