The minutes and reports from the AGM held on May 16th are attached below.
Feel free to follow up with the Club President or club manager with any questions you might have.
Annual General Meeting Minutes Cornwall Curling Club May 16, 2024
The club would like to extend our condolences to the family of club member Joseph (Gie) Rogers who passed away on Wednesday.
His obituary:
Wednesday, May 15th, 2024, in Queen Elizabeth Hospital ICU, surrounded by his family, Gie sailed into his next adventure.
Gie was raised, and attended school, in Richmond Hill, ON. He played tenor sax in the school band and was a keen athlete, participating in intermural football as well as track and field. A severe knee injury during a game led to less strenuous pursuits.
Graduating from Langstaff Secondary school in 1973, as an Ontario Scholar, he pursued computer engineering and was a graduate of the first class of System Design Engineering at University of Waterloo in 1979.
He spent his early career creating systems at Stelco in Hamilton. Always curious, and learning, he also earned his MBA from McMaster University during those years. After retiring from Stelco, he worked in the robotics field and later went on to run his own consulting firm in Hamilton. In 2013, he accepted a position with CGI in Charlottetown, PEI where he worked until his retirement in 2019.
During his time in Hamilton, he was an avid sailor and camper with family and a group of lifelong friends. He started curling with his wife, Nancy, in 2010, and after the move to Prince Edward Island became very involved with the PEI Special Olympics program.
He had a deep love, and extensive collection, of music, especially jazz. Winter Jazz events at The Pour House were some of his favourite occasions. He was an avid home cook, and his Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham and split pea soup will be sorely missed by his family.
He was predeceased by his parents, Joseph Rees Rogers and Margaret Alice Hurlburt, and is survived by his wife and partner of 15 years, Nancy MacPhee; sons, Meyer Rees Rogers, Toronto, Ethan Lewis Rogers (Sydney Shilling), Toronto; sister, Marg Rogers, Spokane WA; nephews Rob Downing, Spokane, WA and Chris Downing , Seattle, WA; many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins in the extended Hurlburt, White, Ger, MacPhee, Bushell, Doane, Boodoosingh families.
The family would like to express sincere thanks for the incredibly kind and compassionate care Gie received at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Intensive Care Unit #1.
A celebration of life to be held at a later date. Memorial donations suggested to PEI Special Olympics, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, or the charity of your choice.
The following proposed bylaw changes have been put forth by the Board of Directors for the upcoming Annual General Meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 16th at 6:30PM.
If you have questions or comments feel free to reach out to the club President or club manager.
Dear Members,
As you may be aware, Charlottetown is set to host the Grand Slam of Curling, 2024 Hearing Life Tour Challenge from October 1-6, 2024, at the Bell Aliant Centre. This is the first Grand Slam event of the season and will feature 64 of the top curling teams from Canada and around the world. Certainly, an exciting event for Charlottetown and our Province!
The Board of the Cornwall Curling Club has been made aware that teams participating in the event often seek out local Clubs to book practice sessions before and during the tournament. As a result of our close proximity to the event venue and player accommodations, the Board has been contemplating whether to open earlier in the season to make our Club available to teams playing in the event.
Naturally, the Board views this as a unique opportunity host top level, National and International curling teams at our facility. I would like to confirm, we are not required to provide ice time for the event, nor would we receive any financial support to do this. We would be doing this to join in the excitement that an event of this magnitude brings to the curling community.
Opening several weeks prior to our normal schedule would be a substantial cost to our Club and would not be fiscally responsible without additional support through sponsorship, fundraising and planning.
As a result, the Board has decided to reach out asking members to identify themselves if they are interested in joining a Committee to explore this opportunity, weigh the pros and cons, and make a determination whether or not to have our facility ready to support the Grand Slam event.
If you are interested in participating in the Committee, please reach out to Kim Nickerson at nickersonk.l@hotmail.com by April 26, 2024.
I will update you on the response to this request after the deadline. Thank you.
Kim Nickerson,
Club President
By Bill McGuire
Public Relations Chair
Cornwall Curling Club
(with files from the Canadian Press, CBC, GSOC)
Prince Edward Island curling fans can breathe easier.
Seismic changes might be coming to the Grand Slam of Curling, and to the sport itself, but the tour’s opening stop this fall on PEI will go ahead as planned.
The Curling Group, a new sports business venture group backed by elite international curlers including Jennifer Jones and John Morris, is looking to invest in growing the sport.
The Curling Group members, left to right, John Morris, Mike Cotton, Nic Sulsky, and Jennifer Jones. (Photo by Anil Mungal/GSOC)
TCG announced an agreement with Rogers Sportsnet on Tuesday, April 9 to acquire the series from the host tv broadcaster following the conclusion of the Princess Auto Players’ Championship, the final stop on the GSOC tour this season.
The 2024-2025 Grand Slam of Curling season will proceed as planned, with five events featuring the top men’s and women’s teams from around the world.
The Bell Aliant Centre on the campus of the University of Prince Edward Island, plays host to the opening stop on the 2024-2025 season with the Hearing Life Tour Challenge, Oct. 1-6. It is the largest stop on tour with 64 teams in two tiers coming to the Island.
Tier 1 features the top 16 women’s and top 16 men’s teams in the world, while Tier 2 will feature teams ranked 17-32 in both divisions. Tier 1 will compete at the 1,200 seat MacLauchlan Arena while Tier 2 will play in the smaller adjacent arena.
Hundreds of week-long passes have already been sold for the Hearing Life, and playoff weekend passes went on sale April 14. The event was widely publicized by Sportsnet during the Players Championship.
Robbie Doherty of Charlottetown, is working with Sportsnet in promotions and as an announcer, and says the sale offers exciting possibilities. “The Curling Group has massive plans.”
More than 250 elite curlers on the Hearing Life teams are expected to arrive in the province the last week of September. Visiting teams are booked into hotels along Capital Drive.
Jones, who retired from four-person team play after the Players’ Championship, is involved with The Curling Group as a strategic advisor. She, and teammate Lauren Lenentine, a graduate of the Cornwall Curling Club, were in Charlottetown for a press conference February 29 to announce the GSOC tour stop coming to PEI, just days after losing the national Scotties final to Rachel Homan.
Jones is still expected to compete in mixed doubles events with her husband Brent Laing.
Nic Sulsky, CEO of The Curling Group, believes the potential for the Tour and curling is limitless. “It’s got a legacy, it’s got a tradition, it’s got a history that you can’t replicate,” Sulsky said of the series during press interviews following the announcement April 9.
“The opportunity to bring the Grand Slam of Curling to the next level, the opportunity to revitalize and bring some elements of re-branding into it, the opportunity to inject a new level of energy — not only into the events themselves but, call it, the ‘shoulder content’ that surrounds all the events — was an opportunity and is an opportunity that myself and my partners are not taking lightly.
“At the end of the day, being able to build the next stage into the evolution of the sport of curling, using the history and the tradition of the Grand Slams is something that you can’t just put a dollar amount on.”
Sulsky is no stranger to the sport, having been involved with curling as Chief Commercial Officer of PointsBet Canada, which sponsored Brendan Bottcher’s and Kerri Einarson’s teams, and is an exclusive partner with Curling Canada. The online sportsbook has also served the title sponsor of the PointsBet Invitational winner-take-all bracket tournament.
Taking the sport to the next level is something Sulsky says he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about for a number of years. He began conversations with Sportsnet last summer about acquiring the Grand Slam of Curling. The company’s VP of Production, Rob Corte, said Sportsnet wasn’t looking to sell the series, “but the more we talked, the more it made sense.”
“It kind of happened relatively quickly, and it’s a situation where the deal is great for both sides,” said Corte. “From a Sportsnet perspective, we still retain the exclusive Canadian broadcast rights long-term, and that was extremely important for us. On Nic’s side, his incredible vision for what this world could be for the Grand Slam of Curling got us totally psyched and we quickly made this thing happen.”
The ownership group for the new venture also includes sports, media and entertainment industry veteran Mike Cotton, and former NFL defensive end Jared Allen.
Sulsky has been good friends with Cotton for many years and got to know Morris when PointsBet sponsored Kevin Koe’s team in 2022. After Morris retired from men’s curling, Sulsky reached out to see if he was interested in continuing their business partnership.
