2020-2021 MCA President’s Letter

Midwest Curling Association Member Clubs and Members:

While the curling season might look different this year, for our curlers and clubs, we are excited to get back on the ice! Regionally, we are fortunate that all MCA clubs plan to open their doors this season. Clubs are working diligently to establish safety procedures based on state and local guidelines, and the Midwest Curling Association has been providing support and resources to our regional clubs during this time.

To start the 2020-2021 season, Windy City Curling Club hosted their Food Truck Bonspiel in August with a set of new curling stones. The club ran the event with 15 teams and social distancing guidelines in place. In other news, Chicago Curling Club was able to complete some much-needed upgrades to their ice-making system via an impressive fundraising campaign, which is still ongoing. Cedar Rapids Curling Club, unfortunately, experienced damage to one of their arenas during a recent storm. While damages have caused a delay to their season, Cedar Rapids CC continues to prepare for the 2021 USA Curling National Championships, scheduled for January. Exmoor Country Club also aims to hold the 2021 Men’s Senior National Championships in late January.

Throughout the regular season, the MCA coordinates three bonspiels for their regional members. The Prairie State Challenge, initially scheduled for November, has been canceled due to COVID concerns; however, we plan to move forward with our two other bonspiels pending state and local guidelines. The 5 Year & Under, hosted by Windy City CC, will occur in mid-January, whereas the 75th Dar Curtis Bonspiel, hosted by Exmoor CC, will be held in late February. In addition to annual bonspiels, the MCA coordinates regional playdowns for the U18 Junior Nationals, Club Nationals, and Mixed Nationals. These playdown events are a fantastic opportunity to represent your club and curl competitively against local teams. With a unique curling season ahead, stay up to date on local and regional events by following the MCA Facebook and by visiting the MCA Website.

The Midwest Curling Association is eager to support our members during these times. To give back, the Board of the MCA approved the continuation of the MCA Grant Program. Available to all MCA clubs, the grant money determined by each club’s annual membership can be used to enhance or promote the sport of curling. In addition, the MCA Board approved a one-year 50% reduction in MCA dues based on the current curling climate and the cancelation of one MCA Bonspiel. Earlier this year, the MCA also expanded their stone rental program by purchasing three more complete sets of stones. These stones are now available for use by our regional clubs.

On behalf of the entire MCA curling community, I would like to thank Russ Brown for his hard work and dedication over the last 15 years on the MCA Board. Most recently, he served as our USCA Representative. Moving forward, the Midwest Curling Association and Great Lakes Curling Association will share a representative. We are excited to welcome our new USCA Representative, Courtney Schmidt, from the Great Lakes Curling Association in October.

We look forward to a successful curling season, and we hope you and your families stay safe during this time! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your MCA Representative or myself. We are glad to help!

Good Curling!

Jeff Wright

President, Midwest Curling Association

midwestcurlingassociation@gmail.com

Photo Credit: Marilyn Wilson