Nutmeg Curling Club

Harvest mixed at Philadelphia CC

2010-11-22T08:21:00.003-05:00

It was a very exciting, stressful, fun bonspiel at the Harvest mixed. Three teams of mostly Nutmeg made the trip down to Paoli for one of the best mixed events in the GNCC.

Maura and Lee Cocky curled with Pam Moan and Roland (Philly). Maura was skipping and made a good showing. They had a lot of fun and held their own against more experienced teams. Pam and Roland also where a huge help with the stressful part, more on that later.

Elly and Karl Bockley played with Ken and Teresa (both Philly) and had a great showing. Two wins to start put them into the first event semis. They ran into the McKinley team (Philly) there and lost a close one to drop to the fourth event. Sunday morning was not better and they lost to team DeJong (Plainfield).

Team Hannon had the big adventure of the weekend. Jeff and Sally had Rob Riehl and Nancy (Philly and Roland's wife). A loss in the first game dropped them into the second event and then things went South from there. Sally suffered an atrial fibrillation on Friday around noon. Roland is a doctor and checked her pulse and a trip to the local hospital was ordered. Short version - ER, IV drip, heart monitor, admitted, overnight stay, ALL IS WELL.

Some able subs were found for Jeff and Sally and the team somehow managed to win the second game while calling and texting to check on Sally. Saturday Sally was back at the club to cheer on the team and they won again. Sunday saw another win in the second event final.

Thanks to everyone in attendance for all the support and help.

Jeff

Season is underway

2010-10-26T17:33:00.004-04:00

All the leagues have started and there are lots of new faces at the club. About 60 new curlers have joined this year from the Olympic crush. They are very keen and want to learn everything as soon as possible.

On the bonspiel side, Elly B. went to Plainfield for the Mid-Atlantic and came home with a second event winners pin. Not sure if there were others there as well.

If you want to post your road stories here just email Jeff and let him know.

Blazing Leaves Bonspiel wrap up

2010-10-11T09:17:00.002-04:00

Fifteen teams competed in the first Nutmeg bonspiel of the season. Five home town teams and 10 from as far as North Carolina. In the end Derek and Charrissa with Scott Price (Broomstones) and Phelicia (yes, she curls at Nutmeg) emerged as the winners. They had a good battle against a strong Potomac team.

Second event went to Elly and Karl with Sarah and Ted (both Plainfield). Third event was won by Diane, Don, Karen and Ann as Nutmeg III. Fourth event went to an Ardsley team skipped by Sandy Gaffner.

Lots of good food with the chili contest on Saturday and a new addition of an apple pie contest. Merlyn Glodek won for best chili and Jill Owens won the pie bake-off. Friday night saw the start of a new tradition that was very popular. A stalwart crew of Merlyn, Pinto Hope and Lee Cockey manned two smokers all night and into Saturday to produce some fabulous ribs, brisket and pork. They spent the entire night outside at the club with some forays into the warm room for naps.

Great job by Mr. Hirx and Jim O'Boyle in organizing and running a wonderful event. Thanks to all that helped out.

Busy weekend

2010-09-20T09:16:00.003-04:00

A whole bunch of distant relatives came and played with us this weekend. That was a lot of fun. We really learned a lot and so did Uncle Jeff.

We are fast! We slide and slide and slide. That spa trip made such a difference. We slide a lot easier and if you throw us too hard we go slamming into the other end. When we bump into each other we going flying everywhere. Those fuzzy things you wave in front of us really make us go far. We also like to bend and curve. If you throw us hard we go pretty straight. If you throw us just right so we stop in those pretty circles we bend and bend and bend.

The other thing we learned is we need to spin. When you grab our hats and throw us, make sure you spin us. If you don't spin us right we just kind of find our own path to follow.

Editor's note: The rocks are faster and have late finish. They also have a lot of glide and do not dig in and stop. Late finish means they curl hard as they are slowing down on draws. Takeouts will be pretty straight. Need good rotation on the rock, 2 1/2 turns. The rocks and ice are also unforgiving. A rock released with outward momentum with continue to slide outward.

Can't wait for all of you to try us out.
Rock 40

Zzzzz..wha...huh...Okay we're awake

2010-09-09T15:36:00.002-04:00

Gosh that was a nice nap. Now Aunt Bobbie has pulled off the blankets and woken us up. We are all out here on the ice and getting our bottoms nice and cold. Very, very soon we will be sliding all over....wheeeeeee. Crashing into each other and bouncing around. So much fun.

The cousins will all be out and grabbing our hats and sliding us around. They will be waving those fuzzy things in front of us to say hi. Some of them will yell at us but we just pretend we don't hear them. Besides rocks don't have ears, silly cousins. I hear even some distant relatives are coming in to play with us. Won't they be surprised at how good we look.

See you all soon.
Rock 40

The cold weather is here

2010-09-01T14:09:00.002-04:00

YAHHH! It is getting cold here at home. Even though we are all covered up, we can feel the cold starting to seep into us. There was some excitement yesterday as well. Uncle Jeff and a bunch of cousins stopped by and played in the cold. They were spraying water, putting stuff on the floor and some other strange things. It made us really anxious to get out into the cold and play as well.

The strange things they must have been doing. We overheard cousin Sharon ask about using more Vaseline and then later on Uncle Jeff asked to be turned on. Not sure what that was all about, maybe someone should ask cousin Sharon to explain.

Aunt Bobbie even stopped by early this morning to visit and spray more water. It must take a lot of water and stuff before we can come out to play. We will be patient and just wait our turn.

Time for some more napping.
Rock #40

Back home and settled in

2010-08-28T15:49:00.003-04:00

Summer vacation was great but it was a bit warm. Now we are home, settled in and waiting for the cold to start again. Uncle Jeff and cousins Charrissa and Derek said we have never looked better. Our skin is really smooth, that spa did a wonderful job. We can't wait to get back into the action. It will be a little strange in the beginning since we all have new hats. Some of us may have our hats changed but that won't happen for awhile.

We also all lost some weight when we went to the spa. Now we are slim and trim and ready to rock (ha ha, I made a joke). Uncle Jeff and a bunch of cousins even adjusted the cameras to show off our new look. Now we can really stand out on TV. Cousin Kyle was a big help climbing the scary ladder to make use look good in our close-ups.

Time for a little nap now after all the excitement. We are all tucked in and covered up so we don't get any paint on us. Just waiting for the cold to start which is really soon.

Uncle Jeff is going to write down all of our vital statistics. With our new tattoos it will be so much easier to keep track of where we are and what hat we are wearing. All of our info can be found in the cabinet by the windows.

See you all soon
Rock #40

What I did on Summer vacation

2010-08-25T17:15:00.002-04:00

Hi. We are back from an extended vacation. I and the entire extended family took a trip to Canada this summer. We all needed a break and some refurbishing, so what better place to relax than the Canadian Curling Stone spa.

Some of us were more run down than others so the CCS spa treated all of us specially. Some got extra attention and now we are all the same and feeling almost brand new. They treated our tops and our bottoms and even our sides. Now we all feel like we can give our all this season.

Since it was such a special trip, we even got tatoos. Just a little number that will be under our ~~handles~~ hats. This way Uncle Jeff can tell us apart.

The only strange thing will be that we will all have new homes when we get back. Since we are identical ~~twins~~48ins this should not be a big deal. The spa said we should all be on our best behavior.

Can't wait to see everyone again.
The Nutmeg rocks

End of the season

2010-05-22T10:54:00.002-04:00

A bit of a wrap-up for the season. Lots of success for Nutmeg all over.

Derek and Charrissa won the bronze at the National Mixed event. After a slow start they pulled it together and made the playoffs. A loss in the semis but a big win in the Bronze event. Congrats!

The club had a very successful run of open houses and learn to curls for the Olympics. Over 1100 people came through the door to try curling in one form or another. Three separate greenhorn leagues had to be started with 90 new curlers involved. There is already a waiting list for next season for more learn to curls and hopefully more new members to join our merry band.

Sally survived her first year on the GNCC board as 2nd VP. Lots of behind the scenes work to keep the various GNCC championships running smoothly.

Jeff happened to win the Bell Silver Quoits medal at the GNCC spring meeting. This event has been in competition since 1868. Very different rules than the normal quoits game. The motts (pegs) are placed 18 yards apart and the quoits are quite heavy. A bit of technique and a lot of oomph is required to throw them.

Our President Joel did a bang up, spectacular, wonderful, frustrating job running the club for the season. Lots of help from his board too. The club has never been so organized and a lot of that credit goes to Joel.

David did a great job with corporate events this year especially after the Olympics. Lots of groups came in and the club gained a lot of revenue.