“It’s hard not to like and love John Morris,” Sulsky said. “I’ve gotten the great privilege of walking into lots of sporting events and things like that with athletes, with other celebrities, but I’ve never experienced anything in my life that can compare to walking into a curling venue or a curling event with John Morris. It’s like walking into a concert with one of the Beatles. It’s really quite incredible.”
Sulsky says Allen was one of his favourite NFL players, and the wheels started turning when he found out the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection was now competing on the curling tour and looking to make the U.S. Olympic team. “I loved his personality and got introduced to Jared,” Sulsky said.
Getting Jones on board was integral, said Sulsky. “Being able to work with and pick the brain of one of the most legendary curlers in the sport not only allows us an insight that, candidly, I don’t have and hopefully provides a level of integrity and trust in us not only for the curlers but for the curling community that we are doing this for the right reasons,” Sulsky said.
“The growth of women’s curling has been incredible and, let’s face it, the growth of women’s sports now all over the world has been one of the hottest topics in the sports industry, and I don’t think there’s anything different there with the sport of curling.”
Sportsnet has owned and operated the Grand Slam of Curling since 2012. Over the years, the series expanded to include men’s and women’s tournaments at all of its events and increased the total purse to allow it to be equally split between both divisions, something Corte says he’s most proud of under his watch, alongside the series relationship with its athletes.
“The curlers have been first and foremost in every decision we’ve made,” Corte said. “They’ve always been involved because the goal for us was to grow the sport and to grow the Grand Slam of Curling. That’s one thing that we’re excited about with what The Curling Group has put together. They have a really strong advisory group. By having the world’s best curlers leading the way, there’s no way this can fail.”
Sulsky is keen to support the continued growth of women’s curling, citing Homan’s unprecedented season winning Canadian and world championships, two Grand Slams and sporting an unbelievable record.
“I can’t remember a curling team having the type of year she’s been having — and not only her but Emma [Miskew], Sarah [Wilkes] and Tracy [Fleury],” he said. “The year they’re having is incredible and it should be celebrated.”
Corte admitted holding an international tournament is one of the things he wishes he could have achieved, especially since the series was set to stage an event in Las Vegas in January 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to those plans, but he’s hoping it’s something The Curling Group will pursue.
“We were starting to gain momentum. The Grand Slam of Curling this year is having a fantastic year,” Corte said. “Our audience numbers are up significantly. For example, the 18-34 demographic is up 44 per cent on broadcast. The total audiences are up 16 per cent versus last year. Our momentum is there, but cracking the international market is something that has been challenging and it’s something I will look back on as a little bit disappointing because we were so close but, unfortunately, COVID just kind of stalled it. I’m very confident with The Curling Group and Nic’s leadership that that’s going to be accomplished.”
Since 2012, Sportsnet has been the owner and operator of the Slams. Upward of $2 million in prize money has been up for grabs each season, with pay equity has been at the heart of the tour events since its early days. Its also been a place where new rules have taken form, including the five-rock free guard zone as well as a no-tick rule.
Although Sulsky isn’t willing to publicly divulge the specifics of any changes he hopes to implement until he’s had a chance to first discuss them with the curlers, it appears he’s aiming to make a monumental impact on the sport. Sulsky believes traditionalism has stunted the evolution of curling and admitted some of the changes he has in mind may ruffle the feathers of some long-time fans.
“The question that a lot of those more historic curling fans are going to need to ask themselves is whether they want to see the sport they love jump onto a truly global, exciting stage alongside some of the other incredible sports that are evolving, growing, embracing all of the new technologies and innovations that have been developed over the last decade,” Sulsky said.
“Because that is exactly what we’re going to do. We’re doing this from a place of love for the sport of curling, but also from a place and a need to grow the sport — not only for the business part of the sport but for the curlers themselves.”
Sulsky also plans to hold court with other stakeholders, such as national and international governing bodies, to get them to recognize his goals.
“A rising tide lifts all boats. … The reality is we are planning on injecting money, energy and vision into this incredible sport. It’s going take years and years to get to the place I think this sport can get to and I am very excited to partner and collaborate with all of the international organizations, brands, sponsors, curlers and fans from all over the world to help us achieve that goal.”
Jones said, ”We want the growth of the game to be so successful. I think the curlers are going to embrace this and be very excited about the opportunities. Our sport has so much potential and it’s just so exciting to be a part of this and hopefully we can have a great impact.”
Sulsky said the athlete’s voice is going to be a critical piece in how they shape the Slams moving forward, that’s why curling legends like Morris and Jones have been brought in from the beginning.
“We need to provide a platform for curlers to take their position alongside the rest of the international sporting elite because they belong there. They are an incredible, engaging, fun, funny group of folks. It’s about time the spotlight shines on them,” Sulsky said.
“We are going to blow up the roaring game all around the world, and I could not be more excited to start on this journey alongside literally the two biggest legends that the sport has ever had.”
Morris said for as much change will be coming in the future, it’ll be important to also stay true to many of the traditional aspects of the sport that draws fans to the game.
“It’s not like we’re going to do a complete facelift on the Grand Slams because they’ve been a really big tradition and part of this game for many curlers around the world as a platform to get better, develop their skills and become the best in the world,” Morris said.
Several of our club members at at the national Canadian Stick Curling Championships – follow their scores online!
They have remaining games today at 11:30am and 5:00pm
Good luck ladies!
The Curl PEI Board of Directors are excited to announce nominations for the Curl PEI ADL Awards are now open. Curl PEI believes it is important to acknowledge the accomplishments of those people within our organization who contribute, excel and promote the sport of curling. These awards are intended to celebrate individuals, teams and volunteers for their outstanding contributions at all levels of our sport, club level and grassroots initiatives, all the way up to our highest performing athletes.
Nominate an outstanding and deserving candidate – or more – for one of eight awards!
Click here for details on each award and nomination process.
Nominations will be accepted until May 1, 2024.
Awards will be presented at Curl PEI ADL Awards Celebration (date to follow).
For more information please contact Amy Duncan at amy.duncan@peicurling.com or 902-368-4208.
What do you get when you take a rink of ice and add some golf balls, curling brooms, Gatorade bottles, sleds, hockey pucks and a bunch of curlers?
Chaos!
But fun chaos!!
Sunday afternoon we ate copious amounts of pizza, handed out door prizes (including a signed Rachel Homan jersey), played some crazy games, and – as is tradition – shredded the ice with a skate party for our youth curlers.
Fortunately, some of the fun was caught on tape:
It was a very successful season for the Wednesday Evening Ladder League, with 18 teams taking part, great attendance, and no nights missed due to weather or other factors, With only four nights left in the season following Round Two (including during March break), attendance continued to be great in the last 4-week “mini round”. The winners in the four-week round are difficult to determine as we had some teams with byes and some without, and not all teams playing all others.
In the “A” pool, we will declare the Greg Groves team the winners, with the Paul Neima foursome coming second. Team Groves went undefeated with three wins and a bye, while Team Neima had three wins and a loss (no bye), but both teams went up against Team Mark MacDonald, with Team Groves beating them while Team Neima lost to them. As well, Team Groves beat Team Milligan, who won the pool the first two rounds,
Team Groves includes skip Greg Groves, third Donald Weeks, second Allan Stefanik, and lead Marjorie Matthews, while members of the Neima foursome are skip Paul Neima, third Alan Mason, second Jeff Hannam, and lead Randy Goodman.
In the “B” Pool, the Cody Whynot squad won all four of their games, so we’ll award them first place. The Legion of Broom rink, skipped by Josh McInnis and showing 3 wins, may also have won all four, but neither they nor their opponents marked the scoreboard in their last game. The Kolin Beaton and Kelly Watts rinks are also showing only one loss, both to Whynot. Beaton did not play Watts. The Whynot team includes skip Cody Whynot, along with Shauna McGill, Chris Creighton, and Sarah Doak.
I’d like to thank everyone who participated this year, and hope to see everyone back in the fall for another edition of the Wednesday Evening Ladder League!
During the 6th end of the last draw the end result was still up in the air – but the Red team got some key points to secure the victory in the 2024 Red & Blue Closing Spiel.
