News from the Rink April 2010
English Schools Curling Championships
Results
A record entry of 24 teams from 12 schools in the South East competed
last week in The English Schools Curling Championships, held at England
's only Curling Rink, Fenton's Rink near Tunbridge Wells.
Heats were held on four consecutive days when 6 teams competed each day
for a place in last Friday's finals. Many of the competitors were new to
curling, having just completed five weeks intensive training at the rink,
although some have been curling for several years.
The teams winning through to the final day were from Angley
School Cranbrook,
Maidstone Grammar school, St
Gregory's Roman Catholic School, Tunbridge Wells and Walthamstow
Hall, Sevenoaks.
In the semi-finals, Angley lost out to the all-girls team from Walthamstow
Hall, while St Gregory's "Inter" team were too strong for Maidstone Grammar.
St Gregory's maintained their dominance in the finals, overpowering the
young Walthamstow Hall team 13-0. The side from St Gregory's of Robert
Teague (skip), James and Ben Madgwick and Sam Stickler was the same line-up
as competed two weeks ago in Lausanne , in the European Inter-club Junior
Bonspiel. All the extra training certainly paid off!
The silver medalists were Naimh Fenton, Rebecca Watts, Louisa Partridge
and Jessamy Dawson from Walthamstow Hall and the bronze went to Maidstone
Grammar School 's Max Aitken, Tom Kimber, Alex Rolfe and Nick Atkinson.
NEWS FROM THE CURLING RINK - March 2010
We have been playing "catch up" since the weather disruptions in December
and January. The result is there are very few vacant lanes left before
we close on 5th April, other than daytime sessions on
weekdays. However, we will be open over the Easter week-end and
we are offering a 33% discount for bookings on Easter Sunday and
Monday. We re-open on October 4th 2010.
Remember - we provide coaches to get you started on the ice - so
you have a great time right from the off!
BEGINNERS We are introducing three initiatives
to help introduce novice curlers to regular games.
FIRST - We are inviting any 4 novice curlers to participate in our new "Pub
and Club" evenings. These will take place on Mondays. If you
want to learn more - call us on 01892 826004!
SECOND - Do you want to curl but haven't got four players to make up a
team...? We are putting up a "Notice Board" on
this website where you can post your details and link up with others looking
for a team.
THIRD - We are introducing "Last minute Curling" - whereby
we will post late availability on the website at discounted rates. We intend
to do this on a weekly basis - let us know if you want to be alerted to
latest postings by e-mail!
The Rink is quite full for the remaining weeks of the season; all the
initiatives will be in place for the new season starting 4 th October.
REGULAR CURLERS
In March, the ECA Mixed Play-downs took place on 13th
and 14th of the month, with Alan MacDougall, Lana Watson, Andrew Reed
and Suzy Law retaining their title. Well done!
RINK MEMBERSHIP
All regular curlers are invited to join the Rink. This costs £10
for the season and entitles you to a £3 discount on normal
ice fees! You also qualify for discounts on curling equipment
as Fenton's Rink is English Agent to Curling Supplies Ltd ,
Scotland's leading curling equipment company. We have been offering half-price
membership at our recent "Come and Try" sessions, so we have many newcomers
lined up to start next season. Welcome!
JUNIORS/SCHOOLS CURLING There was a late surge
in interest in the Schools programme and we have 24 teams about
to take part in the English Schools Curling Championship - a record
entry!
A Junior team from St Gregory's School has just returned from Lausanne,
Switzerland where they took part in the European Inter Club Junior Bonspiel.
They had a fantastic time and just missed out on the medals, losing to
a German team in their last game. This was a great effort in their first
venture away from their home rink. Well done Robert Teague, Ben Alexander,
Ben Madgwick, James Madgwick and Steve Stickler - and their coach, William
Kinsella!
Junior training is held each Tuesday at 6pm for players aged 18 and under.
Numbers have increased rapidly in the past few weeks, influenced by the
Olympics and the upcoming Schools Championship. Up to 30 players attend
the weekly Junior session.
Our squad for the European Men's Junior Championships in 2011 trains under
Ian Baxter, our junior coach, on Sunday mornings. A Junior Curling
Academy for younger players (aged around 10 to 13) is run monthly
on Sunday afternoons. Contact the rink on 01892 826004 for further
details or e-mail us at curlinginkent@hotmail.com .
