What’s happenin’ in the HOUSE:
Tonight:
- Wear RED – Celebrate your teams with Chocolate and Candies.
- Bead prizes will be given out.
Next week:
- We start a new session. Check the website for updates on your ranking and when you curl.
- Evelyn may send out league reminders beforehand if needed as well.
A Fundraiser (of a WNL member):
Curling Keychain Fundraiser in support of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation
- In support of raising money for the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, I will be offering adorable and fun Curling themed Keychains for a donation for $10.00 per keychain.
- There are five different designs to choose from. They are made with love and all by hand. Get one, get two, get them all in support of a great charity.
- All of the material has all been graciously donated, meaning 100% of the proceeds from the sales of these items will be donated to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation on Sunday February 26th 2023 during Sandra Schmirler Day at the Scotties.
- Click HERE to order yours online.
- Orders will be ready for pick up between games NEXT WEEK - Wednesday February 22nd between 8:00pm-9:00pm.
If you have any questions or can’t order online, please feel free to contact me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LET’S RAISE A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY!
Thank you to all the members who have already placed their orders!
Laugh of the Week:
Big Thanks to Johanne Bolvin, who shared some jokes for us!!
(She wins a curling lanyard and the next one is from her too! )
Get to Know your WNL teams:
TEAM BYRNE – THE FUN SPA TEAM!
Skip: Marg Byrne
I started curling in 1995 when I moved to Oakville. I was looking for a way to meet people. My grandfather (in his 80s at the time) was still curling and other family members had curled over the years, so I figured I would give it a try. Over the years I have been on the WNL (or BW as we used to be known) executive in various capacities; I spent many years volunteering with the youth program at the club – most recently as convenor and programmer; for the last 4 years I was on the Board of Directors as Youth Director; and I have been an instructor since the program’s inception. I also play weekend mixed and spare on Monday nights.
Vice: Laura Pratt
I moved to Oakville in 1999. My parents curled and encouraged me to try the sport as a way to meet people. So the following October, never having touched a broom or watched a game …having no knowledge whatsoever of the sport, I registered and showed up for the opening wine and cheese. As soon as I walked in the door looking confused and uncertain, Marg and Sheila approached me and said something like…”you’re brand new? Come join our team!”. I’ve been curling with them ever since. When we discovered we all had birthdays in November, our November spa weekend tradition was born. We wish we had kept a log of everything we did on those weekends over the last 20 years…it would save a lot of time trying to remember, but that’s half the fun. I also curled mixed on Monday nights that first year – one of the male members of the first team I curled with ‘had a friend’ he set me up with and Rod and I have been married since 2003. So this team and the curling club are responsible for my marriage and the spa weekends to escape my marriage!
Second: Sheila Wiebe
Most of my extended family curled— my grandpa was an ice tech in Tillsonburg and my aunt and uncle still curl competitively out of the Barrie club. So curling is definitely in my blood. I started curling in high school after one of those “recreation leisure” classes and then took a break during university. I resumed my curling career in 1991 and have curled pretty much every year since (except one during the pandemic). Started in Oakville in 1995. Found my jam in the second position as I really enjoy sweeping. I took the coaching course a few years back when my daughter’s university team needed a coach. I look forward to my weekly night out but I don’t get too hung up on the outcome of each game.
Lead: Paula Somers
I started curling as a new curler in 2012 when the team was looking for a lead. Thankfully my team doesn’t take the outcome too seriously and everyone is out for an enjoyable evening. I’ve picked up many good tips over the years but, like golf, it’s tough to put it all together! I never thought of myself as a spa person until I joined this team - it’s definitely an annual highlight!
Fifth: Carolyn Melia
My husband and I were looking for an activity that we could do together. Friends of ours suggested we try curling and join the weekend mixed league. We started in 2015 and while we still play in mix, our friends divorced and quit curling haha. Marg Byrne was my neighbor at the time and she asked if I was interested in being a 5th on her woman's team. The deal was sealed after she mentioned a spa weekend was compulsory! This is the most supportive team ever...on and off the ice. There is no pressure, and we are truly there for the love of the game and spending time together as a team!
What would you like the other WNL members to know about your team? Tell us a story about your team…..
We are fun! We are Team SPA – you can only join our team if you are willing to go on a Spa weekend in November – this is mandatory! We have been doing this since 2001! I believe we have only missed one weekend away since then - thanks to COVID.
Marg & Sheila met in the mid 1990’s back when the WNL was still the social Business Women (BW). Laura joined us when we had switched to WNL ladder league in 1999. Paula came on board in 2012 and Carolyn rounded out the team in 2016. Over the years we have rotated positions – sometimes using the “skip until you lose” lineup. The lineup above has been our current iteration for several years now!
Best game? Your worst game?
We don’t dwell on these… we win some, we lose some. We are here for the social aspects, exercise and laughs.
Your best memory together….
All those Spa weekends!
Stuff that will help us Curl better:
The next couple of weeks tips will come from - Curling Steps to Success – Sean M.R. Turriff
Reading the Ice (step 6)
As you developed your curling delivery, you focused on aligning yourself toward a specific target, even though that target was not the intended destination for the shot because of the curling stone’s curved path. So the natural question is, where should the target be place in order for your to make the shot you want? To correctly position the target , you and your team require knowledge of how much the stone is going to curl ion any given path. Until you see stones sliding on the sheet, however, you have no way of knowing what degree of curl to expect. You must watch how the ice behaves and build a mental map of the sheet in order to correctly place the target. All players must develop ice reading skills, even though the final placement of the target is up to the skip.
A number of factors determine the amount of curl on any given shot. Some of these factors are out of your control, such as the ice surface and the stone’s running surface. These playing conditions of the game; as in most sports, you cannot affect these conditions directly. However, the delivery also affects the curl within the parameters determined by the ice and stone conditions; that is something you can control.
…. Let us examine what happens to a curling rock as it travels down a sheet of ice. Stones are delivered with a rotation on them and will take a curved path, the arc of which will be in the direction of applied rotation. This is true for every shot on every sheet of curling ice. The degree to which the stone curls varies from facility to facility, from sheet to sheet and often from one path on a sheet to another path on the same sheet. However, the amount of curl is not determined only by the playing conditions.
NEXT WEEK – Weight Considerations
Recipes Around The Rings:
RECIPE COURTESY OF REE DRUMMOND
Chocolate Lava Cakes
Level: Easy
Total: 20 min
Active: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- Baking spray, for spraying custard cups
- 1 stick butter
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray four custard cups with baking spray and place on a baking sheet.
- Microwave the butter, bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate in a large bowl on high until the butter is melted, about 1 minute. Whisk until the chocolate is also melted. Stir in the sugar until well blended. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks, then add the vanilla. Stir in the flour. Divide the mixture among the custard cups.
- Bake until the sides are firm and the centers are soft, about 13 minutes. Let stand 1 minute. Invert on individual plates while warm and serve with vanilla ice cream.
WNL Logo:
We are in the process of tweaking the logo. We want it to be swag logo ready…
Final image will be posted here soon.
Karen Paget is the designer of our NEW logo! And Laurin Chamberlin worked on tweaking it for our swag.
Thank you Karen & Laurin! (they each won a pair of curling socks)
Special Pin Competition:
It’s PRIZE WEEK! MAKE SURE I HAVE YOUR INDIVIDUAL NUMBERS BY TODAY!
Got something you want in the newsletter? Please send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for our next edition of WNL2. Submissions are helpful. Please send by Monday evening. I need stuff!