It was a great weekend and we’d like to thank all the volunteers who helped make it a success as well as the curlers who played with both a hearty competitive spirit as well as fun attitudes!
Blue’s winning streak comes to an end and as the blue rock handles are retired we look forward to many more years of friendly competition in the rebranded Red & Yellow!
The prizes for this season’s event are: (note: we’ll do team pictures on Friday next year!)
First Place: Red Team 3 (Eugene Murphy, Garth Nicholson, Katelyn Burgoyne, Gail Campbell, and Jessie MacPhail)
Second Place: Red Team 4 (Kimball Blanchard, Bernie Field, Italo Marzari, and Brenda Morrison)
Third Place: Blue Team 11 (Brent Irving, John Clark, Richard MacEwen, and Travis Jones)
Fourth Place: Red Team 6 (Bryan Sutherland, Chris Creighton, Anne Boswall, Mike Wilson, and Garth Cudmore)
Fifth Place: Red Team 8 (Gordon Matthews, Jenine Bodner, Tom O’Rourke, and Katelyn Browne)
Spirit Award: Red Team 11 (Hans Wicki, Gerald Dykerman, Angela Sanderson, and Rick Sutherland)
Travis will be in the office next week so those team members can arrange to pick up their prizes then if you weren’t here at the end of the event.
Have a great summer!
The Friday 50/50 was $175 and the winning ticket was 994142
Bring your ticket to the bar and receive your winnings!
It was a back and forth battle this evening with Red team gaining 10,000 points in Draw 2, only to see Blue team come back in Draw 3 to gain back 14,000.
After Friday’s curling the Red team still holds a 21,000 point lead – but don’t forget the end values increase tomorrow in both rounds!
Team Donald Weeks scored an impressive 117 points in the final round of the Thursday Mixed League to take the round by 19.5 points over Team McGuigan. Congrats!
Gail Campbell, Alan Craswell, Angela Sanderson, and Donald Weeks
Blue outscored Red in three out of four games in Draw 1 but Red still came out with a surplus – pushing their lead to 25,000.
The final pre-weekend Red & Blue event took this place this afternoon at the club with members of our junior curling teams facing off.
It was a close game – with 9,000 points on the line in a tie-breaker draw to the T-LINE at the end.
But Red’s good fortunes so far this year continued with them edging out the tie-breaker to take a 13,000 to 2,000 win.
That pushes Red’s lead to 17,000 (97,000 to 80,000)- though the Junior event tie-breaker shows points can swing very quickly.
It’ll be an exciting weekend to see if Red can hold off Blue or Blue can make a comeback to secure the three-peat.
The stick curlers held their annual Red & Blue event today and Blue team outscored the Red team 69,000 to 63,000.
Blue’s win in the stick event helps cut into the Red lead, but a lead for Red it remains with Red now holding a 6,000 point lead – with 84,000 points to Blue’s 78,000.
Next up is the Junior Teams event this afternoon!
The Annual General Meeting of the Cornwall Curling Club will be held in the Club on Thursday, May 16th at 6:30PM.
Just a reminder that there is no drop-in curling today as it’s the annual Red & Blue event for our stick curlers.
The second round of our inaugural season of the Stick Curling League wrapped up today.
In the In Turn Division, two teams – Etta Reid/Elaine Hughes and Myrna Sanderson/Janette Fraser – ended up with 4-1 records. Etta & Elaine took first place via the tie-breaker. The team of Donald Weeks/Glenn Singleton finished third with a record of of 3-2.
The team of Bill Glydon/Tom Dunn walked away with the victory in the Out Turn Division, with a record of 5-1. Two teams – Travis Jones/Emilie Jones and Roddie MacLean/Chuck Sawatsky – finished with 4-2 records, with the Joneses taking second place via the tie-breaker.
The league has been a huge success and will be making a return next season – likely on Thursdays.
The club would like to offer condolences to Kim Muise and her family on the passing of her mother, Mary Estelle (Fisher) Muise.
Her obituary is below:
It is with heavy hearts, the family of Mary Estelle (Fisher) Muise announce her peaceful passing which occurred on Friday, March 29, 2024, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts on March 21, 1944, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Helen (MacDonald) Fisher. In addition to her parents she was predeceased by her husband Peter D. Muise.
She is survived by her children Kim Muise (Alan), Michael Muise (Trish), Bethann Coombs (Sean), Donna Muise (Gord) and PJ Muise (Lynn); cherished grandchildren Ashley (Tyler), Jenna Marie (Landon), Hailey (Dexter), Holly (Colby), Michael (Brenna), Brynn, Abbey and Peter; great grandchildren Lincoln and Carter; her siblings Ed Fisher (Elizabeth), Ellie MacDonald (Sandy), Jimmy Fisher (Clara) and Frankie Fisher (Margaret); and several nieces and nephews.
Resting at Belvedere Funeral Home, where her funeral service will take place on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 2 p.m. Interment in St. Martin of Tours and St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery at a later date. Marys service will be live streamed and can be viewed by following this link: LiveStream-Mary Muise (If you require assistance registering please call toll-free 1-877-895-2739)
Donations in Mary’s memory may be made to the PEI Humane Society or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
https://www.belvederefh.com/obituary/Mary-Muise-Serviceat200pm040324
By Bill McGuire
Public Relations Chair
Cornwall Curling Club
The Cornwall Curling Club is just a few days away from wrapping up probably its busiest and most successful season ever, on April 5-6, with the traditional final Red and Blue bonspiel.
The Red and Blue is the well-known nickname for the annual closing bonspiel to mark the end of another curling season at the Cornwall club.
After surviving COVID disruptions in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the club got back on track last season and things have really revved into high gear in 2023-2024.
Cornwall manager Travis Jones says he forwarded dues this season for some 430 curlers to Curl PEI, which indicates we have a healthy membership and user base that bodes well for the future of the club.
Except for the two days before Christmas, the club has been busy every weekend since opening in October, right into its closing event April 5-6, with bonspiels, club events, rentals and clinics.
Manager Jones says there have been 22 significant bonspiels (club, provincial, or rental) hosted by the Cornwall club this season.
And much of the club’s success would not be possible without the support of generous sponsors for curlers, bonspiels and the Cornwall Curling Club.
Longtime major bonspiel sponsors include Kenmac, Murphy’s Pharmacies, and O’Connor Glass who were were singled out for special thanks and appreciation.
Red and Blue bonspiel co-chair Shauna McGill, the past president on the board of directors, notes that almost every event has sponsorship support but it is somewhat ironic that the largest club event on the calendar hasn’t had a sponsor the past two seasons.
And that is something she would dearly love to rectify after the traditional sponsor for the Red and Blue decided to support a decal on the ice surface and stepped away from the closing bonspiel.
So McGill is issuing a public challenge to any company in the area to come forward and support the largest event involving club membership. The executive and its fundraising committee are always on the lookout for sponsors but haven’t been successful in finding a replacement yet for the Red and Blue sponsor.
Nothing would please McGill or the club more than to announce during the closing banquet April 6 that a new sponsor is coming on board for the inaugural Red and Yellow event next season.
So, as the club is close to wrapping up its 41st season, now is a good time to recognize and salute its sponsors, and remind members of the many companies and individuals who support our events and our club.
Curlers are invited to support them as they have supported us.
See our sponsors page on the website as well: Cornwall Curling Club Sponsors
Below are the teams and draw schedule for the 2024 Red & Blue Closing Bonspiel.
If you are unable to attend any sessions, the sooner you let the club manager know the easier it will be to find a spare for your team!
If you notice an error or mistake in the teams, please reach out and we’ll do our best to accommodate – any changes in the teams from this point will be sent out to the affected parties via email.
The 2024 Red & Blue Bonspiel is currently FULL!!!
That’s 96 curlers signed up to participate in the Friday and Saturday event (and that doesn’t count the multiple junior curlers who will or have participated in their own Red & Blue events OR the sixteen stick curlers who will be competing next Wednesday in their own event).
If you are signed up for the weekend event you should receive an email today with some information. If you didn’t receive an email and think you should be registered please reach out to me ASAP!
The teams list will be posted on Monday, April 1st.
With so many people signed up it is inevitable that we’ll have people have to drop out last minute and/or who will need a spare for one of the draws.
