Another curling season is about to begin as surely as hurry follows sweep when the stone begins to slow down unexpectedly.

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Allen Bennett
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1 SIAE CC Newsletter Perusals from the President September 2017 Another curling season is about to begin as surely as hurry follows sweep when the stone begins to slow down unexpectedly. The new format for both our club competitions is a great way forward as the number of playing members is limited. If you do not understand the proposed new format, please speak to one of the committee who will clarify for you. You can also ensure a maximum number of ends if everyone in the team knows and understands their important role in the team. Leads get to toss a coin before the game begins. The winner decides colour of stone or to take the hammer (throws last stone in the first end). They also get to organise the stones while the other Lead is delivering theirs. While sweeping, they have a more accurate idea of the speed of the stone rather than the skip or third who are in the house. The Second keeps the score at either end. Murrayfield is currently renewing the scoreboards so we might have to learn a different way of scoring. While sweeping, they also have a more accurate idea of the speed of the stone rather than the skip or third who are in the house. The Third is the alternate skip. They take over the house while the skip is throwing their stones. They should also let the skip know about the speed of the ice and if they have spotted any inconsistencies in the ice surface. A well chosen comment about the strengths and weaknesses of opposition team members to your skip might give your team the edge it needs to do even better. The Skip traditionally is the last member of the team to throw. However, it is possible to skip from any position in the team. They decide the position and strength of the stones thrown by the rest of the team. A good skip encourages their team to do well, listens to advice given by others but ultimately they are the ones who carry the prospect of success on their shoulders. If there is another piece of advice I can give any of you to get as many ends in as you can in the time allocated, it is, go with your first thought. All too often time is ticking away while unsuccessful strategies are mulled over to the frustration of those not involved in the discussion. Curling is still as much a social event as a sporting one. What other team game starts and ends with a handshake? What other game has active participation of all the team members? I hope you all have a sooper season! Pat President SIAE CC

2 Your Committee President Pat Saddler Treasurer Ruth Addinall Secretary and Match Secretary David Cunningham Members Dave Thomson (3 rd year), Morna Findlay (2 nd year), Alison Mooney (1 st year) Secretary s Notes Edinburgh Curling Club ( ECC ) Matters Fortress Murrayfield has taken on a more literal meaning during the summer. There isn t a drawbridge over the Water of Leith but some very hefty looking flood-defence gates have been installed and the car park has been enclosed by walls and earth mounds. Let s hope this winter is not so wet that we need them! I could not attend the ECC AGM on 7 September but I know that they are keen to continue the fund raising from last season. If you are still considering whether to donate, please look at the Curl Edinburgh 2018 Appeal website ( to remind yourself of the issues we face. Further to this, the SIAE Committee will be proposing that the club donates 500 from existing funds. This will be discussed fully with the membership before any action is taken. As you will have seen on your invoices, ECC has increased its membership fee from 10 to 20 this season. Murrayfield has also increased its ice charges on all sessions except the last one of the day (9.30pm on weekdays, 8pm on weekends) which has seen a decrease. Points sessions no longer receive a discount. The combination of these factors has led to a higher average cost per game compared to last season. SIAE Changes During last season, Stewart Robertson retired from playing and has now retired from the club. We wish him all the best for the future and hope to see him from time to time. Maggie Urquhart and Bryan Weir never actually re-joined the club last season and continued silence has seen them drop off our membership list. We have four non playing members. Dawn, Phil, Paul S and Fiona are valued members of the club and are included in the Contacts section at the end of this newsletter. Please do not ask them to sub for you, though! Some members decided not to play in the leagues this season and so we have a very able Reserves list comprising Ruth, Julian, John E, Andrew Mooney, Kathie and Dave T. So, there were 19 members who wished to play in the Wattie West or Jenny Gray or both. If we had stuck with our existing competition set up, we would have had four teams in the WW and three in the JG. The committee agreed that this would not be sustainable unless we played each other too many times. No fun! Instead, all 19 members will play in both the WW and JG but with some shared places catering for those who did not want to play as many as 18 matches. Taking into account the answers provided on the second page of our Season Intentions Forms, there are 13 members who have a full place (ie play in 18 matches) and 6 members who occupy three shared places (ie play in 9 matches each).

