SPORT EDUCATION


USA Curling launches Five Elements of Curling Technique training weekend


By Scott Higgins, Director of Sport Education, USA Curling High Performance Program, scott.higgins@usacurl.org


lot Five Elements of Curling Technique Clinic in Bridgeport, Conn., during the weekend of Sept. 29. T e clinic was a practical application of the educational framework laid out in T e Five Ele- ments of Curling Technique manual published by USA Curling last season. Rather than teach- ing a single standardized delivery technique, the training program focuses on improving deliver- ies of experienced curlers based on a number of elements that can be found in any delivery. T is approach allows customization of delivery based on factors such as an individual’s body type and range of motion. T e instructors for the program included a


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highly credentialed staff led by U.S. National Team Coaches John Benton and Phill Drobnick; 2010 national champion Caitlin Maroldo; and 2010 Olympian Chris Plys. T e staff was assisted by Rodger Schmidt, three-time Olympic coach and co-author of T e Five Elements of Curling Technique. Additional delivery expertise was provided by coaches Wayne Anderson (Phila- delphia Curling Club), Clark Raven (Rochester Curling Club), and Lucas Ostrowski (Wausau


// LETTERS


THANKS EXTENDED FOR COVERAGE Dear Editor,


I want to thank you and USCA for how you have handled the Volunteer of the Year award. I am blown away by both the printed story and the front page treatment.


The jacket was a great award and I will wear it proudly at curling events. The Lucite curler with lighted base was just over the top. Everyone who sees it, admires it. It will be displayed in the Rochester trophy case someday soon.


I heard this was originated by someone and I did not catch his name. Please commend him for me, as he correctly understands


what the grassroots of curling organizations are about.


My club held a private party for this occa- sion and embarrassed me greatly. They made it very special and you would have been proud of them.


Anyway, thanks again and good curling!. Doug Brugler Rochester (N.Y.) Curling Club


Editor’s note: The award was originated by Jerome Larson, former USCA director and vice president of Member Services. Larson curls at the Wine Country Curling Club and graciously donated the Volunteer of the Year Awards for the fi rst fi ve years.


SEEKING PINS FOR COLLECTION Dear Editor,


I am seeking USCA National Bonspiel pins to complete my curling bonspiel collection. I am looking for 1955, 1959, 1965, 1970, 1972, and 1976 pins.


Keith Forbes Hartney, Manitoba, Canada


Editor’s note: If you have a pin to trade or offer to Mr. Forbes, please send correspondence to P.O. Box 217, Hartney, Manitoba, CAN R0M 0X0.


SA Curling, in conjunction with the Nutmeg Curling Club, launched the pi-


Curling Club). In addition to the coaching staff , clinic and USA Curling sponsor BroomsbUp Curling Supplies, former Nutmeg Curling Club president Joel Leneker, current president Sharon Giese, and others worked tirelessly to make the weekend a success both on and off the ice. While most of the 36 participants were from


the East Coast, curlers from as far away as Illi- nois and Minnesota attended the clinic. Partici- pant enthusiasm was evident throughout. One curler noted, “I thought the clinic was fantastic! T e quality of the coaching was great. I can’t stop talking about it at my club. I wish we could host one so more people have the opportunity that I was lucky enough to have!” Follow-up sur- veys provided strong support for continuation of these types of educational opportunities for experienced adult and junior members of the USCA. All of the participants who responded to the survey stated that they would encourage oth- ers to enroll in future clinics. USA Curling’s Sport Education Program


plans to host more Five Elements of Curling Technique Clinics next year. If your club is in- terested in potentially becoming a host site for future clinics, contact Scott Higgins, Director of Sport Education, at scott.higgins@usacurl. org. More details for future host sites will be available later this season. T e Five Elements of Curling Technique manual can be ordered on the USA Curling website, www.usacurl.org. ■


// IN MEMORIAM Art Tallackson, Jr.


Art Tallackson, Jr., 79, Graſt on, N.D., passed


away on Sept. 23, 2012. Tallackson skipped his team to the 1970 U.S. National Men’s Champion- ship title in Utica, N.Y., and went on to represent the U.S. at the 1970 World Championships, fi n- ishing fourth. He was a member of the Graſt on Curling Club. He attended North Dakota State School of Sci-


ence in Wahpeton, N.D., for a year and then re- turned home and started farming. He is survived by his wife, Dody; two sons and a daughter; 11 grand children; six great-grandchildren; and his siblings – one brother and three sisters.


Joyce Chenoweth Mutz Joyce Chenoweth Mutz, 89, passed away on


Aug. 31, 2012, following a short illness. She was born in North Vernon, Ind., on July 27, 1923, and later moved to Springfi eld, Ill. Joyce was an un- usually active and energetic woman. She was an active participant in sport and community orga- nizations. She skydived on her 70th birthday and went deep-sea scuba diving in Bali, Indonesia. She served as the president of the North Shore Lassies at the North Shore Country Club and was on the board of the Illinois Curling Association. Mutz was the skip on an Illinois curling team


that competed in St. Paul, Minn., in the U.S. team qualifying event for the 1988 Calgary Olympics. She was a certifi ed World Curling offi cial and of- fi ciated at many national and international curl- ing competitions. ■


USA Curling (( 15


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