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Saturday February 8, 2025

Ron Gasparetto (Monday Mixed & Men’s league curler) along with his wife Cindy and Paul & Vicky Martin and Bob & Christy Halaz (Rec League curlers) will be preparing Homemade Italian Dinners from scratch. Using the Gasparetto secret family recipe, you will receive penne pasta, sauce, massive meat balls and an Italian crusty roll. Add to your meal a salad with home-made dressing and/or a bottle of wine. Don’t forget some extra meatballs for later or a delicious cannoli for dessert.

Pre-order only; to pick up between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. This fundraiser is open to everyone. Spread the word and share the form with family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, etc.

Due to deliciousness factors, this is a first come first serve order form. We have to cap as we maximized our numbers and space last year! It’s alota meatballs!

How to order: Print the order form. Email it back to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or drop it off at the club - locked plastic box beside the trophy case.

 CLICK ORDER FORM

 

 
Club donates to Helping Hand Food Bank

Tillsonburg curlers have given a $3,000 helping hand to Helping Hand Food Bank.  That included $1,500 from senior curlers plus 460 pounds of food, with an estimated value of $1,500, collected in the curling club’s Christmas food drive.  

For senior curlers the food bank donations started some 20 years ago when Bill Oke, one of the gang, put a jar labelled “Food Bank” on the counter. Curlers dropped cash in the jar when getting their morning coffee.  Then the late Lang Gehman, both curler and food bank volunteer, started promoting the cause. At first it was pocket money, but the wallets and cheque books soon started to come out.  Result: last curling season donations reached $2,375. They have added up to over $10,000 over the past five years.  

The $1,500 presented to the food bank this month by Wade Jones, seniors curling league convenor, was the amount donated in the first half of the season. More will come at the season wind-up.  

The same day, Henry Puhr brought the 460 pounds of food to the food bank.  Samantha Hamilton, food bank coordinator received the gifts with a smile, saying they would be a big help in serving the 100 families per week that seek support. There are also 58 school children being helped in the Backpack Program.

Article written by Bill Pratt

 

Please support our sponsors as they support you!

These partnerships represent a commitment, not only to the club, but also to our members and the sport of curling. The Tillsonburg Curling Club would like to thank the following sponsors for their support.

2024-25 SPONSORS

PLATINUM

  • Hayhoe Homes
  • Tim Horton's 

 GOLD

  • DeGroote Hill
  • Royal LePage R.E. Wood Reality

SILVER

  • Brokerlink Insurance
  • Boston Pizza 
  • Canadian Tire 
  • Coward Pharmacy 
  • Dominos Pizza 
  • Dynamic Fluid Products 
  • East Elgin Concrete Forming Ltd
  • Execulink Telecom
  • Jenkins & Gilvesy Law Firm
  • Marwood International
  • Norfolk Disposal 
  • Sobey's 
  • True Masons 
  • Verne's Carpet One
  • Wellington Street Denture Clinic

BRONZE & BONSPIELS

  • Blue West Equipment Inc
  • Courtland Landscape and Grounds
  • Crompton Home Hardware Building Centre
  • Danbrook Automotive
  • Dr. Jonathan Arnel
  • E&E McLaughlin
  • Gentrac Building Corporation
  • Good, Redden, Klosler 
  • Grassmere Construction Ltd
  • Hogarth Insurance Brokers
  • Holmes, Kocheff & Good
  • Horizon Maintenance Inc
  • Kelsey's Roadhouse
  • M&J Tirecraft
  • Manulife Wealth
  • Martinrea
  • McFarlan Rowlands Insurance Brokers Inc
  • McKenzie Associated Auctioneers
  • Morison Insurance
  • Ostrander Funeral Home Limited
  • Queen’s Cafe
  • Railway City Brewing Company
  • Rick's Electric
  • Rotary Club Tillsonburg
  • RustCheck
  • ServiceMaster of Tillsonburg
  • Tear Systems
  • The Copper Mug
  • Tillsonburg Garden Gates Ltd
  • Tillson Pizza
  • Tillsonburg Plumbing
  • Tillsonburg Travel
  • TillsonView Fairways
  • Zeplyn Enterprises Inc 
 

Scraper

Photo (L-R): Henry Puhr, Property Director: Travis Fanset, Ice Maker; Diane Kleer, President; Lori Van Opstal, OTF Volunteer; Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford.

