ENGLISH CURLING ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER England Men’s ECC B Division Bronze medal winning Team: FR: Tom Jaeggi, Alan MacDougall Andrew Reed BR: Andrew Woolston John Brown Photo courtesy of Leslie Ingram-Brown
Well, the English curling scene is off to an exciting start with some new happenings locally and nationally.
of people of all ages getting together to enjoy a sport and interacting socially. This was proved at the Duncan Stewart Trophy weekend and the I’Anson The enthusiasm for curling locally is Cup: Great curling and great on the rise with a Saturday company! “competitive” league in progress at Fenton’s. Thanks to all the newsletter contributors – every article was in Also, a new Kent Sussex Junior by the deadline. Curling Club is being formed to support the increasing numbers of New sections have been introduced young people joining the sport. in this edition: “Coaches’ Corner” & 4 pages of “Junior Jottings”. English curling is not just about competing. It is about a great bunch The Editor
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In this Issue:
President’s letter Duncan Stewart Trophy I’Anson Tournament Seniors Competitions schedule European Championships Junior Jottings Coaches’ Corner Club news International news
ALISON ARTHUR PRESIDENT ENGLISH CURLING ASSOCIATION Dear Sister and Brother Curlers In order to meet the deadline for this edition of the Newsletter I am writing this while still in Moscow enjoying the European Championships. Given the current horrendous weather in Britain, Moscow is tropical. To be honest, it has been so mild for this time of year that many of us have packed the wrong clothes, myself included. Before the main body of this article starts I just want to say how immensely proud I am, as your President, of both our teams here in Moscow and how well they have presented themselves both on and off the ice. Many of you will have followed the progress of both teams - well I hope you have – on various websites. I just want to say that you should not judge the performance of the girls in particular by the results. It has been an incredible week for them and if a half inch had gone their favour in 3 of their games they would have beaten the strongest teams in the B Group. No other team took them to the wire as England did. At the time of writing, there is still every chance that the men could win a bronze medal by beating Ireland in the morning. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to present them with their medals tomorrow evening. Anyway, John Brown and I have sat on the coaches’ bench for both teams’ games as well as attending meetings on your behalf. Our schedule has been such that it has not been possible to see Moscow itself. I am not complaining though.
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Given all the issues we had in the run up to the Championships with visas etc., I have to say that, once here, everything has been very well organised although I just wish that some of the “natives” were a little friendlier and could break into a smile occasionally. One of the many meetings I attended was on Facilities and an update of what certain countries are doing to secure dedicated ice for curling. For your information, this is now the number one priority for the WCF. I know that we have dedicated ice in Tunbridge Wells and, if Stephen Hinds’ plans come to fruition, there will be more ice at Chalfont St Giles. However, listening to the presentations from other countries it really set me thinking.....why can’t we do it in England? Given the current economic climate there must be buildings available for rent, not necessarily to buy. I heard about examples of an old steel workshop, a concrete factory and a general store being converted. As well as these examples, Serbia talked about the success of their curling tent. Latvia has 2 sheets of ice in Riga and their facility is owned by 38 of their 150 regular curlers. However, perhaps what we are missing in England is the passion and the energy to secure such a vision? Volunteers to get such a project in motion are required, not just relying on the efforts of the usual ECA suspects. Dedicated ice does not mean ice just for those who go forward to represent England at an international level – it means getting ice for
In addition to the above, make sure that you come to the AGM in June where a full report will be presented on the issues that are high on the agenda of the European and World Curling Federations. In the meantime have a peaceful Christmas and I hope 2012 brings you great curling.
those at the grass roots level, including schools, and encouraging more people to play this wonderful sport of ours. Enough on this subject but I would welcome any thoughts or feedback you might have. I could continue to write more but am sure I have already exceeded my allocated space. Further details of this trip have already been posted on John Brown’s Blog (Toothy Tales) in Bob Cowan’s Skip Cottage Curling Blog http://skipcottagecurling.blogspot.com/.