Bobbie and her tireless crew of instructors were strained to the max to get all the interested parties trained in curling. Lots and lots of long hours on the ice.

The social committee and the warm room committee keep the interest up in the club and keep the club looking neat and welcoming.

The ice crew did it normal job to keep the ice frozen and in good shape for good curling.

Charrissa worked hard to keep the leagues organized and to keep Joel from going crazy. Lots of unseen work that really made a difference.

Next season will see an increase in the number of curlers and a couple of special events will be happening including the Ross-Tarleton. The RT is an annual competition between the GNCC and Canada.

Have a great summer everyone.

Say goodbye to Vancouver

2010-02-20T12:21:00.003-05:00

My last day here - I am packed and ready to go. Derek is at the venue like always.

The US Teams finally got some wins yesterday - so that's good.

The crowds in the venue are crazy and sometimes obnoxious. They've started cheering for missed shots by the team playing the Canadians - bad form. And when Madeline Dupont was taking her last shot in the 10th (where she could have won the game) they were deafeningly loud. I don't know how anyone could concentrate in that havoc! It's not good curling form - but I guess that's what happens when you bring a sport into the Olympics - lots of spectators don't have a clue about curling and nationalism takes a on whole new kind of fervor. At this point, it seems like the crowd should be listed as the 5th player for the Canadian teams. Although admittedly, sometimes they are loud and raucous as the Canadians are shooting too - I think they believe that they are revving the person up.

It's been a great trip - the first weekend was amazing. The week was ok - less fun as I had to do work, Derek was gone from 7am to 11pm, and I mostly sat alone at the curling venue when I had tix. But still a neat experience.

The crowds have grown - I think more people come for the second week than the first. Walked around downtown again yesterday and there were massive line for everything - too much for me. There are a lot of pavilions here for different countries, for different provinces, for sponsors - but I didn't really go into any of them because I didn't feel like waiting in line.

Vancouver is a beautiful city - I highly recommend it to anyone to visit or to live in. Great scenery, great walking city, fun places to hang out.

The Malkins arrive today - so maybe someone can convince them to blog...

Day 6 Vancouver

2010-02-18T11:03:00.002-05:00

Saw the afternoon draw (US men vs Switzerland). Man did they start out bad - I couldn't believe how much they were struggling. But somehow they managed to turn it around and even get the lead. I thought for sure that they would finish it off and win. I even thought John had made his draw in the 10th (let go a little cheer). Ugh. Heartbreaking for them - this has to be so hard to be so close and keep losing the games.

The crowd was much more international - lots of clumps of Swiss fans (Hop Swiss - or whatever they say), British fans, and a few French fans (ok one lone flag in the upper corner...).

Day 5 Vancouver

2010-02-17T11:25:00.003-05:00

Derek was off to the venue at 6:30am

I spent much of the day working and watching coverage at the hotel

I had tix to the evening draw (USA v Norway, China v France, and Canada v Germany)

The crowd was crazy rambunctious, more of a hockey crowd, and surprisingly unknowledgeable about curling, despite being 90% Canadian (a sea of red out there). I was surrounded by Canadians but none of the people sitting around me knew anything about curling. I heard questions like: Are those people sitting behind the sheet (the coaches) the judges? I think there's judges in curling (um, no). Which country is favored to win the the gold in men's curling (uh, yours, doh).

Ok - I admit it, I'm a little bitter about the Canadian crowd. They were crazy loud - which was fine. They were crazy partisan - which was fine (they went crazy for every shot the Canadian team made - even ones that were straightforward like an open takeout or ones that weren't exactly what the team wanted). But when a few USA fans started cheering U-S-A, the Canadian fans starting cheering against the USA and doing Norway cheers. Obnoxious. It's not like we didn't sit through 2 hours of hearing Ca-na-da and other Canadian cheers. We didn't start leading cheers for Germany. One thing - at least no one cheered for missed shots.

Well - not a good day for our curling teams and not a great day for me. Hopefully today will be better.

Day 4 Vancouver

2010-02-16T09:45:00.002-05:00

Nothing much today

Derek spent all day working at the venue - I think they did a dress rehearsal and other stuff. Saw Kevin Martin's team practicing among others.

Only notable thing on my side was going to the Victory Ceremony. We got to see Alex Bilodeaux get his gold medal - the first Canadian to win gold at home. The place erupted and went crazy. So that was a really neat moment. Plus there was an American - Bryon Davis - who won the bronze. We also saw several other medal ceremonies - but they were all at Whistler - so they were just being broadcast into BC Place where we were.

Curling starts today - Derek had a pick up at 6:30am and will be working, I imagine, until like 10:30-11pm. That's probably his life from now until the end. I've got tix to the evening draw - but until then will be working in the hotel room (with CTV on in the background to watch the curling).

Day 3 - Vancouver

2010-02-15T09:51:00.003-05:00

Derek had a late morning - his pick up was at 11:30am - but then he was there all day until ~7pm. Amongst other things, he watched some of the teams practice - first practices on Olympic ice. One thing to look out for - the Norwegian men are wearing some crazy pants. Very loud, checked pants - blinding in some ways. Apparently they have two different styles. There may have to be a pants rule after this... :)

I had my encounter with Spinnaker the Pacific white-sided dolphin. Amazing!!! Got to feed him, rub him, "train" him - okay maybe they were training me, and learn all kinds of things. Like the difference between baleen whales and tooth whales (dolphins are tooth whales).

Took a long (really long) walk along the Stanley Park seawall to get back to the skytrain stop downtown (the bus was really unreliable).

Then hustled out to the Richmond Curling Club to teach curling! Ok - this was like the perfect storm - I arrived, no one there knew anything about what was going on, there was no one else there from the USCA, I never got pants to curl in - so I had to curl in my jeans (which are not loose enough to curl in), and it turns out that the CNBC crew was there videotaping a segment to air - not just learning to curl for fun. Yup - pretty much pushed every button I have about being in a situation I can't control that has a high potential for me to end up feeling humiliated.

But it ended up going okay - I managed to slide out in my too-big borrowed shoes and too-tight jeans and not kill myself (plus I got an agreement from the cameraman that if I fell, he wouldn't show it :) ). Taught two reporters to curl - they really hammed it up. So - look for it on CNBC. If you think I look and sound like an idiot - don't tell me...

Ended up having dinner and drinks with Rick Patzke, Terry Kolesar, and Dan Fields (?) of the USCA. Plus - Derek and Kellie Krake got released earlier than expected from their duties - so they joined us as well. We watched the Simpson's curling episode (no sound though) at the bar, too.

Dykes Ending

2010-02-14T22:07:00.003-05:00

The Nutmeg teams put up a good showing last night with Nutmeg II winning their quarter final game to play in the third event semi's today. Nutmeg I & III ended up losing their third event quarter final games late last night.

This morning Nutmeg IV lost their second event semi game and Nutmeg II lost their third event semi game.

All in all we had a great time and experience playing the competition and being there to support eachother. Hopefully some of us (and new Nutmeggers) will be playing in it again next year and we'll be able to make it to the finals to win the events :)

Day 2 from Vancouver

2010-02-14T10:10:00.002-05:00

We had a great day in Vancouver. Derek was off at 8:30am to the curling venue. Production meetings, tests, meeting the "talent," saw the inside of the curling venue, etc. He will be supporting Don Duguid, Colleen Jones, and Andrew Catalan. Elfi Schlegel is also there - so Derek got to meet and hang out with her too (he says he's in with her because he told her how to get free chocolate at the Swiss house). In the afternoon, he went to the International Broadcasting Center downtown to pick up his computer and some other stuff. He got to walk right up to the Olympic cauldron and get some pics - very cool.

In the meantime - I got up early and went to the Olympic Superstore first thing. Got my credit card declined so had to sort that out - I guess they didn't like the fact that we were in Vancouver. When I got outside - there was a protest going on (I have no idea what they were protesting). Right as it got to where I was standing - these guys grabbed the newspaper boxes and threw them into the streets. Then this one guy was holding a rock or something and came up right beside me (like 3 ft away) and starting smashing in the display window of The Bay!! My eyes got real wide and I started walking quickly in the other direction. Lots of tourists/spectators were just standing around. About a block away - I saw the riot police marching towards them in formation. Crazy! And it was only 10am!

I walked down to Yaletown, took the False Creek Ferry to Granville Island (literally the smallest ferry I've ever seen) and checked out Granville Island. Very cool place - amazing public market, neat shops - lots of fun.

Met up with Jennifer and J Atkinson out in Richmond (they were watching speedskating) - and saw the Dutch mob at the Heineken House - a Dutch guy (Kramer) had just one speedskating gold. So no way were we going to be able to get into there. Picked up Derek at the hotel and went to a nearby bar and then onto Granville Island for dinner.