On Friday, local MPP Ernie Hardeman met with members of the Tillsonburg Curling Club (TCC) to learn more about the $19,000 Capital Grant from the Ontario Government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The funds were used to purchase an Ice King Monarch Ice Scraper which will allow the club to offer consistent ice throughout the curling season. It will address a community need by replacing the club's old ice scraper that has become unsafe and inefficient to use, keeping our facility open for the community to enjoy.

“This grant from the Ontario Government to the Tillsonburg Curling Club to replace their ice scraper is great news for the people of Oxford,” said Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford. “Having the ability to provide consistently good ice will allow the club to continue offering the many leagues and events that have drawn people here for decades.”

Curling wouldn’t be possible without good ice. The important component of good ice is to achieve consistency and predictability. During installation ice freezes unevenly with high and low areas throughout. To attain a uniform playing surface the ice technician must consistently ‘hone’ the ice by scraping it several times during installation, shaving high spots so the area is somewhat level, taking it to a ‘bare ice’ state. That is the threshold. Throughout the season the ice must be taken back to ‘bare ice’ using the scraper as often as needed. It is essential to have a consistent playing surface and the new Monarch Ice Scraper allows the TCC to achieve this.

“The old scraper failed a lot during the previous season becoming a challenge for the club’s ice maker to produce a consistent and predictable playing surface,” said Diane Kleer, President for the Tillsonburg Curling Club. “The club’s 40+ year scraper was also becoming unsafe to operate. The new ice scraper is a welcoming asset to the club.”

The Tillsonburg Curling Club is a not-for-profit organization offering the sport of curling to all ages in Tillsonburg and surrounding areas since 1954. The club offers leagues for Juniors, Seniors, Men, Ladies, Mixed and a Recreational curling. The club is used by our local elementary and high schools, as well as the Tillsonburg Thunder Rock Special Olympics team.

The curling club offers numerous curling bonspiels and competitions during the season attracting local curlers as well as other curlers from across the province. The club’s longest running bonspiel is the Community Service Bonspiel, co-sponsored by Good Redden Klosler LLP and TCC. For the past 66- years this bonspiel has been open to community service clubs who donate their winnings back to local not-for-profit organizations in the community.

“Non-profit organizations across Ontario deliver programming that makes a difference,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “That’s why funding that my ministry is providing through the OTF is so important. Our government wants to ensure that these programs and spaces remain the heart of communities across our province.”

The Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

Cake

OTF Logo Horiz Colour

 

IMG 2164

The Tillsonburg Curling Club is a volunteer organization. Most of the work to run our club and keep the doors open is performed by members volunteering. Each year, we like to acknowledge one of our volunteers. This year will we be recognizing two because we could never thank one of them, without the other.

This year we are thanking Les and Nora Peter for their many years of volunteering their time for our club and the sport of curling. 

Les and Nora’s curling life began at the Manitouwadge Curling Club in the fall of 1974 where they learned to curl and began their many years of volunteering. They returned to Southwestern Ontario in 1982 and became members of the Tillsonburg Curling Club.

Over their many years of curling, Nora served as the president of the Ladies Division. She was the convenor for the ladies Bronze Broom Bonspiel, Yuletide Social, Ladies league and REC league.

Les served as the president of the Tillsonburg Curling Club. He was the convenor for the men’s Tobacco Belt, Community Service Bonspiel, Men’s League and co-founded the REC league. He brought the idea and organized the club’s Fundraiser - Beer for a Year. He was also inducted in the Tillsonburg Sports Hall of Fame for being an ambassador to curling in the community of Tillsonburg.

Together they were convenors of the Monday Night Mixed League and the club’s opening Grey Cup Bonspiel. They spearhead not one but a few club fundraising auctions. They volunteered many hours teaching new curlers the sport of curling. They both spent many hours in the club kitchen volunteering their time serving our members and many members from other clubs.

THANK YOU to Les and Nora for everything they have done for the Tillsonburg Curling Club and the sport of curling.

