Plainfield Curling Club

The 2009 Founders Online Draw Sheets are now online and will be updated during the bonspiel.

The Founders Bonspiel starts this Thursday and runs throughout the weekend. Jeff and Emily Pike are chairing it this year and it should be another terrific spiel. Once again, we have a full draw of 20 teams. In a season when many in other parts of North America are finding it difficult to fill events, attracting 20 rinks speaks volumes about the hospitality and good times that curlers know they will find at our club.

For those who are new to PCC, The Founders honors the members who built our facility prior to the 1966-67 curling season. Not only did that group take on the construction and design of the club but they also assumed responsibility for the financing. While our building may have some quirky elements that Bob Howell and his crew are still working through, I’m grateful every time I step on the ice for the efforts of the Founders. I’m not sure if it will be shown this year but there is some old footage of the construction process. It’s quite remarkable — not only for the effort involved but for the fact that, when the club was built, the area appears to have been primarily farm land.  A far cry from our current environment.

All of our leagues have also started play with many new members moving from Learn to Curl and joining teams. We want to welcome all the newcomers to this great sport. If it’s  your first season, don’t be afraid to ask other members questions about the sport or the club. Heck, don’t be afraid to ask questions no matter how long you play. There is always something to learn in this sport.

Finally, Brady Gould is still looking for some more women to fill the draw for the USWCA All-American. If you’re interested, please contact him. If you don’t think you can make all three games but could play in some, let him know — there might be others with the same concern and a spot can be shared.

Good curling,

Dean Gemmell

The dates for this USWCA women’s event are now Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th. The times for this exciting in-house event are 12:30PM-6:30PM on Saturday and 11AM-3PM on Sunday. Actual times for each draw will be finalized once the number of participants is solidified.

All women members of the Plainfield Curling Club, regardless of level of experience, are encouraged to participate. Entries are due on or before November 6th. All sign-ups are as singles — teams will be formed from all entries and announced by November 9th.

This two-game minimum event is free and an awesome opportunity for both new and experienced curlers. It’s a chance to participate in a fun but spirited competition with commemorative USWCA pins awarded to the winners.

There is no entry fee and no limit on the number of participants. To enter, email Brady Gould (bgould2@hess.com) today (no need to wait until the 6th) with your name and your desire to play. And don’t forget to encourage your female friends at the club to do the same.

The Women’s All-American that was planned for this weekend will be rescheduled for a later date.

The Plainfield Curling Club is pleased to announce it will hold a free open house event from 2pm – 6pm on Saturday, October 3rd, for anyone interested in trying curling and learning more about our club!

Here’s your chance to get an introduction to the Olympic sport of curling at the only curling club in the state of New Jersey. You are invited to visit our club for a free introductory curling lesson.

Club members will be on hand to show you our facility and answer any questions you may have.  You’ll be able to get out on the ice and deliver stones after a brief instruction.

Please visit our Open House page to find out what to wear, what to bring, and directions to our club.

With summer winding down, curling season is approaching quickly.

We’ll be gathering at the club on Saturday, September 12th for our Pre-Season Meeting/Party. (If you’re a member, you should have already received an email about it.) It’s a chance to hear about the state of the club, learn about what’s happening this season and catch up with curlers you haven’t seen in a few months. In the recent past, the club has held a Pre-Season Meeting in October and a party in September. Now that our ice goes in earlier, we thought it would make more sense to combine these two functions. So come for the meeting and stay for the party.  Or vice-versa.

After the Pre-Season Meeting, we start to look forward to our Open House on Saturday, October 3rd. The Open House runs from 2-6 PM. This is the time for anyone interested in the sport to come to the club, try it and decide if they would like to register for our four-session Learn To Curl program. You’ll get basic instruction at the Open House and have an opportunity to get on the ice. All you have to bring is a pair of clean sneakers, some warm clothes that are either loose or offer room to stretch and some enthusiasm. Members — don’t forget to tell friends and neighbors about the Open House.

The club’s summer picnic is this weekend. Lots of food, a beautiful setting and a chance to spend some time with other members around a pool instead of on a sheet of ice. Good deal.

What’s more, it’s barely two months until curling season. Our ice should be in by October 1st and our first Open House of the season is scheduled for October 3rd. I know that many of our members have enjoyed summer spiels but if you’re someone like me who uses up all of his weekend passes during the winter months, you’re starting to suffer some serious curling withdrawal.

Enjoy the picnic. The next Board meeting is Tuesday, August 4th at the club.

By now most of you have seen the email that Bill Nickle sent after the last meeting of the PCC Board of Directors. We have some new Board members, outstanding returning Board members and some changes in the Executive Officer lineup. 

Somehow, I wound up with one of those Executive Officer positions — turns out that when you take a quick men’s room break you wind up being the President of the club.  Bill Nickle has agreed to be the Vice President,  Karl Lohner takes over Bill’s Secretary duties and Neil Sullivan continues as Treasurer. Eric Blassneck, Robin Kerr, Paul Graebener and Bob Fox remain on the Board. Dean Roth joins as a new Board member. It’s a terrific group. 

Now that I have this new role, I want to make sure that I continue something that outgoing president MaryAnn Vermeulen did so well — keep the lines of communication open. I hope that everyone at PCC — from the most avid players to once-a-week curlers — will not hesitate to share their thoughts and opinions about the club with myself and other Board members. I won’t promise that we’ll always agree but listening is something you can continue to expect. 