Today - Derek gets picked up at 11:30 and will be out all day. I'm off to the Aquarium for a Dolphin Encounter (go Flipper!) and then I got suckered into teaching some CNBC'ers how to curl this afternoon. Borrowed shoes, borrowed pants - hey, Elly was great when she did this - so hopefully I'll do ok.

Weekend update

2010-02-13T20:40:00.002-05:00

Team Purkey loses out in the 2nd event at Schenectady. Team Muldowney plays later tonight. This is the USWCA National Bonspiel.

At the Dykes in Broomstones, Team Mayne advances to the 2nd event semi finals on Sunday Morning. Teams Aulenti, Leneker and Bertonica all playing late tonight in the 3rd event quarter finals. All three are in separate games so all could get to the semis.

GO NUTMEG!

Hello from Vancouver

2010-02-13T11:12:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Jeff asked us to blog a little from Vancouver - so I guess the task will fall to me. Derek actually can't blog, tweet, etc as his NBC contract has a ban on that.

First of all - good luck to all the Nutmeg teams at the Dykes and at the USWCA - we're pulling for you from out here!

Yesterday was a super-long travel day for me. Metro-north to the city, bus to JFK, flight to Seattle, bus (long bus ride) to Vancouver. Ugh! But I'm here. Derek - with his costs paid by NBC - got to arrive much earlier and directly into Vancouver. He got his accreditation validated, sped through immigration (separate line for those working) and got a shuttle to the hotel. He got to hang out at the O-zone in Richmond with some friends of ours. The O-zone is a spectator fun area for the Olympics - there are a couple set up. Having not been to one, I can't say what's in there - except to say that they didn't get into the Heineken house - I guess it was too full :(.

Our hotel is in the city center - and we can see the Olympic stadium from our window. Lots of NBC types and curling officials staying here. Although I guess the "talent" (lingo? for the announcers) are staying at a different, nicer hotel. That's ok.

Derek is catching a bus at 8:30am this morning to the venue - they have a meeting and then a dress rehearsal. Then he picks up his computer (they also gave him a cell phone). I am off to go shopping to buy something special for my birthday at the Olympic Superstore. Then I think I'll explore Granville Island, Yaletown, and other places. I'm going to catch up with some friends (Jennifer Kungle and J Atkinson from Potomac) later to celebrate.

Hope all is well out there and that the first Olympic experience goes smashingly! I'd say I wish I were there helping - but I already lived through the 2000+ people at an open house at Potomac - so I think I've paid my dues :)

Til tomorrow!

Dykes Update

2010-02-13T02:17:00.003-05:00

Nutmeg I ended up losing this evening so they play Sat morning @ 7am in the third event draw, Nutmeg IV with their win today play Sat @ 9:15am still in the second event draw, Nutmeg II with their loss today play Sat @ 1:45pm still in the third event draw, Nutmeg III remains alive in the third event draw winning their game tonight with a shake after 6 ends to play again Sat @ 4:00pm.

All games Sat onward are loser out so wish wins for each of our teams or even come on up to see them play.

Teams: Nutmeg I = Frank, Alph, Jack, & Lee; Nutmeg II = Joel, Chris, Karl, & Don; Nutmeg III = Matt, Mark, Nigel, & Kyle; Nutmeg IV = Sean, Mike, Dave, & Jon

Nutmeg @ The Dykes 2010

2010-02-12T18:19:00.003-05:00

A quick update on the status: All of us played our first draws yesterday - Nutmeg III came back to tie in the 8th end forcing an extra end which they lost, Nutmeg IV also lost their first game. Nutmeg I & II won.

Today more mixed results: Nutmeg III had the first draw of the day at 7am which came down to the last shot of the last end which gave the Cape Cod team the point for the win so now Nutmeg III waits to play at 10:45pm tonight - wish them a win otherwise they're out. Nutmeg II lost their second game and are now in the 3rd event scramble playing tomorrow. Nutmeg IV won their game to remain in the second event draws. Nutmeg I are playing on the ice now.

Nutmeg weekend

2010-02-12T17:44:00.002-05:00

Nutmeg at the USWCA National bonspiel in Schenectady. Both teams are in the second event with a chance to meet in the final. Good luck to them.

The Dykes is more complicated. Four teams are there. All are still alive. Frank Aulenti still in the first event. Sean Mayne in the second event. Joel and Matt are in the third event.

First Olympic related curling experience goes off tomorrow. The website generated about 50 people signed up to attend. If we can grab 10 of those people as members that would be great.

Nutmeg everywhere

2010-02-11T08:32:00.002-05:00

A very busy weekend for Nutmeg curlers. Four teams are at Broomstones for the Dykes 5 & under bonspiel. Two teams are in Schenectady for the USWCA National Bonspiel. Derek and Charrissa are off to Vancouver and the Olympics. Derek will be working with the NBC broadcast team doing stats and such.

Those left in CT will be busy with the first of the Olympic open houses which will be this Saturday at Noon.

Both Broomstones and Schenectady are posting results on their websites.

Derek day two at the Challenge Round

2010-02-06T10:05:00.003-05:00

A little better than the first as they got a win in game one but a picked rock on a draw in the second game was the undoing. Eighth end and behind by one with the hammer. Derek has a draw against three and his rock picks and stops dead. Steal of 3 for the other team and just too big a hole, too late to climb out.

They still have a chance as the field is well bunched but need to win the remaining three games and get some help. Two more games on Saturday and the final round robin game on Sunday.

Tough day one for Derek

2010-02-05T09:45:00.002-05:00

It was a very tough day for the Derek and team. Two losses in the first two games. From the on-site reports sounds like the first game was a very good one and the second was not.

A bounce back today with two wins will put them in good position for the weekend. Here is an excerpt from someone who was there.

(from Ben Tucker, ND curler and internet friend)
Draw One saw the best two teams playing against each other on Sheet 3. Farbelow, with the addition of Eric Fenson throwing second stone and vice skipping, looked very much the team that the top teams in the nation would not like to play. The were matched rock for rock, truth be told, by the Surka rink. All eight players were above 80%. I didn't keep stats, but I know 80% when I see it. Great game, won by Farbelow. If it was a semi final at Nationals, we would all be proud.

(game 2)
Sheet 2 saw the wheels come off the Surka Express. They could not make a rock do anything according to plan. Stephen Colbert's remote controll rock was sorely needed but nowhere in sight.

Derek tries for a second National championship

2010-02-04T07:57:00.002-05:00

Starting today in Grafton, ND (current temp 11) Derek with Sean (from the mixed champions), Tim and Paul (both from Broomstones) will try to win their way into the Nationals. This is the second round of playdowns, the challenge round. Eight teams will play a round robin and the top three will advance to the Men's National Championship with 7 other teams. In the Nationals the ten teams will again play a round robin with the winner representing the US in the Worlds.

Results will be posted here and here.

Hopefully some direct reports will also be posted to this blog by Charrissa or check out Facebook for updates from Derek and Sean.

Jeff

GNCC Mixed Championship wrap-up

2010-02-01T09:51:00.003-05:00

It all came down to the final game on Sunday at 2pm. Team Surka (Derek, Charrissa, Sean and Rachel) versus Team Mellerup (Dennis,Janice, Dan and Joyance with Elly Bockley as a fifth*). When the ice chips cleared, Team Surka was the winner for the third straight year. They are now off to Chicago for the Mixed Nationals.

* So how did Elly end up on this team from Ardsley? Well, in the Saturday afternoon game, Joyance went down hard while sweeping a rock. After quite a long break to check her out and fix up the ice, the team needed to find a sub. For mixed championships there are rules that a team must have 4 players and a sub must be from the host club. Elly happened to be there at the time as an official. So, she borrowed some curling shoes and clothes and went in to finish the game which Dennis won. Joyance headed for the hospital to get checked out further and Elly played in the final round robin game on Saturday night. This was the first of three games of Derek playing Dennis.

Derek won that game to finish at 4-0 after the round robin. Dennis was 3-1 which dictated a tie break game on Sunday morning. There is a double knockout provision in the championship as well, a team must lost two games to be eliminated. Joyance returned for play on Sunday and Dennis won that first tie break game. This resulted in a third Derek/Dennis match up. Derek was up two without the hammer in the tenth end and ran Dennis out of rocks to win the game.

All three games played between these two teams were great examples of shotmaking and skill.

And in the no rest for the weary category, Derek and Sean are off to North Dakota this weekend for the Men's Challenge round. Three teams will come out of that competition to play in the National Championship for the right to represent the USA in the Worlds. That competion starts on Thursday.