In aggregate, the schools and junior initiatives run by the Rink
see some 150 young people enjoying our sport of curling on a regular
basis. This growing group holds the future for curling in the south.
Come and join them!
NEWS FROM THE CURLING RINK - February 2010
February has been a busy month for the Rink -as we recovered from the protracted
spell of snow and ice. I hope we've seen the last of it for this winter!
Only a few weeks of the season remain - we close on 5th April and
will re-open in early October.
The Winter Olympics is in full swing as I write - and this generates a
huge amount of interest in curling. Enquiries have already increased as
a result - and if Team GB do well in the latter stages of the event, we
could be flooded with enquiries and bookings.
So if you are thinking of a curling event for your friends, family, colleagues
or customers - please contact the curling rink soon
on 01892 826004 or e-mail curlinginkent@hotmail.com to
secure the date and time you want.
Remember - we provide coaches to get you started on the ice - so
you have a great time right from the off!
BEGINNERS We are introducing three initiatives
to help introduce novice curlers to regular games.
FIRST - We are inviting any 4 novice curlers to participate in our new "Pub
and Club" evenings. These will take place on Mondays. If you
want to learn more - call us on 01892 826004!
SECOND - Do you want to curl but haven't got four players to make up a
team...? We are putting up a "Notice Board" on
this website where you can post your details and link up with others looking
for a team.
THIRD - We are introducing "Last minute Curling" - whereby
we will post late availability on the website at discounted rates. We intend
to do this on a weekly basis - let us know if you want to be alerted to
latest postings by e-mail!
REGULAR CURLERS
Some of the season's leagues are now nearing their conclusions. The Mixed
League has already been decided, with Forbes Fenton's team the winners.
Both the Main League and the Saturday League have some matches remaining,
and the Open League has just started.
In March, the ECA Mixed Play-downs take place on 13th
and 14th of the month, followed the next week-end by the London Club's Fleming
Trophy.
RINK MEMBERSHIP
All regular curlers are invited to join the Rink. This costs £10
for the season and entitles you to a £3 discount on normal
ice fees! You also qualify for discounts on curling equipment
as Fenton's Rink is English Agent to Curling Supplies Ltd,
Scotland's leading curling equipment company.
JUNIORS/SCHOOLS CURLING The regular Schools
5-week course is in full swing leading to the Schools Championships in
March 2010. Some 12 schools are practicing hard and we expect about
16 teams in the finals.
Junior training is held each Tuesday at 6pm for players aged 18 and under.
We have put together a squad for the European Men's Junior Championships
in 2011. If you wish to participate do let us know. Ian Baxter, our junior
coach is holding training sessions on Sunday mornings. A Junior Curling
Academy for younger players (aged around 10 to 13) is run monthly on
Sunday afternoons. Contact the curling rink on 01892 826004
for further details or e-mail us at curlinginkent@hotmail.com.
NEWS FROM THE CURLING RINK - January 2010
It has gone very quiet here at the rink.....we were busy as usual with
Christmas parties of all kinds in December - until the 18 th , when everything
stopped. SNOW!! Although snow and ice would seem to be
the perfect weather to think about having a game of curling, you have to
reckon with our road network. The A21 has generally been ok, but the normally
quiet little lane down to the rink becomes a real problem. The Council gritting
trucks have never heard of Dundale Road, so it has been 4x4s only for much
of the past 3 weeks. We have managed only two days of curling during this
period - one being a Mixed League event when all the cars had to be towed
out after the game by tractor and Land Rover.
Before the snow set in, we had our Santa Bonspiel and Christmas
Fayre in support of the two national sides that come from the
rink. Over £600 was raised and thanks are due to Lizzie Howard and
her team of helpers who made the event possible. The English Men's team
did well in the European Championships held in Aberdeen,
just missing out on the medals in the B division. Well done Jamie Malton,
Michael Opel, Henry Carter and Keith Wilson. The Junior Ladies had more
of a struggle in their European event held in Prague a few days ago. Although
they ended up at the bottom of the 10 strong competition, three of their
ten games were lost by a single shot - one of them against Germany, who
went on to win the competition. Bad luck girls - better luck next year!
The team was Anna Fowler, Hettie Garnier, Naomi Robinson, Madeleine Tuz
and Lauren Pearce.
