Hello Curlers

I hope this letter finds everyone keeping healthy, happy and away from COVID-19.  The rising numbers are extremely concerning.

Our Administrative Committee and Board of Directors met late last week to discuss the curling future for 2020-2021.  After much discussion and deliberation, there was a unanimous decision to not open the Club this year.

The health and safety of  our curlers was our first priority.  We reviewed all the restrictions, including the need to wear a mask, social distance etc. and collectively felt it would be difficult for us to provide our curlers a safe curling experience.  

The second priority for our committee was the financial well being of our Club.  Financially, to open the Club with the COVID-19 restrictions was not financially prudent.   In addition to the initial costs to open, with numbers rising we felt that it is probably only time until we would experience cases of COVID -19 which could ultimately cause shut down and cost us additional expenses.  Given our decision to not open, we are taking actions to reduce our costs, however, some costs like taxes, insurance, and basic building and plant maintenance cannot be avoided. We will share more financial information in the following months as we confirm what our costs will be for operating this year.  

Our decisions were made after carefully reviewing the situation and we believe we made them in the best interest of the curlers and the Uxbridge Curling Club.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Lindsey for all this time and effort as Bonspiel Chair this past season.  He has resigned his position as he is moving to Milton for personal reasons.  We wish him well and we hope to see him back for a bonspiel in the future.    We will be looking for someone to take over this role as we plan for our 2021-22 season.  Feel free to contact me if you are interested in helping us out.  It is an important position on our committee and very rewarding.

Our 60th Anniversary year came to a very abrupt close as a result of the Corona Virus.  Therefore, I would like to share the results of our 2019-2020 curling season with you.

Our Volunteer of the Year for our 60th Anniversary was awarded to Patrick Brown.  Patrick was instrumental in the Learn to Curl Program for our Club.  He devoted hours to the program.  It was very successful.  He also helped Darryl Stevenson again this year with the Little Rock and Bantam Program.  Congratulation Patrick from all of us.  You are a very deserving recipient. 

Given that our curling year ended abruptly, with one week of league play remaining, Judy Risebrough, Match & Rule Chair, had a real dilemma to determine who should be identified as the League Champions and Runners Up.  She developed a proposal that was based on the placing of the teams as of the last week of curling.  The proposal was discussed at our joint meeting and unanimously accepted by all present.  I am therefore pleased to share the 2019-2020 results.

Congratulation to all of our Champions and Runners-up on a successful curling season.  Judy will be in touch with you regarding how to pick up your keeper trophy, which this year is a special 60th anniversary curling bag for the Champions and a 60th anniversary backpack for the Runners Up.

Never in my 53 years of curling have I ever seen or had to deal with so many hard decisions and unbelievable things.  It has not been much fun by spells.  This past year was supposed to be a happy, celebratory year for Uxbridge Curlers.  It has had many challenges but I hope overall everyone can find some happy and enjoyable times to remember, as well as remembering the new curling friends they made.

I will be sending regular newsletters to all of you.  I ask all of you to do your part in this pandemic and hopefully we can get back to a new normal sooner rather than later.

Take care!  Keep well!  Stay Safe!

Margaret McKnight, President