3 Shared Places Morna is sharing with Carolyn; Kairsty with Pat; and Gerald with Mary. These couples need to agree with their partners how to share out the 18 matches across the whole season. It doesn t matter if there is a significant imbalance between WW and JG games but it should be 9 games per person, if possible that s what you ve paid for. Please give your two skips (WW and JG) a list of who is playing in each fixture. Substitutes When looking for a substitute, please do not resort to blanket s. Ask any of the three shared places members who are not due to play on that day. You can also ask any of the other six reserves noted below the Wattie West and Jenny Gray team lists. Afterwards, please let your skip know who you have found. If you exhaust all substitute possibilities, please contact your skip. They may be able to help or, at worst, at least they ll have advance warning that they ll be competing with only three players! Club Sweatshirts If anyone (other than Morna and Mike V) wishes to order SIAE clothing, please let me know. SIAE Website Thanks to the never-ending efforts of Dave T, much of this newsletter s information will be on our website ( including our contact details on the Member s Page. For that page, you ll need the password Sweep!. The website is also where you will find up-to-date league tables as the season progresses. Please take a look and refer to it during the season for the latest news. Midlothian Province Competitions As the Secretary of the Midlothian Province of RCCC, I am duty bound to promote SIAE s participation in these competitions! Info is on the Province website ( Midlothian Province League Division 2 Back in Division 2 this season - a more suitable challenge perhaps! Volunteers for these matches at 9.30pm on various Mondays and Thursdays throughout the season are: Jon A, David C, Andrew Muir, Duncan, Steven and Mike V (with Carlo, Carolyn and Pat in reserve). Midlothian Province Bonspiel The Bonspiel takes place all day on Monday 5 February. Our two teams will probably be playing at 12 noon and 4pm, against two other Midlothian clubs. The following have signed up: Jon A, Ruth, Carlo, David C, Morna, Maureen, Mike Q, Steven and Mike V (with Carolyn and Pat in reserve). King George IV Trophy This is a knockout competition which we have not entered recently (or ever?). Our first round match is on Friday 20 October and we ll take it from there if we progress. Our squad is: David C, Andrew Muir, Mike Q, Pat, Duncan, Steven and Mike V (with Carolyn in reserve). Pate Trophy This the annual competition between Midlothian Province Clubs and Border Province Clubs. 7 teams are required on Sunday 4 March to play at Murrayfield. I shall ask for interested players at a later date.

4 SIAE Competitions and Ice Bookings Wattie West League The four teams play each other three times in the first half of the season; nine games each. The title will be decided by Christmas! The rounds of matches take place simultaneously, except on 12 November so please double-check at which time you are playing on that date. None of our members want to play at lead all the time so the team members below are listed in a random order, other than the skip. Please be willing to change playing position from time to time. Skip Team members Jon Addinall {Kairsty Ashworth, Pat Saddler} Stuart Ashworth Paul Mooney Mike Quickfall {Gerald Dodson, Mary Knox} Carlo Albani Mike Veitch Duncan Scotland David Cunningham Alison Mooney Sam Mooney Steven Thomson {Morna Findlay, Carolyn McArthur} Maureen McCulloch Andrew Muir Reserves Shared places - {Kairsty Ashworth, Pat Saddler}, {Gerald Dodson, Mary Knox}, {Morna Findlay, Carolyn McArthur} Others - Ruth Addinall, Julian Bell, John Elcock, Andrew Mooney, Kathie Nixon, Dave Thomson Jenny Gray League The four teams play each other three times in the second half of the season; nine games each. There is a double-header weekend on 3&4 February, otherwise all rounds of matches are on different weekends. The Jenny Gray rules allow less flexibility for swapping playing positions because the leads are fixed. However, as in the Wattie West League, please be willing to change playing position from time to time, if requested. Last season s winners, Mike V and Maureen, have been paired up again so that they can share the skip role. Skip Team members Lead Stuart Ashworth {Morna Findlay, Carolyn McArthur} Sam Mooney Steven Thomson David Cunningham {Gerald Dodson, Mary Knox} Carlo Albani Jon Addinall Andrew Muir {Kairsty Ashworth, Pat Saddler} Alison Mooney Mike Quickfall Mike Veitch Maureen McCulloch Paul Mooney Duncan Scotland Reserves Shared places - {Kairsty Ashworth, Pat Saddler}, {Gerald Dodson, Mary Knox}, {Morna Findlay, Carolyn McArthur} Others - Ruth Addinall, Julian Bell, John Elcock, Andrew Mooney, Kathie Nixon, Dave Thomson

