In order to meet the goals of having as many teams benefit from the Canada Games process and preparing our curlers and coaches for the upcoming CWG competition, the committee has decided to offer all interested teams a CWG Team Prep Program. The Team Prep Program will include:

Strength & Conditioning Training;
Nutrition Sessions; Coaching Sessions;
Team Dynamics Sessions;
Strategy Sessions; and
Sport Psych Sessions.

There will be a fee of $200 per team to participate in Team Prep Program. The training and sessions will be scheduled beginning in July and will continue until the Trials in February.

Once teams have registered for the Team Prep Program and interest is known, the committee will work to confirm the rest of the sessions. Topic and/or speaker ideas are welcome and the committee will work with the teams to try to meet the needs of the teams.

To register…
Please send your team info
Amy Duncan (aduncan@sportpei.pe.ca) by June 25, 2013.

Payment can be mailed to:
Curl PEI, P.O. Box 302, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 7K7

Cheques payable to:
Curl PEI

Strength & Conditioning Session #1

Kris MacPhee from Synergy Fitness has been brought onboard to work with all interested 2015 Canada Games curling hopefuls. He and his team will be developing the Strength and Conditioning Training program for Curl PEI.

The Strength & Conditioning

Training will include:
Training programs designed by Kris MacPhee for curlers, for their age group;
Two (2) in-person group sessions every 8 weeks to:
Session #1—Introduce the (new) program, and
Session #2—Check for proper form of the exercises.

In between the group sessions teams will be left on their own to train in the facility of their choice (a membership to Synergy Fitness is not included in the fee).

The first date is:
July 2, 2013
6:30pm or 7:45pm
Synergy Fitness (in the CARI Complex)
Cost included in Team Prep Program Fee

To register for the Strength & Conditioning Session …
Please send your team info & your choice of (time) session to
Amy Duncan (aduncan@sportpei.pe.ca) by June 25, 2013.

The Crapaud Community Curling Club is working towards launching pre-season curling for the Province. The pre-season will run from September 2 – October 31, 2013 (registration deadline August 2, 2013) at a cost of $100 per player. This one-time fee will allow you to book ice time on a first come, first served basis 7 days a week. There may also be leagues set up depending on interest. They welcome all teams and individual curlers wanting to take advantage of this pilot project.  Please note that the project will only go ahead if there is enough interest.  If it is a success, they look to make this a permanent fixture to the provincial curling program.

This is great opportunity for those looking to get on the ice early to prepare for their upcoming curling goals, or just want to practice before the regular season begins. They also hope to have a “Learn to Curl” program set up, as well as stick curling, ice rentals, and a bonspiel or two.

For further information, please contact Miranda Peters at mle4ccc@outlook.com or at 902-940-9264.

To Register:

Email Team Name or Individual Curler to mle4ccc@outlook.com along with a post-dated cheque (made payable to Crapaud Curling Club ) for August 15, 2013 to PO Box 4922 Crapaud, PE C0A 1J0 C/O Miranda Peters. Deadline is August 2, 2013

The Crapaud Community Curling Club’s Annual General Meeting was held on May 23rd.

The 2013/2014 board is as follows:

President: Ron Matters

1st Vice President: Nathan Hardy

2nd Vice President: Daniel MacFadyen

Secretary/Treasurer: Kim Matters

Members:

Mike Forrest

Julie Mutch

Brian Ellis

Miranda Peters

Kevin Smith

Committee Chairs:

Ice: Ron

Building: Daniel

Kitchen/Bar: Miranda/Mike

Junior Curling: Miranda/Mike

Fundraising: Board

Membership: Kevin/ Mike

Publicity /Website: Julie/Nathan

Photo (L-R) 2013 PEI women’s champions:  Peter Gallant (coach), Leslie MacDougall, Sarah Fullerton, Shelly Bradley, Suzanne Birt

The 2013 Canadian Curling Association National Curling Congress (NCC) is underway this week in Ottawa, and it’s been an inspiring few days.

Here’s a look at one of the reasons why.

