Showing posts with label Hritzuk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hritzuk. Show all posts

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Banner year for Canadian curling governance























Exactly one year ago today, we posted this story on the first Canadian Curling Association NCC (National Curling Congress) helmed by new CEO Greg Stremlaw.

Another Congress has now come and gone, and today’s news release reveals that another $880,000 surplus has been committed to the long-term reserve fund.

“Financial performance is the item that stands out,” said Stremlaw, in an interview with The Curling News.

“This puts us at $1.7 million in accumulated surplus.”

Indeed, as the CCA newser mentions, a Senior Program Officer with Sport Canada noted that the CCA’s financial performance has been particularly outstanding and that some of the results are hard to believe, given where the organization was only a few short years ago.

There were tons of interesting presentations, workshops, breakout sessions, discussions and notices of motion throughout the week. Items catching our keen TCN eye include:

• a new “Curling For Life” document, which closely examines the “paradigm shift” between curling as a lifetime recreational sport and curling as a high-performance athletic endeavour;

• an embracing of new social marketing efforts, from Facebook to Blogger to Twitter and whatever techno-stuff is still to come;

• plans to “Leverage 2010” and thus ensure that curling clubs are prepared for an expected avalanche of phone calls, walk-ins and other outreach from the general public during February’s Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games;

• an “investigation of the possibility of establishing” a Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship;

• implementation of a single competitor’s fee, starting in 2010-11, that will allow competitors to enter all disciplines which require the payment of a fee;

• a Member Association code of conduct, that will be developed for presentation and approval at the 2010 National Curling Congress.

In terms of elections, 2008-09 volunteer boss Fran Todd of Ontario (CCA photo above) has been replaced by her former Vice-Chair, Graham Prouse of Grande Prairie, Alberta, who now serves as Chair of the Board of Governors. Jack Bowman (Victoria, B.C.) is the new Vice-Chair.

CCA Governors Lew Andrews (St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador) and Beth Sullivan (Bathurst, New Brunswick) have retired from the Board, while three newcomers are on board: Elaine de Ryk of Greenfield Park, Quebec, Ron Hutton of Saint John, New Brunswick and Georgina Granchelli of Sydney, Nova Scotia.

For his part, Stremlaw seems pumped about just how smoothly the curling landscape is rolling out before him.

“I am personally witnessing a collaborative spirit with the stakeholders,” said Stremlaw.

“Truth be told, it hasn’t always been this way. At times the sport can become political.

“We’ve got 14 member associations and they’re all diverse, all different, but there seems to be a genuine interest in working together, getting ourselves to where we want to go.”


Anything else, you ask?

• CCA Governor and longtime curling leader Bernadette McIntyre does have other interests besides the Roaring Game... such as her very cool job ...

• Monsanto Canada has renewed its sponsorship agreements with CCA through to 2013. The news release indicates that the Continental Cup, which will not be contested in the upcoming Olympic season, will return for another run of events from 2011, 2012 and 2013 ...

• Monsanto, of course, also supports western-based curling clubs through the “A Better House” grant program, which disbursed some $80,000 in funding directly to prairie clubs this past season ...

• Another curling mover and shaker has taken a step back from the sport. Fast Eddie Lukowich, the former Brier and world champion skip, has resigned his position with the United States Curling Association after nearly 10 years, and just eight months prior to Vancouver 2010. Canwest has the story here ...

• Winnipeg’s Jill Officer made a recent appearance in Thunder Bay, Ont. on behalf of Olympic sponsor RBC ...

• World Senior men’s champion skip Eugene Hritzuk is on the air via The Curling Show ...

• And finally, this brief YouTube video asks the question “What’s curling all about?”
Well, gee, didn’t you know the answer...?

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Yet another Howard









We’ve been waiting for this.

Ashley Howard, daughter of Russ Howard, is skipping for New Brunswick at the 2009 Canadian Juniors in Salmon Arm, B.C.

And man oh man, is she a chip off the old block.

The same rock-solid slide, the same dead-eye stare at the stick.

Of course, these pics – from TCN’s Anil Mungal and CCA’s Glenn Van Gulik, respectively – don’t show Ashley’s capability to bellow like a Wounded Moose, which is another infamous aspect of her dad’s curling legacy (click to zoom in slightly).

Well, guess what... we do have some comparative pics of her yelling for the sweep, but... you’ll just have to wait a bit longer for those. Sorry.

At time of posting, Ashley was in a six-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot at 4-4, and this time under the concerned gaze of her father, who will be commentating for TSN during the weekend finals.

Here’s a story about the young Howard’s provincial win, and her dad’s thoughts.

Here’s another story on the national shootout, including Russ Howard’s thoughts on the spectacular venue.

What else, eh?


• There’s still more Ontario Tankard content online: this here website features a bunch of stuff... a blog from the TV commentators, links, video highlights and also a video player, where fans outside the Rogers sphere of influence can tune in to the action ...

• Let’s talk ethics. Al Cameron has an interesting blogpost on some team talk regarding a technique being taught by a former Canadian and world junior men’s champion that could, conceivably, slow a rock down. Cheating or not cheating?

• More ethics: at the abovementioned Canadian Juniors, the on-ice officials allegedly prevented the Ontario junior men’s team from attempting an eight-ender in a match against the Yukon. Ethical or unethical?

• Guess what: the 2009 Sask Scotties really was an amazing show, and this bodes very well for the 2010 Ford World Women coming to town next year ...

• Right you are, guys... let’s hear it for the lowly lead! Heyyo!

• Remember Zach the LifeGetter? Looks like another Zach – this one from Californ-aye-yay – has the wrong idea ...

• And finally, some no-good dimwit bozo jackarse went and robbed Saskatchewan’s Eugene Hritzuk yesterday... and what was taken? His “smelly and old and personal” curling gear, that’s what.

Let’s just say that if we were robbed of our own shoes – original 1988 demo-model Dacks – we’d be very unhappy campers... er, curlers ...