 
Beer for the Year Winner

1st Prize Winner ($2,080) was Susan Cooper. 2nd Prize Winner ($500) was Mark Jones. Winners were absent for the draw. Holding the winning tickets were Wade Jones and Christine Wade. Congratulations to this year's winners. Thank You to everyone who purchased a ticket to support our club.

 
ROWAN'S LAW

Concussion Awareness - Rowan's Law

Rowan's Law is a concussion safety program designed to protect and educate athletes about the dangers of head injuries. Legislation requires all sports venues within Ontario to ensure that athletes under 26 years of age, parents of athletes under 18, coaches, team trainers and officials confirm every year that they have reviewed Ontario's Concussion Awareness Resources.

To ensure compliance by the Tillsonburg Curling Club and to help reduce any risk to our Members and Guests, we ask that all participants, or guardians of participants, review the relevant Rowan's Law Concussion Awareness Resource below.

Individuals and organizations that rent our facilities are themselves responsible for ensuring that anyone under 26 years of age has reviewed the applicable Rowan's Law Concussion Awareness Resource below related to their age prior to using our curling facility:

 

Concussion Awareness Resources:

 

 

  1. Sliders are slippery. Ice is slippery.
  2. Step on the ice with your gripper foot. Never step onto the ice with your slider foot.
  3. Step off the ice with your slider foot. Never step off the ice with your gripper foot.
  4. Your slider foot should be: LAST ON, FIRST OFF.

Managing The Risk While Curling (from www.smartrisk.ca )

Curling has become a popular winter sport among Canadians of all ages. But like all sports played on ice, the risk of falls is increased. SMARTRISK offers some tips on preventing fall-related and other injuries while on the sheet.

Look First
  • Curling sheets are always busy with activity: rocks being delivered, sweepers following rocks, people walking back and forth. Before you step onto the ice take a look around and take note of the sheets being used and the experience and potential injury risks presented by the other players.
  • Falls often happen when a curler is stepping on or off the ice. Always step on the ice with your gripper foot first; never step on with your slider foot first. When you step off the ice, always step off with your slider foot first. Hold onto the boards or use your broom or brush for better balance.
  • Ice conditions can change from one day to the next. Note how slippery the ice is when you first step on, and use extra caution if necessary.
  • Keep an eye out for stray rocks, and prevent rocks from going onto another sheet.
  • Keep your feet on the ice. Walk or slide; never hop or run.
Wear the Gear
  • Clothing should be warm, comfortable and allow movement. Thin gloves may help to prevent blisters while sweeping.
  • Consider head protection. More and more people are wearing a helmet or other protective headwear while on the ice.
  • Make sure that your shoes provide good traction on ice. Shoes must be clean and dry before stepping on the ice.
  • You can use your broom or brush to help keep your balance and avoid falls, both when you’re getting on and off the ice and while playing.
  • Use your broom or brush to stop the rocks. A rock can have more momentum than you may realize, and if you use your hand to stop it, your fingers can be pinched between it and another rock. If you use your foot to stop a fast moving rock, you can lose your balance and fall.
Get Trained
  • Curling courses and clinics will help you how to enjoy the game to the fullest and teach you the skills needed to avoid slips and falls.
  • If you’re new at curling, take some time to get used to standing and moving on the ice. Don’t get overconfident, and remember that some patches of ice may be more hazardous than others.
  • If you’re sweeping and are having trouble keeping up with a fast shot, stop and let it go. With practice, you’ll learn to keep up with faster shots without risking a fall.
Play Sober
  • Keep focused on the game. Things can happen very quickly in curling, and your fellow curlers will appreciate you being “in” the game.
  • Standard rocks weigh 42 pounds and add strain to your back, legs, knees, arm and shoulder when thrown. If you already have an injury, or if it throwing the rock becomes painful, don’t play.
  • Illness and alcohol can affect your balance and the effects will be much more noticeable on the slippery ice. You should avoid playing if your balance is impaired in any way.
 

Curling has always been known for the prevalence of good sportsmanship and the friendly courteous rivalry that exists on the ice. The courtesies suggested are practised by curlers who understand the true spirit and tradition of the "roaring game."