Jeff

GNCC Mixed Championship

2010-01-29T07:46:00.002-05:00

The games got off to a rousing start last night. The winner of the event will represent the GNCC at the National Mixed Championship in Chicago.

In an all Nutmeg battle, Team Surka completely dominated Team Smith. Even though they kept playing , the game was over after 5 ends.

In the second game, Team Lesuk (Ardsley) kept Team Marasciulo at bay after jumping out to a big lead. A steal of three by Lesuk in the second end was the undoing of Angelo. Too big a hole to climb out of but Angelo made a valiant try.

The action continues today at Noon and 7pm and the same times on Saturday. Stop out and catch some games.

Jeff

Busy Nutmeg weekend

2009-12-05T08:41:00.002-05:00

Results from all over the country on this snowy? Saturday morning.

Crystal Snowflake Women's started last night with lots of good games and an enthusiastic crowd. Multiple games today for all teams will determine the finalists for Sunday.

Derek and Charrissa continue to roll at the Mixed Doubles Nationals in Seattle. Into the playoffs with a 4-0 record. Big game today against a Plainfield team to win their pool. Winner of the game advances directly to semi-finals.

Donna Purky and Nancy Brautigam are at the USWCA Senior Nationals. They are enjoying the hospitality as they lost out in the second event.

The Smith and Smith (not brothers) will be fighting it out for a spot in the second event final at Norfolk. Terry and Joseph play each other this afternoon.

So much curling, so little time.
JH

Busy week for Nutmeg

2009-11-30T10:10:00.003-05:00

It is a busy week for Nutmeg and Nutmeggers. The Women's Crystal Snowflake starts on Friday with lots of good teams heading in for the spiel. The draw is up on the website here and will be updated as the event progresses. Stop in and see some great curling if you get a chance.

Also, this week starting on Thursday is the National Mixed Doubles Championship in Seattle. Attending and trying to advance to the Worlds will be Derek and Charrissa. You can follow the action on the Granite curling club website.

Best of luck to all the competitors, near and far.

JH

Harvest Bonspiel aftermath

2009-11-23T18:15:00.003-05:00

In the previous post I failed to mention Michael Nordquist and Christen Bossu who were also playing at the Harvest..mia culpa. They along with Pam and Terry Smith had a good time and enjoyed the Philly CC hospitality.

Karl and Elly Bockley ending up winning the third event, the Mad Anthony Wayne trophy. A really good game for them in the final as they dominated on Sunday.

Jeff and Sally Hannon with Rob Reihl won the fourth event, the Friendship trophy. Subbing for Sally on Sunday was Pam Moan, who was subbing for another sub after Jeff ending up losing two leads in one game. Sally went down to a knee injury in the 2nd end of the first event semis and the sub (Elizabeth from Plainfield) went down with a twisted ankle in the 7th end of the same game. Pam was playing with Terry and Pam so she was available to jump in Sunday although Jeff was worried that he might need more than one lead for that game as well. But all worked out and Pam only came close to getting taken out in the 4th end.

A fabulous event as always and with the theme being James Bond many martinis were consumed. A great time was had by all and many of the Nutmeggers will be returning to this event in future years. If you want to try a mixed spiel in the future, this is one to put on the calendar.

Jeff

Nutmeg at the Harvest in Philly

2009-11-19T08:00:00.003-05:00

Nutmeggers are on the road again this weekend with a trip to the Harvest Bonspiel at the Philadelphia CC. Located in Paoli, PA this is a great event with lots of fun to be had. Attending will be Elly and Karl Bockly playing with folks from Plainfield and Philly. Sally and Jeff and Rob will also be there playing with Nancy from Philly. New to the party this year is Pam Moan and Terry and Pam Smith playing with Roland from Philly.

Curling starts on Thursday night for Jeff and Terry with Elly starting on Friday. Sixteen teams make up the draw and there is always a good party on Saturday night.

Jeff

Competitive league week 4

2009-11-11T09:43:00.004-05:00

Teams Mannik and Surka continue to roll along, both without a loss on the ledger. Lots of blowouts last night. Just the way the ice curls sometimes.

Good match next week as Team J. Smith takes on Team Surka. Will Team Surka be brought back to the pack? The next three weeks see all the top teams play each other. Once the dust clears who will still be at the top? Only the pebble knows for sure.

Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch.

Olympic Festival at Rockefeller Center

2009-11-05T08:57:00.002-05:00

Numerous Nutmeggers attend the Olympic Festival at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday 11/4. I don't want to list them all in case I miss someone. The juniors presented hats to all the Olympic curlers in a ceremony held on the ice rink. There was a curling booth set up to showcase curling in the Olympics and lots of people helped out there and chatted with interested parties. Some of the ice crew was present as well trying to help out with getting the Olympic curlers to throw some rocks. That was really interesting as they set up a "sheet" the short way on the rink so it was only about 40 feet long or so. And they had skating going on just before the curling demonstation was to take place. But people got to see rocks being thrown.

Not sure if any of it made it onto the Today show. A quick review of the DVR did not find anything on TV.

Thanks to all who attended and helped out in anyway they could.

Competitive league week 2

2009-10-28T09:58:00.002-04:00

The big battle last night was Smith vs Smith, which sounds like a divorce proceeding or a cough drop challenge. But it was a huge battle on the ice instead. Team T. Smith (nee Haggis) gave team J. Smith (nee Canada) all they could handle for 8 ends. It came down to the final skips rocks with Terry having a tough come around tap back to try and steal. Close but no cigar as the saying goes and Joseph and team prevailed.

Team Surka started there run with a win in the first time on the ice. Team Bagley put a beat down on Team Purkey/Stannard. Team Mannik (without any Manniks) dropped a big 4 ender on Team Hannon to seal a victory.

The game of the week next time is Team Surka v Team Hannon (without any Hannons). Derek is not too concerned since he only loses this game in December.

Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch.
JH

Nutmeg at the Bog Spiel

2009-10-26T10:04:00.002-04:00

The "we" in the following is Charrissa with Derek, Matt and Chris. (editor)

We were sorry communicators this weekend. I'll tell you - we were so tired all the time - pretty much we played our games, hung out and socialized (and ate meals) and then took a nap, and then came back and played. We did manage to squeeze in a little sightseeing on Saturday - checked out the Cranberry Harvest Festival (as far as we could see, it was just one room of booths, not much), tasted wines at the Cape Cod Winery, and checked out some cranberry bogs (no harvesting going on though).

We had a very tight game - but pulled off the win in the 1st event final! Very exciting. We played great teams all the way through. The first event final was against the junior boys team - Team Hoge (they were at Nutmeg for the Blazing Leaves). As a team, it wasn't our best game, but we got some breaks. We went into the 8th, tied with hammer, Derek had an open takeout to win the game.

We played great teams all the way through - it turns out that all of the other event finals were won by teams that we beat - and I think we may have been each of their only losses. We played Bob DeVine of Broomstones in the semi-final - that was a good match. His last shot was a kinda of crazy double angle runback to remove our counter, try to stick around to take two and tie the game. Didn't make it.

We also played a team from Border (a Canadian club on the border, not surprisingly) and Ed and Candice Clark from Nashua - they were playing with Mark and Debbie Kanakis - Mark threw third.

Border CC is a fantastic club to visit for a bonspiel . Two sheets attached to a giant old house, 3 floors with upstairs viewing. (editor)

One other personal highlight - I was very proud to note that I was the only female of all 16 players in the semi-finals. Well - I guess I'm sad to say that, because it still indicates that men are stronger at curling - but I was proud to at least be representing!

Food was good, hospitality was good, the bar was excellent (they made me cosmos all weekend!).

JH for Charrissa

Nutmeg wins the Bog Spiel at Cape Cod

2009-10-25T17:44:00.002-04:00

Well, I had a whole post written from Charrissa but can't seem to get it to copy and paste from Word.

Anyway, Derek, Charrissa, Matt and Chris won the first event at the Bog spiel in Cape Cod. Congrats to them. They played the Hoge team (the junior boys from the Blazing Leaves) in the finals.

JH

Nutmeg at the Bog spiel in Cape Cod

2009-10-24T18:48:00.003-04:00

A quick update without a lot of details.

Derek and Charrissa with Matt B. and Chris C. are in the semi finals of the first event Saturday night against a Broomstones team. So, they should be playing on Sunday.

David A. was playing with an Ardsley team and they are into the "drinking" event at this point as they lost three in a row.

JH

Competitive League week 1

2009-10-21T17:21:00.002-04:00

Opening night of the league saw some good games and a huge surprise, Derek and Charrissa did not win. Well, they had the bye so I guess they did not lose either.

