Board Members & MCA Representatives
Get to know the Board Members and MCA Representatives.
MCA Board Members
Sara Gaum
President of MCA
Sara is the MCA’s President and a member of Chicago Curling Club. She has curled since 2013 and previously served as an MCA Rep. Sara enjoys long walks down the sheet, broomstacking, and take-outs. Her curling highlights include representing the MCA at Mixed Nationals, placing 4th at Women’s Club
Nationals as a first-time skip, trying out for the 2018
Israeli Olympic Team, and winning the Kettle
Moraine Mixed Bonspiel costume contest 3
years in a row.
Barb Taube Hesterberg
Vice President of MCA
Barb is the MCA’s Vice President. She is a member of Exmoor Country Club and has curled for over 20+ years. She initially curled out of North Shore Country Club, and during that period, she was President of the Lassies. One of her curling highlights includes playing in USWCA Bonspiels for the last three years.
Jeff Warner
Treasurer of MCA
Jeff is the Treasurer of the MCA and a member of Exmoor Country Club. He has been curling at Exmoor since 1969. Jeff has been a CPA since 1977, and the CFO for BOS Holdings with headquarters outside of Chicago.
Sherryanne Porter
Secretary of MCA
Sherryanne is the current Secretary of the MCA. She started curling in 2006 at Chicago Curling Club. Sherryanne used her University of Chicago degree to write eleven books and numerous papers and articles. She loves to travel for research and has been to over 100 countries. Currently, she is restoring 2.6 acres in Northfield and 1,800 acres in Kansas to pre-1800s condition.
Shannon Brown
Media & Communications Director
Shannon runs the social media and communications side of the MCA. Her family has a strong curling history, so she first stepped on the ice at Exmoor Country Club at 5 years old. When not creating flyers or posting blogs, Shannon lives in Seattle and works as a marine scientist.
Jeff Wright
Past President of MCA
Jeff is a member of Exmoor Country Club, and he recently finished his term as MCA President. He brings over 45 years of curling experience, including participating in Men‘s Olympic Trials, USA Men’s Nationals, and USA Mixed Nationals. When not on the ice, Jeff is VP of Sales for RJ Furniture located in Waukegan, IL.
MCA Representatives
Lon Peper
MCA Representative - Cedar Rapids
Lon is the MCA Rep and Vice President of Cedar Rapids Curling. Lon began curling in 2010, and is a founding member of Cedar Rapids Curling. He is a Level 1 Instructor, Level 2 Official, and Level 1 Ice Tech. His curling highlights include helping start Cedar Rapids Curling, winning the MCA 5 & Under, and scoring an 8-ender at The Big Spiel. Lon supports his curling habit as a Software Engineer in the life insurance and annuities industry.
Adam Miller
MCA Representative - Chicago
Adam is an MCA Representative for Chicago Curling Club. Adam is a high school theatre and English teacher and lover of curling. He joined the Chicago Curling Club on a whim after watching the sport at the Olympics, and has found not only a passion in the community and camaraderie of the sport itself, but he fell in love with a fellow curler, Sara Gaum. They got married at the Chicago Curling Club and have competed at Mixed Nationals multiple times in addition to bringing home multiple wins of the Kettle Moraine Mixed Bonspiel Costume Contest.
James-Grant Robertson
MCA Representative - Chicago
James-Grant is an MCA Representative for Chicago Curling Club. In the Spring 2018, he got the curling fever, and curled 142 games in three months. During his second year, he completed his Level 1 Coaching Cert and went to 5 & Under Nationals. James-Grant studied Opera Performance at Miami University and sang in over 16 countries before becoming an Insurance Billing Processor. He is known for his karaoke skills at bonspiels and as a sailer during the summer. His pin collection is dominated by silver 2nd Evetn pins, and he is proud to be one of the few men with a gold 1st Event USWCA pin.
Kate Ross
MCA Representative - Des Moines
Kate is the MCA Rep and President for the Des Moines Curling Club. When she started curling in 2017, she made it her mission to bring the club into the digital age by updating their website, registration procedures, and building their presence on social media. Within three months, she was the Media and Communications Chair. Her team ‘Strange Brewm’ participates (and lately places) in every Des Moines league. For Kate, curling is about community, not competition, and she values the people that she has met along the way.
Steve Wright
MCA Representative - Exmoor
Steve is currently the MCA Rep for Exmoor Country Club. He has been curling for 16 years at Exmoor Country Club and has participated in numerous bonspiels. He also has played competitively at Club Nationals where he represented Exmoor CC. Steve is married with a 20-month-old son. He works in medical sales covering much of Illinois, and when not curling, Steve enjoys golf and boating.
Andrew Wolek
MCA Representative - Northwestern
Andrew is the MCA Rep for Northwestern and is the acting president of Northwestern University’s Curling Club, in which he has been a member since starting his Ph.D. studies at Northwestern in 2017. A transplant from the Northeast, he is thankful for how welcoming the curling community is in the area.
Steve Young
MCA Representative - St. Louis
Steve is the MCA Rep for the St. Louis Curling Club. He started curling in 2009 and is a founding member of St Louis CC. Steve just finished a three-year term on the club’s board and was vice president for the past two years. He is a legal assistant with the Social Security Hearing Office. Steve is married and has two 7-year old daughters who are excited to start curling.
Jane Vahle
Co-MCA Representative - Waltham
Jane is a co-MCA Rep with her husband Larry for Waltham Curling Club. She began curling in 2010 and has enjoyed both league play and traveling to bonspiels. She has curled at two Senior Women’s Nationals with gals from Waltham. Jane retired from teaching high school Physical Education and Driver Education for 45 years in 2010. Her retirement interests include, traveling, hiking and skiing out west.
Larry Vahle
Co-MCA Representative - Waltham
Larry is a co-MCA Rep with his wife, Jane, for the Waltham Curling Club. He started curling in 2010 after trying with a snow skiing group and watching Jane’s dad, a past member of Wauwatosa Curling Club. He taught mathematics in HS for 37 years and at a community college for 10 years. He was an IHSA official in baseball and softball for over 30 years. He enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and rooting for his favorite baseball, football, and hockey teams in retirement.
Walter Burns
MCA Representative - Wilmette
Walter is the MCA Rep and President of Wilmette Curling Club. He has curled for 25+ years and has been on the MCA Board for 15+ years in various capacities, including past MCA president. Walter is still active in the bonspiel circuit, and he enjoying providing guidance to all new and novice curlers.
Aaron DeGagne
MCA Representative - Windy City
Aaron is currently the MCA Rep for Windy City Curling Club. He has curled for 12 years and has lived in the Chicago region for just over three years. Aaron learned to curl in high school in Ontario and has previously been a member of the Curling Club of Notre Dame and Chicago Curling Club. One of Aaron’s curling highlights is 1st Event Runner-Up at the 2018 MCA Prairie State Challenge.
Courtney Schmidt
USCA Representative
Courtney is the current USCA Rep for the MCA and the Great Lakes Curling Association. She has been an active member of the USA Curling Association Board since 2014, and she currently the Chair. Courtney belongs to Mayfield Curling Club, and her interests include snow skiing and coastal sailing.
Brian Stoiber
Technology Manager
Brian Stoiber was appointed the Technology Manager for the MCA in part due to his extensive experience with the website development and IT background as the Director of IT for Laser Products Industries. He has been curling since 2016, and he is currently the President of Windy City Curling Club.
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