UNITED STATES OMEN’S CURLING ASSOCIATIONWREP Sheetwww.uswca.org Winter 2019

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News from the USWCA Febuary 2019 meetingand committee highlights

Senior Women’s Friendship Tour to CanadaCurlers hailing from Maine to Washington represented the United Statesin the 2018 USWCA - Canadian Senior Women's Friendship Tour, hostedby the Canadian Maritime Provinces. The Tour began in Prince Edward Island at the Cornwall Curling Club, then continued into New Brunswick,and concluded with five games in Nova Scotia. Each host club rolled out the red carpet, providing delicious local cuisine, drinks, and gifts. Several clubs also invited local dignitaries to mingle and greet the Tour, includingseveral women who visited and participated in the 1997 Friendship Tourin the United States. Creative entertainment from the host clubs followed the games, as well as rousing singing from the Tour participants. The Maritime Provinces do not lack in beauty and the Tour was fortunate to view many beautiful sites, including the Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks,the Reversing Falls in St. John, the Historic UNESCO town of Lunenburg, the lighthouse at Peggy's cove, and Citadel Hill in Halifax. The Tour concluded in Halifax where the women watched a Cashspiel in progress at the Halifax Curling Club and posed for a team picture with Brad Gushues's Newfoundland/Labrador team - a fun way to conclude the Tour.

See more news from the Tour on social media using hashtag#USWCAFriendship2018 and read their daily reports on our website http://www.uswca.org/2018-Friendship-Tour !

Regional Re-alignmentApproved

The Board of Directors voted at the Winter Meeting in Northbrook, IL to adjust the regions to which some of its member clubs belong. The following clubs will move fromthe East Region to the Central Region: Charlotte, Palmetto, Coastal Carolina, Virginia, Triangle, Potomac and Chesapeake. These changes will take effect on May 1, 2019.

The changes are designed to promote moreeven representation of our 79 member clubswhen bonspiel team and Tour membershipselections are made, when Standing Committees are formed and when officers are elected. The new regions will be used by all events except the 5 and Under Bonspiels, which will continue to hold twoevents in the West Region. The Junior bonspiels will continue to be held in the Western, Central and Eastern US. The new regions are shown on the map below.

If you have any questions, reach out to your club representative, your club’s Representative Liaison (http://www.uswca.org/area-representative-liaisons)or use the Contact Us link on the USWCAwebsite http://www.uswca.org/contact.

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Sweet Home Chicago - National Bonspiel

Curl the Driftless – The Senior Bonspiel Concludes

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The senior women curled the Driftless in Wisconsin at the 37th Senior Women's Bonspiel on November 28 - December 2, 2018. Hosted by the Centerville Curling Club in Galesville, a total of 32 teams competed at the 4 sheet club. Congratulations to the team from Madison Curling Club (McFarland, Wisconsin), the first event winners, skip Kathy Pielage, vice Clarion Gilbertson, second Dae Jean Jahnke, and lead Judi Page. For a full listing of event winners, visit http://www.uswca.org/senior-womens-bonspiel-2018, and search social media using hashtag #uswcasb2018.

This February, 128 women curlers from USWCA member clubs from across the country came together at Chicago Curling Club in Northbrook, IL for the 71st National Bonspiel, Sweet Home Chicago. The 32 team event began on Thursday morning and continued through Sunday afternoon. In between draws, the teams visited The Bean, toured the Orchid show at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and enjoyed deep dish pizza.

The first event winners were the Horn rink from the Mayfield Curling Club, South Euclid, Ohio. Congratulations to skip Debra Horn, vice Irina Khusid, second Sue Frankel and lead Courtney Schmidt. Visit http://www.uswca.org/national-womens-bonspiel-2019 for a full listingof event winners, and search social media using hashtag #uswcanb2019.

Super Senior Fun Day

The second Super Senior Fun Day event was hosted by the CentervilleCurling Club on November 28, 2018. A bonus event for curlers at least 65 years of age, it consisted of two games, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, held the day before the Senior bonspiel. There were 32 participants. Teams were formed before and after lunch. A good timewas had by all!

The 3rd Fun Spiel will be held November 20, 2019 in Albany, NY. See your club representative or check www.uswca.org/senior-womens-bonspiel for updated information.

The 38th Senior Bonspiel, “A New York State of Mind,” will be held at Albany Curling Club, Albany, NY in the East Region. The games will be held Wednesday, November 20 to Sunday, November 24, 2019. Albany has 2 sheets of ice, so this will be a 16-team bonspiel. Entry fee will be $360; the entry deadline is September 6, 2019. Visit http://www.uswca.org/senior-womens-bonspielfor the latest information. Follow the excitement on social media using hashtag #uswcasb2019.

The 72nd National Bonspiel will be hostedin the West Region by Granite Curling Club, Seattle, WA, from Wednesday February 19 to Sunday, February 23, 2020.Visit http://www.uswca.org/national-womens-bonspiel for the latest information. Follow the bonspiel news and plans on social media using hashtag #uswcanb2020.

Next Year’s Bonspiels

At the Winter Meetings in February, the Board of Directors voted a change to make the National Bonspiel more inclusive. Beginning with the 72nd National Bonspiel in 2020, no club withmultiple entries will receive a second entry until all clubs with a single entry have been selected. Find full informationabout the National Bonspiel on our website, http://www.uswca.org/national-womens-bonspiel.