Brian Rippin was basically a non-curler looking for a business opportunity in Dartmouth, N.S., 10 years ago.

For some reason, curling struck a chord with him, and he decided open a little shop in Dartmouth called The Curling Store. Today, it’s a thriving business and Brian is preaching the gospel of curling to all who will listen.

Recently, Brian encountered a local dad looking for an ice sport for his sons. Their ensuing conversation produced this video from the Nova Scotia Curling Association, called The REAL reason curling is better than hockey. It was presented to rave reviews on Friday at the NCC.

Link to video on YouTube

Members of Halifax’s curling community are mourning today after one of their own died while scuba diving in Blind Bay, N.S. on Sunday.

David Jones, right, was the general manager of the Mayflower Curling Club and a renowned ice maker. (CBC)

David Jones, the general manager of the Mayflower Curling Club and a renowned ice maker, was pulled from the water by his son a few kilometres east of Peggys Cove where the pair were scuba diving.

Emergency crews were called to Blind Bay around 6:15 p.m. Sunday night.

Paramedics worked to resuscitate Jones after he was pulled from the water unconscious but those attempts failed.

Dale Hutchinson, Mayflower’s assistant ice maker worked side-by-side with Jones for almost 20 years.

“Not only was he a good manager and ice maker but he was a good person, and anybody associated with Mayflower will tell you that, I’m sure,” said Hutchinson.

Click for full story at CBC Nova Scotia

This morning, Travelers announced that it has agreed to acquire The Dominion from E-L Financial Corporation and will combine it with its Canadian operations. The press releases issued by Travelers and E-L Financial Corporation Limited can be seen here and here.

The man who died in a scuba-diving mishap was a well-known member of the local curling community described as “intrinsic” to one of the province’s premier rinks.

Photo (contributed): Dave Jones

Dave Jones, 58, passed away after being pulled out of the water by a relative on Prospect Road around 6:15 p.m. Sunday.

The president of the Mayflower Curling Club said Jones had managed the club for 20 years, and his death hit the 500 members like a “bolt out of the blue.”

Click for full story at MetroNews.ca

Bud Lund of Charlottetown, who, playing third for skip Lorne Burke, won the Canadian Senior Legion Curling Championships in 1986, and also skipped 7 consecutive PEI Masters championship rinks from 1987-1983, passed away on Tuesday June 4 at the age of 87. Lund was also a member of the PEI Softball Hall of Fame, won over 90 professional fights as a boxer, and was an avid golfer.

Visiting hours were Friday June 7 from  2 – 4 & 7 – 9 p.m at the Hennessey Cutcliffe Charlottetown Funeral Home. Veteran’s Tribute Service at the funeral home was held Friday evening at 6:45 p.m. Funeral mass was 10 am Saturday at St. Dunstan’s Basilica.

Click for funeral announcement.

The new Board of Directors of the Cornwall Curling Club had its first meeting recently, and elected the following officers:

President: Paul Neima
Vice-President: Frank Martin
Secretary: Krista Affleck
Treasurer: Edgar Coffin
Past President: Bob Fowler

The following committee chairs were chosen:

Finance Committee: Edgar Coffin
Membership and Draws: Paula Ling
Publicity, Constitution and Bylaws: Derek MacEwen
Facilities: Jeffrey Taylor
Bonspiels and Social: Krista Affleck, Carlene Peters
Fundraising: Joe MacKinnon, Leonard Gotell
Youth: Frank Martin
Seniors: Lew Black
Curl PEI representative: Paul Neima

Plans for the new season, which gets underway mid-October, include new Friday night “drop in” curling dates, and an additional league to help teams prepare for The Dominion Curling Club Championships playdowns.

