GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT // REPORTS FROM THE WARM ROOM
Volunteer spirit is alive and well
By Kim Nawyn, USCA Growth & Development Manager
volunteers, most clubs would not have ice, leagues would not get organized, and bonspiels would become a thing of the past. During the 2011-12 season, the United States Curling Association (USCA) launched the Volunteer of the Year Award program to recognize the importance of volunteerism in the sport. Jerome Larson, former USCA Vice President of Member Services, was the driving force behind this initiative. Larson explained his reasoning for the development of the award: “Te United States Curling Association annu- ally recognizes the Athlete of the Year, Team of the Year, various champion- ship participants and winners, and Hall of Fame recipients. Up until now, the volunteer quotient, which is the lifeblood of every successful club, has not been recognized.” While only one individual can be named Volunteer of the Year (See article
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by Terry Kolesar on Page 10), the pool of applications submitted by clubs tru- ly exemplified the spirit of volunteerism that the USCA was hoping to recog- nize. Jim Shlimovitz, for example, is a 20-year veteran of the Portage Curling Club. In addition to serving as a member of the board of his club and over- seeing operations and maintenance, Shlimovitz spent countless hours over the past season running one of the largest junior programs in the country and coaching junior teams. Moreover, without Shlimovitz’s persistence and commitment, the elite junior curling camp held at the Cornerstone Commu- nity Ice Center (DePere, Wis.) in July 2012 would not have been possible. Te camp, which featured 2010 Olympic Coach Phill Drobnick, and 2010 Olym- pian Chris Plys, served as a pilot for a USCA junior high performance camp which may be replicated in other regions next summer. Another nominee with a passion for creating opportunities for youth curl-
ers is Colleen Buyers of the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club (SFBACC). Since she first learned to curl in January 2008, SFBACC president Brian Pat- rick said, “[Colleen] has worked tirelessly to initiate a youth program in our club.” Buyers has partnered with the Boys and Girls Club in Oakland and other organizations to arrange for free learn-to-curl sessions for youth who would not otherwise have access to the sport. On top of her work with young people: “Colleen has been instrumental in maintaining our club’s growth through the post-Olympic slump. Her determination has allowed us to begin curling in a new facility in a major population hub.” Chris Delauder, a direc- tor at SFBACC, noted “at least 2/3 of our 200+ person membership were only able to join as a direct result of her initiatives to grow the sport.” Like Buyers, Mikel Coulter of the Columbus Curling Club and Jason Jorski
of the Oklahoma Curling Club are prime examples of how newer curlers can make a big impact. Coulter offered his skills as an architect to help complete a building project when he was a first-year curler and has played a key role in club operations ever since. Club president Gordon Webster noted, “Mikel has led the ice committee in the last year to come up with various improve- ments to our ice system, including a homemade de-ionizing water system for pebbling, rain water collection tanks for flooding, and has helped Ice King
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usacurl.org he volunteer spirit is prevalent in the curling community. Without
in testing controller parts on our new scraper.” Jason Jorski began volunteering at the club in Oklahoma since his first night on the ice in 2010. From that point in time, Jason has developed the club website and served as webmaster, designed club T-shirts and jackets, and worked tire- lessly to make the best ice possible for the club. Club member Gail Yanko notes: “He is always at the rink before anyone else setting up the hockey ice for four sheets of curling ... He is also the last to leave aſter all of the equip- ment is back in its place.” Experienced curlers Bruce Irvin and Richard Collins were heavily involved
in club development efforts during the 2011-12 season. Irvin put countless hours into the Evergreen Curling Club’s Dedicated Ice in a Year (DIY) initia- tive and was instrumental in securing a loan from the World Curling Federa- tion. Steve Liske, Evergreen’s past president, said, “Bruce led the search for the appropriate site for our new club, and [worked] with the landlord to secure a lease agreement, and the local jurisdiction for permits.” Evergreen Curling Club is scheduled to open their new rink in Beaverton, Ore., this October. Te Curling Club of Virginia credits Collins with playing a key role in help- ing a “fledgling group of curling enthusiasts” begin curling. With 12 years of experience in the sport, Collins helped the club obtain rocks, advertise and host several learn-to-curl events, establish a league, create a procedure for setting up the arena for curling each night, organize league championships, and start a broomstacking tradition. He is currently the club’s representative to their regional association. Last but certainly not least, Bobby Damkroeger of Curl Mesabi, better
known as Bobby D., “spends more time at the club during the curling season than he does at home.” According to club president, Jim Newman, “If there is work to be done, he looks and asks to help.” Damkroeger has done everything from chair national events and run fundraisers to kitchen and club room cleanup aſter leagues. No job is too big or too small. While it might be easy to take someone who is so willing to give of his time for granted, Rory Malner, vice president of Curl Mesabi, observed, “Quite simply, he is the ultimate vol- unteer and is one of the big reasons our club is as successful as it is.” Tese individuals and the many others like them in clubs across the nation
should serve as an inspiration. Whether it be running a league or helping out in the kitchen for a few hours at an annual bonspiel, all curlers have skills and abilities that can contribute to the success of their clubs. Since new curlers may find seeking out volunteer opportunities a little intimidating, try reach- ing out to them. Volunteering is an effective way to help newer members feel more like part of the organization. For clubs without official volunteer recog- nition procedures, Larson hopes the national award will inspire members to set up their own programs. Larson notes, “Te volunteer appreciation night can be a significant tool that a club could use to retain and re-motivate their volunteer workforce.” n
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