Nine teams make up the league this year with mostly the same players. A few new faces have joined the crowd. Ann Karrick and Donn Malner joining Team Alward. Donn is a new member who is returning to curling after a bit of a layoff. Nice looking tuck slide Donn. Team Alward took on Team Mannik and gave them a run for the money, making Steve make the final shot in the eighth to win.

Team Chebetar took it to Team Haggis (T. Smith) and handed them an early season loss. Maybe not enough haggis before the game.

Team J. Smith handed Team Bagley a loss as well. Those Canadians just seem to get started easier plus he has been throwing a lot of rocks.

Team Hannon staged a furious comeback against Team Purkey/Stannard to pull out the win. Falling behind 5-0 after two ends, Team Hannon stole their way back to the lead and finished it off at the end.

Rob Chebetar is providing some tasty treats these days as he practices his baking skills and brings the results to the club. Bacon, cheddar biscuits, scones, corn bread.....yum yum.

Interesting match up next week, battle of the Smiths as Joseph takes on Terry.

Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch.
JH

Elly B and team in Philly

2009-10-21T17:15:00.002-04:00

Elly and her team on ice at Philly. Not sure if this was prior to winning the fourth event or after.

No pictures of Team Smith from Potomac. The Potomac website had their photo gallery removed by the website provider. Really too bad.

Bonspiel results

2009-10-18T15:27:00.002-04:00

In Philly at the Mid-Atlantic Women's, Elly B and team win the fourth event.

In Laurel MD at the Inaugural, Joseph S. and team finish runner-up in the fourth event.

Nutmeg on the road

2009-10-17T10:15:00.003-04:00

Curling season has started and Nutmeggers are out on the road playing in Bonspiels.

Elly B. is in Philly for a Women's event and Joseph S. has a team at Potomac for the Inaugural.

Potomac is posting results and updating the draw so you can follow the action here.

Ice making is under way

2009-09-02T07:57:00.003-04:00

The hard working ice crew started the process of putting in the ice on Tuesday. The entire process will be done for Saturday 9/12. The club looks nice with the new landscaping out front and the new banners on the ice.

We will see you all soon.

Brunch by the brook

2009-08-10T07:48:00.006-04:00

The Owens and the Fallons hosted a brunch for Nutmeggers who signed up at the annual meeting. The rain stopped and the group got to enjoy the outdoors and conversation.

Some long time friends and members.

Lots of discussions on various topics.

Chuck was manning the bar as usual.

The President hard at work possibly working out details of a coup to take over Bridgeport?

New front yard

2009-08-08T11:42:00.004-04:00

If you have not been by the club recently we now have a landscaped front. Huge thanks to Neil and Mary. Looks great guys and the mayor is very happy with it.

Season almost here

2009-08-07T15:37:00.002-04:00

The curling season is fast approaching. There are lots of early season activities planned. Yes, the ice will be in early again this year, hopefully Monday 9/14. If you have not been to the website recently you should go and check it out.

Some of the highlights:
Instructor clinic
Delivery clinic
Early season bonspiel!!

So, check it out.

Help Pittsburgh Curling Club

2009-08-03T08:12:00.001-04:00

Please Help Pittsburgh Curling Club for a Nike Community Grant!! All You need to do is click on the link below then click on "Most Popular Applicants" and go to the 2nd page then put your email address in and VOTE!!
http://www.nikebackyourblock.com/

Nike is investing up to $650,000 in grants across the nation to unlock the potential of young people through the power of sports and we need you!
Tell us how your organization is using sports as a tool to change your community for a shot at winning a Back Your Block grant to help take your work to the next level.

We are official

2009-07-31T10:43:00.003-04:00

The city of Bridgeport has graced us with a sign. This is located at the corner across from the Dutchess

Cape cod update

2009-07-16T06:58:00.002-04:00

Rob Chebetar and David Asano finished runner-up in the third event in the mixed.

Kathy Morley, Naida, Karen and Pam won the third event in the women's.

Wife Swap is Looking for 2 Curling Families!!

2009-07-14T08:23:00.002-04:00

Hello,
My name is Kristen and I am a Casting Producer for the ABC hit realityshow 'Wife Swap.' We are currently casting for our fifth season and weare looking for Curling families.
The premise of Wife Swap is simple: for seven days, two wives from twodifferent families with very different values exchange husbands,children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover what it's like tolive a different family's life. It's an interesting social experimentand a great way to see your family in a whole new light. It is shot asa documentary series, so NO scripts and no set. It's just one camerathat is documenting your life.
Families that appear on the show will receive a financial honorariumfor lost wages, time and commitment. And if you refer a family thatappears on the show you would receive $1000.Here at 'Wife Swap' welook for a two-parent home with at least one child between the ages of 6 and 17 living at home full time.
If you are interested, please email me your contact information andtell me a little about your family. Or if you would like to refer afamily, please email me their contact information and I will be intouch.
Thank you!
Kristen Phelan
Casting Associate ProducerRDF Media USA100 6th Ave, 3rd Floor,Suite 3-29NY, NY 10013P: 646.747.7936E: kristen.phelan@castingrdf.comE: casting.kristen@gmail.com (preferred)

Pittsburgh Tropicurl recap

2009-07-08T17:16:00.002-04:00

Jeff and Sally returned from Pittsburgh sans hardware. Jeff's team went 1-3 and was voted off the island late on Saturday night. They did however close the bar at the hotel 3 nights in a row so something was earned.

A great event for anyone who is interested for next year. The ice is not too bad and the hospitality is great. Everyone is welcoming and the competition is actually really good. Lots of Canadians who seem to take it a little too seriously for Jeff's taste.

Next up is the Cape with a bunch of Nutmeggers headed there. Hopefully someone will have a report or two.

Summer spieling

2009-06-26T15:46:00.002-04:00

Jeff and Sally Hannon are off to Pittsburgh next week for Tropicurl. Jeff is skipping a team from Plainfield and Sally will be spectating and taking photos.

Anyone who is headed to the Cape later in July and wants to post here, let Jeff know and he can set it up.

More from the land of Steel next week.

Jeff

Ladies Pot Luck Dinner at Sharon's House

2009-06-18T15:40:00.002-04:00

June 17th Sharon Giese had the ladies over for a Pot Luck dinner!! We had a lovely time enjoying the one night it didn't rain and wonderful food provided by all. After figuring out how the timer works on Sally's camera, Pam Moan took the above picture of everyone that came!!

Old time curling in NJ

2009-06-05T08:47:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Paul Graebener from Plainfield. Here is an article from the February 1892 issue of Scientific American about curling in Hoboken NJ.

CLICK HERE

Summer get togethers

2009-06-01T08:25:00.002-04:00

Some of you may have been at the Hirx bouncy party. There are two more outings coming up - Bridgeport Bluefish on July 18 and a Sunday brunch at the Owens on August 9. Contact Jayne Beattie for the Bluefish and the Owens for their party.

Maybe we can get Derek and Charrissa to show some of the photos from the Galapagos at the Owens.

Jeff

Congrats to the new club officers

2009-05-17T17:44:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Joel, Charrissa, Pam and David as the new/returning officers of the club.

Joel becomes President and Charrissa will support him as Vice President. Pam returns as Secretary as David returns as Treasurer.

Congrats again and also to new board members Steve and Kathy.

Annual Meeting and Silent Auction Saturday 5/16

2009-05-11T11:40:00.002-04:00

Don't forget the annual meeting is this Saturday. Here are the details.

Saturday 5/16
7pm cocktails and silent auction
Testos
1775 Madison Avenue
Bridgeport CT

$35 per person
contact Jayne Beattie to register

Curling starts in five months

2009-04-23T11:10:00.002-04:00

The GNCC 2009/2010 preliminary calendar is now available at the GNCC website. Time to start planning your bonspiel schedule for next season. Also a few summerspiels out there if you can't wait till October.

Thanks for the help

2009-04-19T15:09:00.003-04:00

I want to thank everyone who showed up for the ice clean up. It was a lot of hard work but with so many people helping it made it easier. If I miss your name, I am sorry.

Thanks to
Bobbie Stoll
Charrissa and Derek
Karl and Elly Bockley
Dave Asano
Mike Hope
Angelo
Jennifer Stannard
Sharon Giese

I know I may have missed someone but all the effort was greatly appreciated.

Also a thanks to Allan Alward for making the trip with a ladder to close off the heater vents.

Still projects to do over the summer so lots more chances to come out and help.

Jeff

Nutmeggers still curling

2009-04-18T09:41:00.003-04:00

Donna Purkey, Bobbie Stoll, Nadia Leslie and Jayne Beattie are off to Arizona for the Desert Spiel. Well Donna is already there. Held at the Coyotes curling club in Scottsdale. More info can be found HERE. Good luck to them.