The 2013 Scholarship recipients are:

Prince Edward Island ($500 each): Katie Fullerton, Chloe McCloskey, Alex Sutherland
Nova Scotia ($500 each): Katarina Hakansson, Alex Rafuse, Alex Trites
Newfoundland and Labrador ($500 each): Zackary Parsons, Colin Thomas, Stephen Trickett
New Brunswick ($500 each): Josh Barry, Jessica Daigle, Katelyn Kelly

The 2013 Capital Grant recipients will each receive $1500. The successful curling clubs are:
Woodstock Golf and Curling Club, NB
Maple Leaf Curling Club, PEI
Halifax Curling Club, NS
Gateway Curling Club, NL

The 2013 Program Initiative grant will be used to license the “Rocks and Rings” elementary school program throughout Atlantic Canada. “This joint initiative between Curl Atlantic and the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) appears to fit well with the intent of junior curling development of the Joyce Myers Trust Fund and with Curl Atlantic”, said Roy Hodder, Chair of Curl Atlantic. “The Rocks and Rings program is a great way to introduce and bring curling to the school setting. The program has received much attention during the televising of the CCA’s championship events, and is hugely popular across the country and in great demand.”

The Curl PEI – Canada Winter Games Committee is looking to identify all teams that are interested in competing for a spot to represent PEI at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC.  There are a number of teams that have already been identified however, the committee wants to ensure no one is missed.

If you are associated with an interested team please send the following information to Amy Duncan (aduncan@sportpei.pe.ca).

Team (Name):
Skip (Name & Date of Birth):
Third (Name & Date of Birth):
Second (Name & Date of Birth):
Lead (Name & Date of Birth):
Coach (Name & Current NCCP Status):
Home Club(s):
Contact Person (Name, email, and phone number(s)):

Please send this information along as soon as possible as the committee will be releasing news very soon regarding summer programming.

About the process:

For 2015 CWG curling teams must be made up of players born on or since January 1, 1997; coaches must be certified Level 3 by April 30, 2014.

Curl PEI will be using a team based selection process where all teams are formed under their own free will and without influence from Curl PEI.

There will be a Curl PEI Canada Games Trial to qualify two (2) men’s and two (2) women’s teams to be named the Curl PEI 2015 CWG Training Teams.  The Trial will take place in February 2014.

The 2015 PEI CWG Curling Teams (one men’s and one women’s) will be named after a best of three (3) competition held between the two Training Teams.  This competition will be held in November 2014.

Photo (L-R): Curl PEI President George Koke, Sheila Compton

Compton has been a valued and devoted member of the Silver Fox Curling Club since 1980, and gives her heart and soul to many aspects of the facility, including the junior program, women’s curling, national events, and anything else that a volunteer is needed for. She can always be counted on to give 100% dedication.

The recipient has spent the last 10 years coaching in the club’s junior program.  She has nurtured and guided many young girls and boys, and has given them a life-long love of the sport.  This season alone, she has organized four junior spiels - the Fall Fling,  the December Cashspiel, the Christmas Classic, and the January Freeze – that are always full and usually have a waiting list to enter.  She ensures that each and every junior curler has a tremendous experience in the event.

She has turned the Foxy Ladies Funspiel. annual event into a “hot ticket” that never disappoints.  Once again this past season, there was a waiting list, and many curlers sign up for the following year before the current event is completed.

Compton has been on the Fox curling executive for over 10 years and this year took on the role of chairperson for every funspiel the club hosted.  To say she has a knack for hosting is an understatement.

This year’s recipient is also a great supporter of national events that come to PEI.  For the 2002 Karcher Juniors Canadian Curling Championship, she was the committee head for decorating.  Not only was the Silver Fox beautiful, but the former Cahill Stadium never looked better.  She made sure that when CBC was ready to broadcast the arena was ready to go too.

She was a key figure in the Silver Fox’s hosting of two previous Canadian Senior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships.  Once again, she is an active member of the 2013 host committee for the Canadian Senior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships.

She was a volunteer for the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts that was held in Charlottetown.  Braving the winter weather, she never missed a shift as an on-ice observer.

Why? Because you could be one of 10 lucky Canadian communities this year to receive $25,000 from Kraft for a community project that improves an existing recreation space or helps create a brand new one. TSN will also shine the national spotlight on your community with a live broadcast of SPORTSCENTRE right in your hometown. The Kraft Celebration Tour takes place this summer from August 16-25 and each of the 10 winners will be a stop on the cross country tour.