If there’s something that you really want to discuss, don’t be afraid to bring it to our attention during the off-season. This might be the best time of year to consider new ideas. Feel free to contact me anytime — 973.921.3153 or 862.216.6096 are the digits and dgemmell@thecurlingshow.com is the email.  

The next Board meeting is at the club on June 9th. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend.

If you can’t get to Vancouver to watch the curling at the Winter Olympics next February, you may want to consider traveling to Mississauga (Toronto’s largest suburb) and attending the Capital One Masters of Curling. The field will feature all the men’s teams that have qualified for the Olympics or, in the case of Canada, have pre-qualified for the Tim Horton’s Roar of the Rings, the event that will determine Canada’s representative. 

The Canadian teams will be Martin, Howard, Ferbey, Koe and Gushue. World champion David Murdoch’s team will play, along with John Shuster’s U.S. rink, Thomas Ullsrud of Norway and Feng-Chun Wang of China. When the field fills out, it will actually be stronger than the collection of teams that will compete in Vancouver — all of the championship rinks from around the world and four of the very best teams from Canada. 

It’s a Capital One Grand Slam event so there’s a decent cash purse at stake. And the teams that are competing are going to want to build on their confidence as they head into the Roar of the Rings and the Winter Games. The event runs from October 21-25, 2009 at the Hershey Center. If you want to make a trip somewhere next season to watch some great curling in person, this is as good an event as you’ll find. And if you’ve never been to Toronto, it’s a good time of year to check out that terrific city — stay downtown and travel out to Mississauga for the curling. If you’re big on convenience,  Toronto’s airport is in Mississauga so you could fly in and be right by the arena. The drive is about eight hours. 

Just something to keep in mind as we look forward to a big season for curling next year.

As fanatical as I am about curling, I’m sure I’m not alone in enjoying some time away from the game since the season ended at PCC. While other sports seem to push themselves further and further into year-round endeavors, ours remains largely seasonal. While there are summer spiels and the ice is installed at Edmonton’s Saville Center in late July, I appreciate the fact that curling, by and large, takes a break during the warmer months. 

That said, our club doesn’t go dormant when frozen, pebbled water is the last thing on our minds. And, quite frankly, it can’t. Spring and summer brings building projects that are necessary to maintain and improve the quality of our curling experience the following winter. Bob Howell is usually spearheading these efforts and is always seeking volunteers to help out. If you can, even if it’s only for a few hours one afternoon, it really makes a difference. Like a good barn-raising, it’s amazing how much more quickly some of these jobs move when a small army shows up to tackle them. Don’t worry about your carpentry skills — the fact that I’ve been able to contribute means that they’re hardly necessary. Bob knows to avoid giving me — and a few others, I should add — work that does not involve deft use of power tools or the ability to measure and cut precisely. Fact is, showing up is 95% of it. 

Building projects aren’t, however, our only need when it comes to maintaining a healthy club. Recently, Rod Black sent an email about club business cards and the need to solicit new members during the off-season. While our membership numbers have remained healthy despite the economic downturn, we can never turn off the tap when it comes to finding new participants. While curling may not fill your idle conversations during the spring and summer, don’t be afraid to talk to friends, neighbors and co-workers about the upcoming season. Make sure they know they can try the game early next October at an Open House and sign up for Learn-to-Curl. Follow up with those who express interest with an email or a phone call next September. Remember, as natural as curling seems for all of us who enjoy it, it’s not something that a lot of people think about trying. In other words, it’s not usually a quick sell. 

Over the years, I’ve probably bored more than a few people at cocktail parties and summer barbecues with my unrelenting need to convince them that curling is the greatest sport ever invented. But I’ve also learned that it’s important to consider what the person you’re talking to will find appealing about the game.

If it’s someone who is looking for a sport with social outlet, I make sure I tell  them about the camaraderie, sportsmanship and shared adult beverages that are essential to the DNA of curling. I also let these people know that while it is as difficult to become a great curler as it is to become, say, a low-handicap golfer, it’s far easier to become a moderately accomplished player than it is in other sports. If they have children, I talk about both junior curling and the fact that curling is one of those great sports that parents and children can enjoy together. (One of my favorite things is that I can still enter a spiel and compete on a team with my own parents.) I tell them that the sport is naturally handicapped for new players since they’ll be playing lead or second against another relatively new player at the same position on the other team. In other words, make sure they know the path in to the sport is a simple one and that curling has a social tradition unlike any other. Taking up a new sport is daunting for many people — curling is among the most welcoming and we need to make sure that fact is understood. 

On the other hand, if it’s someone who has played a lot of other sports and has a competitive nature, I make sure they know that curling is a very difficult game to master. In fact, I say that like golf, nobody every really does. I make sure they know that I train in the off-season specifically for curling. I tell them that there are hard-fought championships for new curlers, elite players and everyone in between. Remember — this type of person may not want to hear that curling is easy or not physically demanding. They’re looking for sports that offer a challenge.

In other words, think like a good salesperson this spring and summer. Know your audience and pitch accordingly. Make sure they know that we offer what amounts to a free trial at our first Open House. Follow up with a gentle reminder. 

You can also tell them that you’re going down to the club on a warm afternoon to hammer a few nails or tear up some carpet because you love the sport so much. (Wait. That depends on the audience, too. You might want to let them know about that fact next summer — after they’re hooked.)