Best wishes Alison
100 Club For many years now the ECA has run a monthly lottery under the name of the “100 Club” which enables contributors to invest from as little as £1 per month up to £15 per month with the chance of winning one of three monthly prizes – currently at £40, £30 and £20 per month (except in December when the prizes are doubled and in June when the prizes are quadrupled – to coincide with the ECA AGM). The 100 Club plays a crucial role in financing the ECA. In the 18 years since the 100 Club began it has been able to add £25,000 to the finances of the ECA which has helped to fund the various activities of the ECA and in particular to give a contribution towards the expenses of teams travelling to International Championships. Ideally all payments by you are made by Standing Order. Once you have filled in the initial form there is no more need for any more action except if you wish to adjust the number of shares (between 1 and 15) that you are buying per month and this can be done at any time. There is a choice of paying either by an annual or a monthly Standing Order. If you would like to join the 100 Club please contact me susankyoung@hotmail.co.uk and I will send you the form. Return the top half to me, and the bottom half to your own bank. The start date of your payments should be the 1st of a particular month. Please enter as a reference the first 8 letters of your surname. I hope that you will want to join the 100 Club and look forward to receiving your details as soon as possible if you wish to be entered in the December (double prize) draw.
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Thoughts from the Competitions Convenor – Phil Barton Strathcona Cup 2013: RCCC tour to Canada
4 Nations The 4 Nations weekend is at Greenacres in Scotland this year hosted by the Welsh and is on the 20th to 22nd January. We have only to defend one trophy - a magnificent win by our ladies in the Connie Miller v Scotland last year. The others are up for grabs!
This is the most prestigious curling tour in the world, which takes place very five years, alternating between being hosted in Canada and in Scotland. Over 100 years of history of tours between Canada and Scotland have built up an amazing legacy of curling exploits.
We are looking for a team of four men from each Club (Preston, Glendale, SECC and London) A group of at least six ladies is also needed, if we have eight you will have three matches each. So if you want to play please contact the secretary, John Brown or the Competitions Convenor, Phil Barton. The weekend begins with a hot pot supper for £5 a head at the Ice Rink on the Friday night including a Welsh (?) Whisky tasting at the start of the night.
Two ECA members have been selected to take part in the 2013 tour. They are representing their Scottish Clubs John Summers: Phil Barton:
Reform (Preston CC) Inverkeithing (Preston CC)
The first meeting of the tour party (60 players) will be on 15th January 2012, when the tourists will find out which part of the tour they are going on, and the rinks that they have been selected for.
Saturday evening dinner will cost £25 per head and will include a 4 course meal and a DJ to provide disco and traditional dance tunes. They will have some nominated drivers from Wales who will do the transfers to and from the hotel for those requiring it. We had an amazing competition last year winning all the plaudits for the way we organised and hosted the event. All our curling guests enjoyed playing at Fenton’s. This year we can concentrate on the ice and being guests not hosts!!
This year the tour splits into three, West (roughly Vancouver and Calgary) Central (Winnipeg and Montreal) and East (and the north). The RCCC website has a full library of tour dairies and photographs of previous tours. John and Phil will have to be in full training for 24 days of touring, and 24 days of dinners and being hosted by Canadian curlers. The stamina required is both on the ice. An experienced tourist also explains that livers have to be in fine fettle!
Accommodation: (currently plenty of availability at both but book soon).
If the newsletter readers are interested we will likely be blogging/tweeting our exploits. It has also got the competitions convenor thinking that maybe the ECA should have an inaugural tour of Canada in the future.
Bowfield Hotel & Country Club, Bowfield Rd, Howwood, Glasgow, PA9 1DB (01505 705225). Mention curling for the curlers rate of £70 per night for a double or twin room and £50 for a single. Uplawmoor Hotel, 66 Neilston Road, Uplawmoor, Glasgow, G78 4AF (01505850565). Mention curling for the curlers rate of £70 per night for a double or twin room and £55 for a single.