Three curling clubs in the past two years have been successful in applying to take part in the Kraft Celebration Tour.

To nominate your community, it takes 5 minutes and 3 easy steps –

1) Visit KraftCelebrationTour.ca

2) Submit an essay of 500 words or less describing how $25,000 would make a difference in your community. You need to highlight the community project that you would like to put the prize money towards, along with your community’s passion for sports and commitment to healthy and active living. Don’t forget to submit at least one photo of the community project that you’re nominating.

3) Hit send and you’re done! Be sure to tell all your family and friends to do the same because there’s no limit to the number of nominations accepted per community.

Nominations close on Friday, June 7.

Photo (L-R): Claude LeBlanc, ADL Corporate Sales Manager, Rod MacDonald, Mark O’Rourke. Missing from photo: John Likely, Peter MacDonald

The team of Rod MacDonald (skip), John Likely (third), Mark O’Rourke (second), and Peter MacDonald (lead) were provincial champions this season in the Credit Unions of PEI Provincial Senior Men’s Curling Championship, and advanced to the Canadian Seniors in Summerside, the hometown of the MacDonald brothers, finishing round robin play tied for third with an 8-3 win-loss record, before losing out in a tiebreaker, realizing skip Rod’s goal of curling in a Canadian championship in his hometown. The other three members of the team all made the all-star teams, determined by their shooting percentages, with Peter MacDonald and O’Rourke making the 1st team all-stars and Likely making the second team.

The experienced team of PEI Tankard veterans was unbeatable at the provincial seniors, going through round robin play with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record to earn a bye to the final, against 2011 PEI Seniors champ Bill Hope, which they won by a 7-4 final score.

Rod MacDonald and his brother-in-law Mark O’Rourke also teamed up with other players to enter the PEI Tankard (with Peter as coach), where they finished as runners-up, and the Provincial Mixed, which they won.

Roger Gavin from the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton won the Volunteer Administrator fo the Year award. He was unable to attend tonight’s event.

File photo: Roger Gavin, winning a coaching award at the provincial Under 16 championships this year

Roger Gavin volunteers in many capacities, both at the Western Community Curling Club and for PEI curling in general. He has served on the Board of Directors for the past 18-19 years, and on the Curl PEI board for the past decade.  He has been the backbone of the Junior program at his club for many years, in an administrative, instructional, and coaching capacity. He is a certified Level 2 coach, and is working on his Level 2 Umpires and his Level 3 certification. At the club, he contacts members at the first of each year to see if they are curling, and makes up draw boards and signup sheets for all curling activities. tournaments, and provincial championships held at the club throughout the season. He has his Level 1 Ice Technicians certification, and is involved with installation and maintenance of the club’s curling ice each season. He organizes, oversees, and bartends at the club’s popular Texas Hold’Em poker nights.

He looks after all aspects of the bar, doing the bar sheets, counting and weighing the product, and balancing the cash.

In addition to preparing and looking after all draws at the club has done draw sheets for Provincial Legion and other events, and this year made up the large draw needed for the 50 team Canadian Stick curling championships, having to redo it at the last minute when the number of teams changed.

For many years, Gavin has been involved with the majority of the club’s administrative operations, including leagues, special events, bar, maintenance, sponsorship and membership, banquets, and publicity.

He is also an avid curler, and curled in the Canadian Stick Curling Championship this year in Cornwall.

All-in-all, his work is instrumental in keeping the Western Community club operating, and continually improving its programs and serviices.

Peter Gallant won the coach of the year award, with Peter Pidgeon taking official of the year honours.

