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'What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas!'

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Here we are into our second half of the curling season with three very busy months of curling and events on both the club and national calendars ahead of us. Before I get to what is coming up there are a few draw winners to be announced from several Tillsonburg Curling Club leagues.

Just before Christmas the Tuesday Ladies League completed their 2nd draw sponsored by The Flower Fountain. The draw was won by the team of Nora Peter (skip) with Yonna DiLella, Helen Cull and Trudy Trepanier. Melanie Fardella was on hand to present the Flower Fountain trophy to the winners. Thanks to the vices who provided the goodies that night.

The Yuletide Funspiel gave the Ladies a successful end to their 2013 curling year - lots of fun and Yule cheer. Thanks go out to our sponsor GearTrain and our conveners Annie, Trudy and Ann for a great day!

The Monday Mixed also declared winners completing their 2nd draw before Christmas. There were two teams who chalked up four wins apiece which forced the conveners to look at points to decide which team would take top honours this time. The team of Les and Nora Peter with Terry Mattan and Betty Patterson at front end were the winners with 68.5 points, with Ken and Olga Patterson with Lindee DeClercq and several spares just 0.75 points behind with 67.5 points. The Mixed League began its 3rd draw Monday night and while they have eight full teams they can always use spares, so please add your name to the list if interested in sparing in this league..

The Thursday Men’s League has also completed their 2nd draw with Ken Patterson and his team of Bruce Hawkins, Jamie Sinden and Rick Guralski finishing just ahead of the Dave Ireland team on points. In the “Turkey Shoot” before Christmas Tim Tripp took home the ‘turkey.’ The Men began their 3rd draw Jan. 2 and are tuning up for the Tobacco Belt.

60th TOBACCO BELT

The 60th Tobacco Belt Bonspiel, the longest-running bonspiel in the club, has 22 teams confirmed for it’s three draws beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17. Several local teams will be vying in four events, with sponsors including East Elgin Concrete, Why Wait Taxi and the Town of Tillsonburg. All teams in the spiel are also sponsored by local businesses. Curling is on right into Sunday afternoon when the finals take place. Spectators are welcome in the club all weekend.

Our club directory was out before Christmas. Make sure you pick one up and if you notice any incorrect information please inform the club through Kris Corrigale. One date to add to the March calendar: the Good Redden Klosler Community Service Bonspiel will take place on the 5th, so take note it’s a week later this year.

The Saturday after the Tobacco Belt, January 25th, the Kelsey’s Rec League Olympic-themed Bonspiel will be held. Teams should be getting signed in and choosing their country. This bonspiel is always lots of fun so get your team entered so you don’t miss out!

Looking at the Rec stats there are only a few major changes since my last report with Misfits, Mighty Stone Chuckers and Odds and Ends moving up the standings and Sheet Disturbers, T-Liners and Domino’s Delights on the decline.

With the club bonspiel season in full swing club members are reminded to sign in for a kitchen duty and do your part to help keep costs down in the club. It’s just serving and clean-up, you aren’t expected to cook! You’ll find the kitchen roster on the wall right next to the kitchen.

With the Olympics only five weeks away, there are two ‘fun’ events that are being televised beginning this weekend with the All-Star Skins Game on TSN. The event begins with the drafting of teams on Friday night at 8 p.m. The teams will be made up of players who have been chosen by curling fans across the country voting on-line. I watched the draft last year – it’s kind of hokey, but fun to hear the put downs and comments the guys throw at each other. Games are at 1 p.m., 9:30 on Saturday and then the final at 1 p.m. on Sunday. This event has moved from CasinoRama to Banff, Alberta this year.

The second event, this year’s Continental Cup should be an interesting event as it’s being held in Las Vegas and features 10 Olympic bound teams. Team North America and Team World will face off in a series of games that will see future opponents working together to earn enough points to take home the cup. Team North America includes our Olympic teams, Jones and Jacobs and US Olympic teams Brown and Shuster as well as Teams Homan and Stoughton. Team World includes Murdoch and Muirhead of Great Britain, Edin and Sigfridsson of Sweden, Ulsrud of Norway and Fujisawa of Japan.

With Sochi the next stop for many of the teams involved this competition might be more competitive and less ‘fun’ than it has been in the past. Coverage on TSN begins on Jan. 16 at 11:30 a.m.

Local curlers, and this writer among them, are heading to Vegas to see this event in person, so watch for us waving at you from the stands. Having received the ‘Men of Curling’ calendar for Christmas I’m looking forward to having Thomas Ulsrud autograph his picture for me (do you think he’ll let me feel his abs?)!

This may be a time when ‘What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas!' but too soon to know whether we will show and tell! Curling is fun!

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