GRAND NATIONAL CURLING CLUB INSIDE 2 Curling Debut at Bay State 2 Senior Women’s Friendship Tour 3 President’s Letter 4 GNCC U18 Championship The Official Newsletter of the GNCC April 2018 | Vol. 29, No. 1 News 5 GNCC Junior Camp 5 Phil Robertson Obituary Nominating Committee Looking for Directors 6 GNCC Mixed Championship by Charlie Brown 7 Peachtree Olympic Celebration 9 Gordon International Our last newsletter discussed the Chairman of the Board 10 SmartBroom Engineering rationale and motivation for our New Charlie Brown (Schenectady and Albany) 11 GNCC Wheelchair Clinics Management Plan (NMP). In short, we will be implementing the NMP to increase Vice Chairman 11 Paralympic Team USA our diversity and skill sets of the board to Benj Guzman (Broomstones) 12 The Spirit of Curling meet the needs of the GNCC. We will also Managing Director-Treasurer be instituting term limits and decreasing Peter Lyons (Nashua) individual time commitments to insure Managing Directors, Class A we have enough new faces and new ideas Bob Hogan (Peachtree), Emily Anderson joining the board as we look forward to our (Philadelphia), and Jay Flanders next 150 years. (Woodstock and Plymouth Rocks) I am happy to announce the nominating Managing Directors, Class B committee, chaired by Dan Machold Maryann Vermeulen (Plainfield), (Schenectady), has proposed the following Liz Bowman (Jacksonville Granite), and slate to be voted on at our Annual Meeting Paul Valle (Mount Washington Valley) in Nashua, New Hampshire the weekend of May 18-20. Managing Directors, Class C Ken Tonis (Marlboro and Broomstones), If you have any questions or concerns Mary Colacchio (Cape Cod), and regarding the NMP, please contact me at: Carl Thomas (Kayuta Lake) [email protected] Save the Date: Annual Meeting The GNCC Annual Meeting is traditionally held on the weekend after Mother’s Day. This year’s Annual Meeting will be held on the weekend of May 18-20, 2018. Please mark your calendar and save the date for this very important Annual Meeting. The GNCC Golf Tournament will be hosted at Nashua Country Club on Friday, May 18, and it will be followed by the Bell Quoits Competition (the oldest annually contested athletic event in North America). The Annual Meeting will take place on Saturday, May 19 and, if necessary, carry over to Sunday morning. This meeting is particularly important as we will vote on the new bylaws to implement the New Management Plan. Club Representatives carry the vote for your club. If you cannot attend, please be sure to give your proxy to your president or to another club member. Your vote is important. We look forward to seeing you in Nashua. Curling Makes its Debut at Bay State Games submitted by Mark Fischetti Massachusetts is a the Berkshires on its arena ice at the Boys & growing hotbed of Girls Club of the Berkshires in Pittsfield. Each curling, so much of the clubs had already held playdowns to so that the annual determine their entrants. The teams played Bay State Winter a round robin, and the entire event was held Games added the in one day. A lot of curling! GNCC President sport to its array Gwen Krailo-Lyons threw the ceremonial first of competitions stone. for the first time, And the results? On the men’s side: South in February. The Shore Curling Club won gold, Marlborough amateur winter Curling Club silver, and the Curling Club of games were held in the Berkshires bronze. On the women’s side: Berkshire County, Marlborough Curling Club won gold, Curling the western-most Club of the Berkshires silver, and the South part of the state, Shore Curling Club bronze. Blackstone Valley and included ice Curling Club rounded out the competition, skating, skiing, and some of their matches came down to hockey—and now dramatic final shots. curling—at a variety of age levels. Officials from Bay State were delighted with the event and are already contemplating Four men’s and four a much larger competition next year, with women’s teams, many more teams. Curl Berkshires will from different post more information as it develops on its arena curling clubs, competed in what was website: www.curlberkshires.org. billed as a demonstration sport this year. The games were hosted by the Curling Club of 2018 Senior Women’s Friendship Tour submitted by Lisa McCann In November 2018, four women from GNCC clubs will travel to Canada’s Maritime Provinces as members of the USWCA’s 2018 Senior Women’s Friendship Tour. Every six years, the USWCA randomly selects 16 applicants to be members of four teams who travel to a Canadian province for two weeks of curling and camaraderie. The four representatives from the GNCC are: Lee Alexander, Philadelphia; Lucy Harr, Belfast; Laura Heuer, Potomac; and Maryann Vermeulen, Plainfield. The tour will visit clubs