Beach 'Spiel 2003

We can call it Beach 'Spiel 2003 now, because we are pretty sure there will be a Beach 'Spiel 2004. 55 people attended the event on Saturday night and at least 18 had never curled before! Little Rockers brought their parents and other members brought friends and family. They can no longer say they've never curled because Jeff Mayott and his helpers Marie Pletenik, Dennis Quinn, Dion Warr, Karen Hess and Matt Staccone got them up and running. After a sufficient amount of training and a little snack break teams were created of club members and non-members and the games began. All four sheets were full of teams playing while the folks in the warm room looked on, sipped margaritas and listened to music. It was great to see so many new faces having such a good time. It even looked like summer, too. Almost everyone wore summer clothes including fancy beach hats, Hawaiian shirts, shorts, a mask and snorkel was seen and, yes bathing suits. Really! We have pictures! Around 7:00 PM dinner was served and included a roasted pig, that was delicious and many wonderful side dishes prepared by Liz Hanna, Jane Caruvana, Jim Ridenour and Charlotte Colton. In addition, Jeff Mayott and Jim Ridenour manned the grill cooking up hot dogs and hamburgers. Everyone appeared stuffed after dinner, but several made their way to the dance floor to work it off.

Many thanks to Chris Navratil and Audie Peacock for bringing hors d'oeuvres and to the hard working kitchen help, Sean Porter, Anthony Staccone and Cherie Musgrove. You guys did a super job. Also, a big thank you to the members who brought guests to the event and for dressing the part. You made it fun and because of you we have three new club members – Ken and Jeanne Williams and Margaret Albrecht-Dolton. Oh, and can't forget to say thanks to Tom Lancaster for those margaritas.

Cathy, Nancy and Margaret

Jane would also like to thank Cathy, Margaret and Nancy for organizing such a successful spiel. It was a terrific event. The decorations were amazing from pink flamingos to beach balls and palm trees, the food was tremendous, and we can’t forget Liz’s blue bikini!

HELP WANTED - Temporary Position

MEN AND WOMEN WITH NEW IDEAS NEED APPLY. We are seeking a few good men and women to work on the closing party to be held on March 29th. Creative thinking and fun loving are the only requirements for this job. No experience in party planning is necessary and length of membership is not considered a factor for this position. Compensation is non-existent, but level of satisfaction is high. You will not be asked to do clean-up or dish-washing. Interested individuals should contact Margaret Brennan for details.

HELP WANTED - Prayer Meeting

Curlers are needed for the Prayer Meeting in Utica on March 20th. Fellows in the prayer meeting and those retired please sign up! Utica has 3 teams and we would like to send 3 teams from Schenectady. Please contact Dean Robbins.

GNCC Senior Men's Championship

The 23rd annual GNCC Senior Man's Championship was held at the Cape Cod Curling Club in Falmouth, Mass (Feb 6-9).

Two teams represented SCC at this tournament.

Schenectady 1 - Jim Holmblad, Al Squire, Dean Robbins, Ed Kennelly
Schenectady 2 - Bob Travis, Jim Sinkins, Dave Spencer, Pete Sheehan

Contrary to prior reputation the Schenectady 1 team won the party while Schenectady 2 won the 2nd event (Bartlett Medal) by defeating a team from Nutmeg (skipped by Charlie Mack) in nine ends by the score of 8 to 7.

Men's and Women's National Curling Championships

The Utica Curling Club is hosting the Men's and Women's National Curling Championships March 1-8. Sixteen men's teams and ten women's teams have qualified for the championships. Three GNCC men's teams, including Utica's Bill Morehouse, and one GNCC women's team are in the competition. The draw schedule and team rosters are posted on the warm room bulletin board. Ticket information is also included. Tickets start as low as $5 for a day pass and only $10 for the finals ($5 in advance). This is the closest the national championships have been to our area in quite some time with the Utica Curling Club only 90 minutes from our club. You simply cannot see better curling in person this season (unless you check out the Pletenik League on Monday nights!). Yadda Yadda.....

The Scott Tournament of Hearts

The Scott Tournament of Hearts, Canada's women's curling national championship, will be aired on TSN beginning February 15th and ending February 23rd. This event will be followed by the men's championship, the Nokia Brier, the first week of March and finally, the World Championships in April. All the curling action will be televised by either TSN or CBC via the satellite. A schedule of the televised Tournament of Hearts games has been posted on the warm room bulletin board. TSN is available through our satellite television service on Channel 400. All members are invited to watch the action anytime they wish. Please use the universal remote control for the satellite receiver (the one with the triangular "Satellite" and "TV" buttons on it). Instructions for operating the satellite receiver/television are on the piano or in the vicinity of the television.

Important Items to Note

• Trash and Treasure Sale will be April 5th. We will not be selling any cloths. Connect with Dotty Sheehan on contributions and Charlotte Colton on the accompanying bake sale.
• St. Patrick’s Day Dinner is Friday, March 14, 2003.
• Remember to visit the Curling Boutique to purchase equipment, clothing, etc.