Presidents' Message - Nov. 2009

President’s Letter
I first must thank the executive for the extra effort they have put forward this year. With three major departures from the executive. The new secretary, draw master and treasurer have not only had the usual start up responsibilities but had the added responsibilities of transitioning from the departing long serving members.

The current year's ice schedule has been published and there are several concerns being raised by the membership. I will answer these concerns as best I can.

Why can't we go on the ice before 4:40pm?

The executive approached Leaside in late summer trying to get the desire expressed by the member's to have warmup ice. We requested the ice starting at 4:30. The Leaside curling club offered us the ice starting at 4:30 but we would have to pay an additional charge for it. Leaside informed us that all their member leagues also wanted more time and were having problems getting games completed in 2 hours. A number of leagues signed up for extra time and are being charged extra fees for that privilege hence they cannot give us the ice for free and charge the member leagues. The executive reviewed our fees and deemed we could not afford the extra fee so we declined the offer and contracted the ice from 4:40 to 6:40.

Anyone wishing to practice or warm-up throwing rocks can contact Leaside and they will be happy to rent you the ice.

Why are we ending our schedule on Dec 9th?

The executive reviewed our ice nights and determine that with a 10 team league and our proposed schedule we have 4 extra nights. We decided as an executive that we would keep 3 "snow days" in reserve. We could have kept Dec 16th but it was decided this night was the better one to drop.

Why do we have 3 Tuesday's in the second part of our schedule?

Leaside is hosting some major curling bonspiels hence their need for the ice. They offered these Tuesday nights as replacement for those nights. We have 3 Tuesday of our 24 nights. Although not ideal it was the best we could get.

Why can't I finish my game with only a few rocks left?

This is a speed of play issue not a club issue. With regard to the speed of play, it is expected that an 8 end game should be completed within 2 hours. Make sure your team starts sharp at 4:40 pm and finishes with rocks returned to the glass at 6:40pm. Skips should be in the house away from the glass so that the first rock can be played promptly at 4:40. Keep the sheet clear and be in the hack so that the next rock can be played as soon the the previous rock comes to a stop. Time management is part of the game. If you feel that the opposing team is purposely wasting time then ask your skip to raise the issue with your opponent.

The executive is also concerned about this issue and hence has passed the following amendment to our season tie breaking formulas. Tie tiebreaker criteria are: Head to Head, Completed Games, Ends Differential, Single Draw to the Button. Completed Games are defined as 8 ends or a Game completed by mutual consent of the Skips.

Why don't we look at another venue?

The executive did and continues to explore options. We have to be careful when looking at this option. When we moved here originally we lost a number of members.

In summary, I want to take the opportunity to put facts in play on our current relationship with Leaside. I want everyone to understand that the relationship our club had with Avonlea was very unique and special and will not be created anywhere else. That being said Leaside is providing the ice for our front end challenge starting at 4:15 for the 4 curling dates in January. They have provided us this ice for free. They have talked to us openly and we have tried to get the best deal we can for our members.

Brent McCaw, President.

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