in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, with a number of sightseeing stops along with opportunities to taste local dishes such as hodgepodge and dulse. If past tours are any indication, the games will be energetic, broom stacking will be rousing, and the memories and friendships formed will last a lifetime. Congratulations to all the women chosen—we’re confident that they will be exemplary representatives of USA curling skills and the spirit of curling. Message from the President Grand National Curling Club by Gwen Krailo-Lyons Officers and Directors This is my last message largely on company time. I’d also like to President Gwen Krailo-Lyons to the membership as thank George Shirk for the time he spent 1st Vice President Charlie Brown GNCC President. (Funny, editing the book. 2nd Vice President Benj Guzman but I wrote that line once To be honest, writing these messages is Secretary Jennifer Bragg before—nine years ago.) among my least favorite duties as GNCC Treasurer Peter Lyons Ted Paul, Petersham President. My favorite task is welcoming Immediate Past President Curling Club, recruited me for the GNCC new clubs into the GNCC family and helping board in 1999 to serve under then GNCC Sally MacKenzie them through the GNCC Mentor Program. At-Large Directors Peter Ellis, President Peggy Hatch. He said that my Nine new clubs joined the GNCC in the past George Shirk, Maryann Vermeulen, only duty would be to attend two meetings two years, eight of them on arena ice plus per year. That changed dramatically one Peachtree on dedicated ice. After 16 years, GNCC News month after the election, when Peggy Pittsburgh is transitioning to dedicated ice, is published by the assigned the three directors specific duties. and it is the second recipient of a Legacy Grand National Curling Club of I was assigned to work with the GNCC Trust loan. Charlotte was the first recipient of America, Inc. The newsletter is Championship Chairs to standardize the a Legacy Trust Loan. I look forward to having distributed free to members of the rules, registration forms, and create general more time to work with the new clubs and Grand National Curling Club. The guidelines for the competitions. In the the Mentor Team. annual subscription rate for non- intervening years, I have served the GNCC in every capacity on the board except as It has been a privilege to work with this members is $10.00 (US). Advertising Secretary. Executive Board. Through sudden and not so rates are available upon request. sudden resignations, the Board has worked The past two years have presented many together to keep the GNCC operating All correspondence should be sent to: challenges and opportunities to the Board smoothly. It is a great team of volunteers GNCC Curling News and for me personally. There have also been working on your behalf for the best interests great rewards. The Board did not have much PO BOX 396 of the GNCC. Dan Boerger once told me, Madison, NH 03849 time to put together a celebration of our “We cannot work for less than we already 150th anniversary. We worked together and work for.” The Executive Board, the At-large quickly made decisions about an anniversary Directors, and those serving on various Communications Director Pete Ellis, pin, a tartan that is now registered with committees and as trustees should be [email protected] the Scottish Tartan Society, and other thanked for their time and efforts in making memorabilia. I must send a huge thanks to the GNCC the great organization that it is Editor George Shirk, Joel Leneker for his artistic creativity and the today. The Executive Board has created [email protected] enormous amount of time he dedicated to a New Management Plan (see the cover the anniversary celebration. article) to help guide the GNCC through the Art Director Jacki Temple, Researching our 150-year history was a next 150 years. [email protected] challenge given the poor condition of our It has been my honor to serve the GNCC oldest documents and the gaps in our as your President, twice. May the GNCC Contributors Emily Anderson, records. It was an honor to work on this continue to grow the sport we all love at the Charlie Brown, John C. Childs, 15-month project and the final result was grass roots level. worth the effort. Our incredible history is Pete Ellis, Mark Fischetti, Bob Hogan, captured in a 298-page hard bound book. Good curling everyone. Gwen Krailo-Lyons, Joel Leneker, I regret that I did not have more time for Lisa McCann research, but I must thank my boss for allowing me to write the GNCC history GNCC U18 Junior Championship submitted by Emily Anderson The GNCC U18 Ben Grady, Yunsik Lee, and Shaheen Bassiri) Championship from Broomstones/Philadelphia claimed the was held third berth to Nationals.