If you are interested in being placed on the spare list, please email the club manager or sign up at the club on the bulletin board. We’ll need your name and which draws you would be available!
As with all of our major events, we are in need of volunteers to help everything run smoothly. If you are available for any of the slots below please let the club manager know or sign up at the club
Last but certainly not least, each year we seek donations of door prizes to hand out at the banquet. In the past members have donated gift certificates, greens fees, household items, etc. If you have an item you would like to donate, you can drop it off anytime next week at the club!
It’s hard to believe but the Red & Blue has officially kicked off already!
The Sunday Junior Curling program got the ball started last week where the Red Team took a commanding early lead.
Yesterday, the Novice Curlers tied in their matchup.
So after two groups the standings currently look like:
Our Stick and Junior curler groups will be participating in their Red & Blue events on Wednesday, April 3rd before the weekend spiel kicks off on Friday, April 5th.
Brad Gushue recently won his third consecutive Brier title, but last night Danny Kneabone pulled off the impressive season sweep of the Monday Night Mixed League – skipping the winning teams in each of the three rounds this season.
His team this round included Ellen Milligan, Bill McGuire, and John Clark.
They needed every point this round, squeaking by the Greg Groves skipped team by an incredibly tight half point over the seven week round.
Congrats to Team Kneabone and thanks to the PEI Food Island Partnership for donating some copies of Canada’s Food Island: A Collection of Stories and Recipes from Prince Edward Island!
The U16 Curling League finished up their season yesterday. The league had six teams this season with 10 rounds (including playoffs).
Taking first was Team Savill (Aiden Savill, Oliver MacEwen, Landon Seaman, and Aaron Haight).
Second place went to Team Beaton (Kolin Beaton, Owen Milton, Ben Bradley, and Kane MacKinnon – spare: Colin Waite).
Third place was Team Pater (Veronica Pater, Kenna Warnell, Sophie Gallant, and Gracie MacIntyre – spare: Ashlyn MacDonald)
Congratulations to all the teams on a great season and we look forward to next year’s U16 Curling League!
The Town of Cornwall has asked that we remind our members and guests that there is no street parking on Seymour Drive.
Especially with the Red & Blue coming up we would like to remind members that if the parking lot at 29 Cornwall is full to use the overflow parking behind Murphy’s Pharmacies.
This will help us keep good relations with neighbors!
We had several members of the club competing in the Maritime Stick Curling Championships held at West Prince Curling Club last week.
Our very own Marg Stewart & Bernie Field defeated fellow Islanders Stephanie Grills and Susan Thorbourne from the Montague Curling Club in the finals of the Women’s Division to take home the trophy.
Congratulations!
Due to ongoing ice plant maintenance/upgrades there will be no curling March 20th.
The ice will be ready by 4pm today for the afternoon/evening schedule.
By Bill McGuire
Public Relations Chair
Cornwall Curling Club
If you mention ‘Red and Blue’ at this time of the year anywhere else on PEI except in Cornwall and area, you will likely get a query if someone was involved in an accident, mishap or brawl – and how extensive are the red welts and purple bruises.
Fortunately, things are not that physical on the ice at the Cornwall Curling Club.
The Red and Blue is the well-known nickname for the annual closing bonspiel to mark the end of another curling season. Curlers are grouped into two divisions – based on the colour of the rocks — and then battle each other on the ice for wins, points, title and bragging rights. Players basically remain in the same group for life – until those handles are pried from their cold, arthritic hands.
The competition is friendly but intense and this year will be no exception. The bantering has already started, and those bragging rights will carry over well into the new year.
Red and Blue bonspiel co-chairs Shauna McGill and Sue Pollard – the past president and social committee chair respectively on the board of directors – have been hard at work for weeks organizing the event and are confident it will match the success of the April 2023 historic finale.
Last season, the Red and Blue was selected as the bonspiel to celebrate the Cornwall Curling Club’s 40th anniversary. There were several special events during the closing spiel to mark 40 years of curling in Cornwall, and original Founders, board members and volunteers were singled out for special attention and thanks – those original members who played a key role in founding the club and guiding it through its formative years.
All that being said, this will likely also be the last year for the long-running Red and Blue bonspiel – well, sort of.
But, fear not, the bonspiel will continue, only under a slightly different name, the Red and Yellow. As Shakespeare said, a rose by any other name will smell just as sweet.
The colour change is one of necessity since the blue rock handles are being retired at the end of this season and are being replaced by the more popular and widely used yellow handles. This will all come to pass if our new rocks arrive in time for the 2024-2025 season and the club’s board of directors feel confident this will happen. The new handles will go on the new rocks and hopefully that will occur by this fall.
You can watch any bonspiel or curling event on television or go into any other curling club, and most rock handles are red and yellow. The board of directors decided on the colour change after a number of requests from members, because the blue handles are simply harder to see, especially at the far end during game action. Blue stones on blue circles are just a tough combination.
Our rocks are more than 42 years old, have different weights and the striking bands are worn. For the past three years, the club has held a fundraiser to replace the aging stones, and now, with some expected government help, it looks like our five-year timetable for new rocks will advance by a couple of years.
A positive decision on the provincial government help to assist the club’s fundraising efforts to buy new rocks is expected this spring. If that happens, then rocks will be ordered shortly afterward and should be here and ready for use this fall, in time for the start of the 2024-2025 season. The total cost will be over $70,000.
Board members have been busy selling new yellow handles most of the season and the final one or two were just sold in recent days, so members, sponsors and businesses will have their names on the new handles for many years to come.
A new tradition will launch next year – the Red and Yellow. It may sound a little different for the first year or so, and who knows, the ‘Red and Yeller’ might become a popular nickname. Several full-voiced skips at the club – and you know who you are – may appreciate it.
One curler suggested – perhaps tongue-in-cheek – that Ketchup and Mustard might be an apt nickname in the future, with the MVP or top team being named the Hotdog award winner.
But back to the April 5-6 final Red and Blue.
The sign-up sheet has been busy with room for just a few more slots out of the 96 spots available, said club manager Travis Jones.
McGill says it’s encouraging to see such strong support and she and Pollard are hopeful of a sellout. “It’s looking good to a full field.”
Teams will play three, six-end games — one Friday night and two more on Saturday – sandwiched around a 1:00pm banquet (a hot roast beef dinner) “to accommodate as many curlers as possible,” said McGill.
“That started last year to have more people available for the meal.” Daytime curlers and others who participate in the Red and Blue can come out to the banquet. The awards presentations will take place immediately after the final game late Saturday afternoon.
“Juniors and younger curlers have their own competition, and stick curlers and some daytimers, along with evening curlers,” will all compete in the Red and Blue. Each group will keep track of their points, and they will be added to the Red and Blue totals at the end of play April 6 to determine the overall winner. Eight daytime teams will join 16 evening teams for the two-day final bonspiel.
McGill said Team Blue has won the past two years, much to her chagrin, since she plays on Team Red. McGill says she is looking forward to getting revenge this year, especially since manager Jones insists on adding “GO BLUE” at the end of every email. “He likes to rub it in.”
McGill said registration is $40 which includes three games, breakfast, the banquet, snacks and a chance for some door prizes and team prizes.
“If anyone wants to contribute to the door prizes, we will take anything they can give us.”
McGill said there has been no title sponsor the past several years after the previous sponsor decided to switch to supporting a decal on the ice surface. “So, it’s a club run event, with donations.”
McGill said she’d like to see a title sponsor come forward as the club has much success with sponsorships for other bonspiels and events during the year. (Another update on Cornwall club sponsors is coming soon to the website.)
The Red and Blue is normally held a week earlier but because this year the Good Friday and Easter holiday weekend is the end of March, it was decided to avoid a conflict and go a week later with the club closer.
Then on Sunday, April 7, in another Cornwall tradition, the Little Rockers, Novices, and Junior curlers can go skating on the official last day before the plant is shut off for the season.
Players are encouraged to wear red or blue clothing during the closing bonspiel, an area where McGill noted there’s been some good-natured opposition to the name change.
“The Blues are going to be yellow. I’m not sure how that’s gonna go over. Paul Neima was telling me he has a tickle trunk full of blue stuff that he whips out just for the Red and Blue. Now he has to buy a whole new wardrobe.”