  • Every curling game begins with a hearty handshake of friendship and goodwill to both team mates and opponents.
  • Be on time. Seven other people will be depending on you.
  • Clean your shoes before stepping onto the ice. Clean your brush regularly during the game. It is everyone's responsibility to keep the sheet of ice clean. However, you may not remove any foreign object from beneath a moving stone or from one that has come to rest.
  • Be ready to throw your stone immediately after your opponent’s stone has been delivered. Make sure that you cleaned your stone first.
  • In no way should you disturb a player in the hack or during delivery or until he or she watches the stone come to a stop. You should stand still on the sideline and between the hog lines when your opponent is delivering a stone, even if you are the next shooter. Do not stand at the back of the hack - after you shoot, head to the hogline to wait until your opponent releases the rock, then head in to get your rock and get set up in the hack.
  • Stay out of the way of opposing sweepers.
  • Sweepers should be on the sidelines, alert and ready to sweep immediately, if called upon. They should stay with the stone all the way to the house, sweeping or not. Once the rock has stopped move to the sideline and walk back.  Do not block the centre of the ice, as the other skip and shooter are visually communicating to each other and you will block their view of each other.
  • When in the house, skips and thirds should keep their broom heads off the ground and stand still while opponents are throwing.
  • No one should deliberately delay the game.
  • If you have personally touched (fouled or burned) a moving stone, you should be the first one to so declare.
  • If you have personally moved a stationary stone, say so immediately so that it may be replaced (put into original position) to the satisfaction of the opposing skip.
  • Congratulate opposing players, as well as members of your own rink, when they have made a good shot. Never, by word or deed, be guilty of any action that would embarrass a player who has missed a shot.
  • Every curling game ends with a hearty handshake of friendship and goodwill to both team mates and opponents.
 

(From Ontario Curling Association)

Curling is a game requiring hand/eye co-ordination - a game of skill, strategy and luck but above all, it is a game of fun. It is a game that can be played by both males and females from the age of 8 to 88. It can be recreational or competitive, depending on how much time you have to devote to the sport.

The only personal equipment required is a pair of curling shoes, a brush and warm, comfortable clothing. The shoes have a special slider on the bottom of one shoe and a soft rubber sole called a gripper on the bottom of the other shoe. Brushes are either made of synthetic material or of hog or horsehair.

Each team has 4 players, called Skip, Third, Second and Lead. The Skip is the captain or the leader of the team. The Skip plans the strategy for the team and stands in the far house holding his/her brush to tell the team where to aim their rocks. The Lead throws his/her rocks first, then the Second throws his/her rocks. The Third throws his/her rocks next and holds the brush when the Skip is throwing rocks. It is the responsibility of the Thirds to settle on the score at the completion of each end by looking at where the rocks are lying and to mark it on the scoreboard.

Curling is played on a sheet of ice by sliding rocks from one end to a target, called the house, at the far end. When each team has taken its turn, an end has been played. The teams turn around and deliver the rocks back - and keep doing this until many ends have been played. The number of ends varies depending upon the amount of available time and the level of competition - most games last 8 ends and take two hours to play. Each player, beginning with the Lead, delivers two rocks in each end, alternately, until all 16 rocks have been delivered, 8 by each team.

The curling rink is long and narrow with a house at each end. The ice is special pebbled ice, which makes it easier for the rocks to slide. The rocks are made of granite and weigh approximately 44 lbs. but with the new no-lift delivery, they are not difficult to throw. Little rocks weighing half as much are available for young children. The rocks used during a game have two different colours of handles to allow each team to know which are theirs.  

The house has four different sized circles - the 12' circle, the 8' circle, the 4' circle and the button, which is the small circle in the middle. Sometimes the house is also called the rings. In order to score points, your rocks must be all the way in or just touching the house, which is called biting. Rocks that go over the back line are removed from play as are rocks that don't go over the hog line.

Curling rocks don't travel in straight lines, but curl or bend as they travel down the ice. In order to make the rocks curl in the right direction, you must put a turn on the rock, either a clockwise turn or a counterclockwise turn. When the Skip indicates where the rock you are about to deliver is to go, he/she will also indicate which turn you must put on the rock. The Skip will also indicate to you how hard you are to throw the rock. You may be asked for takeout weight in order to remove an opposition rock or rocks or for draw weight if the Skip wants you to put the rock gently into a particular spot.