Finally: The English Senior men’s team has booked flights to Copenhagen and is looking forward to another campaign at Taarnby. Thanks to all the competitors at the recent playdowns at Greenacres
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Update and draw from Competitions Convenor Mixed Doubles – 14th /15th January - Fenton’s A. John Sharp, Lorna Rettig B. Harry Mallows, tbc C. John Brown, Jean Robinson D. Ben Fowler, Hetty Garnier E. Nigel Patrick, Alison Hemmings F. Anna Fowler, Sam Fowler Men’s Playdowns – 2nd – 5th February – Fenton’s A. Alan MacDougall, Andrew Reed, Andy Woolston, Tom Jaeggi B. Jamie Malton, Michael Opel, Keith Wilson, Henry Carter, Ken Malton C. Greg Dunn, John Brown, Charles Murphy, Neil Maycock D. Kerr Alexander, Robin Gemmell, Bryan Zachary, Graham Stanley, Ken Maxwell E. Doug Andrews, Gary Tapp, Duncan Spence, Gordon Craig F. Ben Fowler, Harry Mallows, Sam Fowler, Ben Alexander G. James Dixon, Bruce Bowyer, Richard Hills, Mark Wilkinson Women Playdowns 10th – 12th February – Fenton’s 1. Anna Fowler, Hetty Garnier, Naomi Robinson, Angharad Ward, Lauren Pearce 2. Fi Hawker, Susan Young, Alison Hemmings, Debbie Hutcheon Mixed – 17th/18th March 2012 - Fenton’s A. John Brown, Jean Robinson, Charles Murphy, Susan Young B. Kerr Alexander, Lauren Pearce, Bryan Zachary, Naomi Robinson C. John Sharp, Lorna Rettig, Nigel Patrick, Alison Hemmings D. Ben Fowler, Anna Fowler, Sam Fowler, Hetty Garnier
The following Championships venues for 2012 are confirmed: European Junior Challenge World Wheelchair World Junior World Women World Men World Senior World Mixed Doubles
Taarnby, Denmark Chuncheon, S Korea Ostersund, Sweden Lethbridge, Alberta Basel, Switzerland Erzurum, Turkey Taarnby, Denmark
2/1 – 8/1 18/2 – 25/2 3/3 – 11/3 17/3 – 25/3 31/3 – 8/4 14/4 – 21/4 23/4 – 29/4
ECA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012 Mixed Doubles 4 Nations Nationals Mixed
14-15 January – Fenton’s 20-22 January – Greenacres (WCA hosting) 2 - 5 February – Fenton’s (MEN) 10 - 12 February - Fenton’s (WOMEN) 9-11 March – Fenton’s
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Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 This inaugural world class event is a great opportunity for young athletes to live the “Olympic dream”. It is being used as “a platform on which young people can learn about the Olympic values and the benefits of sport, while sharing their experiences with people from around the globe” (Michael O’Neill, SportsNews Ireland). It will take place in Innsbruck from January 13 – 22 and will bring together approximately 1100 athletes from more than 60 countries. Over 7 sports will be represented and 15 disciplines, including curling. Go to www.innsbruck2012.com to learn more….
The International Olympic Committee has just confirmed that Lillehammer will host the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics
Mr. Grumpy: Readers of Bob Cowan’s Curling Blog (and you must) will know that our very own John Brown features regularly. He and Bob have adopted a shared nickname – Mr. Grumpy. I find it hard to see John as Grumpy – but it does relate to him having strong views about aspects of curling and especially when tradition and curling values are not maintained. Thanks John for keeping the profile of English curling out there.
Andrew Reed has been busy winning a bronze medal at the ECC’s in Moscow so I have let him off the hook for a British Curling report for this edition - editor
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Competition Reports The second Duncan Stewart Trophy was held at Fenton’s Rink in Kent and was graced by the presence of Duncan’s widow, Mary who presented the prizes, including a bottle of wine for each participant (although the Junior players were asked to give it to their parents!!). Six teams participated, though 5 of them had only 3 players and it was disappointing that only one player from the Northern clubs was able to attend. Each player was allocated to a group and the teams were drawn so that the ability levels were spread around. Four sessions were played and at the end of the competition it was only ends won that separated the top 3 teams showing that the draw had produced some well balanced teams. Last year’s winner John Brown started off the defence of his title in good form defeating Doug Andrews by 14-2 – but it was his last win of the weekend, as he was equally badly beaten by John Sharp (9-1) in the second round. John S had lost out to John B last year in spite of a similarly heavy victory in the last round, but after 2 good wins on the Saturday this year he had to leave the team in the hands of Ben Fowler on the Sunday. But that was no bad thing as Ben won the third game by 11-3 so that the team were in the driving seat going into the last game having a 3 end cushion over their nearest rivals skipped by Hetty Garnier. Probably a good job too as against Doug Andrews, who had recovered well from his first round defeat, they lost a 6 at the third end before they rallied well to lose by just 4-11 and splitting the ends 3 each, thus running out the winners by 4 ends over Hetty and 6 ends over Doug. The winning team were John Sharp / Ben Fowler, Angharad Ward and Pixie Chung while second were Hetty Garnier, Susan Young and Aly Ewan (who had travelled down from Fife) and third were Doug Andrews, Ernest Fenton / Mike Robinson (2 games each), James Gibb and Debbie Hutcheon (the only 4 person team in the competition – to make it fair only one of the sweepers was allowed to sweep each stone).
