One of the great thing about curling is the curlers. From weekly league players to international competitors, curlers are a friendly group of people passionate about their sport. And curling is one of the rare sports that still brings world class curlers together with regular club players, as you will read as some of our members share their memories of meeting Olympic curlers through the years.

Club president Scott Walter shares, “While curling as a member of the Potomac Curling Club in Laurel, MD, I skipped a team that needed a lead. One day near the start of the season, a man known only as Lindsay visited the club and asked to curl. Lindsay Scotland was on a work assignment in Washington DC. To pass his time while not working, he joined our team.

“As we got to know him, it became apparent Lindsay was very good. He soon shared his curling experience with us, both through stories while broom stacking, and in advice on the ice. Lindsay, it turned out, had been the skip of Scotland’s National Team that played in the European Championships in 1986. You never know who will come to curl in a local club, and what a great experience for us club curlers!”

One of the great thing about curling is the curlers. From weekly league players to international competitors, curlers are a friendly group of people passionate about their sport. And curling is one of the rare sports that still brings world class curlers together with regular club players, as you will read as some of our members share their memories of meeting Olympic curlers through the years.

Club member Brent Cooke shares, “Back in Winnipeg Canada in the 70s, a curling event known then as the “All Nighter Bonspiel” was very popular with the male under-twenty crowd.  It was not for the faint of heart, requiring determination and skill that you could count on to last over the 24 hour period and posed an interesting challenge to male curlers to see who could survive a bonspiel that started at 5pm on a Friday and completed about 24 hours later.

“The games were timed, and if you were lucky you found a spot on the carpet to sleep in between, as it was way too cold to go out to the car to sleep. Over time you got to know the teams and their skips.

“Two that were very competitive and skilled were the (Kerry) Burtnyk and the (Mark) Olson teams. You could always count on them to be in top form. You always wanted to play against them for the competition, but hoped they did not beat you too badly. Over the years, my team had a chance to play against them on numerous occasions and never exited on the winning side. Eventually, these two skips would combine their talents and prove to be World Class Curlers – winning a Bronze at the World Curling Championships in 1981, and then Kerry would go on to win Gold in 1995.

“Curling is a sport where you will have opportunities to compete against many players ranging in skillsets – and you never know – some day in the future you may be watching a Global Curling Match on television and be able to say “yep – I’ve played against them before”. Enjoy your wins and your losses – it’s all part of the game.”

Congratulations to the Schenectady/CCVa team last weekend for being Runner-Ups in the Second Event at the Raymond G. Kayser Memorial Bonspiel!  Club members Josh Leggette and Sam Sparks teamed up with Amanda Shagoury and Roberta Feiden of the Schenectady Curling Club.

The Raymond G. Kayser Memorial Bonspiel is a mixed curling event and one of three annual events hosted by the Grand National Curling Club (GNCC), the governing body for Eastern U.S. curling clubs, to encourage competition among new curlers with 5 or fewer years of curling experience. This year’s Kayser event was held at the Rochester Curling Club with 28 teams from across the East Coast. We enjoyed watching some of their games online through 12th End Sports Network (TESN.US).

The next of the GNCC 5 & Under events is the Francis Dykes Memorial Bonspiel, being held February 26-March 2, 2014 at the Schenectady Curling Club, where Josh and Sam will join CCVa club members Travis Hamilton and Jonah Yearick to represent the Club! Good luck and good curling to our Team!

One of the great thing about curling is the curlers. From weekly league players to international competitors, curlers are a friendly group of people passionate about their sport. Olympians are no different, as you will read as some of our members share their memories of meeting Olympic curlers through the years.

Club member Kirsten Frese Collins shares, “For my birthday once, my boyfriend surprised me by enrolling us in a curling clinic taking place at his club. At first, I must admit, it was not the gift I had been expecting but little did I know how it would change my life. I had only curled for 9 months at the time, so I knew very little about the sport and even less about the many great curlers out there. Imagine my surprise as I was introduced to our instructors, 2002 Bronze Medalist curlers Georgina Wheatcroft and Julie Skinner! They were amazing as they spent two days working with us one on one on our curling skills while sharing their personal curling stories (who knew that Olympians were also regular league players, too, just like me?) 

“It was such an incredible experience that it not only inspired me to go out and buy curling shoes (just like Georgina’s), but to change my entire delivery (also like Georgina’s). Nine years later, I find myself still thinking back on many of the things we went over in class to help improve my curling game. And as if the clinic wasn’t gift enough, my boyfriend even managed to get us on the guest list for a special dinner with them! Before the weekend was over, not only did I have a greater understanding and appreciation for the game but I also got to take pictures with a real Olympic bronze medal!”

Listen to today’s interview on WRNL (Richmond) Sports Radio 910, as CCVa President Scott Walters talked with host Wes McElroy about getting a “handle” on the Olympic Sport of Curling! Hear the full 7-minute interview about the sport, the club and how to get out on the ice!