Important News and Updates from the Curling Club
Hello all,
A couple of quick announcements heading into the end of our curling season. Please be sure to read all the way through the email as there is important information relating to league play and cancellation decisions in the later part of this email.
First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has pitched in over the course of this past year to make the season the success that it has been so far. We have had raving reviews from the meals our kitchen has put out, to the friendly welcomes received by newcomers to our club. As such, I am happy to announce that the Board will once again be taking nominations for volunteer of the year award this year. Sometime before the end of the week, a box with nomination papers will be placed by the bar – simply fill out a paper with the name of an individual that you feel is worthy of the award this year and our committee will review and present the award to the selected individual at this spring’s trophy night.
We are also very excited to highlight that club member Gavin Lydiate will be competing in the Under 21 National Championships with team Niepage later this month. A page has been set up to help support the team’s participation in this event and I’m very happy announce that the club will be contributing a sum of $450 to the team. If you are so inclined, I encourage you to check out the site and contribute if you are able to. The link can be found here https://gofund.me/d5c2f0b6
Relating to our COVID policies, as of March 21, 2022 the Government of Ontario will no longer mandate the wearing of face masks in indoor settings across the province. The board of directors discussed our policies relating to this at the last board meeting held on Monday March 15th, and have determined that we will lift our mask mandate as well. We understand that there is a wide range of emotions and comfort levels regarding COVID but ultimately it was felt that since masks are optional on the playing surface and while seated at the tables in the lounge, that the increased risk posed to our membership by eliminating the mask mandate completely was minimal. We understand that there are those who may not feel comfortable with this yet and they are of course welcome to continue wearing their masks while in our facility. As restrictions continue to ease across the province and the community becomes more active, we ask that all our members stay vigilant and self asses before coming into the club. We understand that there will be undiagnosed positive cases that slip through from time to time, but we need to be as vigilant as possible to both protect the health of our membership and the viability of our leagues and events. We remind members that the current guidelines indicate that individuals that present with COVID symptoms should isolate for a period of 5 days and if the symptoms are still present at the end of the isolation period, they should continue to isolate until symptoms improve for a minimum of 24 hours.
Finally, the board or league convenors may take action from time to time and suspend league play if there is a perceived outbreak or if there are insufficient individuals able to play on a given night. Should that happen, we may also decide to allow those who wish to come in and play to do so by forming their own teams and games with others that show up. Each instance will be assessed on a case by case basis, weighing the risk factors against the benefits to the club and our membership before a decision is made. In such an instance, be on the lookout for communication from league coordinators and/or the board as to what activities will be permitted to take place during the time frame in question
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me personally or any other of your board members. We look forward to a safe and happy end to our season.
Duncan Ferguson
President