Blarney Stone 2009

2009-04-06T08:50:00.009-04:00

The ice is melting and there was skating and broom ball. Here are a few pics from the last day.

League results

2009-04-01T09:08:00.002-04:00

With the season almost over, here is the result of league play for 2009/2010.

Men’s League
Robert Kwan, Mike Hope, David Blackmore, Chuck Owens

Collection Plate
Sharon Geise, Judy Raines, Sue Bannay, Michelle Borque

Competitive League
Steve Mannik, Sil Mannik, Pete DeJong, Robert Kwan, Phil Stevens

Women’s Evening
Diane Muldowney, Linda Malkin, Jo Deupree, Maura Cockey

Thursday Evening Open
Sarah Hirx, Kitty Davey, David Hirx, Heather Mercik

Friday Mixed Social
Mark Malkin, Linda Malkin, Mike Hope, Michelle Bourque
Scott Follin, Heide Follin, Howard Palmer, Anne Palmer

Sunday Mixed
Rob Chebetar, Pam Smith, Barbara Manicatide, Micky Manicatide

Nutmeg bonspiel results

2009-03-30T17:23:00.004-04:00

Reading the last hit n roll bulletin of the year made me curious about results for Nutmeg. What follows are results of a team identified as Nutmeg in the results. There may have been others who were involved with other teams.

Inaugural - Potomac
2nd event runner up

Mixed Doubles - Broomstones
1st and 2nd event winners

Harvest - Philadelphia
1st event runner up

USWCA 5 and under - Schenectady
3rd event winner

Mixed - Norfolk
1st event winner

Golden Handle - Nutmeg
1st and 5th event winners

Winter Wonderland - Norfolk
2nd event winner

GNCC Senior Men's - Nutmeg
4th event winner

McKay-Douglas - Ardsley
1st event runner up

Cherry Blossom - Potomac
2nd and 3rd event winners

A nice list for a club that started three years ago with 30 or so experienced curlers. Good job everyone. Get out on the bonspiel trail next year and we can do even better.

Nutmeg at the Cherry Blossom

2009-03-30T08:09:00.002-04:00

Several Nutmeg curlers traveled down to Laurel MD to the Potomac curling club to compete in the Cherry Blossom. Three of the final events were contested by someone from Nutmeg.

Steve and Sil Mannik with Karl and Elly Bockley won the second event. Joseph Smith and Diane Muldowney playing with two Potomac curlers won the third event. David Asano playing with an Ardsley team finished runner up in the fourth event.

Hi from Medford

2009-03-22T11:15:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone -
We're out here in Medford ready to get going. Opening ceremony starts at 11:15am CT and then the first game at 1pm CT. All the teams out here are strong - it's a tough field. Need to play our best every day. I'm writing more on my blog - if anyone is really interested they can go there - charrissa.blogspot.com I think does the trick. I can't promise I'll be a reliable poster - but I figured it was better than clogging up the Nutmeg blog

Where to Catch the Action For the Mixed Nationals and Women's Worlds

2009-03-22T08:55:00.004-04:00

Mixed Nationals:
To follow the games for Derek and Charrissa at Mixed Nationals
Sun-2pm & 8pm Mon-4pm & 8pm Tues-12pm & 8pm Wed-12pm & 8pm Thurs-4pm

http://events.curlingzone.com/index.php?task=Event&eventid=2097
or
http://www.usacurl.org/curlingrocks/

To send them some fan email:
connecticut@usacurl.org

Women's Worlds
Selected Matches from the Women's Worlds will be shown on TV on the Universal Sports channel.

Universal Sports TV
March 28: USA vs. Canada, 7 p.m. ET
March 28: USA vs. Sweden, 11 p.m. ET
March 29: Bronze medal match, 7 p.m. ET
March 29: Gold medal match, 11 p.m. ET
To find the Universal Sports channel in your area :
http://www.universalsports.com/fls/23000/tv/where-to-find-on-tv.html

You can also watch the video stream on their website of more matches at
http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=11662&DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=3695394

Multimedia curling

2009-03-20T16:56:00.002-04:00

For those who can't get enough curling.

There is curling on the satellite this weekend at the club. The Canada Cup semis and finals will be shown on TSN. The carrot is that the winning team(s) earn another step toward the Canadian Olympic trials.

The Women's Worlds will be on CurlTV with two games each draw. The US is represented by Team McCormick who will also be the US team at the Olympics.

And last but not least by any measure, our own Derek and Charrissa are heading to the Mixed Nationals. There will be online scoring available on the USCA site. And hopefully some twitters or maybe a post at this here blog.

US Mixed Nationals

2009-03-18T08:17:00.003-04:00

Derek and Charrissa wrap up their busy championship season starting Sunday at the Mixed Nationals in Medford, WI. Their games are Sun. 1 and 7, Mon. 3 and 7, Tue. 11 and 7, Wed. 11 and 7, Thu. at 7. All times are local, I think. Wednesday is the big day with the first game against the defending champions from Washington and the second against the other GNCC team from Maryland.

The USCA website should have a scoring link at some point. You can also email your support to Derek and Charrissa at connecticut@usacurl.org

Best of luck to Derek, Charrissa, Sean and Rachel.

Club Nationals wrap up

2009-03-16T17:32:00.002-04:00

First, I would like to thank Derek, Angelo and Joel for the week.

It was a great experience. All the guys playing where nice and the atmosphere was much more social than was expected at a National competition. The ice was lightning fast at times and there was more than enough curl. Utica did a great job of hosting.

We lost a whole bunch of close games that could have gone either way. Wisconson was the best team all week and deserved the win.

All in all a great time with lots of good memories including playing 13 ends in one game.

Jeff

Golden Handle wrapup

2009-03-16T14:29:00.003-04:00

Congrats to all the Nutmeggers who were part of the finals.

Rob Chebetar and Karl Bockley win the Handle. Now Rob needs to get a rock to put it on for display.

Terry and Pam Smith finalists in the fourth event.

Steve and Sil Mannik with Sean Mayne and Heather Mercik for winning the little Handle. Also, David Asano as a finalist in the same event.

Camera feed at Club Nationals

2009-03-10T23:23:00.003-04:00

You can check this link from time to time as it is a live feed from one of the teams (Wisconsin) and if they have someone manning the camera they show other teams during the games live.

http://www.mogulus.com/2009clubnationals

Everyone Sweeping Skippy's rock

2009-03-10T23:01:00.001-04:00

The boys infront of the standing board at Club Nationals

2009-03-10T22:58:00.002-04:00

Club Nationals

2009-03-10T22:54:00.003-04:00

The boys had a hell of a day today. They played 13 ends in their 1st game. How you ask??? Well they tied the game at 10 ends then an extra end (11) was blanked then they blanked the 12th end again and had to play the 13 end to lose the game. Thats OK they put that game behind them and went on to win their game this afternoon. They are now 1-4 and if they win the next 4 games they are in the hunt for playoffs. Every game has been really close down to last rock and they are all playing really well. The competition here is pretty stiff but these guys just don't give up and hang in their every game. They are having a great time and Utica is doing a nice job hosting the Nationals.

Nutmeg hanging in at the Club Nationals

2009-03-09T14:46:00.003-04:00

Team Hannon is hanging tough. Two close losses but each game came down to the final rock. Lots more curling to go. Get a win and then get on a streak.

Team nap just about over and then back to the club for the 4pm game against Wisconson.

Jeff

Nutmeg at the Club Nationals

2009-03-04T19:05:00.002-05:00

Team Hannon is on the road Saturday and headed for Utica. Jeff, Derek, Angelo and Joel have practice on Saturday evening and first game is Sunday at 4pm.

Hopefully Utica will have some game scores. Check the Utica website.

This here blog will have some entries when possible.

Also, Derek will be posting tweets and Sally is coming for a couple of days so probably will be tweeting as well.

Nutmeg on the road

2009-03-01T18:29:00.002-05:00

A further update from Norfolk for the Women's Winter Wonderland.

First event winner was Jennifer Stannard. Teammates unknown at this point.

Second event winner was Kathy Morley, Phelicia Howland, Karen Shane and Pam Moan.

Jeff

Nutmeg on the road

2009-03-01T18:09:00.003-05:00

For the five teams containing Nutmeg members, two teams made final events on Sunday.

Team Hannon with Pete DeJong, Angelo Marasciulo and Joel Leneker finished runner up in the first event final. They lost to the defending champion.

Rob Reihl playing with a Broomstones team won the fifth event final for the third consecutive year.

At the Winter Wonderland Women's spiel in Norfolk, Pam Moan was in the second event final. Report to follow.