“I’m not sure how many people have yellow clothing stashed away. They’re gonna look like canaries out there. I’m just happy to stick with my red.”
McGill said, “I just want to encourage all curlers to come out. They’ll love this fun event. It’s a great way to come out and play or do some sparing … show some spirit.”
McGill said she and Pollard are always looking for more volunteers to help. “It’s always appreciated. There’s a lot of stuff going on and we need some extra help. There’s a volunteer and sponsor signup sheets at the club so anyone who would want to help out or volunteer would be great.”
The Red and Blue ends a very busy and productive season in Cornwall. Manager Jones says the club forwarded dues for some 430 curlers to Curl PEI. Except for Saturday, December 23 (during midseason maintenance), the club was busy every Saturday and weekend with bonspiels, rentals, club events and clinics from opening day in October to the upcoming closing in April.
The Wednesday Daytime League moved to a round robin this season and Team Doherty (Robbie Doherty, Garth Cudmore, Edgar Coffin, Billy Doherty, and Paul Arsenault) won the league with an impressive 12-2 record.
They received Cornwall Curling Club gift certificates compliments of the Daytime Committee.
Clow’s Red & White also generously donated some free meat pies for draw prizes!
Several members of the club participated in the 55+ Games curling events recently and brought home some medals!
In the open curling division, club member Sharon McGuigan was on the gold medal team, while Garth Cudmore and Edgar Coffin brought home silver medals.
Gold Medalist Sharon McGuigan
Silver Medalists Edgar Coffin and Garth Cudmore
In the women’s curling division the team of Shirley Berry, Ellen Milligan, Gloria Turner, and Sandra Sobey were the silver medalists.
Silver Medalists Shirley Berry, Ellen Milligan, Gloria Turner, and Sandra Sobey
In the men’s stick curling division, Chuck Sawatsky and Don Gosse got the silver.
Silver Medalists Chuck Sawatsky and Don Gosse
And, in the women’s stick curling division Etta Reid and Elaine Hughes won the gold, while Ruth Stavert and Janette Fraser brought home the bronze medal.
Gold Medalists Etta Reid and Elaine Hughes
Bronze Medalists Ruth Stavert and Janette Fraser
Congratulations to everyone!
Emily Best, Sara Spafford, Amanda Power – along with Janique LeBlanc (in phone photo) will be representing PEI at the 2024 Everest Funeral Concierge Canadian Curling Club Championships!
Cornwall’s 2024 Club Champions, Team Power, won the 2024 PEI Club Championships this weekend at the new West Prince Curling Club!
After going 6-1 during the round robin, they defeated the West Prince team in the first round of the playoffs to face off against the Crapaud team that had defeated them in a tight game in the round robin.
Since Crapaud was undefeated, the Cornwall team had to win two in a row to secure the title. They stole one in the 8th of the first game to force a winner-take-all final showdown, where they prevailed 7-3 to claim the championship.
The victory was even more impressive considering they played the entire weekend with three players!
They will represent PEI at the 2024 Everest Funeral Concierge Canadian Curling Club Championships from November 17th-23rd in Barrie, Ontario.
Team Spence, the Cornwall men’s champion, also represented us well, going 2-3 in the round robin with a few tight losses.
The annual ParaSport Minispiel was held on Saturday.
Team Nick (Nick, Tom, Travis, Donald, and Shelley) won the event over Team Stella (Stella, Marlis, Italo, Cathy, and John).
We even introduced a new game to the club – called Curl Bowling by some but also known as Evict by some.
Thank you to Bill McGuire, Carlene Peters, and Gloria Turner for volunteering during the event and of course Vivian Nguyen from ParaSport as well!
We posted a change to this week’s schedule at the end of last week, but due to a part delay we have had to adjust the update:
Tuesday, March 19th: Will now be a normal Tuesday with daytime drop-in at 10:00am and the Tuesday Stick League play in the afternoon.
Wednesday, March 20th: There will be NO drop-in availability on Wednesday. We HOPE to have the ice ready for 4-person drop-in curling at 12:30pm – but keep an eye on the website throughout the day Wednesday. The ice plant will be undergoing maintenance first thing in the morning to make some upgrades and will be off for several hours that morning.
The following schedule changes for next week:
Tuesday, March 19th: No 10am Drop-in Curling due to ice plant maintenance/upgrades
Wednesday, March 20th: Now that the Wednesday Daytime League is over Wednesday at 10:00am will be a DROP-IN time and there will be AFTERNOON STICK DROP-IN at 12:30pm
The club stays pretty busy throughout the season – with league play, drop-in curling, practices, and ice maintenance going most weekdays from 10:00am to 10:30pm.
This season we also hosted over 20 spiels (club, provincial, rentals) as well as multiple rental groups.
While we try to post everything on the website, social media, and the bulletin board some times it’s hard to keep track of what’s happening when.
So we have added a NEW PAGE to the website – a page you can always go to to see what is happening THIS week and NEXT week.
Simply click on: This Week’s Schedule
You can find it on the website by clicking on the SCHEDULE menu heading and then clicking THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
We’ll update the page each Monday and as needed throughout the week and changes from normal will be highlighted in BOLD text.
We only have 8 slots in our EVENING division and 1 last slot remaining in our DAYTIME division of the Red & Blue!
There’s still time to register AND we will be beginning a waiting list for both divisions as well (invariably as the event approaches people’s plans change, illnesses happen, etc. so if you don’t make the initial registration please still sign up for the waitlist!)
NOTE: The DAYTIME DIVISION will have a game at 1pm on Friday and TWO games on Saturday (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). The EVENING DIVISION will have a game at either 6:30pm or 8:15pm on Friday and TWO games on Saturday (one in the morning, one in the afternoon)
For more information about the Red & Blue Bonspiel check out: https://cornwallcurling.com/spiels-events/red-vs-blue-closing-spiel/
Here are the draw and schedule for the final Wednesday evening Ladder League draw of the season. We’ve been fortunate to have had no draw cancellations this year, leaving us with four weeks left for a “mini” draw.
The “A” pool will get the early draw the first week, as they had the late draw the last week of Round Two. Picking definitive winners will be difficult in a partial draw with byes, so the final results will be open to interpretation!
Here is the draw/schedule for Round Three:
| Ice 1 | Ice 2 | Ice 3 | Ice 4 | Bye | |
| Wk1: Mar 13 6:30 A Pool |
A9-Bodner v A7-Hanzl | A5-Neima v A4-MacDonald | A8-Boswall v A2-Arsenault | A1-Milligan v A6-Groves | A3-MacKenzie |
| Wk1: Mar 13 8:30 B Pool |
B9-Beaton v B7-Younker | B5-McInnis v B4-Stewart | B8-Kamphuis v B2-Watts | B1-Whynot v B6-Griffin | B3-Callin |
| Wk2: Mar 20 6:30 B Pool |
B2-Watts v B5-McInnis | B8-Kamphuis v B6-Griffin | B7-Younker v B1-Whynot | B9-Beaton v B3-Callin | B4-Stewart |
| Wk2: Mar 20 8:30 A Pool |
A2-Arsenault v A5-Neima | A8-Boswall v A6-Groves | A7-Hanzl v A1-Milligan | A9-Bodner v A3-MacKenzie | A4-MacDonald |
| Wk3: Mar 27 6:30 A Pool | A3-MacKenzie v A2-Arsenault | A9-Bodner v A1-Milligan | A4-MacDonald v A6-Groves | A8-Boswall v A5-Neima | A7-Hanzl |
| Wk3: Mar 27 8:30 B Pool | B3-Callin v B2-Watts | B9-Beaton v B1-Whynot | B4-Stewart v B6-Griffin | B8-Kamphuis v B5-McInnis | B7-Younker |
| Wk4: Apr 3 6:30 B Pool |
B1-Whynot v B8-Kamphuis | B7-Younker v B3-Callin | B5-McInnis v B9-Beaton | B2-Watts v B4-Stewart | B6-Griffin |
| Wk4: Apr 3 8:30 A Pool |
A1-Milligan v A8-Boswall | A7-Hanzl v A3-MacKenzie | A5-Neima v A9-Bodner | A2-Arsenault v A4-MacDonald | A6-Groves |
(Drag to scroll left or right to view entire table on narrow touchscreens).