Winning Team: Ben Fowler, Pixie Chung, Angharad Ward, John Sharp (missing) being presented with prizes by Mrs. Mary Stewart.
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First English Province and Preston Curling Club
I’Anson Competition at the North West Castle Hotel, Stranraer Fri 18th - Sun 20th Nov 2011 It was excellent to see so many faces, familiar and new, at the North West Castle Hotel, Stranraer. For the first time in a number of years 16 rinks took to the ice, including a new club, Skelmorlie. Also new this year was the introduction of an additional session on Sunday that enabled everyone to play four games in the competition. The competition commenced at 1.30pm on Friday in the alpine-themed rink, with matches between rinks of Frank Kershaw & David Kerr; Phil Barton & Alastair Low; Doug Andrews & Richard Hills; John Summers & Patrick Brown. The 3.40pm second session matches were played between the rinks of John Sharp & Kenneth Maxwell; John Brown & Glynnice Lauder; Stew Sutherland & Gary Tapp; Fi Hawker & Ian Curle. After these eight matches the Schenkel was set for Saturday morning. The ice had been tricky especially on the wings of each sheet where there was a lot of frost. One player joked that they had enough ice to make a snowball – still as they say it was the same ice for everyone. David Hills's fiendish Friday night quiz, this year based on parts of the body, appeared deceptively straightforward at first reading. Then followed the scratching of foreheads to find a solution to one of David's cryptic conundrums. The social side of the I’Anson is not to be understated. Saturday saw an early start for some teams and a more leisurely one for the other half. I have to say the Castle Grill breakfast provides fine sustenance for the day ahead, and seems to be based on a tacit presumption that curlers need a minimum number of calories for breakfast (omit an item from the plate order an it will be substituted with something else just as calorific). Either way breakfast at the NWC is a treat to be savoured. It was nice to see the children enjoying the facilities at the hotel - and being introduced to the ice and curling - while some of the adults planned retail therapy forays into Stranraer. Coincidentally this was the last weekend of the ferry sailings from across the road from the hotel. The beginnings of a marina have been established. The English ladies team, attending as their final competition preparation prior to the European Championships in Moscow, were resplendent in their new curling strip. Saturday saw keen and exciting curling throughout the day, and the prospect of a relaxing shower or bath before a good dinner & dance was eagerly anticipated after a day of competition. Anne (my wife) remarked how exciting curling is: a game won or lost on the very last stone; how the behaviour of the ice can change through a game; how tactics evolve through the course of a game. I am getting the hang of that as well. Saturday's dinner was excellent and we benefited, as ever, from the friendly and attentive staff of the hotel and the expertise of the chefs. All this matched by good company and fellowship and the prospect of dancing to a live band. The resident musicians did a fine job keeping us moving, and the exertions of those dancing to 'strip the willow' may have been classified as a health & safety hazard, while some of the youngsters present appeared somewhat bemused as they asked the accordionist if they could play any JLS (no). Some went to bed early as part of their pre-match preparation, while others took an alternative view. We heard someone saying they played better with a hangover.
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Sunday morning sneaked up on us far too quickly. At the rink many people were spectating, enjoying the sport and the company. An exciting morning's competition saw John Sharp's team lift the I'Anson trophy, for the second year in a row. It brings back many memories to John who starred as a Junior at the rink. Richard Hills had two late replacements, Lesley and Martin Gregory from Wales. Their skill and experience were evident as Richard came second to win the impressive Meggat Memorial Trophy. Fi Hawker was third and Glynnice Lauder and her Glendale rink were fourth.. Trophies and prizes were presented by Mrs Lynda Clegg,Treasurer of Preston Curling Club. The competition was brought to a close by David Hills with the results of his quiz. We had a wonderful weekend (next year's date is in the diary & the room booked) of friendship conviviality and competition. Thanks to everyone involved in making the weekend run so smoothly and successfully, and such a delight of competition and friendship. Derek King Preston Curling Club
Contact phil.barton@starleyhall.co.uk for entry form for 2012.