On the lighter side, we hosted two days of hilarious curling - The
Hendrick's Gin Bartender's Bonspiel. Have a look at the Youtube
video!
The English Schools Competiton will again take place in
March (see below). Some eight schools have already signed up for this and
more are expected, so we should have the usual keen contest after the training
sessions are completed. One school, St Gregory's, is sending a Boys Team
to compete in a European Invitational competition in March to gain experience
on the international circuit.
BOOK EARLY! With so many cancellations caused by the recent
bad weather, the remaining weeks of the season are beginning to look
quite congested as many disappointed parties re-book their ice. So if
you are thinking of a curling event for your friends, family, colleagues
or customers - please
contact the rink, call us soon on 01892 826004
or e-mail curlinginkent@hotmail.com to
secure the date and time you want.
Remember - we provide coaches to get you started on the ice - so
you have a great time right from the off!
BEGINNERS - "Come and Try" your hand at curling! There's another " Open
Day " on Sunday January 17th . You can just come
along and have a look - or you can have a one hour session on the ice with
an instructor for only £5! It starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm.
You can also have a private lesson for one hour if you prefer - and
a voucher for a private session for one, two or more people makes an
ideal "different" present. Call the rink for more information.
REGULAR CURLERS
All regular curlers are members of Fenton's Rink. The 2009/10 Rink subscription
remains as before at £10. This provides a significant discount on
ice fees and is worthwhile if you come to the rink several times in a
season. Click here for a Rink entry
form.
You can discuss regular curling with our Games Secretary, Lizzie Howard
at curling2009@googlemail.com .
JUNIORS/SCHOOLS CURLING The regular Schools 5-week course
will run in the Spring term leading to the Schools Championships in
March 2010. Application forms have already been circulated to all the schools
taking part in previous years. If your school hasn't yet registered, please
let us know without delay!
Junior training is held each Tuesday at 6pm for players aged 18 and under.
We are trying to put together a squad for the European Men's Junior Championships
in 2011. If you wish to participate do let us know. A Junior Curling
Academy for younger players (aged around 10 to 13) is run monthly on
Sunday afternoons. Contact the rink, call 01892 826004 for
further details or e-mail us at curlinginkent@hotmail.com .
NEWS FROM THE CURLING RINK - DECEMBER 2009
November was a hectic month. Whilst October got off to a slower start this
year, November was busy throughout, with private and corporate bookings
up a surprising 25% over last year! The biggest single event was the
Hendrick's Gin Bartenders' Curling Bonspiel - a two-day extravaganza with
all participants in Edwardian costume. Curling with a difference! We also
had a coaching weekend for intermediate curlers, sponsored by the ECA and
run by Ian Baxter, during the month - much enjoyed by all. There was also
a "Come and Try" day
when around 60 people came and had a go at curling for the first time.
December will also be busy. The Rink is running the World Santa
Bonspiel again - last
year this enjoyed world-wide TV coverage. This time we are adding a Christmas
Fayre to the event, raising funds for the English Men's and Ladies'
Junior teams ahead of their European Championships. It's on Saturday
December 12th - do come along! Everyone is welcome.
BOOK EARLY! A steady stream of bookings have been
coming in and November looks as if it will be a very busy month. Few
8pm places remain, but, oddly enough, there is still space in the week
before Christmas. If you are thinking of a curling event for your friends,
family, colleagues or customers - please contact
the Curling Rink soon
to
secure the date and time you want.
Remember - we provide coaches to get you started on the ice - so
you have a great time right from the off!
BEGINNERS - "Come and Try" your hand at curling! There's another " Open
Day " on Sunday January 17th . You can just come along and have a
look - or you can have a one hour session on the ice with an instructor for
only £5! It starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm.
You can also have a private lesson for one hour if you prefer - and
a voucher for a private session for one, two or more people makes an
ideal "different" Christmas present. Call the
rink for more information.
REGULAR CURLERS - All regular curlers are members of Fenton's
Rink. The 2009/10 Rink subscription remains as before at £10. This
provides a significant discount on ice fees and is worthwhile if you
come to the rink several times in a season. Click on the link to download
a Rink entry form. You can
discuss regular curling with our Games Secretary, Lizzie Howard at curling2009@googlemail.com .