Click this link to download a printable version: Wed. PM Ladder League Draw 3 – v2
| A Pool | B Pool |
| A1-Milligan | B1-Whynot |
| A2-Arsenault | B2-Watts |
| A3-MacKenzie | B3-Callin |
| A4-MacDonald | B4-Stewart |
| A5-Neima | B5-McInnis |
| A6-Groves | B6-Griffin |
| A7-Hanzl | B7-Younker |
| A8-Boswall | B8-Kamphuis |
| A9-Bodner | B9-Beaton |
It was a repeat A Pool win for the team of Gary and Ellen Milligan, Wanetta Whitmore, and Scott Ellis as round two of the Wednesday Evening Ladder League wrapped up this week.
“A” Pool Winners – Team Milligan (L-R): Gary Milligan, Ellen Milligan, Wanetta Whitmore, Scott Ellis
Meanwhile, there was a new team at the top of the “B” Pool, skipped by Matej Hanzl, with teammates Kevin Kane, Richard MacEwen, and Karen Edgar. Both the Milligan and Hanzl teams had only one loss in the round.
“B” Pool Winners – Team Hanzl (L-R): Karen Edgar, Richard MacEwen, Kevin Kane, Matej Hanzl
There’s good news on the prize front! Cody Whynot was able to obtain prizes for the winning team in this round. The Milligan squad, who also won the A Pool in Round One, will each receive an 18 hole green fee for the beautiful Clyde River Golf Club, 72 Clyde River Rd Route 247 in
Clyde River, while the Hanzel team members will each receive a ten dollar gift certificate good at J.R.’s Pizza and Dairy Bar, “Home of the Massive Slice” at 655 Capital Drive in Cornwall.
Looking at the A Pool scoresheet, Team Arsenault, skipped by Laura Arsenault, was second with 6 wins, while Tyler MacKenzie and his team came third with 5 wins, and the Mark MacDonald foursome finished fourth with four victories. All these teams remain in the A Pool for Round Three..
Four A Pool teams, captained by Greg Groves, Cody Whynot, Kelly Watts, and Paul Neima, had three wins, with two of them descending to the “B” pool for the next round, along with Team Doug Callin (2 wins), Looking at head to head results, the Watts rink lost to the other three teams and will be one of the teams dropping down, along with the Cody Whynot team, who lost to both the Groves and Neima rinks.
Moving up from the B to the A Pool for Round Three will be the Hanzl team, and the Bodner and Boswall squads, each with six victories,
Here are the teams for Round Three, which starts on March 13, and wraps up April 3. The A Pool will have the 6:30 pm draw the first week as they had the late draw the last week of Round 2. The Round Three draw will be sent out later this weekend.
| A Pool | B Pool |
| A1-Milligan | B1-Whynot |
| A2-Arsenault | B2-Watts |
| A3-MacKenzie | B3-Callin |
| A4-MacDonald | B4-Stewart |
| A5-Neima | B5-McInnis |
| A6-Groves | B6-Griffin |
| A7-Hanzl | B7-Younker |
| A8-Boswall | B8-Kamphuis |
| A9-Bodner | B9-Beaton |
The club would like to extend its condolences to Nancy FitzGerald and her family at the passing of her mother, Phillis Mary MacDonald.
Obituary:
The death occurred peacefully at Beach Grove Home on March 4, 2024, her 94th birthday, of Phyllis Mary MacDonald (nee MacKinnon) formerly of Cornwall and Churchill. Wife of the late Oliver MacDonald. Loving mother of Nancy (Mike) FitzGerald, Harvey (Claudia), Gordon (Janet), Debbie (Laurie) Downe, Elric (Colleen), Valerie (David) Worth and Fay (Alan) Worth. Grandmother of Darran (Tracey), Craig (Jim Rogers), Alexander, Rebecca, Meredith (Dominic) Downe Westwood, Monica (Alexandre Simo) Downe, Nicholas (Tamara), Caleigh (Curtis) Chaisson, Sarah (Ben) Woodside, Melanie (Taylor Mitchell) Worth, Jessica (Enrique Alonso) Worth, James (Charlotte) Worth, Alana Worth and Graham (Jocasta) FitzGerald. Great-grandmother of Hannah, Drew, Madeline, Oliver, Claire, Leo, Nellie, Mateo, Noah, Warren, Scarlett, Mark and Jack. Survived by her sister Doris (Paul ) Williams, sister-in-law Hilda (Garfield) MacKinnon and siblings-in-law Hazel Crosby, Shirley Pollard, Wendell (Heather), Audrey (Eric Ellsworth) Auld, Donna MacDonald, Colin Birt, Lea (Colleen), Mervin (Debbie), Donna (Kent) Gorveatt and Terry (Gayle). Also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by husband of 61 years Oliver MacDonald, grandson Jeffery MacDonald, parents Gordon and Lulu (Scott) MacKinnon, siblings Warren (Neila), infant Reginald, Thelma (Bill) Singleton, Garfield, and siblings-in-law Paul Williams, Dorothy (Andrew) Crosby, Joyce (Preston) Richards, Borden, Willard, Neil (Gail), Lomer, Sandra Birt, Henry Ferguson, Gerry Auld, Heath Crosby and Alger Pollard.
The family extends their thanks to Queens Home Care and Beach Grove Home for their care and compassion.
Resting at MacLean Funeral Home Swan Chapel from where the service will be held on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. For those wishing to attend virtually, the service will be live-streamed at https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=a7c73d11-6c4f-4aee-acfa-d39e280e24bd Interment later in Churchill Cemetery. If so desired, memorial donations may be made to Churchill Cemetery or Queens Palliative Home Care. Visiting hours Wednesday from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Online condolences may be made at www.macleanfh.com
The Cornwall Curling Club acknowledges and recognises the immeasurable contributions volunteers make to the Club continually throughout the season. The dedication of our membership is what has been, and continues to be, the driving force behind the success of our Club. Without these volunteers, the Club would not be what it is today.
To recognize the amazing efforts of our members, we were pleased to launch a new award last season – the “Founders Award” for Volunteer of the Year at the Cornwall Curling Club. This award is now presented annually to an outstanding, exceptional and dedicated member of the Cornwall Curling Club at the Annual General Meeting.
The Cornwall Curling Club started because of the dedication and commitment of the founding members who believed in the dream of having a curling club in Cornwall. Today, the success of the club is largely based on the same desires of having a welcoming, reputable, and enjoyable curling club.
Every year, members of the curling club donate their time in many ways and it does not go unnoticed. There is a significant amount of time and effort dedicated to preparing the club for opening, special events, league play, general maintenance and much more! The outstanding and much appreciated efforts of our membership is acknowledged by the Board of Directors by the creation of the Founders Award.
The recipient of this award will receive recognition at the upcoming Annual General Meeting, with presentation of a certificate and plaque.
Members of the Cornwall Curling Club are encouraged to nominate their fellow deserving club mates for the Founders Award!
The nomination criteria include:
To nominate a fellow member, please send an email or letter to manager@cornwallcurling.com which contains the name of the nominee and a brief description of their contribution to the Cornwall Curling Club.
The deadline to nominate is Friday, April 19, 2024.
As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact myself or any other member of the Board of Directors.
Kindly,
Sue Pollard (Volunteer Chair) & the Board of Directors
By Bill McGuire
Public Relations Chair,
Cornwall Curling Club
There are indications that more good news about curling could be coming soon for Prince Edward Island.
The province was just awarded (on Feb. 29) the largest event on the Grand Slam of Curling’s event schedule, coming to UPEI in early October.
The GSOC’s Hearing Life event will feature 32 men’s and 32 women’s teams from around the world who will compete in two tiers at UPEI’s twin ice surfaces Oct. 1-6, 2024.
Next season will be a curling bonanza on PEI as Summerside has been recently awarded the Canadian junior curling championships and the national mixed doubles event.
Several speakers during the press conference at Charlottetown City Hall on Feb. 29 hinted there are two more international sports events coming to the capital city, with announcements expected in the coming weeks.
There were hints during the press conference that Charlottetown is in the running for the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. A source said the PEI capital is among the three finalists being considered for the event in two years time.
