USWCA NEWS By Shelley Dropkin, USWCA President
a tremendous boost to curling. Te sport of curling in the United States has been facing the challenge of how to sustain female membership, both in their retention and development. One of the ways in which the United States Women’s Curling Association (USWCA) seeks to address this need is by providing a number of annual bonspiels and events throughout our clubs, regions and across the country for women and youth. Tis article will describe them in greater detail and include: • National Women’s Bonspiel – a 32-team national event rotated through each region;
• •
Senior Women’s Bonspiel – a national senior bonspiel rotated through each region;
5 Year and Under – regional competitions for women curlers with less than 5 years of curling experience;
• All-American - intra-club events for USWCA members; •
Junior bonspiels – sponsorship of regional bonspiels with funded awards; and,
• Women’s Circuit – regional tour with cumulative monetary awards supporting competitive development.
Te National Bonspiel was the original national event which brought
the founding of the USWCA into fruition. It was Mrs. Bernie Roth’s idea to have a venue that would bring together women from across the country. She became the organization’s first president. Te first USWCA National Bonspiel was held in Wauwatosa, Wis., on Feb. 24-27, 1949. Five founding clubs, Appleton, Exmoor, Indian Hill, Skokie, and Wauwatosa, donated the trophies, which have been played for annually ever since. Te first winning team was from Winnipeg, Manitoba, skipped by Doris Fraser, with team- mates Mrs. E.F. Erest, Mrs. A.J. McIver and Mrs. E. Shannon. Tis very popular national bonspiel is held in rotating fashion across the regions of the country. It will be held in 2014 at Broomstones Curling Club in Way- land, Mass., on Feb. 12-16. Te Senior Women’s Bonspiel began at the Fall 1981 USWCA meeting
in Woburn, Mass., when President Mrs. Renee Spencer brought forward the notion of providing women 55 years and over with the opportunity to con- tinue competing, enjoy a national venue and play against women of simi- lar age and ability. Aſter being reviewed and enthusiastically approved by member clubs across the country, in January 1983, the first USWCA Senior Women’s Bonspiel was held at the Chicago Curling Club. Te winners of the bonspiel were from the Virginia Women’s Curling Club skipped by Car- mella Luccarelli, with teammates Bertha Hart, Marcella Tammenen and Helen Boles. Te Senior National Bonspiel also is held in rotating fashion in regions across the country and is being held this year at Itasca Curling Club in Grand Rapids, Minn., on Nov. 20-24. Te Five and Under Bonspiel was first started in the East Region/GNCC.
It was borne out of an idea which Peggy Rotton, a USWCA past president, had several years ago. Rotton strongly believed that women needed to have their own “5 and Under” venue and have the opportunity to learn with other women of similar curling experience. As the GNCC Women’s chair- person at the time, one of my responsibilities was to help Rotton’s idea be-
18
usacurl.org ))
USWCA's roots are deep in opportunities W
ith a new curling season underway and the U.S. Olympic Trials recently completed, the quadrennial Olympic expo- sure will imminently provide another opportunity to give
Dropkin
come a reality; and, the first Women’s 5 and Under, called the “Women’s Challenge,” was held at the Norfolk Curl- ing Club in Norfolk, Conn., in 1991. With the support of Gwen Krailo, Lorraine Wood and Rotton, pins for the event were designed and funded for years to come. Te first winners were from Weston II skipped by Michelle Carens, with teammates Pam Bass, Cindy Lower, Amelia Ostroff. With the recent passing of Elizabeth Childs, the event has since been renamed in the GNCC as the Elizabeth Childs Challenge. In 1993, the USW- CA adopted the concept for a Women’s Five-and-Under to be held in each of the regions across the country. Tis season, the Five-and-Under bonspiels are located in: • Kettle Moraine Curling Club, Hartland, Wis., Nov. 20-Dec. 2 •
Itasca Curling Club, Grand Rapids, Minn., Dec. 6-7
• Milwaukee Curling Club, Cedarburg, Wis., Feb. 7-9 • Waltham Curling Club, Triumph, Ill., March 8-9 •
Utica Curling Club, Utica, N.Y., March 24-26
• Columbus Curling Club, Columbus, Ohio, April 12-13 • Granite Curling Club, Seattle, MoPAC 5 and Under, April 19-20 Te All American was established as an intra-club event to be held annu-
ally at the local member club level. It was conceived of by Marion Bruett of the Wauwatosa Curling Club and Ruth Bridges of Te Curling Club (TCC); and, the design of its pin was created by Shirley Elwell, past president from Milwaukee Curling Club. Tis event was founded for the purpose of provid- ing individual members with a local USWCA connection and experience. Te first All American was held at clubs across the country during the 1965- 66 curling season with 48 clubs participating and 1,808 total competing curlers. Tis bonspiel today serves to bring local female members together for connection, camaraderie and participation among their club’s fellow women's curlers. Te USWCA provides pins to the winning team. Serving youth has been another key area of focus for the USWCA, hav-
ing started and been the original host organization of the Junior Ladies National Championship in 1987. When this responsibility was assumed by the USCA, an ad hoc committee led by Past President Rosemary Barton re- viewed how best to continue to support junior curlers. Eventually, in 2000, the first USWCA-sponsored Junior Bonspiel was held at Kettle Moraine Curling Club in Kettle Moraine, Wis. Te first winning team was skipped by Charlie Machan of Wauwatosa Curling Club, with teammates Brian Ke- bekus, Chris Lynch and Tim Machan. Te purpose of these bonspiels is to promote interclub play, while also
developing skills and friendships for juniors at both a competitive and de- velopmental level. Te USWCA provides trophies, pins and banners to the host clubs, as well as travel reimbursement for participants to help defray
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46