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EAST YORK CURLING CLUB'S ROCK TALK
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President's Message
I was recently on the EYCC website checking the standings for my Thursday Men and Friday
Mixed teams, and noticed just how close the standings were. My men’s team is in a dogfight for
the President’s Trophy with Team Holt, separated by just a few points, and the top spot for
Friday Mixed is still wide open with a number of teams in contention.
Looking across the other nights, I see tight battles for the President’s Trophies as well. It’s nice
to see such great competition happening across the various leagues. Good luck to all teams in
your playoff push. The good news: unlike the Toronto Maple Leafs, you will all make the
playoffs!
In January, the Mixed Committee hosted the annual Soap Spiel, one of the most popular
bonspiels on our calendar. The event is unique in that each player signs up individually for a
position and teams are randomly assigned for each of the three games. Therefore, a teammate
for one game may become an enemy for the next! Curlers also get a chance to sign up for a
position they would normally not play, often with leads moving up to second, seconds to third,
and thirds to skip. Many members brought out their non-curling friends to play lead, some of
whom were throwing their first rock ever. I met many new members that day and I could see
new friendships forming. Thanks to Laura Champion and her volunteers for a fantastic job. If you
missed the event this year, make sure you sign up early next year. It always sells out!
EYCC is increasing our presence on social media. Find us at
http://www.facebook.com/eastyorkcurling and ‘like’ our page.
Lastly, CP24’s breakfast show is coming to EYCC on Friday February 27th at 7 am. Come on out
and support your club. You might even be on TV! Sign up sheets are located on the bookshelf by
the entrance.
Jason Chang
President
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East York Little Rocks
The Chad Chandler
Back in November 2014, several of our East
York Little Rocks curlers visited the Toronto
Cricket, Skating and Curling Club for an
"interclub" exchange. On Sunday, February
8th, we returned the favour! East York
hosted five Little Rocks curlers from
Toronto Cricket at our weekly practice. They
played with and against curlers from our
own Little Rocks program. And one team
even scored an 8-ender!
This year The Chad Chandler Cup, our skins
bonspiel, will be held on Sat Apr 18 and Sun
Apr 19. With three games on Sat and two
games on Sun. guaranteed, this is an
excellent opportunity to experience the
skins format of curling. Supper on Sat. and
breakfast on Sun. is included in the
bonspiel. The bonspiel is open format and
teams can be comprised of any four curlers
in any sequence. The sign up sheet is on
the bulletin board in the lounge.
Afterwards, everyone came off the ice and
had fries! Thanks to Alex, Declan, Aaron,
McKenna, Kobi and their parents/guardians
for making the trip in less-than-ideal driving
conditions. We always look forward to
seeing our friends at Cricket and are looking
forward to doing the interclub exchange
again next season!
Soap Spiel
On Saturday January 24th 96 curlers
braved the cold to participate in the
annual Soap Spiel. With a theme of
Mystery Madness the day was filled
with puzzles, surprises and of course
some great curling.
Teams from East York will be representing
our club at the Leaside (Feb 21) and Tam
Heather (Mar 7) Bonspiels. Good luck to
those curlers, especially Claire, Colin and
Charlie who are scheduled to play in their
first-ever bonspiels.
The Spiel is a three 6-end game spiel
including a light breakfast, lunch and
dinner as well as games and merriment
along the way. It is an individual entry
tournament which allows for people to
play in one position all day but with
different people on different sheets
each time.
Regular practices will run from February
22nd to March 29th (Closing Day). On
Sunday, March 8th, we are organizing an inhouse "Mini-Brier" Bonspiel for all the Little
Rocks curlers. There will be games, prizes
and food!
This year’s off ice festivities included a
round robin of $100,000 pyramid which
ended up being very heated as the
rounds progressed. But as always, the
competition on the ice was far more
heated with everyone vying for one of
the top 9 prize baskets in their position
while trying to avoid the dreaded toilet
brushes that were awarded to the last
place individual for each position.
If you have any questions or would like to
learn more about our program, send an email to littlerocks@eastyorkcurling.ca
Cheers,
Coach Glenn Gabriel
Special thanks to Brittany and Carolyn in
the office, Mike in the kitchen and the
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whole ice maintenance team for making
the day flow so well.