 Once you deliver your rock towards the Skip, the other two players on your team will slide along beside it and will begin to sweep if asked to do so by the Skip. Brushing helps the rock go farther and also helps to keep it on course and to guide it to the position requested. Another reason for brushing is to keep the ice clean for the rock. Sometimes frost, dirt or hairs can cause a rock to go off course so the ice is brushed lightly to keep it clean.

Brushers may only brush their own rock until it reaches the far tee line. After the tee line only one brusher may brush the rock. The other team's Skip may brush your rock after it reaches the far tee line because he or she is trying to brush it out of play.

The area between the hogline and the rings at each end is called the Free Guard Zone. If a rock lands in this area it cannot be removed from play until the sixth rock of the end is thrown. It can be moved within that area or moved into the house but if it is removed from play, it has to be returned to its original position. On the sixth rock, any rock can be removed from play. This rule makes the game more interesting and stops teams from just peeling the other teams rocks off for the whole game.

 

Scott 2

1ST PRIZE WINNER ($2,080) was Scott Fleming. Photo (L-R) Gary Smith, club member who drew the ticket; Scott Fleming; and Les Peter, Fundraiser chair.

Henry 2

2ND PRIZE WINNER ($500) was Henry Puhr. Photo (L-R) Les Peter, Fundraiser chair; Henry Puhr; and Marilynn Smith, club member who drew the winning ticket.

 

 

Ron Gasparetto (Monday Mixed and Men’s league curler) along with his wife Cindy and Paul & Vicky Martin (Rec League curlers) will be preparing Homemade Italian Dinners from scratch on that day. Using the Gasparetto secret family recipe, you will receive penne pasta, sauce, meat balls and an Italian crusty roll. Add to your meal a salad with home-made dressing and/or a bottle of wine.

New this year – GoodPud, a delicious and indulgent chocolate ganache dessert.  This single-serve dessert is produced in Tillsonburg. Goodpud’s co-founders are sisters Sarah Senior (Tuesday Triple league curler) and her sister Polly.

Pre-order to pick up between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. This fundraiser is open to everyone. Spread the word and share the form with family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, etc.

Order forms are available at the club or CLICK to download an order form.

Order deadline is Saturday February 4th

 

A fun night at the club playing progressive euchre. Starts at 7:00 pm. Entry fee is $15 which includes prizes, snacks and lots of fun. Everyone is welcome so spread the word. You don’t have to be a member to play. Bring family and friends. Reserve your spot. Register Now!! Sign-up sheet is at the club or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

The club will be offering the Curling Canada's U12 and U15 Learn to Curl program to the youth in our community.  This program is designed to introduce children to the sport of curling. The objective is to have fun, increase physical literacy with key fundamental movement skills (FMS), follow Curling Canada's Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework and begin sport specific techniques.

This will be an 8-week program – January 23 to March 14, 2023

Monday Nights 6:00 to 7:00 pm.

Age: 10 – 18 years.

Cost: $35 per curler. Payment: E-transfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have questions or want to register your child email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please include your child's name, age, parent's name, phone number and email address.

Limited registration.

 

WSC, a local branding store, has created some fabulous options for apparel, showing off the Tillsonburg Curling Club and keeping you warm!  Click to view the options, an order form as well as a sizing chart. 

Questions and orders should go to tThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

 
Senior Men's League

Tillsonburg senior curlers wound up the season with a funspiel. Henry Puhr, left, organizer of the two-game event, presented the "Rockers Cup" to winning skip Barney Joosten, Dwayne Daniels. Other team members were Ted Garrett, George Beard and Bill Kovach.
 

Thank you to the Senior Men's convenor Cliff Kulikowsky for volunteering his time to organize this league during the 2021-22 season.

   

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PO Box 72,
Tillsonburg ON N4G 4H3

(519) 842-4134

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The Tillsonburg Curling Club is proud to offer a safe and fun curling experience for all.  We welcome all skill levels to come out and enjoy curling. 

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