5 Practice Ice Only five members (Morna, Carolyn, Sam, Steven and Mike V) showed interest in a practice session, so it was not cost effective to book it through SIAE. Available ice will eventually be viewable on the ECC website ( and can be booked at a cost of 5 per person per hour through the ECC office. The rink opens on Wednesday 20 September so there is time to get your requests in. Away Day Not enough interest in this to justify making enquiries at other curling rinks, I m afraid. Allan Ramsay Pairs Competition A double session from 3.45pm to 8pm on 7 October. It s earlier in the season than usual due to busy weekends at Murrayfield during November. Prepaid: Carlo, David C, Morna, Mary, Maureen, Mike Q, Duncan, Dave T, Steven and Mike V. Christmas Bonspiel & Meal We have two sheets booked at 6pm on 16 December with our Christmas dinner to follow in the club rooms at around 8pm. We ll collect names for the meal nearer the time. Prepaid: Jon A, Ruth, Carlo, Stuart, Gerald, Morna, Carolyn, Maureen, Alison, Andrew Mooney, Paul M, Sam, Andrew Muir, Pat, Duncan, Steven and Mike V. Abercrombie Points Competition One session booked on 25 February. We ll confirm your availability and any extra players nearer the time but please let me know if you d like to join the list below. A chance to test yourself and play a variety of shots without a brush to aim at nor sweepers to help! Prepaid: Jon A, Ruth, David C, Morna, Carolyn, Maureen, Mike Q, Duncan, Dave T, Steven and Mike V. AGM, Closing Bonspiel, Meal & Prize Giving The AGM is at 4.30pm on 18 March in the Balcony Room, the closing bonspiel is at 6pm and the meal and prize giving will follow in the club rooms at around 8pm. We ll collect names for the meal nearer the time. Prepaid: Jon A, Ruth, Carlo, Stuart, Gerald, Morna, Carolyn, Maureen, Alison, Andrew Mooney, Paul M, Sam, Andrew Muir, Mike Q, Pat, Duncan, Dave T, Steven and Mike V.

6 Fixtures 2017 Competition Day Date Time Details Wattie West Sun 24 Sep pm J Addinall v S Thomson M Quickfall v D Scotland Wattie West Sun 1 Oct pm S Thomson v D Scotland J Addinall v M Quickfall MPL Div 2 Thu 5 Oct pm SIAE v Currie & Balerno Pairs Sat 7 Oct pm (2 sessions) Details to follow Wattie West Sun 15 Oct pm D Scotland v J Addinall S Thomson v M Quickfall KG IV round 1 Fri 20 Oct pm SIAE v 37 Club Wattie West Sun 22 Oct pm D Scotland v M Quickfall S Thomson v J Addinall MPL Div 2 Thu 26 Oct pm SIAE v 37 Club Wattie West Fri 27 Oct pm M Quickfall v J Addinall D Scotland v S Thomson Wattie West Sun 5 Nov pm M Quickfall v S Thomson J Addinall v D Scotland Wattie West Sun 12 Nov pm J Addinall v S Thomson Sun 12 Nov pm M Quickfall v D Scotland MPL Div 2 Mon 20 Nov pm SIAE v Penicuik Wattie West Sat 2 Dec pm S Thomson v D Scotland J Addinall v M Quickfall Wattie West Sun 10 Dec pm D Scotland v J Addinall S Thomson v M Quickfall Christmas Bonspiel Sat 16 Dec pm Followed by meal

7 Fixtures 2018 Competition Day Date Time Details MPL Div 2 Mon 8 Jan pm SIAE v Oxenfoord Jenny Gray Sun 14 Jan pm S Ashworth v M Veitch D Cunningham v A Muir Jenny Gray Sun 21 Jan pm M Veitch v A Muir S Ashworth v D Cunningham MPL Div 2 Mon 22 Jan pm SIAE v RBS Jenny Gray Sat 27 Jan pm A Muir v S Ashworth M Veitch v D Cunningham Jenny Gray Sat 3 Feb pm A Muir v D Cunningham M Veitch v S Ashworth Jenny Gray Sun 4 Feb pm D Cunningham v S Ashworth A Muir v M Veitch Midlothian 12 noon Mon 5 Feb 18 Province Bonspiel 4.00pm Draw yet to be made MPL Div 2 Thu 8 Feb pm SIAE v Watsonian Jenny Gray Sat 10 Feb pm D Cunningham v M Veitch S Ashworth v A Muir Jenny Gray Sun 18 Feb pm S Ashworth v M Veitch D Cunningham v A Muir Points Sun 25 Feb pm Details to follow MPL Div 2 Thu 1 Mar pm SIAE v Stew Mel FP Jenny Gray Sat 3 Mar pm M Veitch v A Muir S Ashworth v D Cunningham Pate Trophy Sun 4 Mar pm At Murrayfield Jenny Gray Sat 10 Mar pm A Muir v S Ashworth M Veitch v D Cunningham AGM Sun 18 Mar pm Balcony Room Closing Bonspiel Sun 18 Mar pm Followed by meal

8 Contacts Name Home phone Mobile phone Jon Addinall Ruth Addinall Carlo Albani Kairsty Ashworth Stuart Ashworth Julian Bell Dawn Black David Cunningham Gerald Dodson John Elcock Morna Findlay Phil Hutchison Mary Knox Carolyn McArthur Maureen McCulloch Alison Mooney Andrew Mooney Paul Mooney Samantha Mooney Andrew Muir Kathie Nixon Mike Quickfall Pat Saddler Duncan Scotland Paul Stratford Dave Thomson Steven Thomson Mike Veitch Fiona Wilcock

St Albert 50+ Mixed Curling League

St Albert 50+ Mixed Curling League WELCOME CURLERS! Our league has been in existence in St Albert since the late 1980 s. We operate out of the St. Albert Curling Club, entirely organized and run by our