Jeff

Watch the Olympic Trials Semi Finals and Finals LIVE today and tomorrow on TV

2009-02-27T10:01:00.003-05:00

Click here to find out what channel is Universal Sports in your area to watch the Semi Finals and Finals of the Olympic trials LIVE from Denver. For Cablevision in Norwalk it is 119. Today at 6pm they are showing the women's semi final LIVE A. Wright vs P. Lank. At 10pm tonight is the Men's semi final LIVE. Tomorrow at 12pm is the Women's final D. McCormick vs winner of todays game and at 5pm is the Men's final LIVE

http://www.universalsports.com/fls/23000/tv/where-to-find-on-tv.html

Nutmeg on the road at Ardsley

2009-02-27T09:23:00.003-05:00

Four mostly Nutmeg teams are competing this weekend at the McKay-Douglas Men's Bonspiel at Ardsley.

George Bagley has Jim O'Boyle, Don Nicholson and David Asano. Jeff Hannon has Pete DeJong, Angelo Marasciulo and Joel Leneker. Terry Smith had to drop out but Matt Bertonica and Chris Conley have joined up with Jason Sethi and Ken Thompson to round out that rink. Playing under the Ardsley/Nutmeg banner are Frank Aulenti and Rob Chebetar. And rounding out a Broomstones team is Rob Reihl.

Both George and Jeff won their first games.

Charrissa showing her style

2009-02-24T09:14:00.003-05:00

Found this picture on Flickr of Charrissa from Denver.

Tough Day Three in Colorado

2009-02-24T00:53:00.003-05:00

It was a tough day for Team Lin at the Olympic Trials today. Their first game was against Cristin Clark of Seattle. Charrissa scored 4 early on but Cristin battled back and the game went to an extra end. Charrissa didn't have the hammer and her last stone guard just didn't curl enough to cover all of her previous draw to the top 4. Cristin's sweepers were able to get her peel just past the guard and remove shot stone for the win. It was a really tough loss for the team.

In the late afternoon game, Team Lin took on Patti Lank who had defeated Erika Brown earlier in the day. This was a very well played game and once again there were many great shots made. Shot of the day and of the tournament so far was Charrissa's hammer shot in the 4th end.

Lank had 3 red stones in the four-foot in front of 1 yellow Lin stone just behind the tee. Patti had shot, Charrissa 2nd but there was a center guard in front of all the stones and it wasn't looking good for Team Lin to score. Already down 3-1, a steal would put them in a hole.

Charrissa elected to throw back 8-foot weight and attempt to curl around the center guard, past 1 red stone in the top 4 just on the left side of center, wick off a second red stone in the 4-foot on the right side of center and then bump back the shot stone. Perfect throw, perfect weight, perfect sweeping equals perfect shot. Team Lank was stunned as Charrissa not only got past the guards and bumped the shot stone, but she moved it far enough to count 2 and tie the game. Just spectacular. Any more weight and the stone wouldn't have curled enough to make the shot. Any less weight and the shot stone wouldn't have moved far enough to count 2.

Unfortunately, although there were more great shots made during the game, Patti gradually built up a multi-point lead and won the game.

So it was definitely a tough day for the team. A few inches in the first game was all the difference between a win and loss. Winning that game could have given them the momentum to upset Lank. Such is the game of curling - sometimes it just sucks.

The team is playing better every game and it's only a matter of time before they get that first W, which is always the hardest one to get (that and the last.) I'll be doing the audiocast of the women's 10am MST (noon EST) draw on Tuesday if you want to listen during your lunch break. I'll also try to post some more pictures tomorrow night if I get some work done before then :)

Day Two of the Olympic Trials

2009-02-23T01:03:00.002-05:00

This multi-media thing is starting to get to me, and it's only the second day in Colorado. Half exhausting, half exhilarating, I'm getting addicted to this all-connected, all-the-time thing. Tweets during the morning game, then audiocasts for the next two draws - I'm exhausted.

But I'm not the important one. Team Lin is what everyone wants to hear about. It was a tough day for them as they went 0-2 losing to Aileen Sormunnen in the morning and Cassie Potter in late afternoon. A few misses in each game put them behind but they fought back valiantly in both games to make them close.

Again, some great shots in both games but the best was probably Charrissa's draw in the 7th end against Cassie on her last stone. Cassie had just made a great shot to lie 2 buried in the four-foot with hammer. Charrissa was hoping to just freeze on her front stone to hold Cassie to 1, but when the stone came past the guards and started to curl hard, a great sweep call enabled them to roll the stone off the shot rock to sit 1, completely buried. A cheer erupted from the 150+ crowd. Cassie was a bit heavy on her last stone and Charrissa's team stole an important 1 to pull within two, now down 7-5.

Earlier in the 3rd end, Charrissa had almost the same shot on her last stone, playing a tap on Cassie's shot stone buried on the button. Cassie was sitting 3 and Charrissa had to come through a very small port, past two guards on the inside and one on the outside. She made a great throw and Nicole and Karen swept it past the first pair of guards but it just wicked Cassie's 3rd shot at the top of the 4. Had they been able to get it past, they would have taken 1 instead of giving up a steal of 3 - a four-point swing and the difference between being down 3-1 and 6-0. Definitely not an easy shot, as Cassie herself complimented Charrissa at the start of the fourth end "That was a great shot." Sportsmanship at its best.

The team continues to play better every game and it's only a matter of time before they get that first W and start posting more on the board.

Listen Live to Feb 22nd 6pm Broadcast -Olympic Trials

2009-02-22T18:06:00.001-05:00

listen to the action live (6pm game) from the Olympic trials at http://38.96.148.141:6870/ from Derek Surka & Jennifer Stannard

Sand Papering the rocks video 3

2009-02-22T16:40:00.005-05:00

This last video shows how we blue print the rocks so we can match them.

Sand Papering the rocks video 2

2009-02-22T15:57:00.005-05:00

This 2nd video shows rotations on the 80 grit sand paper. We turned them 5 times on the 80 grit and did 3 pushes and a pull for more curl.

Sand Papering the rocks video 1

2009-02-22T15:47:00.006-05:00

This 1st video shows how carefully the rock was turned for each rotation. We turned each of the rocks 35 times on 60 grit sand paper.

Pictures from Day One

2009-02-22T01:58:00.004-05:00

An attempt at uploading pictures from Day One of the Olympic Trials.

One picture of the team and one picture of the Nutmeg sign.

Olympic Trials Day One

2009-02-22T01:06:00.003-05:00

The Nutmeg Curling Club was well represented at the US Olympic Trails - Curling (the official title) today in Broomfield, CO (just outside Denver.) Not only did Team Lin have the largest cheering section, we also had the largest banner, and the opening vignette in the Opening Ceremonies video. Oh yeah, we also had a good team there as well!

Charrissa's team, consisting of Nicole Vasser (lead, Broomstones), Karen Walker (2nd, Broomstones), Tanya Jacobsen (vice, Potomac), herself (skip, Nutmeg) and coaches Joseph Smith and Diane Muldowney opened the round robin against the top-ranked and 3-time defending National Champions Debbie McCormick rink from Wisconsin.

Seed 1 vs Seed 10. Not a game expected to be close but after 5 ends it was 5-4 McCormick ahead. The women were playing well and handling the Trials environment like experienced veterans. Arena ice and crowds (400 tickets were sold for the first day) are very different conditions than normal bonspiel play (although we hear we now have 25 second ice with the revamped stones - woohoo!) The third end was particularly impressive as 3 perfect last stones led to 2 points for Team Lin.

Unfortunately, things got hairy in the 6th end and Debbie had an open hit for 5 or 6. Fortunately, David Asano's mother was in the house and Debbie over-curled her hit and jammed our stone for a steal of one! Unfortunately, David's mom must have had an out-of-body experience during the 7th end and we gave up 5 points to go down 10-5. Charrissa made a great draw in the 8th but unfortunately (again - are you seeing a trend here?) it was only for 1. Handshakes followed.

The team is now resting and hopefully so is David's mom. We can't have any more out-of-body experiences from her. Jennifer, Sharon, David and his mom seem to be having a great time and the team loves having them here. Tanya's mother and brother and Nicole's family (mom, grandma, cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, etc) are also here watching. Charrissa and I have said this many times but we are always amazed and extremely touched by the generosity of the Nutmeg family. Thank you everyone.

Next game is 8am against Aileen Sormunnen. Should be a good one.

First game for Charrissa

2009-02-21T13:02:00.005-05:00

The first game for Charrissa is 5pm ET not 6 as I previously posted. Also just heard from Derek and he will be trying to post a blog entry each day. So check back often. He is also trying to do some updates via twitter which you can find at this link.

Charrissa may also be doing updates on twitter, you can catch her here.

