King’s ‘Little Rockers’ hurry hard in Gananoque

April 16, 2013 · 0 Comments

Stuart Barber, Ethan McNaughton, Codie Harris and Adam Rode did the King Curling Club proud with their first appearance at a championship.

By Shellee Morning

The 26th annual Timbits Elementary School Championships were held in Gananoque recently and the King Curling Club was very proud for the representation of four young boys ranging from the ages of 11-12 years old, all from the Schomberg Public School.
Stuart Barber, Skip; Ethan McNaughton, Vice; Adam Rode, Second, and Codie Harris as Lead, participated in a field of 65 teams that were bagpiped (a tradition performed in all major curling events) onto the ice with each team carrying hand-made placards identifying their school. The kids with brooms came from all over the province from Owen Sound to Cornwall, packing the Gananoque Curling club rink.
The youthful cries of “hurry hard” and “let it curl” rang throughout the 3-day, 5-games event. Chaperoned by King Curling Club Little Rocks coach Julie Oakley, the four youngsters arrived with wide open eyes and an excited infectious glow that was and will be unforgettable for these little guys for many years ahead.
The boys stepped into the hack, didn’t look back and won both of their opening games. Clearly making a statement that they were there to play. Game 3 was a heartbreaker losing by an inch on skip stones. The loss moved the squad into the B Division where they rebounded with an easy 9-2 win in the morning game, but were faced with a do or die game later in the afternoon.
A win would put them in the championship round; a loss would end their run.
A great game that went back and forth, and was superbly called by Skip Barber. Coach Oakley said it was a nerve-racking, nail-biting game that went end for end with excitement. After some well executed shots and great strategy by both Barber and McNaughton, it was the opposition that would claim victory in the end.
For Stuart, Ethan, Adam and Codie, a first time appearance and placing in the top 8 out of 65 teams in such a covenant event, is truly a remarkable achievement.
King Curling Club president Bob Belcher commented that this was a very proud moment for King Curling. “With this being only the club’s second year in operation we are certainly making a name for ourselves,” as he spoke with a tone of pride and happiness. “We can only anticipate with great pleasure what our young curlers are capable of and can accomplish in the coming years.”
Oakely mentioned that never having done anything like this before, she was to say the least a bit uneasy as to how her group would handle it. It wasn’t very long after arrival that she really had nothing to worry about at all. Her boys played their game with all of the appropriate conduct and mannerisms, then finished by saying she “couldn’t have been more proud of them from the minute they arrived to the moment when they had to leave.”
The winning team was Almonte School with Archie Stouffer from Minden finishing 2nd and Ancaster Meadows School placing 3rd.

Little Rock Star of the Week

Evelyn Smith was visiting our club during the “Bring a Friend Event” back in December, when her decision was made to join the Little Rocks. It was evident very early that Evelyn possessed a fine sense of balance and fantastic flexibility – both important attributes for curling success.
While learning to slide/deliver her rocks Evelyn’s superior balance and flexibility allowed her to quickly advance in perfecting her curling slide, one of the foundational skills in learning to curl.
Congratulations Evelyn !
Registration for the 2013-14 season

As the club capped off the end of the 2012-13 season with a banquet recognizing the many volunteers this past weekend, the next main focal point for the club will be on registration for the upcoming season.
The club offers 14 different leagues for all ages and abilities, including a brand new Recreational league on Sunday mornings from 10 to noon. Many leagues will be in high demand for the fall season, so if you’re thinking about curling be sure to register early to reserve the league of your choice.
King Curling Club is proud to have their new on-line registration system up and running. Not only can members sit at their computers and have their complete registration for the coming 2103/14 season completed within minutes, they now have the ability to make their payment on-line as well.
More than 230 members have already signed up for the fall curling season.
Anyone who is interested in becoming a member of the club will be able to register after April 22, 2013. Membership information can be viewed at www.kingcurling.com or your can email registration@kingcurling.com with your questions. For those who would like to speak to someone in person don’t hesitate to call Jack Campbell at 905-939-2992.