This site is sponsored by AJ's Catering
Welcome to the
Metcalfe Curling Club
Annual General Meeting October 9th, 2008.
Curling season starts October 27th, 2008!
New this year - you can register via
email.
Check the club calendar for
upcoming events and spiels.
Mushroom Spiel - January
7-11, 2009
17th Annual Newfie
Spiel - February 7, 2009
We are a mixed club of approximately 200 members run on a voluntary "share the work" format. We offer three sheets of ice, seven days a week with bar and kitchen facilities.
The following curling programmes are offered this season.
New and Returning Curlers Clinic
(November 1st)
For anyone just starting out or
needing
a bit of a refresher our first Saturday is devoted to a free clinic
hosted by Bill and Martha Robertson with the help of several qualified
members. It's a great way to introduce new curlers to the sport
and
refresh the memories of those still finding their ice legs.
Starting
with registration at 8:30 clinic runs through to 3:00 with a break for
a light lunch provided by the club. Signup sheet will be in the club
during the first week of curling. Even better, you can register via email to give more notice
for food quantities.
Monday and Tuesday Evenings
These are the evenings for our Fixed
League. It is competitive curling amongst fixed (the same members
throughout the season) teams playing towards the club championship in
April. Our "fixed" line-up includes teams of all men, all women,
and
some mixed. The number of teams will determine the number of
six-team
divisions. We normally have enough teams for four full divisions
and
we have had occasion to add a fifth division. Game start times
are
7:00 and 9:00 on both evenings.
Wednesday Ladies' Night
Teams are established from amongst
those ladies interested in playing in each "draw". A "draw"
normally
consists of a period of five weeks during which the teams compete for a
trophy. New teams are then formed for the next draw.
Positions on the
teams are assigned based on seniority within the club.
Thursday Men's Night
Teams are established from amongst
those men interested in playing in each "draw". A "draw" normally
consists of a period of five weeks during which the teams compete for a
trophy. New teams are then formed for the next draw.
Positions on the
teams are assigned based on seniority within the club.
Friday Night Social
Essentially fun curling open to all
members. As with the Ladies' and Men's Night curling teams are
established from amongst those members interested in playing in each
"draw". Normally a team would consist of two men and two
women.
While this is frequently two couples the league does accommodate
members who are not part of a curling couple. As the games
consist of
6 ends (rather than 8) the game start times are 6:30, 8:00, and
9:30.
Due to the popularity some draws will include start times on Sunday
afternoon (usually 4:00).
Several times during the season our entertainment committee will choose a special theme for a Friday evening. These will be well publicized and are often attended by folks who aren't curling.
Saturday
Reserved for bonspiels, there is no
league curling. There is more about bonspiels later in this
document.
Sunday
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Little
Rocks for ages
7-12.
Curlers and parent volunteers are involved with teaching our future
curlers. The emphasis is on fun while learning the basics about
this
great sport. Curling starts November 2, 2008 (don't forget to change
your clocks). There are opportunities for bonspiels in other clubs
(will be posted on the OVCA youth
bonspiel page).
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Juniors for ages 12-19. This program, while continuing the fun of Little Rocks, is the next step as a competitive curler. Curling starts November 2, 2008 (don't forget to change your clocks). There are opportunities for bonspiels in other clubs (will be posted on the OVCA youth bonspiel page).
Club 55 - Monday and Thursday
Open to full members and members of
Club 55, this is daytime (9:00 a.m. start time) curling at its
finest.
Club 55 hosts several bonspiels throughout the year and will, from time
to time, arrange for a luncheon with its members. For more
information
please contact the Club 55 representative listed on our executive or
email registration_metcalfecc@ovca.
Now that you've decided to join our fun loving little community club what's next? As a community we think of our club as one "of the people, for the people, and by the people". In short, along with your membership comes a little responsibility to give something back to the club to help it function. We have no employees so most of the work is done by the members. There are two components to this:
1) Bar duty. At the beginning of each season the bar chairman assigns each of the Fixed Teams with a week of bar duty. The team divides up the week amongst themselves and take turns running the bar for an evening. Members not on a Fixed Team may be asked to help with a busy evening (usually Friday) or during a bonspiel. Written instructions and many experienced volunteers are available to help the "bar rookies".
2) Kitchen duty. Members are expected to help in the kitchen during at lest one bonspiel per year. At the beginning of the season there is a large poster listing all the bonspiels placed on the kitchen door. Volunteers add their name to the bonspiel of their choice. Working with an experienced kitchen convener the volunteers will help with setting up tables, preparing and serving food, and clearing and cleaning dishes. Your "tour of duty" includes the opportunity to have supper with your fellow volunteers.
Most of our new curlers have approached both of these "duties" with a little bit of apprehension and nervousness. Afterwards they almost always comment about how much fun they had, how many other members they met, and how the experience had helped them feel like a real part of the club. Many have gone on to become kitchen conveners themselves.
What else is involved with
being a member?
On the curling side you're expected
to
keep your skip informed if you can't make it to the club for your next
scheduled game. In those instances it's always helpful if you've
found
a spare to take your place. The various leagues keep a list of
spares
who you can call.
Twice a year (usually October and May) there is a general meeting of the members. This is your opportunity to participate in the club's democracy. Many issues such as membership dues, club finances, and the physical plant (the building, ice making equipment etc.) are discussed and decided upon at these meetings.
We also hold a year-end banquet in May. In addition to a fine meal and entertainment the evening is also a celebration of the curling season with various presentations and the awarding of the league trophies.
So, what about bonspiels?
Club bonspiels involve a full day of
curling with lunch available during the day and dinner afterwards
followed by presentation of the winners and the awarding of
prizes.
Dinner could be pot-luck or it could be something prepared by our
kitchen volunteers. You can usually enter these spiels as a team
or on
your own and the minimal cost is used to provide prizes at the end of
the day. The number of ends per game varies by bonspiel and the
number
of teams entered but each team is guaranteed at least two games.
With regard to pot-luck dinners, there is some coordination so the participants will know whether they should bring a salad, an entree, or a dessert.
Inter-club bonspiels have
developed over the years into many friendly rivalries. Here are
some examples:
The Broder Cup (Ladies) and the
Merkley
Trophy (Men) are competitive events held in January and February
respectively. Entry is usually by team and the four competing
clubs,
Metcalfe, Morrisburg, Russell and Winchester, take turns as the host
club.
The Gamble Bonspiel is a friendly competition between Metcalfe, Morrisburg, Russell, and Winchester who take turns hosting each November. Watch for the sign-up sheet posted in the club early in the season.
The Metcalfe-Russell is a very popular mixed competition with each team playing a game at each of the two clubs. Two teams from each club then play each other in the finals at the host club which alternates each year.
Our newest friendly rivalry is with the North Grenville Curling Club in Kemptville. The two clubs alternate hosting this event which is followed by a pot-luck supper. It has been a very successful event which has seen a number of friendships develop since it's inception in 2006.
Invitational Bonspiels are the Mushroom Spiel and the Ladies Invitational which we host each year.
The club is also open to rentals throughout the year based on availability. At the beginning of each curling season we post a calendar of events which also includes the non-curling events with which we're involved. Rental rates are available on the website.