Winning Team: Steve Amann, Harry Mallows, John Sharp, Ross Barr with Mrs. Lynda Clegg
3rd placed team: Debbie Hutcheon, Angharad Ward, Anna Fowler, Fiona Hawker
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ECA Senior Championships 2011-12 Greenacres Ice Rink, Glasgow, 1-4 December 2011 Three teams were entered for the Mens national senior championships and the runners and riders were:-
John Sharp, Alastair Fyfe, Mike Robinson and Doug Andrews
Robin Gemmell, Steve Scanlan, Iain Nelson and Ken Maxwell (plus Graham Stanley)
Three wise men and Santa in disguise
Frosty, Chief Umpire
First game up was Sutherland against Maxwell and a poor start by Maxwell’s team saw them 11-0 down after 3 ends. Their lack of practice and ice time leading up to the championships was evident in the first couple of games. A marked improvement in form by Maxwell in the second set of games saw them run Sutherland close (4-7) and against Sharp some impressive shot making by Maxwell himself, to save first a 5 and then a 4, earned them an extra end before losing 5-6. But Maxwell’s team went home with a record of 0-6 leaving the other two teams to fight it out for the title. In the first game between Sutherland and Sharp, it came down to the last stone with Sharp needing a 2 to win. He did not get into good position and, lying 2 shots against but with 2 of his own lying third and fourth shots, was left with a very skinny angled double to get rid of Sutherland’s counters. A fraction wide and a miss left Sutherland as the 10-7 winner. In the middle of this on Friday evening, the Competitions Convenor discovered, luckily, he had issued the wrong times for the Saturday games and a 10.30am game became 9am and a 15.30 game became 12.30. Whoops............... The second game was again a tight affair. With the game at 5-4 to Sharp playing the seventh end, misses by Sharp’s team left Sutherland lying shot and guarded at the top of the four foot and with 2 other counters biting the eight foot Sharp could only cut this down to a steal of 1 to tie the game up for the last end. In the last end a burned stone by Sutherland’s team looked to have handed the advantage to Sharp but 2 misses by his second player attempting to clear short guards handed it straight back.
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There was enough room left for Sharp to draw to the four foot with his first but he was just behind the tee line. Sutherland’s last followed him in and tapped back slightly leaving the same shot again for Sharp which he made to inflict a 6-5 defeat. The final and deciding game was slow, 3 ends an hour, groan....................Two and a half hours for eight ends!! The Sutherland team played a solid all round game and good rock positioning prevented Sharp from building any decent ends until the seventh, and they were always coming from behind as Sutherland took a 5-1 lead after 3 ends. In the seventh end Sharp had an opportunity for a double takeout to lie 5 with his first stone but could only get rid of 1 to leave Sutherland still lying shot and a well positioned final stone from Sutherland left Sharp no choice but to draw the four foot and take one leaving him 4-6 down without hammer playing the last end. Guards were in place but Sharp’s attempted draw round these with his first stone was too long leaving Sutherland as the well deserved champion. The winners now go forward to represent England at the World Senior Championships in Taarnby, Copenhagen, Denmark in April 2012. The team reached the quarterfinals in 2011 and we wish them the best of luck in Denmark. There were no entries for the Ladies Senior Championships and England will not therefore be represented in Denmark by a Ladies Senior team.
European Mixed Championships Following previous 3rd and 4th place finishes Alan MacDougall and his team of Lana Watson, Andrew Woolston (a late replacement for Andrew Reed) and Suzie Law travelled to Taarnby in Copenhagen full of hopes for another good showing in the European Mixed Championships. The matches in the C Group of the European Championships were also being held. The ECA secretary popped over for the day to see 2 of England’s games in the middle of the week and saw them defeat Italy 6-2 and then the first half of the game against Finland that was pretty even, though it was eventually lost by 5-7. Overall the team won 4 and lost 4 and finished 4th in their group of 8 and 10th overall out of 25. Still a good result but obviously disappointing for them after the previous two years. The team have represented England in the last 5 European Mixed Championships but Suzie Law has moved to Australia and Andrew Reed’s partner is expecting in March and so they have not entered this season’s Mixed Championships giving another team the chance for a trip to Erzurum in Turkey in September 2012. In those 5 years they won 27 games out of 39 and together with the previous team that represented England they have the 6th best record in the EMCC.
