Summer Bonspiels

The new season is almost upon us so now is a good time to recap the summer Bonspiels. The 5th Annual Carolina Classic. - What can I say; the ice crew worked liked demons to make this some of the best ice we have had for a Classic. First we had a full crew helping the Polar Ice House crew flooding and painting the ice. We now have full rings, centre line, side lines and proper T and hog lines. Then the day before the classic, more flooding and scraping and pebbling over and over again. During the Classic the ice crew worked tirelessly to make sure the ice was perfect all weekend and I think they did a great job. There are too many people involved to name them all, they know who they are and the club thanks your efforts. The food was, again, beyond reproach. I’m sure nobody went away dissatisfied with the quality or quantity and many thanks to the Jolly Green Chef and his many elves. The curling itself could not have been better, there were many old friends and some new ones and some that were missed this year. A team from Pittsburgh was this year’s First Event winner (Rich Ashford, Keith Scott (also a TCC member), Ian Webb and Derek Satterfield. Congratulations to all the participants. I saved the best for last. This year we invited World Curling Champion and 3 time Olympian Debbie McCormick to play (she was auctioned off and 4 members of TCC played with her). She brought her Goldline trailer with her to sell merchandise during the event. She was also on hand for media and we were not disappointed as WRAL, ABC11, News14, 99.9 the Fan and the News and Observer all sent out someone to talk to Debbie. For any member who did not come out to see or talk to her (or check out curling supplies) you missed out and a wonderful opportunity to meet a gracious lady and great ambassador for the sport. The 1st Grits and Granite (Charlotte). – For a club that is only several years old their first major bonspiel was a resounding success. They have a wonderful facility and used it to their advantage. The ice was fast and although the end sheets had the usual arena ice tendency of falls and ridges it was very playable. The TCC was represented by 3 full teams and 2 members on a Coastal Team. There was a good mix of teams of various skill levels with some very good teams out of Ontario. Debbie McCormick also played here with some members from Charlotte. The food was excellent and plentiful and the free beer was great. All in all a great Bonspiel and one we will add to our yearly list.