Curling Club Blog

HOLD THE DATE, MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

To assist with your planning ('cause our bonspiels are so AWESOME, and spots fill up quickly) here is this year's full bonspiel schedule.

Greetings HCC Members,

We thought we'd share with you the exciting news that work has begun on the new ice shed at the club!! 
More to follow as construction continues...

Greetings fellow curlers!

While curling may not be front of mind this time of year, recently our Club held its 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM).
2022/23 was a banner year and over the course of the meeting, multiple presenters shared a few of our many achievements along with a sneak peek at some of our plans for the coming years.  Here are some of the highlights that I believe you will find of interest:

Achievements:  After experiencing somewhat stagnant growth due to Covid, we experienced a very strong year in a number of key areas, including:

• Our membership has grown to 263 curlers
• Our Junior program had a bounce-back year with over 200 youths participating, highlighted by the Junior bonspiel, with 12 teams competing including 9 from out-of-town
• We held ten Bonspiels over the course of the season, with more than 400 participants
• We offered three Learn to Curl sessions,  with over 70 new curlers participating, many of whom subsequently joined one of our leagues
• All these great accomplishments resulted in our core revenue being up $53,000 or 38%
• Our capital fund balance at the end of the year was $233,000

Capital Expenditures: We continue to invest responsibly in projects that will improve our facility and ice:

• $500k in capital expenditures since 2019, including: including new HVAC in the ice shed & building; new roof; new lighting in ice shed;  lounge/bar makeover
• Additional $130k in capital investments this off-season, including a new ice technicians shed, Jet Ice filtration system,  new soffits & facia,  kitchen makeover & new dishwasher, masonry repair
• Our goal is to have a fully accessible facility within the next three seasons. This includes: fully renovated, accessible change-rooms and washrooms;  installation of an elevator with access to all three levels; new front entrance with automatic double doors; new portico covering the main entry; entire building exterior painted
• To help fund this final phase, we are launching an exciting new program called Access 125.  Watch for more details in the coming days

Membership Rates: Good news - there will be no change to Membership rates for the 2023/24 season. 

Volunteer Awards:  The following individuals were recipients of the 2022/23 Volunteer Recognition Awards:

• Volunteers of the Year: Val Kittner, Dennis Roland, Marilyn Kreutzer, Dale Heiydt, Sue Bionda, Martha Lapp, Larry Hope, Richard Tousignant
• Lifetime Achievement Award:  Nicole Dutkiewicz
• To read more about our recipients and their contributions, please click here

Board of Directors: The following were elected to your 2023/24 Board of Directors:
     Ron Kreutzer (President)
     Mary Ellen Hope (Secretary)
     Jim Woodworth (Treasurer)
     Bob Gibb (Operations)
     Nancy Houle (Membership)
     Richard Tousignant (Sponsorship)
     Doug McKnight (Communications)
     Phil Ross (Marketing and Rentals)
     Lynn Southcott  (Volunteers and Bar)
     Dave Rigby (Bonspiels)
     Lou D’Alessandro (Health & Safety)

As you can see, last season was a very successful year for our club and we have a lot of momentum behind us.  A sincere thanks to all of you who contributed to these outstanding results and I am looking forward to another great season.  If you are interested in reviewing the slide presentation presented at the meeting, click here.
As always, should you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Ron Kreutzer
HCC President
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The men's Sunlife Bonspiel was held at HCC on March 25 and was sponsored by Alan and Steve Paton from Sun Life Financial in Huntsville.
Twelve teams competed in two divisions: Senior (60+) and Open (any age). Teams played 3 x 6 end games which were followed by a delicious smoked prime rib dinner.

Congratulations to Senior Champions
Skipped by Paul Sanderson with Len Brautigam, Mike Schultz, John Francis.

Congratulations to Open Champions South River team
Skipped by Hal Busch with, Frank Hill, Phil Taylor, Dave Stubbs.

Thank you to our sponsor and all volunteers who made the event a tremendous success!!

See you next year!!

The women's Fiesta De Marzo Bonspiel sponsored by Muskoka Gourmet was an affair "mucho excelente" and featured great curling, fabulous Mexican food, beverages, as well as curlers looked magnificent in costumes that captured the overall Fiesta de Marzo theme.

Thank you to Derek Gravelle from Muskoka Gourment whose generous support included providing each curler with delicious samples of Muskoka Gourment products to take home, as well as a tasting table for the event.

Thank you to all our sponsors for their fantastic support of Fiesta de Marzo;
Dr. Tim Lapp, Sandhill Nursery, Matt and Steve's Ceasars, The Cutter's Edge, Meat the Butcher, Deerhurst Resort, Fibre- Ladies Clothing, Artisans of Muskoka, The Record Shoppe Huntsville, BeeBAGZ, Lake of Bays Brewery.

Congratulations to the first draw and overall event winner, Team Ogryzlo, and to the second draw winner, Team Houle.

Overall and First Draw Winners
L-R Cara-Dawn Gilchrist, Cathy Ogryzlo, Sarah-Jane Simpson, Shelly McLean

Second Draw Winners
L-R Christine Dziewurski, Margo McKnight, Elaine Rowlands, Nancy Houle

An event like this does not take place without the efforts of a great organizing team. Thank you to the organizing committee;

Nancy Houle, Marth Lapp, Kathleen Mair, Margo McKnight, Kerina Murray, Dawn Rigby, Lynn Southcott. 

Una Increíblemente Grande thank you to our volunteers who helped ensure the day ran smoothly;
Kitchen - Jennifer Cumming, Laurie Johnston, Scott Lasby, Kerina Murray, Joanne Osborne, Kim Scott
Drawmaster / Scorekeeper- Bob Gibb, Richard Burnett
Draw to the Button - John Murray
Bartenders -  John Kokonis, Cathy Ross, Richard Tousignant, 
Mary Ellen Hope - for her donation of a mucho bueno Margueritta Maker
Ice Makers - Rosey Adams, Lou D'Alessandro, Roy Sullivan 

Fiesta muy grande!!!  Gran momento lo pasamos todos!!

Congratulations to Team Trussler from Parry Sound! Winners of Team with the Best Costume!!!

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A fabulous time was had by all at the Levente Valentine's bonspiel.  Very big thanks are extended to our generous sponsor, Levante Roger's Cove and their retirement living consultant, Helen Thompson.

A heartfelt thank you to our volunteers;  Richard Burnett, Shelley Clouthier, Marielle Deurloo, Rachel De Sadeleer, Sue Hicks, Jonathan King, Marilyn Kreutzer, Martha Lapp, Ann Lasby, Scott Lasby, Mark Maslen, Shelly McLean, Kathy Ogryzlo, Mel Pegg, Jeff Verkley, Teresa Verkley,  Chris Zaludek, and Dave Zalude.

Levante First Draw, First place: Team Neil Hewitt

Levante First Draw Second Place:  Team Jocko Houle

Second Draw First place:  Team Scott Verkley

Second Draw, Second place: Team Chris Sabourin