Greetings Fellow Curlers, Our all-too-short off season is quickly coming to an end. In fact, as some of you already know, ice is made and seeing some heavy use. Our club was once again selected by the USCA to be funded for early ice. This major benefit allows us to host events that would otherwise be cost prohibitive. The Elite Junior Camp (held August 13-16th) and our Lazy Days of Summerspiel (soon to come) are perfect examples. Club members are welcome and encouraged to practice and use the ice, granted they sign the use log. The USCA requires the log book and uses it in determining who receives future funding. So…please sign in each time you use the ice. Speaking of hosting events, our flagship off-season fundraiser, the Summerspiel, is fast approaching. Always the weekend before Labor Day, this 32 team spiel begins this year on August 28th and continues until Sunday August 30. If you have not already been contacted to help host a shift, expect to be soon, or you may contact board members John Mickesh and Steve Kucko for available times. The continued success of this spiel is dependent upon our membership and their generosity with hosting. RLCC in conjunction with WITC will once again offer two levels of curling classes this fall. Our own Larry Sharp and Bill Kind will team instruct and share their combined wealth of curling knowledge and skill. A detailed informational flyer is also posted on the website. An introductory course will run from September 21-October 8, on Mondays and Thursdays, 6-8:00pm. Topics covered will include: rules of the game, delivery of the rock, sweeping techniques, and game etiquette. An advanced course will follow the first from October 12-October 29, also on Mondays and Thursday, 6-8:00pm. Developed to be a continuation of the introductory class, this course is designed for experienced curlers, including current club members. Both courses are $34.42 or $4 for those over 62. It cannot be stressed enough; we are relying on the membership to assist in filling these classes, especially the introductory course. I firmly believe that people do not naturally gravitate to our beloved sport; we must quite literally grab them by the arm and pull them into it. Consider this recruitment tool an opportunity that saves the skips some early training time. If you will have new curlers this year, there is no better way for them to become very quickly familiarized with the sport. New curlers that will have taken this course will be leaps and bounds ahead of curlers who did not. If you have someone sitting on the fence or not willing to commit to a year without knowing what to expect, how better to provide a taste test of the sport? However, once class is out, it’s up to us to keep them here! See you at the Summerspiel! Chad