Charlottetown last hosted the Scotties in 2011.
Canadian curling legend Jennifer Jones, who has 17 GSOC titles, was in Charlottetown along with her Team Manitoba teammate Lauren Lenentine of Cornwall, to speak in support of the GSOC’s Hearing Life tour event.
Jones dropped hints that Charlottetown is a strong contender for the 2026 Scotties.
“To experience the Scotties and the atmosphere in the building is just something that you can’t appreciate unless you’re there in person,” said Jones. “You might watch curling on TV, but until you’re actually in the venue, you really can’t appreciate it.”
“Scotties curlers will come to the boards, we’ll sign autographs . . . I’ve signed chests and heads . . . we’ll sign like everything . . . well not quite everything,” joked Jones.
“But what I would say is that curling is growing and the Scotties final weekend in Calgary was sold out. I had friends and family that couldn’t get tickets and I know that this is going to rock here in Charlottetown.
“So what I would say is buy your tickets soon. You’re not going to want to miss it. We will not disappoint.”
It was unclear if Jones was referring solely to the GSOC or also adding in the Scotties coming to PEI. But was enough to send more excited ripples through the crowd.
Rob Doherty, who curls out for Cornwall, is now working with Sportsnet and the GSOC tour in communications and public relations. He said he was extra happy to see the GSOC event come to his home province.
“Just selfishly, I have to say how excited I am to say the Grand Slam of Curling is coming to Charlottetown,” Doherty told the crowd at the city hall press conference.
“A lot has gone on behind the scenes. We will be looking for 150 volunteers from the community,” to help with the Hearing Life event which will see more than 256 curlers competing.
He said Early Bird Passes are now on sale at thegrandslamofcurling.com. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
Doherty said the main MacLauchlan arena will hold over 1,500 curling fans for Tier 1 GSOC action in October while the arena next door would seat less than half that number.
Wayne Long, manager of Economic Growth and Attractions for the City of Charlottetown, said when you include coaches, families, visitors, plus Sportsnet production staff and event staff, you can expect a tremendous economic impact for the city and province, estimated at more than $3 million.
Long was in Calgary at the recent Scotties to talk with Jones and Lenentine about coming to Charlottetown in support of the GSOC stop. And perhaps more.
“I had the opportunity to share in some of Jennifer’s final stones at the Scotties and it’s something I’ll cherish for a long time,” said Long.
He said sports tourism is a growing economic booster for the city and province, especially in winter and shoulder seasons.
Long also noted that Canada’s Sport Tourism Congress takes place in a couple of weeks in Winnipeg where Bruce Donaldson, the former coach of the UPEI Panthers women’s hockey team and athletics department volunteer and official, has been named among the top three finalists for Volunteer of the Year in Canada.
By Bill McGuire
Public Relations Chair,
Cornwall Curling Club
The curling world hasn’t seen the last of sports legend Jennifer Jones – not by a long shot.
Canadian curling legend Jennifer Jones, left, answers a question during a press conference in Charlottetown Thursday. Feb. 29 where it was announced that UPEI will play host to the Hearing Life Tour Challenge, the Grand Slam of Curling’s biggest event of the 2024-25 season, from Oct. 1-6, 2024. Also in photo are event master of ceremonies Robbie Doherty, a member of the Cornwall Curling Club, and Jones’ teammate Lauren Lenentine of Cornwall.
The Manitoba skip announced her retirement from the 4-person game just days before the start of the recent Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary and twice came within an inch during two playoff games of defeating eventual champion Rachel Homan of Ontario.
Jones was on PEI, along with teammate Lauren Lenentine, on February 29th in support of the announcement that the largest event on the Grand Slam of Curling’s event schedule is coming to UPEI in early October.
Cornwall’s Lauren Lenentine speaks during a press conference Thursday (Feb. 29) at Charlottetown City Hall where it was announced that UPEI will play host to the Hearing Life Tour Challenge, the Grand Slam of Curling’s biggest event of the 2024-25 season, from Oct. 1-6, 2024.
Lenentine, of New Dominion, was a long-time member of the Cornwall Curling Club, before moving to Nova Scotia in 2018 to join the Kaitlyn Jones rink, and two seasons later, headed to Winnipeg to play with Mackenzie and Emily Zacharias. She graduates from university in May with a psychology degree.
The GSOC’s Hearing Life event will feature 32 men’s and 32 women’s teams in two tiers, and takes place at UPEI’s twin ice surfaces Oct. 1-6, 2024.
“Thank you so much for having me,” said Jones during the press conference at Charlottetown City Hall.
“I did just announce my retirement a few weeks ago and if you had made this announcement before that, I might have held off because Charlottetown is one of my favourite places in the entire country, in the entire world, to play.”
Jones won the Hearing Life event in Niagara Falls last fall and said she would have relished the chance to defend her title on PEI. She now lives with husband and fellow curling legend Brent Laing and their two young daughters in Horseshoe Valley, just outside Barrie, Ont. The couple still plans to compete in mixed doubles competition.
Jones and her lead stone Lenentine played together the past two seasons and reached the Scotties final both times. Their team will compete a final time when the GSOC’s seasonal wrap-up Princess Auto Players’ Championship takes place at the Mattamy Centre in Toronto, April 9-14, shortly after the world women’s championships in Sydney, NS. later this month.
“I’m hoping to be in Charlottetown in October in some capacity. I think the Lenentines would host me even if I didn’t have an official role, so we’ll see. I’m hoping to be doing some coaching or consulting or something. If I could do anything in the meantime to help promote this event, to help more dreams come true, to help make this so you want to host it every year. I know it’s that special. I’m here for you. Thank you for believing in curling and for allowing us to shine.”
Jones said she owes the sport of curling so much. Her career includes six Scotties championships – tied with Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones for the most titles by a skip – along with two world championships and an Olympic gold medal.
She is especially proud that curling led the way in the sports world reaching equality with men’s events. For example, on the GSOC tour, women have equal status in terms of purse money, profile and coverage. The Scotties’ popularity rivals or surpasses the men’s Brier, and across Canada and the world, men’s and women’s curling events share the stage equally.
Jones said the Tier 2 event associated with the GSOC’s Hearing Life event is important in the growth of the game as it allows 32 up-and-coming teams a chance to compete on the world stage.
Islanders get the chance to see the top 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams in the world — “the best of the best” — but also the rising stars of the sport from around the world as well, said Jones. “It’s the opportunity for these teams to be able to advance to the next level here.”
“You’re going to be able to see people who have already kind of achieved their goals of reaching the Olympic stage. And you’re also going to see the Kerri Einarson’s and the Cory Dropkin’s who came up through the Tier 2.
“The energy that you’re going to feel in the (CARI) building is second to none. You’re going to see the best curlers you have ever seen, both on the men’s and women’s side. The top teams from around the world are going to come and they will love to experience PEI’s famous hospitality,” said Jones.
“So, we’re going to be dancing and we’re going to be listening to music. We’re going to be shucking oysters and we’re going to be loving everything that Charlottetown (and PEI) has to offer.”
She said, “My curling career has been more than I could have ever imagined, really. I was a little girl who was very shy to talk to the person next to me, and now I can come and talk to a room full of people because of curling.”
As much as the players and teammates, Jones says the fans also played a key role in the thrill of competition. “I remember very vividly back in 2011 in Charlottetown . . . the energy in the building.”
She said the Tour is grateful to PEI for welcoming the Hearing Life. “And I know that the fans are going to come out, and that’s what makes it special to curlers. And I hope that everyone comes over and says hello, because we have never lost our gratitude for you all in this room for believing in curling, to host this event, cheering on everybody, for growing our game, to having it on TV. We’re so grateful for each of you for helping to make our dreams come true. Curling is truly special and unique.”
Jones said when the season started last fall, she didn’t think it would be her last year.
“I know that I’m retiring. It makes me sad to say it. I still can’t believe it. So, to be honest, when we lost the Scotties final and the kids came over the boards to give me a hug, my little 7-year-old just kept saying, ‘please change your mind, please change your mind, please change your mind,’ with tears running down her face.”
