Off to the Brier!

Did you know that we have a member going to the Brier, a prestigious curling event in Canada? Well this guy loves to make ice, will travel great distances to do so, and refers to himself as "an iceman, not a nice man". If you guessed Jim Ridenour, you are correct. Jim is currently in Halifax, N.S. to make ice for the Brier. He is the only American on this otherwise all Canadian team and was chosen because of his experience. Jim's commitment to the craft has earned him a Certified Level 2, Canadian Curling Assn. designation and an impressive resume. He was a member of the elite fifteen person international group of icemakers for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. He has made ice for the 2001 World Junior Championships also held in Utah, the National Senior Olympics in Lake Placid and several GNCC playdowns and finals over the last six years. Jim plans to drive to Halifax and will leave on Feb. 21st to make it there in time to start making ice on Feb 24th. The competition starts on March 1st and runs through the 9th. You can see some of it on the satellite TV at the club. Check the board for the schedule. We are proud of your accomplishments, Jim, so have fun in Halifax and don't forget to wave at the camera!

Norfolk Ladies Bonspiel

Schenectady sent two teams to the Norfolk Bonspiel. The club members that made up the two teams were:

Bette Sovik, Carol Munroe, Lisa Miller and Maxine Getty
Alice Rubin, Shirley Burgess, Jane Caruvana and Diana Connelly

Both teams were in the finals. Betty’s team played in the first event and Alice’s team played in the forth event. It was a lot of fun overall!

Schenectady Junior Bonspiel

The Schenectady Junior Bonspiel is coming up on March 7,8,9. We need volunteers to house the teenagers (a team of four, or two teenagers is fine, your choice of boys or girls). We also in need of chaperones for the dance on Saturday night from 7pm to 11pm. Lastly, we need club members to be there throughout the weekend to help with meals, clean up, and to watch some good curling. Former Junior curlers know how much planning and time can go into this so we are hoping to get as much help as we can from our membership to make it an easier process for all. Please contact Andrea or Dion Warr to volunteer. We thank you for your support in advance.

Utica Mixed Bonspiel

This past weekend a full Schenectady team made up of Dion Warr – skip, Andrea Warr – Vice and Nancy Wurth – lead headed to the Utica Mixed. The team had members of Utica sub for their second position. This team had the best costumes for the Saturday night costume party. There were leather chaps, Laura Ingels and the preachers wife!

Maureen Fodera and Chrissy Fink from the Schenectady curling club played with some friends from Broomstones (Jon Soares and Dave Falco) and won the spiel. It was good curling and a great party!

COLTON-KERR-SZYMASZEK-HILBORN

Sally Ward skipped her team to victory winning the COLTON event against Bette Sovik in the finals of the women's championship bonspiel on Sunday. Sally’s team was made up of C. Colton at vice, S.Burgess at second and D. Disch at lead. Betty’s team was made up of D. Sheehan at vice, H. Severnko at second and M. Mayhew at lead.

The KERR event was won by J. McCullough with E.Kelliher at vice, D.Connolly at second and A. Hartrnaft, a first year curler, at lead.

The SZYMASZEK event was one by our very own Dorothy Szymaszek won in a tight match with the C. Munro rink. Dorothy’s team was made up of MJ Miller at vice, M. Brennan at second and E. Lansing, a first year curler, at lead.

We did not have a full contingent for our spiel, therefore a HILBORN medal was not given.

Chairwoman Karen Hess ran a great spiel. The theme was "Boob Tube Antics" and M. Mayhew and J. Caruvana created the perfect setting with "old TV's" on the tables and "look through" TV's on the plate glass.

The Saturday evening skits were hilarious as usual. Betty Schell and Liz Hanna served as judges. They chose "The Flying Nun meets Laverne and Shirley" as the winner. They were presented with the "Golden Couch Potato Award" designed by Michelle Mayhew.

Special thanks to Fran Rinella, Patty Robbins and old-timer Eleanor Kerley who served lunch so that we all could curl.

In addition, to Pete, Jim and Dave we love you and thank you for the perfect ice!

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. This will be amazing curling. Visit www.usacurl.org for updates while the event is going on as well as sending fan mail to teams participating.

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.