The bonspiel was a rousing success and
we all look forward to next year- be sure
to sign up early!
Club Coaches Training
As part of the 2015 Pan Am Games, the
City of Toronto is looking to train
coaches of all sports. This includes
curling!
Playing games between the draws
On February 28 and March 1st from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Scarboro Golf &
Country Club will host an "NCCP Club
Coach" Workshop. This workshop is free
for Toronto residents 16 years and
older. Sign up as soon as you can. The
bar
code
is:
2682062.
Course description: An NCCP workshop
designed to enhance the skill set of the
coach or instructor who functions
primarily at the club level and gives
instruction to new curlers or teams. The
Club Coach will become competent in
training curlers from youth (10 years
old) to seniors (50+ years), with skill
levels of beginner to intermediate.
Participants will learn how to plan and
design a practice/clinic, make ethical
decisions and teach correct curling skills.
Skill analysis and safety and program
management will also be covered. This
workshop does not lead to certification.
http://www.coachesontario.ca/letsgetc
oaching/
The Prizes
The Raffle Table
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the final, and will bring an experienced
team with him to Calgary, with vice-skip
Brent Laing (throwing second rocks), second
Marc Kennedy (throwing third rocks) and
lead Ben Hebert all former Brier and world
champions.
But the two Alberta squads will hardly
corner the market on experience at the Tim
Hortons Brier.
Field now Complete for 2015 Tim
Hortons Brier
All 14 teams that will travel to Calgary for
the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier, presented by
SecurTek Monitoring Solutions, have now
been determined.
Brad Jacobs, the reigning Olympic goldmedallist, will look to capture his second
Tim Hortons Brier title after winning the
Northern Ontario championship on Sunday,
beating two-time world champ Al Hackner
in the final. The Jacobs lineup includes third
Ryan Fry, second E.J. Harnden and lead
Ryan Harnden.
The field was finalized on Feb. 10, 2015 with
the completion of the Prince Edward Island
championship, which followed a crosscountry bonanza of provincial/territorial
finals on Feb. 8, 2015 to decided the teams
that will take to the ice at the Scotiabank
Saddledome to decide the Canadian Men’s
Curling Championship.
Meanwhile, 2006 Olympic champion Brad
Gushue captured his 12th
Newfoundland/Labrador title on Saturday in
Labrador city, and will bring Mark Nichols (a
bronze-medallist playing with Manitoba’s
Jeff Stoughton in 2014), second Brett
Gallant and lead Geoff Walker with him to
Calgary.
And the game that should already be
leaping out at everyone will take place on
Tuesday night, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. (all
times Mountain) when the first Battle of
Alberta in Tim Hortons Brier history takes
place, featuring two teams that not only
hail from the same city — the host city of
Calgary — but also the same club, the
Glencoe Club.
Former Brier champ (2006) Jean-Michel
Ménard earned his eighth Purple Heart out
of Quebec and will be backed up by the
same team he had in Kamloops last year —
third Martin Crête, second Éric Sylvain and
lead Philippe Ménard.
And adding to the intrigue is that newly
crowned Alberta champion Kevin Koe will
be playing three-quarters of the team that
he skipped to victory at the 2014 Tim
Hortons Brier in Kamloops, B.C. Koe formed
a new team in the off-season, while his
former third Pat Simmons, second Carter
Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen, recruited
John Morris to skip them as the first Team
Canada entry in Tim Hortons Brier history.
Last year’s Tim Hortons Brier runner-up Jim
Cotter (who had Morris calling the shots last
season) claimed his fifth British Columbia
championship on Sunday. Third Ryan Kuhn
is the newcomer to the team, joining
veteran front-enders Tyrel Griffith and Rick
Sawatsky.
Another veteran, Yellowknife’s Jamie Koe,
claimed his seventh straight Northwest
Territories title, and his ninth overall. His
team is rounded out by third Mark
Koe, meanwhile, won his fourth Alberta title
on Sunday in Wainwright, beating former
world junior champion Brendan Bottcher in
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Mathers and lead Scott Howard (Glenn’s
son). Ironically, his Pre-Trials team was
taken over by John Epping, whom he beat in
the Ontario final on Sunday.
Whitehead, second Brad Chorostkowski and
lead Robert Borden.