JUNIORS/SCHOOLS CURLING The regular Schools 5-week course
will run in the Spring term leading to the Schools Championships in
March 2010. Junior training will again be held each Tuesday at 6pm for players
aged 18 and under. A Junior Curling Academy for younger players (aged around
10 to 13) is run monthly on Sunday afternoons. Call
the rink on 01892 826004
for further details or e-mail us at curlinginkent @ hotmail.com.
INTERNATIONAL CURLING Both the current Men's and the Junior
Ladies English Curling teams are based at the rink and have been training
hard for the European Championships. The men play in Aberdeen in December
and the girls' event is in Prague in January- we wish them good luck!
NEWS FROM THE CURLING RINK - November 2009
We are now well into the season, which started on October 3rd. Several old
friends have been to visit us already and the regular Tuesday, Wednesday
and Saturday leagues are up and running with some tight games in evidence.
BOOK EARLY!
A steady stream of bookings have been coming
in and November looks as if it will be a very busy month. Few 8pm places
remain, but, oddly enough, there is still space in the week before Christmas.
If you are thinking of a curling event for your friends, family, colleagues
or customers - please call us soon on 01892 826004 or e-mail curlinginkent@hotmail.com to
secure the date and time you want.
Remember - we provide coaches to get you started on the ice - so
you have a great time right from the off!
BEGINNERS "Come and Try" your hand at curling! There's an "Open
Day" on Sunday November 22nd. You can just come along and have a
look - or you can have a one hour session on the ice with an instructor for
only £5! It starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm.
You can also have a private lesson for one hour if you prefer - and
a voucher for a private session for one, two or more people makes an
ideal "different" Christmas present. Contact
the rink for more information.
REGULAR CURLERS
All regular curlers are members of Fenton's Rink. The 2009/10 Rink subscription
remains as before at £10. This provides a significant discount on
ice fees and is worthwhile if you come to the rink several times in a
season. A Rink entry form is available here.
You can discuss regular curling with our Games Secretary, Lizzie Howard
at curling2009@googlemail.com .
JUNIORS/SCHOOLS CURLING
The regular Schools 5-week course
will run in the Spring term leading to the Schools Championships in
March 2010. Junior training will again be held each Tuesday at 6pm for players
aged 18 and under. A Junior Curling Academy for younger players (aged around
10 to 13) will be run monthly on Sunday afternoons. Contact
the rink for
further details and to book.
INTERNATIONAL CURLING
Both the current Men's and the Junior
Ladies English Curling teams are based at the rink and have begun training
for the European Championships. The men play in Aberdeen in December - we
wish them good luck!
NEWS FROM THE CURLING RINK - AUTUMN 2009
Curling starts on October 3rd and preparations are almost complete for the
new season.
BOOK EARLY! A steady stream of bookings is being taken
for the new season. If you are thinking of a curling event for your friends,
family, colleagues or customers - please contact us soon to
secure the date and time you want. The popular times go fast and several
Christmas parties have already booked their ice times. (Our phone lines were
down for two weeks recently because of a BT line fault, now repaired. We
hope you weren't caught out by this!!)
Remember - we provide coaches to get you started on the ice - so
you have a great time right from the off!
BEGINNERS - "Come and Try" your hand at curling! There's an "Open
Day" on Sunday October 25th. You can just come along and have a look - or you
can have a one hour session on the ice with an instructor for only £5!
It starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm.
A second "Come and Try" session is booked for Sunday November 22nd .
REGULAR CURLERS appear on day one with the first Saturday
League scheduled for the 3rd October. This league is fiercely contested
and brings the region's best players together. No doubt the 2009/10 battle
will be as tough as in the past.
All regular curlers are members of Fenton's Rink. The 2008/9 Rink subscription
remains as before at £10. This provides a significant discount on
ice fees and is worthwhile if you come to the rink several times in a
season. Click here to download the Rink entry form. You can discuss
regular curling with our Games Secretary, Lizzie Howard at curling2009@googlemail.com .
JUNIORS/SCHOOLS CURLING The regular Schools 5-week
course will run in the Spring term leading to the Schools Championships
in March 2010. Junior training will again be held each Tuesday at 6pm
for players aged 18 and under. A Junior Curling Academy for younger players
(aged around 10 to 13) will be run monthly on Sunday afternoons. Contact
the rink for further details.