Jones said she felt very grateful to play the last two seasons with Lauren from PEI and mate Karlee Burgess from Truro. “And I’ve had just the best time and I’m going to be cheering for them with everything inside of me to continue on the road to great success.”
Lauren, a two-time Canadian junior champion, added a world junior title in 2020, claimed her first GSOC event title in Niagara Falls last fall. She said the Hearing Life is the first event of the season, so all the players really look forward to coming. “We’re getting back into the pace of things and we’re just so excited to be back on the tour. And we’re doing it in Charlottetown, so this is extra special.”
Lauren said she remembers the Scotties in Charlottetown 2011 and the players in 2014 in Summerside and those events “really showed me what curling can be. I’m excited for the next generation of island curlers to be able to experience it as well because we don’t get these big curling events. I’m really excited about that.
“I had great teammates in Cornwall. I played with the same three girls from when I was 9, so being able to share those memories and experiences with them is special. And I think it just really speaks to the growing curling community that we’re so connected, and we support one another.”
Lenentine was asked what advice she might have for fans coming to the province in October for the GSOC. “You need to see, not just Charlottetown, but the whole island. There’s such great hospitality here. It’s truly special and you can’t really find it anywhere else. It honestly is magic.”
Jones was asked if she intends to spend more time in the Sportsnet broadcast booth next season after making a number of guest appearances in recent months as a GSOC colour commentator.
“Honestly, I don’t have plans yet. I really didn’t decide until the Monday before the Scotties to retire and it just finished. I don’t have any plans yet. Going into the broadcast booth is something I’m interested in. I wanted to get through the Scotties and enjoy it, and now I’m going to figure out what I’m going to do in the future. “
She didn’t rule out working with the GSOC on PEI. “I love coming here. I love the grand Slams and anything I can do to support it, I’m all in. “
Jones said she didn’t need much persuasion to come to Charlottetown Feb. 29 even though it was just four days after the Scotties and two days before the Brier where her husband Brent Laing is coaching Mike McEwen’s Team Saskatchewan.
“I wanted to come with Lauren. This is really important to me and I think it was great to be able to spend some time with her and her family.
“I put a lot of thought into retiring and it wasn’t a decision I came to lightly. I just felt it was the right time. Mixed doubles has a little bit more flexible schedule. It was just hard to do both men and women. I didn’t have a weekend off from the end of August until after Christmas, and so it was just a little bit too much.”
Lauren said she intends to remain in Winnipeg after graduating from university this spring. “I’m going to be staying.”
Lenentine, second stone Emily Zacharias and mate Burgess are returning to play together but there has been no decision on a new skip yet. “I think that Jen is really happy taking a step away from curling so I don’t really see her coming back.”
Lauren said, “It is so much fun to play in the Scotties. It’s what every female curler growing up wants to do. And so to have the opportunity to play in it again, was really incredible. And to reach the final for the second year in a row was unbelievable.”
“Last year, I think we surprised ourselves a little bit. We knew that we were capable, but it was our first year together. You never really know what’s going to happen. But this year, we felt like we kind of really had a fair shot of going all the way and yeah, an inch here and an inch there, it’s a different result, but we’re still really proud of what happened.”
Lauren said, “Last year I think I was quite nervous. This year, I barely felt any nerves at all and I think I just knew that what was meant to happen, was going to happen. I knew it was Jen’s last event, so really just soaking in the moment. Whatever happened in the end is going to be.
“We’re together for one more event in the Players and that’s our last event and then we’ll see what the future holds. I really don’t know what we’re going to do.”
March 6 is the final night for Round 2 of our 18 team Wednesday Evening Ladder League. To accommodate the extra teams this year, we had to increase the length of rounds 1 and 2, which leaves us with four nights – March 13, 20, 27 and April 3rd for Round 3.
There will likely be players off-Island on March 27, during March Break. You need at least three players, at least one of whom is a regular team member, to play a game.
If your team decides NOT to play in Round Three, please let me know at derek.macewen@gmail.com
If you are continuing, but can’t field a team on March 27 (or another night) please let the opposing team know (after the new draw is made up). As always, you have the option to reschedule at a mutually-convenient time, or to forfeit.
Depending on whether there is an even or an odd number of teams continuing, and on whether any teams drop out, there may or may not be byes in Round 3.
Round two curlers are reminded to ensure that the Round 2 results sheet on the draw board is fully completed.
The club will be hosting the PEI Retired Teachers’ Association Bonspiel next Tuesday, March 12th.
Below are the teams and draw schedule:
Downloadable PDF:RTA Teams and Draw revised 2
Several of Cornwall’s junior curling teams were in action this weekend at the PEI U16 Championships – with Cornwall teams sweeping the top three spots!
The team of Veronica Pater, Kenna Warnell, Sophie Gallant, and Gracie MacIntyre (coached by David Murphy) cruised to the victory Sunday at the Montague Curling Club, maintaining their undefeated record.
The team of Grace Myers, Greta Edgett Gallant, Norah MacKinnon, and Lily Whalley (coached by Darren Gallant), won the silver medals.
Rounding out the podium Kolin Beaton, Owen Milton, Ben Bradley, and Kane MacKinnon (coached by Shaun MacArthur) took home the bronze medals.
Teams Savill and Landry, also from the club, placed 6th and 7th in the event as well.
Also presented during the closing ceremonies were the True Sport Award and the Coach Award.
The True Sport Award is voted on by the curlers and recognizes a curler who brings the True Sport principles to life while competing. This year U16 True Sport recipient was Greta Edgett Gallant, third for Team Myers.
The Coach Award is voted on by the coaches to recognize a coach who exemplifies the the attributes of coaching. This year’s U16 Coach Award recipient was David Murphy, coach of Team Pater.
Great job to everyone involved – the future of curling in Cornwall is looking GREAT!
Sophie Blades – member of Cornwall Curling Club, member of UPEI curling team, and For Love of Curling Scholarship recipient – hosted the For Love of Curling Scholarship Fundraiser Funspiel this weekend at the club and it was a resounding success.
Over $1400 was raised to put back into the scholarship program!
Hans Wicki, Gloria Turner, Bill McGuire, and Derek MacEwen squeaked out a narrow victory over the Cruz Pineau/Schut Brothers team.
There were lots of great curling shots (and if you watched me you saw some bad ones too!), wonderful food, lots of laughs and future generations of Canadian junior curlers will continue to benefit from this wonderful program.
Thanks to everyone who came out to curl, who donated items and who came to purchase items – and GREAT JOB Sophie!!
Come get baked goods and help junior curlers!
The For Love of Curling Scholarship Fundraiser Funspiel is today and includes a bake sale – and having sampled some of the items I can promise you – you don’t want to miss them!
Swing by and grab some goodies!
Former club member Eric LeBlanc recently passed away. The club and our members wish to extend our condolences to his family.
Eric H. LeBlanc, 90, of Lakeburn, passed away on Friday, February 23, 2024, at The Moncton Hospital. Born in Moncton, he was the son of the late Edouard and Exelda (Cormier) LeBlanc
Prior to his retirement, Eric worked for Veterans Affairs. He enjoyed golfing, spending time in curling rinks, and traveling. He was a member of RCAFA Air Force Wing in Goose Bay, NL, Charlottetown Wing #201, Royal Canadian Legion, and ROTO Club in PEI.
He is survived by two children: Diane Mortimer (David) of Greater Lakeburn and Denis (Cindy) of North Dakota; one stepson, Gregory Bogle of Albert County; one sister, Donalda Cormier (late Ulysse) of Moncton; two grandchildren: Jessica Mortimer (Marcus Kessler) and Christopher Mortimer (Samantha Cameron) all of Dieppe; three great-grandchildren: Norah, Jack, and Isla, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his wife, Ferne LeBlanc; a stepson, Robert Bogle; three sisters: Aurella Landry, Dolores LeBlanc, and infant sister, Aurella LeBlanc; one brother, Donald.
The family will receive condolences at Frenette Funeral and Cremation Centre, 88 Church Street, Moncton (506-858-1900) where the funeral service will be celebrated on Thursday, February 29, at 3 p.m. Visiting hours are Thursday from 1:30 p.m. until the time of the funeral. Interment will be in Our Lady of Calvary cemetery in Dieppe. In memory of Eric, a contribution to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation would be greatly appreciated.