Peter Gallant

Photo (L-R): Claude LeBlanc, ADL Corporate Sales Manager, Shelly Bradley of Team Birt, accepting on behalf of their coach Peter Gallant, who was out of the province and unable to attend the awards ceremony

Peter Gallant coached the Suzanne Birt rink to a first place finish at the 2013 PEI Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s championship, going on to coach them at the nationals, were they finished just out of the playoffs, and also coached the Christopher Gallant team to a second place finish at the provincial Pepsi Juniors this season. With Peter’s help, the Birt rink qualified for the championship round in all the cashspiels, except one, that they entered this season, finishing as runners-up twice, while the Gallant team won the Fall Fling junior bonspiel in Summerside. Peter also served as the coach of the Brad Gushue rink of St. John’s NL, which includes his son Brett, at the Brier, where they finished fourth, and in other events.

The teams he coaches give him high praise, mentioning his positive energy and attitude, his motivational skills, and also saying that he makes himself available for day to day practices, and noting that he is very knowledgeable, technically and strategically, about the game.

Peter Pidgeon

Photo (L-R): Claude LeBlanc, ADL Corporate Sales Manager, Eric Pidgeon, accepting on behalf of his father, Peter Pidgeon, who was unable to attend the awards ceremony

Peter Pidgeon has recently returned to umpiring after being a noteworthy coach for several years. He  attained his Level 2 officiating certification two seasons ago and has been a great asset to the umpiring community on PEI since that time.

He  is willing to travel to any of the clubs on the Island to help out. This is much appreciated as it can be difficult to find people who can do so.

He  always arrives early so he can ensure that things are ready for the day. He  makes sure he follows the routines which have been established so that all teams know what to expect from the coin toss, to the practice, to the playing of the game.

He took a timer training course to familiarize himself with the new “Thinking Time” concept used this year for the first time.

He proved that he could handle situations where not just knowledge was required, but where patience and tact were also needed. Peter remained calm and didn’t get  upset when faced with problems. He was not afraid to ask for help if and when it was required.

Pidgeon also worked at events in other capacities. He was at the Players’ Championship in Summerside doing statistics. He worked the National Seniors in Summerside this year as an on-ice observer, and did a great job.

Peter  has shown great dedication and commitment to the umpiring community on PEI.

Photo (L-R) Claude LeBlanc, ADL Corporate Sales Manager, Ruth Stavert, Rod MacDonald, George Koke, Curl PEI President

Rod MacDonald

Rod MacDonald skipped two provincial championship teams and one runner-up this season, going undefeated to win the Credit Unions of PEI Senior Men’s title, winning the provincial Mixed championship, and coming second in the Tankard provincial men’s. And, for the first time, he got to compete in a national championship in his home town, finishing fourth after losing out in a tiebreaker at the Canadian Mixed at the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside. MacDonald and his Mixed team, which includes his wife, Karen, his sister Kathy O’Rourke, and her husband Mark, are looking forward to competing in the Canadian Mixed,  November 14-23 at the Rideau Curling Club in Ottawa.

To-date, MacDonald has won three provincial Mixed titles, two Senior Men’s, and seven Tankards, winning his first three playing on a team skipped by his brother Peter in 1978,  1981, and 1996, and then skipping his own team to wins in 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010.

Ruth Stavert

Ruth Stavert is a Cornwall Curling Club stick curler, who, with her teammate Eileen Blanchard, won the 10 team women’s division at the Canadian 2-Person Stick Curling Championships at their home club in April. With teammate Gloria Clarke, she won the Provincial Women’s Stick Championship for the fourth time, the only winners in its four year history, and went on to the Maritime championships in Montague, winning it, too. With Blanchard, she won gold at the Vogue Optical Provincial 55+ Games women’s division, giving Stavert a complete sweep of Provincial, Maritime, and National women’s stick curling championship events.

In the summer months, Stavert participates in a number of sports that bear some similarity to stick curling, taking home bronze medals in the provincial 55+ Summer Games bocce and lawn bowling events last summer, and, with Clarke, winning a gold in the “washer toss” event.