And Saskatchewan also will send a veteran
squad, as Steve Laycock defended his
provincial title and earned his fifth Brier
Purple Heart in the process. His team
includes third Kirk Muyres, second Colton
Flasch and lead Dallan Muyres.
Whitehorse's Bob Smallwood will make his
third trip to the Tim Hortons Brier, and his
first in Yukon colours, after winning the
NWT/Yukon title in 1994 and 1995. His
team includes third Wade Scoffin (who’s
played in two Briers), second Steve Fecteau
and lead Clint Ireland (who played in the
2008 Brier).
Meanwhile, there will be rookie skips
representing Manitoba, Ontario, Nova
Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New
Brunswick at the Tim Hortons Brier.
Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers, though, is only
a rookie at skipping at the Tim Hortons Brier
as he played second for Jeff Stoughton in
2011, winning gold at that year’s Tim
Horton Brier along with the Ford World
Men’s Championship in Regina, in addition
to playing for Team Stoughton at the 2013
(losing the final to Jacobs) and 2014 Briers.
His team — third Braeden Moskowy,
second Derek Samalgaski and lead Colin
Hodgson — knocked off Mike McEwen on
Sunday in the Manitoba final.
Glen MacLeod won his second Nova Scotia
title, and first as a skip, beating defending
champ Jamie Murphy in the final. MacLeod,
who calls the game and throws third rocks,
is backed up by last-rock thrower Peter
Burgess, second Colten Steele and lead
Robby McLean.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Mallais’ team from
Saint John (third Zach Eldridge, second Chris
Jeffrey, lead Jared Bezanson) are all firsttime New Brunswick champions, ending the
lengthy reign of James Grattan.
The Tim Hortons Brier will be preceded for
the first time by a a pre-qualifying round to
determine the final entry into the 12-team
main draw.
Team Canada is joined in the main draw by
the 10 teams with the best combined
records in the previous three Briers,
meaning Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island
and the Yukon will play off for the 12th and
final berth. Nunavut declined an
opportunity to participate.
Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and the Yukon will play a
single round-robin at the Scotiabank
Saddledome, with the teams with the two
best records advancing to the play-in game,
which will be contested Saturday, Feb. 28,
at 1:30 p.m. (all times Mountain),
concurrent with the opening draw of the
Tim Hortons Brier round-robin. Admission
to the pre-qualifying rounds is free.
Like Carruthers, newly crowned Prince
Edward Island champion Adam Casey also
has previous Brier experience, albeit none
as a skip. Casey threw second stones for
Gushue’s Newfoundland/Labrador team at
the past three Tim Hortons Briers. His team
is rounded out by third Josh Barry, second
Anson Carmody and lead Robbie Doherty.
The schedule for the pre-qualifying round:
Mark Kean, meanwhile, has experience
skipping at at the 2013 Road to the Roar
Pre-Trials, but with a different team than
the one he won the Ontario title with on
Sunday — third Mat Camm, second David
Thursday, Feb. 26
7 p.m. — P.E.I. vs. Yukon
Friday, Feb. 27
8 a.m. — Yukon vs. Nova Scotia
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dressed team there. Unfortunately, the
coin toss was the most exciting part of the
game. With the official present, my
opposing vice flipped the coin, I called
"tails", and lo, tails it was. The official
immediately turned to my opposition and
asked him which practice they'd like:
"Second", he stated firmly.
"Uh, wait one second", I interjected, "was
the toss not 'tails'?".
"It was..." The official said.
"I called 'tails'!" I said, baffled.
Here's where it got real: their skip came
out of nowhere, finger pointed right at my
face and screamed: "You called 'heads'!"
"No, I called 'tails', I've never called
'heads'", I said, stunned by the aggressive
accusation.
"I thought you called 'heads', too", the
official chimed in.
But then, in a moment of sportsmanship I'll
not soon forget, my opposing vice
sheepishly added: "He, uh, did call 'tails'".
Their skip fumed, the official conceded, and
after all that, we got second practice, won
hammer on the draw to the button, and
won the game in six ends.
3:30 p.m. — Nova Scotia vs. P.E.I.
Saturday, Feb. 28
1:30 p.m. — Pre-qualifying final
TSN/RDS2, the official broadcast partner of
the CCA’s Season of Champions, will provide
complete coverage of the Tim Hortons
Brier, leading to the gold-medal game on
March 8 at 5 p.m.
