The following is an email sent from the NSCA:

Good evening coaches and athletes:

I am thrilled to announce that the NSCA is going to be kick-starting 2017 with its brand new Pathways to Podiums athlete/coach skill development programming! The first 32 eligible registrants (CWG-aged, plus coaches) will be the beneficiaries of an incredible inaugural learning experience, instructed by some of our game’s finest!

Instructors
– Russ Howard, Olympic Gold Medallist
– Mary-Anne Arsenault, 5-time Canadian and 2-time World Champion
– Grant Odishaw, Canadian Mixed Champion

Date
– Sunday, January 8, 2017 – 9am-5pm, Chester Curling Club, with a bonus Q&A session at the conclusion of the program

Participant Age Eligibility
– 15-and-under, as of June 30, 2016 & Coaches

Fee/Entry Deadline
– $110 per participant by December 20, 2016 – Register: http://nscurl.com/index.php?option=com_eventlist&view=details&id=419
– Team Coaches (who have three or more players attending the session) are FREE and are encouraged to register by e-mailing kpatterson (at) nscurl ( dot) com
– No refunds will be issued unless in the occurrence of event cancellation or emergency as determined by the NSCA

Program Highlights
– Dynamic Delivery Deconstruction – breaking down the components of the delivery and rebuilding on a rock-solid foundation
– Becoming a Savvy Strategist – inside the tactical mind of an Olympic Gold Medallist
– Off-ice Planning for On-ice Performance – practice and seasonal planning, goal setting
– Weight Control for the win – identifying ideal throwing weights and mastering execution with systematic repetition

– Angle Advantage – getting the ‘one up’ by lining up opportunities that are often missed by the naked eye

About Pathways to Podiums programming
The Nova Scotia Curling Association is exemplifying its dedication to providing quality athlete and coach development opportunities by launching Pathways to Podiums programming.

Creating an enjoyable, optimal learning experience for an athlete or coach at any age or stage of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) is a foundational objective of Pathways to Podiums programming. The NSCA acknowledges that, whether a participant’s dream is to win a National championships, or simply to make another inturn draw on a Tuesday night, everyone has their own Curling goals and the Association is supportive of each participant’s ambitions by proudly sourcing some of Nova Scotia’s (and surrounding area’s) finest to provide a top-notch instructional roster that will take any participant’s skillset to the ‘next’ level.

For the launch of the program on January 8th, athletes and coaches will have the opportunity to learn from Olympic Gold Medallist, Russ Howard, as well as his Academy of Curling colleagues – Grant Odishaw (Canadian Mixed Champion), and Nova Scotia’s own 5-time Canadian and 2-time World Champion, Mary-Anne Arsenault!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Many thanks.

Kevin Patterson (Technical Director, NSCA)
902-425-5454 ext 345

Please consider the following request because more shoulders will make the task lighter and ensure its success. Because our curling rink has received a commitment for a financial contribution to be used for a structural expansion on the entrance side of the Chedabucto CC’s lounge we need your assistance. Our challenge will be to complete this project by planning its road to success and by finding the financial assistance to go with the before-mentioned contribution along with the monetary commitment that has been already made by the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.

The Chedabucto CC’s 2016-2017 renovation/expansion committee has five volunteers who have agreed to assist but we need more helpers from community-minded individuals. As of today the committee is comprised of the following five: Ray Bates, Basil Mattie, Blair Brymer, Neil DeCoff and Maurice Landry — but we need the assistance of more — in whatever capacity and to whatever amount of time that you are able to contribute.

Your contribution could be to brainstorm ideas to plan our road to success, to make some phone calls, to visit businesses and/or individuals to encourage their support, to participate in fund-raising endeavours or whatever else that needs to be done to enable the proposed expansion/renovation to be completed next year.

This goal is ambitious — as was the community’s desire 53 years ago to establish and support the Chedabucto Curling Club — but I truly believe the proposed renovation can be done; in fact, it is my sincere belief is that we can achieve this project in 2017 so our community can start next year to benefit from our efforts.

It is my intention to have our first planning meeting next week. By having more volunteers to assist we can get various components activated to ensure our success. There are many ways in which you can help — all assistance will be sincerely valued and truly appreciated.

With my best regards — and anticipation for more volunteers — I look forward to hearing from you.

With my best regards,

Ray

Our 1st featured sponsors of the week for Nov. 7-11 are MacLeod Lorway Insurance (Guysborough) and Haliburton PharmaChoice  (Guysborough).

Featured sponsor for Nov. 7-11; MacLeod Lorway Insurance (Guysborough) and Haliburton PharmaChoice (Guysborough).

On Saturday, November 4, the Chedabucto Curling Club, Boylston, played “Host to the World”. More than 30 international students, from schools throughout the Strait Regional School Board and enrolled within the Nova Scotia International Students Program (NSISP), were provided with curling instruction by the Turning Point Curling School’s Donalda Mattie with assistance from Chedabucto CC members.

The students, from 13 different countries within Europe, Asia, Central and South America, enjoyed their first-time-on-ice-for-many experiences. All participants finished off their fun-filled day with a “Big G” pizza treat before heading home to their host families.

The NSISP is active in nine different schools in the Strait Regional School Board and continues to invite inquiries about hosting international students as participants within the Board’s popular educational program appropriately named “Welcome the World to your Home”.

Photo: Jim Muise

International Students at the rink..

As you probably already know, our curling rink has been the recipient of a commitment for a sizeable and very generous financial contribution to be used for a structural expansion on the entrance side of our club’s lounge. The proposal is to construct an add-on that will accommodate a new accessible entrance along with change areas and accessible gender-specific washrooms.

Our challenge will be to find financial assistance to go with the before-mentioned contribution along with the monetary commitment that has been already made by the Municipality of Guysborough. As was explained at our Club’s recent semi-AGM, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to make much-needed improvements to our facility that will benefit all of us and the Club’s future users long after we decide to hang up our curling shoes.

What I am seeking via this email is for interested Chedabucto CC members — or their family members — to contact me and to volunteer to be active components of the 2016-2017 renovation/expansion committee. There are already several individuals who have stated they will work to assist our Club’s renovation/expansion goals — but we must have more women and men. The simple fact being that “more shoulders will lighten the load”. (Should you have questions before making your commitment to work for this goal, please ask.)

As the chairperson of the ad hoc renovation/expansion committee I am encouraging you to participate, to step forward and do your “something” so this project will be one our legacies to the Chedabucto Curling Club and our community-at-large.

This project is time sensitive therefore I want to have our committee actively working for our goal by the middle of this month.

With my best regards — and anticipation for more volunteers,

Ray