Welcome to Spring 2010 Curling

Welcome to the spring season for the Lone Star Curling Club!! Our season begins on Sunday, January 31 and continues until March 28^th. All games will be at our regular times of 9:30 AM to 11:45 AM. As a reminder, please arrive a few minutes early to help with setup.

Game fees for the spring will remain unchanged at $20.00 per game, and you can also pay in advance for a discount. If you paid your membership in September, this covers your entire season, so there are no other membership dues. For new members who join during the spring, you will be charged $25.00 for a half season membership.

As you may be aware, the Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia in February. Curling should receive good television coverage during the games, so we anticipate there will be renewed interest in our sport. The club will be holding 2 open house sessions, on Feb. 28 and March 7, during our regular curling times. So on those two Sundays, no regular league curling sessions will be held.

However, we encourage all of you to come out and help with these open house sessions. We anticipate a large turnout, so everyone’s help will be needed. Our curling club formed as a result of two open houses held after the 2006 Olympics, where between 75 to 100 people attended. Also, please talk up these sessions to your friends, co-workers and acquaintances.

If there is sufficient interest, our goal is to hold an “Olympic” league during April and May. This will be an instructional league, designed for new curlers to gain experience with our sport. Existing members could also participate in the league to assist with training of new curlers. More details on this will be coming as we ascertain the level of interest after the Open House sessions.

Our goal is to continue to expand our club membership. Wouldn’t it be great if we had enough curlers next season to start holding two draws a week!! I think our club has done very well in its first four seasons, and I want the club to continue to provide fun, recreation & fellowship through curling.

My last point is about the Texas Open Bonspiel. This annual event will be held in Houston from April 16 to 18. Entries are now open, and you can find the entry form on our web site or at www.texasopenbonspiel.org. The entry fee this year is $350 per rink, with a three game guarantee. Last year, our club had three rinks playing in this bonspiel, and I would like to see that number increase this year.

This bonspiel welcomes all levels of curling skill, and you don’t have to be an experienced curler to enter. The Houston ice arena is a very nice facility, and the Houston folks work hard to make it a great time. This is also an excellent opportunity to meet other curlers and have fun representing our club at the same time. Their arena is close to Johnson Space Center and Galveston if you would like to do some touring.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or suggestions. See you on the Ice!!