Photo (L-R) Claude LeBlanc, ADL Corporate Sales Manager, Aleya Quilty, Tyler Smith, Curl PEI President George Koke

Aleya Quilty

Aleya Quilty had a busy curling and coaching season, playing on both the Amanda MacLean team, the provincial runners-up at the Pepsi Juniors, and the Veronica Smith university team, who qualified for the CIS/CCA nationals with a B division win, and went on to a 5^th place finish in Kamloops, where she had the highest shooting percentage for Team PEI. The MacLean team also competed in the Fall Fling at the Silver Fox, finishing 5^th, as well as the Codiac Bonspiel in Moncton, the Maritime Junior Competitive League, and the JSI-OVCA Super Spiel in the Ottawa area, as well as practicing several hours a week, and competing in the Tuesday night competitive league at the Cornwall Curling Club.

On the coaching and instructing front, she coached boy’s teams in the Under 16 and Under 18 provincials and in weekend competitions, completed her Level 3 Coaching technical training and all six competition development and multi-sport modules,and instructed at two junior development and high performance camps. She will also be working as an instructor at the 2013 Whitecap Curling Camp at Cornwall’s APM Centre.

Quilty also excels in the sport of rowing, with three 2 hour dry land training workouts a week in preparation for competing for Team PEI in the 2013 Canada Summer Games.

An honours student throughout grade school, high school, and 1^st year university, Quilty was awarded in 2012-13 with a 2012 Joyce Myers Trust Fund Scholarship, a Community Service Bursary, and an Earl D. Foster Entrance Scholarship to UPEI.

Tyler Smith

Former PEI Canada Games team skip Tyler Smith had another busy year, finishing in the top three in four provincial championships – coming first in the Pepsi Junior Under 21 competition, second in both the O’Connor Glass Under 18 and the Advantage Communications Junior Mixed championships U16 division, and third in the O’Connor Glass Under 16. At the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors in Fort McMurray, his team finished with a 3-6 record. The second place finish in the provincial U18’s garnered the Smith rink a berth in the Atlantic U18 championships in Stephenville NL, where they finished in third place. Smith managed to curl in all four Atlantic provinces during the season, competing in junior cashspiels in Sackville NB, where they came second, and at the Lakeshore curling club in Lower Sackville NS, where they finished in third place,  in addition to the provincial and Atlantic championships. He also practiced twice a week at the Cornwall Curling Club, and participated in competitive leagues both there and in Crapaud.

Another change was with the youngest division, the KFC Under 13. It was decided to have open entry – any combination of boys and girls on a team, instead of the current separate boys and girls divisions. The U13 funspiel, which is designed for curlers in the age category who are just beginning the sport, will remain as well. The provincial Masters, for curlers age 60 and over, will move to a weekend event in the 2014-2015 season.

The venues and dates for next season’s provincial championships were approved.

Click to view venues and dates in PDF format.

Photo (L-R): President George Koke, 1st VP Angela Hodgson, 2nd VP Rod MacDonald, Treasurer Connor MacPhee, Secretary Shelley Gray

Also at the meeting, the Executive for the 2013-2014 season were elected. Montague’s George Koke returns as President for the 3rd consecutive season, while Angela Hodgson returns as 1st Vice President, Rod MacDonald joins the Executive as 2nd Vice President, Shelley Gray returns as Secretary, Connor MacPhee moves up to Treasurer, replacing Susan McInnis, and Shirley Lank remains Past President.

Photo (Right to Left): Rod MacDonald, John Likely, Mark O’Rourke, Peter MacDonald

The team of Rod MacDonald (skip), John Likely (third), Mark O’Rourke (second), and Peter MacDonald (lead) were provincial champions this season in the Credit Unions of PEI Provincial Senior Men’s Curling Championship, and advanced to the Canadian Seniors in Summerside, the hometown of the MacDonald brothers, finishing round robin play tied for third with an 8-3 win-loss record, before losing out in a tiebreaker, realizing skip Rod’s goal of curling in a Canadian championship in his hometown. The other three members of the team all made the all-star teams, determined by their shooting percentages, with Peter MacDonald and O’Rourke making the 1st team all-stars and Likely making the second team.