National Bonspiel Allocation Change

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At the Winter Meeting in Northbrook, the Board of Directors approved 11 requests proposed by the Gifts and Grants Committee. Also approved is a new process: The committee accepts grant applications throughout the year. Applications are reviewed twice per year coinciding withthe Fall (mid-September) and the Winter meetings (mid/late-February). Applications received after the Winter meeting will be reviewed at the Fall meeting. Applicationsreceived after the Fall meeting will be reviewed at the Winter meeting. Applicants will be notified of their grant application status following each meeting.

Who May Apply· Current female USWCA members in good standing.· Junior curlers affiliated with a USWCA member club. Junior curlers are not required to be members of the USWCA. Note: Associate members of the USWCA over the age of 18 are not eligible. To apply, complete and submit the application form on the USWCA website.

Note: One application per event. Team members or groups should coordinate together to submit one application.

For more information about the application process, visit http://www.uswca.org/curling-development-fund

News from Gifts and GrantsUSA Curling/USWCA 5 and Under National Championship Bonspiel Complete!The Inaugural 5 and Under National Championship Bonspiel was held February 22 - 24, 2019 at the DuluthCurling Club. After winning the first ever Olympic gold medal for the United States in 2018, John Shuster has beencommitted to #growthegame and dreamt up the 5 and Under National Championship. Inspired by the great events put on by regions, clubs, and the USWCA across the country, he wanted to bring together the best and most enthusiastic curlers from across the country and invite themto compete at the club that fostered his Olympic dream and help them in their own curling journey.

A total of 32 teams competed. The winning team was from Nutmeg Curling Club (Bridgeport, CT): Michael Parker, Lawrence Cocchiere, Brian Tulley and Eric Sebastian. They qualified by winning the 2017 Francis Dykes Memorial Bonspiel, which is the GNCC Men’s 5 and Under Championship. The USWCA was represented locally byJoanne Docteur, USWCA Duluth Director and by 2nd VPBeth Lepping, who designed the event pins. Jennifer Stannard represented the USWCA on the committee. Planning is beginning for next season! The USWCA will continue to be represented in this event.

To see the list of qualified teams, along with the admissioncriteria, visit the official 5 and Under Nationals web page, http://www.5unationals.com/.

Learn more about USWCA Five and Under Bonspiels at ourwebsite, http://www.uswca.org/5-year-and-under.aspx.

Incoming Scot Tour updatePlans continue in the preparation to host 20 womenfrom Scotland in January of 2021. Thank you to the 34 clubs who applied to host! The committee is reviewing the applications and consulting with our sisters in Scotland. Clubs will be notified in May ofthis year.

Follow the developments at:http://www.uswca.org/scot-tour.aspx

Find us online!

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Support the USWCA

Surf the website, www.uswca.orgfor our brochure and latest news.

Twitter handle: @HeartofCurling Follow us on Twitter, and join the conversation at any USWCA event

including the handle in your tweet.

You can also follow the USWCA on Facebook (group name: United States

Women’s Curling Association).

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At the Annual Meeting in Northbrook, IL on February 14, 2019, officers were elected for the 2019-2020 season: President Karen Brattesani (Granite CC), First Vice President Beth Lepping (Madison CC), Second Vice President Naida Leslie (Nutmeg CC), Comptroller Lisa Johnson (Racine CC), SecretaryDiana Hoffman (Granite CC) and USWCA-USCA Liaison Elizabeth Demers (Detroit CC). Parliamentarian Judy Maier (Kettle Moraine CC) was also elected. Continuing in her term is Treasurer Tracy Lawless (Milwaukee CC). All terms are one year with the exception of Comptroller (2 years) and USWCA-USCA Liaison (3 years).

Election Results

USWCA Circuit Going Strong!

Did you know? There are many waysyou can support the USWCA!

· Shop online using Amazon Smile. Start at https://smile.amazon.com/. Select "United States Women S Curling Association" as your charity. A portion of every eligible purchase supports the programs and events.

· Sign up your men as USWCA members! Any male who curls at a USWCA member club may join as an Associate Member of the USWCA for $7 each.

· Make a cash donation! Visit www.uswca.org and click “Make a Donation”.

The Circuit is going strong again this year! New curlers and women’s bonspiels are continuing to see the benefit of being a part of the Circuit.

The Circuit announces a change for the upcoming 2019-2020 curling season.Registration for an individual and for your women’s bonspiel will only be done via PayPal on the USWCA website. Also, a current list of participants will be located in the Circuit area of the USWCA website, so grab yourfriends near and far and go participate in a Circuit Bonspiel or two!

For more information, visit the websitehttp://www.uswca.org/uswca-circuit-event.

New Member Clubs!We are pleased to announce that three new member clubs have joined the

USWCA this year, bringing our membership to 79 total clubs. Please welcome them!

ChaskaCurling Club

(Chaska, Minnesota, West Region)

View the complete list of member clubs on our website:http://www.uswca.org/member-clubs

Park CityCurling Club

(Park City, Utah, West Region)

Mount WashingtonValley Curling Club

(Conway, New Hampshire, East Region)