Want to buy a Pair of Curling shoes? Then why not shop at the ECA’s partners at; www.curlingSupplies.com. Contact us at the ECA first if you are a member and enjoy 5% discount on your purchase.
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Junior Jottings Read on new junior curlers and parents – you might want to consider taking part in this camp in 2012. See http://www.wcf-camps-courses.com/course.php?date=12 Here is a report from Naomi Robinson on the Fussen Training Camp lastJuly. On the 2nd of July 2011, Hetty and I travelled to Fussen in Germany for the Fussen Junior World Curling Camp. Having flown into Munich, we negotiated our way by train to the curling club itself, a few minutes walk from the station. Here we met up with the other 150 participants from all over the world, and were split into five different coloured groups, depending on levels of experience. We took part in team ice breakers, which were good fun and a great way to get to know each other. Each day we took part in a variety of different on ice, and off ice training activities, which were led by very experienced coaches from all over the world. We learnt (and in some cases had to relearn), a huge amount during our week there, but in a way that was thoroughly enjoyable. We were accommodated in a local youth hostel, which was situated in stunning surroundings with views of mountains and castles. Apart from our on ice and off ice activities, we were also taken to a variety of outings and activities, including mini golf, and the local gym. Unfortunately our luge trip had to be cancelled due to bad weather. All in all it was a great week, where we learnt so much, not only about curling, but also about each other, and made so many friendships that I’m sure will continue when we meet up in future competitions.
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Junior Jottings ECA Junior Championships For the first time ever we had Junior Championships to select the teams going to the European Junior Challenge in Copenhagen in January. Both of the existing national teams were challenged by some of the younger juniors who have come through the Fenton’s Academy or Schools network. As to be expected the challengers were given a hard time by the England squads but it was notable that after a 1-17 defeat in their first game Lucy Sparks and her team came back to only lose by 5-6 in the second game though this was a brief blip for Anna Fowler as she then won the third game 17-0 to confirm her return to the European Juniors for a 4th year. Brother Ben was meanwhile proving fairly consistent in beating his challengers, who mixed and matched their team selection, and he won 10-3, 12-3 and 11-2. Ben’s team was missing Matt Spicer who is unable to play this year. Owing to other more important commitments (see elsewhere) Angharad Ward is unable to travel to Copenhagen and her place in the girls’ squad has been taken by Lucy Sparks who thus joins Anna Fowler, Hetty Garnier, Naomi Robinson and Lauren Pearce. With Matt Spicer not available this year Ben Fowler has asked Conor Simpson to be their fifth player and he will join Harry Mallows, Ben Alexander and Oliver Kendall in Copenhagen. Greg Dunn and Kerr Alexander are going as coaches so why don’t you pop over for a day – which might seem a strange thing to do but the Taarnby rink is only 20 minutes’ walk from the airport and with Easyjet flying from Stansted at 0700 and returning at 2155 it is possible to see almost a whole day’s curling for probably less than £60.
The Challengers
Sarah Decoine, Becky Watts, Lucy Sparks, Niamh Fenton, Louis Partridge
Cormac Barry, James Skidmore, Miles Partridge, Renz Bunag, Jake Barker
The Winners
Naomi Robinson, Lauren Pearce, Angharad Ward, Anna Fowler, Hetty Garnier
Ben Alexander, Ollie Kendall, Ben Fowler, Harry Mallows
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Junior Jottings Kent Sussex Junior Curling Club (KSJCC) After much discussion it has been decided to form a Kent Sussex Junior Curling Club (KSJCC). An inaugural meeting was held at Fenton’s on Nov 13th where the executive was elected and a draft constitution for the club discussed. Initially, parents will run the club but it is hoped that the junior members themselves will eventually take on that responsibility. The main objectives of the club are to support the increasing number of young people participating in the sport in the Southeast and to help them in their curling endeavours whether that be to play at a local or national level. The elected executive is as follows: Chair – Rosaleen Boardman email: rosaleen_w@hotmail.com Secretary – Jane Quinell email: janequinell@yahoo.co.uk Treasurer – Minnie Garnier email: mgarnier@waitrose.com A larger management committee will be formed comprising of parents and juniors and the opportunity for the latter to “shadow” the executive members will be provided. Topics that have been proposed as part of a development programme are: a) Promote Junior curling in Kent/Sussex b) Broaden funding base to include corporate sponsorship and government grants c) Establish a Junior League to provide game play experience d) Introduce a skills based awards programme e) Organise Junior Invitational Bonspiels Membership for the remainder of the season will be £5.00. The club has applied to be affiliated to the ECA. The annual subscription will be decided at the AGM and will include membership to the ECA. If you would like to join the club please contact Minnie Garnier. The next meeting will be in January.