The experienced team of PEI Tankard veterans was unbeatable at the provincial seniors, going through round robin play with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record to earn a bye to the final, against 2011 PEI Seniors champ Bill Hope, which they won by a 7-4 final score.

Rod MacDonald and his brother-in-law Mark O’Rourke also teamed up with other players to enter the PEI Tankard (with Peter as coach), where they finished as runners-up, and the Provincial Mixed, which they won.

Photo: Roddie MacLean (left) and Paul Field with the Canadian Stick Curling Championship trophy

When you take up a new sport, you don’t normally expect to win its Canadian Championship in your first season, but that’s exactly what happened to new 2-person stick curlers Roddie MacLean and Paul Field from the Cornwall Curling Club. Both were experienced players of the traditional four-person hack-delivery format, although Field had stepped away from competitive curling for a number of years due to the hours he had to put in at his busy flower shop. When he sold the business, he was looking for something new to do, and discovered tthe relatively new sport of stick curling, teaming up with MacLean, who was also just taking up the sport. They picked the right year to do it, with the Maritime championship taking place only 50 minutes away in Montague, and the national championships being at their home club, the first time it had been held east of Winnipeg.

The duo came incredibly close to winning the provincials, losing the final 4-3 in TWO extra ends to the Walter Callaghan/John Vincent pair from the host Western Community Curling Club, who had won the event three times before and were runners-up last year. Their runner-up finish gave them a berth in the Maritime championships, where they made it as far as the quarter-final round, gaining valuable experience and proving that they could be competitive at the regional level. Their provincial second place finished also gave them a guaranteed spot in the nationals, where they went undefeated in the triple knockout round, pulling off a six-ender in one of their games. Since there are only six rocks per team each end in stick curling, this is the equivalent of a rare eight-ender in traditional curling, and they were awarded with prizes and a patch for this at the closing ceremonies.

The duo managed two wins by one-point margins in the championship round, bringing them to the final against the defending champion Earl Stephenson/Warren Johnson twosome from the St. Vital Curling Club in Winnipeg. The score was 4-2 for the Island pair coming home without last rock advantage, and they stole a deuce for a 6-2 final score to win the Canadian Championship in front of an excited hometown crowd who also got to witness Cornwall teams win the women’s division and the consolation round, and a Montague rink take the bronze medal game.

CCA photo. Peter Pidgeon (front left), was the recipient of a Fair Play coaching award, as selected by the officials at the 2011 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors in Calgary

Peter Pidgeon has recently returned to umpiring after being a noteworthy coach for several years. He  attained his Level 2 officiating certification two seasons ago and has been a great asset to the umpiring community on PEI since that time.

He  is willing to travel to any of the clubs on the Island to help out. This is much appreciated as it can be difficult to find people who can do so.

He  always arrives early so he can ensure that things are ready for the day. He  makes sure he follows the routines which have been established so that all teams know what to expect from the coin toss, to the practice, to the playing of the game.

He took a timer training course to familiarize himself with the new “Thinking Time” concept used this year for the first time.

He proved that he could handle situations where not just knowledge was required, but where patience and tact were also needed. Peter remained calm and didn’t get  upset when faced with problems. He was not afraid to ask for help if and when it was required.

Pidgeon also worked at events in other capacities. He was at the Players’ Championship in Summerside doing statistics. He worked the National Seniors in Summerside this year as an on-ice observer, and did a great job.

Peter  has shown great dedication and commitment to the umpiring community on PEI.

PEICurling.com photo: Cliff Poirier measures draw to the button results at the 2013 PEI Tankard

Besides officiating at many provincial championships on PEI, Cliff Poirier also officiated at the national and world level this season – at the Canadian Seniors held at the Silver Fox, and at the World Seniors in Fredericton New Brunswick. He is also on the Curl PEI Board of Directors as the representative from the Fox, and also did much work on the transition to the new “Thinking Time” timing method, and on recruiting and developing new officials.

Poirier is known for using excellent judgement in his decision-making during games, and is very welcoming towards all players, coaches, and spectators during events. He is an outstanding asset to the sport of curling on PEI.