Jeff

Olympic Trials start Saturday

2009-02-17T07:57:00.002-05:00

The US Olympic curling trials start this Saturday Feb. 21 at 6pm ET. Team Lin will be playing in that first draw.

On the USCA site here there will be lots of ways to follow the action. There will be end by end scoring available and you can send fanmail to the team. I urge you to send a note to Charrissa and team as the competitors really appreciate all the support from home. The entire draw schedule is also available at the link posted above.

There will also be an audiocast set up so you can listen to the action through your computer. This is basically a radio broadcast of the action over the internet. Derek will be doing some of the broadcasts. You will need some type of audio player and Winamp seems to work best. More info will be available on the USCA site as the competition begins.

Jeff

Nutmeg wins the Norfolk Mixed

2009-02-15T17:06:00.002-05:00

Jeff and Sally Hannon with Ray and Stefanie Lawreck won the first event (Childs cup) at the Norfolk Mixed. They overpowered a Norfolk team in seven ends. The bonspiel was dedicated to Elisabeth Childs and a moving tribute was given before the start of the finals.

With only ten teams involved this was just the third game that Nutmeg played.

Saturday night featured a nice dinner and no curling so most teams retired to the bar and played Canadian dice or poker. There was also a silent auction with lots of wonderful goodies.

Jeff

Nutmeg on the road

2009-02-13T08:49:00.002-05:00

Two groups of Nutmeg curlers are on the road this weekend. Sean, Britt, Mike and David are at the Francis Dykes in Utica. Britt has a blog setup and will be reporting when he can. You can view his blog here.

Jeff and Sally are making the short drive up Route 8 to the friendly confines of the Norfolk curling club for the Mixed. They are playing with some friends from NJ. Sadly, this event coincides with multiple events at Nutmeg. Better scheduling is needed for next year as this is a great event for Nutmeg to attend as it is close, a good time and a great chance to meet new friends. Since Norfolk is in the remote region of Northwest CT there probably won't be any blogging till the event is over.

Jeff

GNCC Mixed playdown final post

2009-02-08T19:01:00.002-05:00

Okay, so here I am again. The game last night was close until Scott Edie took 3 in the eighth.

Scott, Tanya, Conor and Jennifer (all Potomac) are off to the Mixed Championship as well. Tanya plays with Charrissa on her Women's team who are headed to the Olympic trials.

For the last 7 years, either Derek or Scott have been the GNCC Mixed Champion. I think this is the sixth time that Derek and Charrissa have won the GNCC Mixed. The trophy returns to Nutmeg for another year so you can check it when it shows up, probably Monday or Tuesday.

After the game last night, there was champagne and much rejoicing. Today was a travel day for us as we took the train down to Potomac. A great way to travel if anyone wants to try it. Take Amtrak to the BWI airport and grab a car. So much better then driving home 4 hours on Sunday or waiting in the long lines at airport security.

Next up for Nutmeg on the road, Team Lin at the Trials. GO CHARRISSA!

Jeff

Mixed Championship last game

2009-02-07T20:30:00.002-05:00

Yes, Derek and Charrissa are playing the last game right now. This will determine the second team to go to Nationals. If Derek wins, there is a tiebreaker tomorrow between Edie and Lesuk. If Edie wins, they finish second and get the second spot to Nationals.

Might be an update after the game or tomorrow. The champagne is on ice for when the game is over to toast the champs and all the volunteers here.

Jeff

Ends sixth to ten

2009-02-07T17:35:00.002-05:00

Surka - yellow rocks, Lesuk - red rocks

Sixth end - Lesuk with a draw to the house for two, just a bit short. Only one. 5-4 Surka

Seventh end - One yellow at the top twelve the whole end. Trading takeouts at the back twelve. Derek hits and rolls out on his first, Lesuk with a draw for his last. Just a inch short. Derek with a draw for two and two it is. 7-4 Surka.

Eight end - Open end, Derek gets the house split to force Lesuk to a hit for one. 7-5 Surka

Ninth end - Derek with a draw ith backing against one red half behind a guard. Nice shot, Surka scores one. 8-5 Surka

Tenth end - rock by rock Yellow is derek
first yellow thrown through the house
first red - center line guard
yellow through the house
red corner guard
yellow takeout (peel) of red center line guard - NICE DOUBLE by Sean removes both reds
red tries to draw around yellow rock (guard) and comes up short
yellow takeout of red rock and runs back and removes yellow guard
(one yellow in fron of house just over hogline)
red tries draw around again and just short of house
yellow take out of yellow guard (just over hogline) - nice peel leaves one red guard
red tap up - just enough weight, one red biting with guard just in front of it
yellow takeout of red guard, just missed the double, red with a biter on the far outside near tee line
red draw - heavy and through the house (Charrissa yelling at Derek to sweep from a foot away) out of the rings but not out of play
yellow run back on wide guard with red rock (biter) behind it - about 5 feet of separation - great shot OH NO - jam on that red draw that was heavy
red draw around the yellow rock that was thrown for the runback - nice draw and half buried
yellow with the open hit on the back biter for the win - GAME OVER

Derek, Charriss, Sean and Rachel ARE GOING TO THE MIXED NATIONALS!!!!!

Fifth end update - Surka v Lesuk

2009-02-07T16:18:00.003-05:00

A bit of a play by play for the first five ends.

Surka - yellow rocks, Lesuk - red rocks

First end - Derek makes a perfect draw to the button to out count two Lesuk rocks in the four foot. The crowd erupts in cheers. Perfect weight and perfect sweeping.

Second end - Lesuk with an open tap back on a yellow (Surka) rock in the back four foot, one other yellow in the outside 12 foot. 1-1 after two.

Third end - Derek has the house split, one rock on each side, trade of takeouts till the last. Derek with a draw to the house for two and is heavy, 2-1 Surka.

Fourth end - Lots of rocks in play with 5 guards. Four great shots in a row leaves Lesuk sitting two. Derek makes a very wide takeout on a rock half in the rings at the tee line. Lesuk with a chance for split for three, doesn't curl enough and makes a promote for two. 3-2 Lesuk.

Fifth end - Another good end by both teams. Lesuk with a draw to a yellow rock at the back four foot to take the end away and comes up light. Derek with a draw for three and no mistake, a big 3. 5-3 Surka

Saturday Mixed Championship pre-game

2009-02-07T14:54:00.003-05:00

Okay, so Derek and Charrissa win one of the next two and they are the GNCC Mixed Champions. Game against Lesuk starts in 3 minutes. Derek starts with the hammer. Lesuk and Edie are both 1-2 at this point, Derek is 2-0. Edie still alive after going 0-2 yesterday with his win against Lesuk this morning.

Game about to start, be back at the fifth end break with an update on the action.

Jeff

Derek and Charrissa have a good day

2009-02-06T23:33:00.002-05:00

Derek, Charrissa, Sean and Rachel enjoyed a perfect day, going 2-0 in their first two games. We missed the first game due to a late start. But they did a great job in putting away the Ardley team of Team Lesuk in 9 ends. The late game was another great start as they went up 4-0 after 4 ends. Then just defended that lead till the eighth when they took 3 and hand shakes followed.

They are playing great right now and if they keep it up this can all be over by tomorrow. A win by Lesuk in the morning would actually eliminate Team Edie from the competition. Then that would set up the Surka-Lesuk as the championship final.

We will be at the club in the morning for the game and will be blogging from there.

Jeff and Sally

Nutmeg on the road

2009-02-04T12:07:00.001-05:00

Derek and Charrissa will be playing in the GNCC Mixed Championship atPotomac with teammates Sean Murray and Rachel Sethi. The games starton Friday Feb. 6th and results will be posted on the Potomac website www.curldc.org

Donna Purkey and Jennifer Stannard will be competing in the US Senior
Women's National Championship at the Blackhawk Curling Club in
Janesville, WI. Thurs - Sun. Results can be tracked on www.blackhawkcurling.com.
Donna is on Team Purkey, Jennifer on Team Pfiffner

This here blog will have some entries for the Mixed.

Jeff

GNCC Senior Men's Championship

2009-02-02T08:59:00.002-05:00

The Nutmeg team of George Bagley, Jim Meinhold, Trevor Davey and Jack Miller won the fourth event, the CROCS Scuttle, at the GNCC Senior Men's Championship. The event featured 22 teams playing for the championship. George and his team won their first game and then lost the second game to the eventual champions from Philadelphia. They then went on to beat TCC and Utica to claim the fourth event prize.

Nutmeg did a great job hosting this event with special thanks to Chuck Owens and Bill Brautigam as co-chairs and Bobbie Stoll for all the hard work on the ice.

For many of the teams this was their first visit to Nutmeg and they all enjoyed the experience.