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Junior Jottings
Angharad Ward selected for Team GB at Winter Youth Olympics Since Great Britain started selecting curling teams for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, World University Games etc. the athletes chosen have been exclusively Scottish but this year for the first time, a member of the English Curling Association has been chosen to represent Team GB – in the Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG). The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event for youths that will take place in Innsbruck from 13 to 22 January 2012. It is a major sports and cultural festival celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games. Approximately 1100 athletes from over 60 countries are expected to compete. Only athletes born in 1994 and 1995 are eligible to compete and there were 3 girls and 1 boy in Kent who applied. Following a telephone interview Angharad Ward was asked to go along to the selection camp at Greenacres in September where 6 boys and 6 girls had been invited. And 3 days letter came the news that she was being proposed as a member of Team GB to the British Olympic Association who made the formal announcement recently confirming Angharad’s place in the team. While this selection is groundbreaking in that we have an English curler in a Team GB uniform, it did cause problems for Angharad as it meant that she had to withdraw from the English team for the European Junior Challenge as that is scheduled for the week before she will fly to Innsbruck and therefore clashes with last minute preparations for going to the WYOG. As she has also just finished playing in Fiona Hawker’s team at the European Championships in Moscow in December, a good deal of her time in these two months is being spent out of school (Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks), but what a great opportunity for her and we congratulate her for her efforts. Angharad only arrived in England in August 2010 when she and her mother came over from Northern British Columbia and settled in Kent about 5 miles from Fenton’s Rink. Angharad’s mother is Welsh and her father is English and so, although she was born in Canada, she has a British passport and is eligible to represent TeamGB. She started curling in the Bullhead Mountain Curling Club in a small town called Hudson’s Hope in deepest British Columbia (population 1,157) and had to play in a boy’s team as there were no other girls to play with. With this team, she won the C Division in the Kevin Martin Bonspiel in Edmonton, Alberta, the Peace Curling Association Superleague and came second in the Peace Challenge Cup.
Angharad showing her sweeping skills
Brad Askew (GB Team Coach) putting contenders through their paces
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Coaches’ Corner
Sunday Junior Elite Curling The new Sunday junior elite curling started on Sunday, October 16th of this year. Every Sunday since then, and typically between the hours of 4 and 6 pm at Fenton’s Rink, Kerr Alexander and I work with the most promising junior curlers that Kent has to offer. Some of the junior curlers are already on England’s junior boys or girls national teams and some of these curlers are aspiring to that level. Regardless of the current level of competition that they play in, all these curlers are keen to get to know the game better and improve. I started working with the junior national teams late November 2010. For the 2011/2012 season, I have dedicated more of my time to help improve the level of play at the grassroots junior curling level. I have been fortunate enough to gain some help from Kerr Alexander who contacted John Brown and myself last summer, expressing an interest to also help the next generation of English curlers. Kerr and I are fortunate to be working with a great group of keen young curlers. We set out this season with the purpose to help more of them reach their goal to improve their curling game. We also wanted to build an infrastructure for an organised junior curling programme. Ultimately, our hope is that we can help create greater interest in the curling game for the next generation. In doing so, we might be able to increase numbers of curlers as time passes and raise the level of competition in Southern England. Of course, many more individuals need to be involved if we are to achieve these hopes. So, that’s why we would like to take this opportunity to thank the parents, Ernest Fenton & everyone at Fenton’s Rink, John Brown & the ECA for their continued support. Greg Dunn
