// USWCA NEWS
USWCA Circuit is more popular, bigger than ever
By Elizabeth Demers, USWCA
with 14 participating bonspiels. Tere is still time to enroll your women’s bonspiel in the Circuit. Please contact Tracy Lawless, USWCA Circuit chairwoman, or visit the club participation page on the USWCA website at
www.uswca.org. Last year, 50 women joined in the Circuit, 30
N
of whom won cash prizes. Ironically, the over- all winner for 2012-13 was Lawless, the Circuit Chairwoman. “It was a little embarrassing to win an event I was in charge of, but my being involved in the Circuit for the past three years has boosted my enthusiasm for this program," Lawless said. "I wanted to sign up for every bonspiel I could, not only to support the Circuit and the USWCA, but because these events are so much fun.” Past win- ners include Shelley Pilon of the Exmoor Curl- ing Club and Jennifer Stannard of the Nutmeg Curling Club. Circuit participants also can win their regions. In 2012-13, Stannard won the East; Starr Pfiffner from Madison Curling Club won Wisconsin; and Maureen Guay from the St. Paul Curling Club won the West. Te Circuit is not only fun, it fosters a spirit of
competitive camaraderie among curlers. “Seeing many of the same
women at bonspiels across the country creates a community of curlers,” Lawless said. “Once you’ve been part of the Circuit, everywhere you go you find old friends, and make new ones. It’s a great way to expand your curling universe.”
While one signs up for the Circuit as an indi-
vidual, to earn points participants must 1) regis- ter for the Circuit, 2) play in a Circuit bonspiel, and 3) curl with at least two Circuit members on the same team. “Tere are several advantages to having two Circuit players curl together,” Stan- nard said. “Requiring two players takes the em- phasis off the individual and puts it back on the team, which is the essence of curling.” Second,
ow in its fourth year, the 2013-14 United States Women's Curling As- sociation Circuit is off to a great start
it creates opportunities for more women to be a part of the Circuit and share in its potential prize money. “If one woman joins to be the second Circuit person on a team and then really likes it, that’s a win-win for that curler as well as the USWCA,” Stannard said. Individuals can sign up for the Circuit with their regional chairs, Char Fitzgerald (East), Maureen Guay (West), and Lori Mountford (Central), as well as at at http://
www.uswca.org. Sponsors such as Hot Shots Curling Camps,
Gold Line, ESCO, Taco Bell, RockItGurl, and Olympians Debbie McCormick and Pete Fenson support the event as part of a growing national commitment to women’s curling. Te entry fee for individuals is $50; prize money for the top winners has been in the $1,000 range, so the more bonspiels a curler signs up for, the better chance she has to recoup her initial investment. Finally, the Circuit supports a higher level of
competition by encouraging women’s teams to play together in a season-long event. “If you are playing down for Club Nationals, the USWCA national bonspiels, or have other long-term com- petitive goals, the Circuit will help get your team ready,” Lawless said. “One or two bonspiels oſten aren’t enough to work out the kinks in a team be- fore a big event. Also, curling against these top women’s teams really ups your game.”
Here is a list of 2013-14 Circuit bonspiels/start dates so far: East
Mid Atlantic’s Cinco de Rocktober, Oct. 3 Schenectady ‘s Carosella, Nov. 8 Nutmeg’s Crystal Snowflake, Dec. 6 Utica’s Empire State, Jan. 16 Belfast’s Pinetree, Jan. 17 Albany’s Dutch Shoe, Feb. 20 Central
Chicago’s Gloamin’ Gael, Jan. 4 Chicago Heathers’ Amazing Race, Jan. 28 Detroit’s Ladies International, Feb. 1 Wisconsin
Kettle Moraine’s Fall Fling, Oct. 24 Madison’s Schmecken Spiel, Nov. 15 Milwaukee’s ‘Tis the Season, Dec. 6 Centerville’s Sippy Spiel, Jan. 31 West
Saint Paul's Cold Cash, Jan. 3
// BONSPIEL CALENDAR Madison, WI
Marshfield, WI Medford, WI
Schenectady, NY Tri-City, WI
Vikingland, MN Waltham, IL
MARCH 7-9 Bemidji, MN
Centerville, WI Columbus, OH Curl Mesabi, MN Green Bay, WI Nashua, NH
Schenectady, NY Stevens Point, WI Superior, WI
Wauwatosa, WI Williston, ND
MARCH 14-16 Belfast, ME
Broomstones, MA Cambridge, MN Centerville, WI Curl Mesabi, MN Duluth, MN
Granite, WA (Seattle) Green Bay, WI Lodi, WI
Nutmeg, CT (Bridgeport) Plainfield, NJ Utica, NY
MARCH 21-23 Arlington, WI
M X
O
M M O X
M O O O
W M M M
OC M X
O
YJ X
SM M X J J X
O
M X
SM
Blackhawk, WI (Janesville) M Curl Mesabi, MN (Eveleth) Evergreen, OR (Beaverton) Granite, WA (Seattle)
Itasca, MN (Grand Rapids) Superior, WI
MARCH 28-30 Four Seasons, MN (Blaine)
Minot, ND
Potomac, MD (Laurel) Rochester, NY
Stevens Point, WI
O O O O J
O O O O X
APRIL 4-6 Broomstones, MA (Wayland) O
Fairbanks, AK
Granite, WA (Seattle) Green Bay, WI
APRIL 11-13 Anchorage, AK
Coyotes, AZ (Scottsdale) Plainfield, NJ
O O X
Lake Region, ND (Devils Lake) O
O O O
USA Curling (( 23
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