Thank you to Tina Hinds and her crew and everyone who attended and dressed the part. Thank you Della for providing us with some great music, the dance floor was full all night and into the early morning hours, even though there was a “Dead skunk in the middle of the road”. Thank you to all you amazing Kareoke singers as well. It felt like 1970 something…..except Sunday hangovers aren’t what they used to be.
The club raised over $2,500 in profit which will go towards building a better bar, and the bar sales were over $3,000, the largest day this year.
Congratulations everyone for supporting your club, well done !!!!
Next event is the Novice Bonspiel on March 16, we still have room for more teams, please register online on the website.
Some of you may remember a junior curler from Abbotsford named Kim Bonneau. She started curling in our Abbotsford Junior program a few years ago and helped out on the ice crew as well as coaching the juniors. Kim now lives in Alberta and she will be competing in the 2023 Points Bet Invitational in Oakville Ontario this week. She is part of Team Marks and they are playing against Kaitlyn Laws Wednesday (today) at 11am, this event is televised on TSN, not sure if her game is.
I wanted to thank everyone for another fun and successful year at the curling club. Special thanks to Nic Hoffard and Kevin Kostuk for helping me with the ice so I could get away to Hedley and spend time with the family, to Darlene Mclaren for assisting me in the office, pro shop, bar and making sure everyone had paid there dues, Paula LeSage for looking after the Monday, Wednesday night leagues and the junior program, and of course Linda Wilmott for making sure the bar was well stocked and everyone was well served. I will be back in the fall but this time with Della helping out in the bar and office, etc. The ice is almost out now and I will be leaving in 2 weeks for our vacation to Nashville, Memphis and the Kentucky Derby, yeeehaaa.
GOLF TOURNAMENT SUNDAY MAY 7
The Golf Tournament is taking place on Sunday, May 7 at Fraserglen Golf Course. Tee times will start at 10am in a best ball / scramble format. Registration and payment is on line at the link: https://abbotsford.curling.io/en/competitions
55+ GAMES VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We are still in need of volunteers for the 55+ games curling events being held at the Abbotsford Curling Club from August 22 to 26. If anyone is interested please contact George Peary at: georgepeary@shaw.ca
ACADEMY OF CURLING SEPT. 15-17
Registration is filling up fast for the Academy of Curling we are hosting on September 15 to 17. There is limited space ( clinic #2 is now sold out ) so please register soon to assure your entry. This year’s clinic will be run as two 1.5 day clinics with both clinics covering the same material and skill set. There will be no banquet this year. Registration is online at the link: https://abbotsfordcurling.com/academy-of-curling-2023/
BOB FATKIN RAFFLE
Thank you all for supporting the raffle in memory of Bob Fatkin. The raffle sold out and raised $2,790 which was matched in donation by Bob’s generous wife Diane Fatkin for a total of $5,580 to support junior and novice curling. These funds will help both programs for many years to come.
That is all for now. Have a Great summer everyone.
The Abbotsford Curling Club hosted some Teachers & Teamsters for a Saturday morning Team Building exercise. Many of the teachers wore costumes but the drivers and non-teaching union members came dressed for work. It was a very successful event on and off the ice! We welcome other corporate groups for a similar session.
These handsome gentlemen (left to right) – George Peary, Jim Gordon, Charlie Lindsay, and Paul Pike represented the Abbotsford Curling Club at the Pacific Coast Men’s Curling Association 80+ Bonspiel on February 18 & 19 at the Mission Granite Curling Club.
The team did not finish in the money, but did win the Congeniality Competition. The men were good losers and the old geezers had fun!
George Peary, Jim Gordon, Charlie Lindsay, and Paul Pike at the PCMCA 80+ Men’s Curling Event
The club survey is still open and we would love to hear from as many curlers as possible, if you could take 5 minutes and complete the online survey would be very much appreciated. The link is below: https://abbotsfordcurling.com/2021-survey/
If anyone or team is looking to improve there curling skills be it your stick delivery, slide delivery and release or sweeping technique we have room and time on Wednesday nights from 6 to 7pm with certified coaches. Just email the office to book your lesson, the cost is only $10 per 1 hour session which also includes 1 complimentary beverage from the lounge.
It is with great pride and humility that I write this letter to you. Our club was very surprised and most pleased to be chosen as the training site for the Canadian Men’s Curling Team as they prepared to represent Canada at the winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022. There are many fine curling facilities in Western Canada so to be chosen was both a privilege and an honour. We truly appreciate the recognition.
In light of the rapidly spreading covid pandemic and in keeping with your wishes, we have tried to keep our interaction with the team to a bare minimum. However, we have appreciated the opportunities where our curling community has been able to watch some practices from the upstairs lounge. The limited interactions with the players, from afar, has formed a bond that will be remembered long after the Olympics. Our icemakers, Kent and Nic, have enjoyed their late evening/early morning interactions with the team, especially Nic’s birthday which will be a memorable one for him. While it has been a largely unheralded event in our community in general, it has been a much-needed positive experience for our curling community in particular.
I trust that Abbotsford has been able to provide a positive training experience for the team. I hope that the community has made you feel welcome and at home. I assume that our little curling club has made you feel comfortable and has been able to meet your needs. We have always been very proud of the quality of our ice. I hope you had a great surface on which to practice your craft and hone your skills.
Like all Canadians we will be following Olympic curling with great interest during the month of February. This year there will be a little extra tug of the heart strings when we see Team Canada take to the ice.
Please accept these club pins as a token of our appreciation. On behalf of the members of the Abbotsford Curling Club and the Board of Directors, I wish you the Best of Luck.