Tuesday Junior Coaching This season we have begun to undertake more structured coaching at Fenton’s for our Junior curlers by providing a pathway to enable them to aim for and reach the National Junior Teams in years to come. Fenton’s rink continues to run its Junior Academy once a month and these are very popular sessions with up to 24 children taking part. On a Tuesday evening I, Tracey Brown and Charles Murphy have been providing coaching for an average of around 15 juniors (one week it peaked at 25), including the members of the National teams. We do some practice drills with them and finish off with a couple of ends of competitive curling for which the winners may be rewarded with chocolate bars!! On a Sunday, Greg Dunn and Kerr Alexander are providing a session for the National teams and those playing in the Championships and this elite squad again averages around 15 per week. Greg uses video recording and laser equipment to try and hone the deliveries of these juniors and prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead in Europe. John Brown
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Club News
NEWS FROM FENTON’S RINK - DECEMBER 2011 We are already a third of the way through the season and the rink is just as busy as the recordbreaking season last year. The demand for ice from a wide range of customers means that we are kept busy. We are open for curling seven days a week, from 10am to 10pm. All our regular leagues fixtures are fully subscribed with several new faces swelling the ranks. This month saw the Saturday League taking place on 10th December and we are running a special Christmas event on December 20th in aid of the Breast Cancer Appeal. We decided against running a Come and Try session this month but are going to bring forward the January Come and Try date to January 8th – from 10am to 12 noon. All regular curlers are members of Fenton’s Rink. The 2011/12 Rink subscription is £15. This provides a significant discount on ice fees and is worthwhile if you come to the rink several times in a season. You can discuss regular curling with our Games Secretary, Gary Tapp at curling2009@googlemail.com. JUNIORS/SCHOOLS CURLING The regular Schools 5-week course will run in the Spring term leading to the Schools Championships in March 2012. Junior training is being held each Tuesday at 6pm for players aged 21 and under. A Junior Curling Academy League for younger players (aged around 10 to 16) is run monthly on Sunday afternoons. Call the rink on 01892 826004 for further details or e-mail us at info@curlinginkent.co.uk. FORTHCOMING EVENTS January sees the ECA Mixed Doubles being held at Fenton’s Rink for the first time. This new curling format is challenging and we look forward to a keenly fought competition on 14/15 January. A week later, on January 21st, we are holding the popular Great Gordino Bonspiel. As we write it is almost fully subscribed. INTERNATIONAL CURLING Two of our junior curlers competed in the adult European Championships in Moscow this month. Well done Anna Fowler and Angharad Ward!
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DIARY OF EVENTS 2011-12 Saturday League
Jan 28th, Feb18th, Mar 31st
Every Monday from 6pm
Beginners and Novice league
Every Tuesday at 6pm
Juniors Practice
Every Tuesday at 8pm
League Matches
January 8th
Come and Try –from 10am to 4pm
January 14th to 15th
ECA Mixed Doubles Playdowns
January 21st
“The Great Gordino” Bonspiel
February 2nd to 5th
ECA Men’s Playdowns
February 10th to 12th
ECA Women’s Playdowns
February 12th
Come and Try – from 10am to 4pm
March 9th to 11th
ECA Mixed Playdowns
March 17th to 18th
The Fleming Trophy Bonspiel
March 26th to 30th
The English Schools Championships
April 11th
Rink Closes (provisional date)
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The ECA is YOUR Association
Where To Curl North-East England
Curling in this area is played at the Kelso Ice Rink, just over the Scottish border. The main English based club in the area is the Glendale club. For further details please email James Dixon at James.Dixon8@btopenw orld.com London & The South
The only dedicated
Scotland at the
curling rink in England
Lockerbie Ice Rink on
can be found near
alternate Thursdays.
Tunbridge Wells in
Please contact the club
Kent. Further details
secretary, Phil Barton
can be found on the
on pb@starleyhall.co.uk
curling rink website,
.
Fenton’s Rink.
Curling can also be played in Wales at the
North-West England &
Deeside Leisure Centre,
Wales
Queensferry, just over
The main English club in
the Welsh border to
this area is the Preston
the west of Chester -
club who play up in
Welsh Curling Association.
English Curling
Useful Links
President: Alison Arthur
• www.englishcurling.org.uk English Curling Association website
President elect: Vacant Competitions Convener: Philip Barton Secretary: John Brown Treasurer: Sandra Moorcroft
• www.worldcurling.org World Curling Association
Contact:
Rosaleen Boardman: rosaleen_w@hotmail.co m
ECA NEWSLETTER Have you visited the ECA website lately? It will bring you up to date with the latest competitions, results and workings of the ECA and beyond. Additionally it will keep you up to date on major events in the curling world. So if you have not visited, please pop along and see what’s new!
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