The winner of the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier
will represent Canada at the Ford World
Men’s Championship, March 28-April 5 in
Halifax, in addition to qualifying for the
2015 Home Hardware Canada Cup in
Grande Prairie, Alta., the 2016 World
Financial Group Continental Cup in Las
Vegas and the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier in
Ottawa.
Snack Bar Confidential: Chef at
Large, curling
After having only played six games this
season, I wound up playing in the FairfieldMarriot Challenge provincial championship
in Trenton and Brighton.
Our third game quarter final was by far our
best game, with great shots being made by
both sides. We remained in control the
whole game, right down to being up two
with the hammer in the eighth end. Then
we jammed a couple of peels and got
ourselves in trouble. I managed to clear up
one side of the ice with a peel on my last
shot, but after a good make by their skip
and a miss by mine, they had the chance to
hit and roll and lie three to threaten for the
win. Their skip came up short on the roll,
leaving my skip a wide open hit for the
win. What happened next is impossible to
describe with any justice: on release, my
skipped "popped" his out-turn, in a straight
spot, sending the rock just outside the
desired trajectory. Most of the way down
the ice, the rock looked like it might curl up
and make the shot, as called. The house
My skip, former vice, and brother-in-law is a
decorated competitive curler, so I figured
we had a pretty good shot at bringing home
a black banner. Our first game would
suggest otherwise. We squandered
chances, blew line calls, made sweeping
errors, and just in general curled
poorly. However, after an extremely wellplayed seventh end (and a fantastic port
shot by my skip) we tied the game with our
first deuce. In the eighth, they made
everything, I had a big miss on my second
rock (effectively splitting off our last
remaining center guard), and their skip had
a wide-open draw with backing for the
win. He didn't even hit the house.
We played a team "from the Sunday
league" at the Royals in our second
game. They were definitely the best6
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was cluttered, and the rock we were aiming
at was on the tee line, in the four-foot. It
now looked like we were going to miss that
rock altogether and lose the game by
one. My skip started screaming for
sweeping three-quarters of the way down
the ice; pulling the rock in motion, ever so
slightly, back to kiss a rock in the top of the
eight-foot. The slight redirection led to a
nose hit on shot rock, and our third win of
the tournament.
Tim Horton's Trophy Zone Winners:
Julie Conway
Alexandra Beamish
Jenn Clark
Michelle Nelles
Good luck at Regionals!
Every once in awhile, I have something
that comes across my desk that makes
me chuckle. I have decided that these
laughs should be shared with the
members. If you come across
something that brings a smile to your
face, and is curling related, please
forward it to me at
rocktalk@eastyorkcurling.ca. Let's
share the smiles. Submission deadline
is the 12th of each month.
Our semi-final was horrible. We never quite
took advantage of the opposition's
mistakes, and never quite got any
momentum in our favour. A pick drawing
against two in the fifth end pretty much
sealed our fate. It was 5-1 against, and our
team morale fell to an all time low. We
hung in the game until getting run out of
rocks in the eighth, but it wasn't meant to
be.
Corina Mark - Editor
All in all, it was a great event and I loved
every minute of it.
Chef Mike
Congratulations:
TCA Goldline Open Division Runner Up
Winners:
Doug Holt
Mark Kreger
Santino Ardizzi
Eric Davidson
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EAST YORK CURLING CLUB
presents the 10th annual
CHAD CHANDLER CUP
Skins Format
$1200 Championship Game
Sat Apr 18 & Sun Apr 19 5 games guaranteed
$4400 in cash skins (based on two full draws)
Any combination of four curlers
$260 TEAM ENTRY
Includes soup and sandwich bar 4pm-8pm on Sat
Breakfast 10am-2pm on Sun
Pizza during awards ceremony
First 24 paid entries will be accepted. Cheques to be made out to East York Curling Club and
may be post dated to Mar 1 2015.
East York Curling Club 901 Cosburn Ave. Toronto, Ont. M4C 2W7
No refunds will be issued after Apr 1 2015
Name___________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________
Phone#___________________________ E-Mail________________________________
Preferred Draw 8:30AM__________________10:30AM______________________________
Contact: Gord Shepherd 905-898-3314 shep1@rogers.com
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