All Open League News
Series 2 Schedule Posted
November 16, 2024

Firstly, congratulations to our Series 1 Winners! Your legacy will live on forever (or until I stop paying the hosting fees for this website, whatever comes first).

The Series 2 schedules have been posted. Fortunately the first of two potential Sunday games that were mentioned / threatened is not required, so we'll be playing during our regularly scheduled timeslots right up until Christmas.

We did have a lot of tied rankings this series, so for some insight as to how they were broken:

B1 Flight

Dix, Kimber, McMaster Men, and Olson were all tied at 3-2. I took all their head-to-head results which left Dix and McMaster Men with a 2-1 record, and Olson and Kimber with 1-2. I then compared Dix and McMaster Men which left McMaster Men as the winner.

D Flight:

Carson, Jamieson, and Winslow were all tied at 3-2. Looking at their head to heads, Winslow lost to both Carson and Jamieson. Carson then beat Jamieson in their head to head, leaving them as the winner.

Series 1 Schedule Posted
October 13, 2024

Good news - We've gained two teams!

The long awaited schedule has been posted. Good luck and good curling!

2024-25 Opening Announcements
October 4, 2024

WELCOME BACK! 

Fall is here which means only one thing: It's time to glue teflon to our shoe and slide on some bumpy ice! We have a lot of new things happening this season, so read below!

CALL FOR SPONSORSHIP

For the first time in a long time, we are searching for a new sponsor! If you or your company are feeling particularly generous and want to support our great club, please reach out to myself or Rob Matheson (curling@dundasvalleygolf.com) for more details!

ADMIN & CONTACT INFORMATION

LEAGUE WEBSITE
https://dundas.itscurling.com

All league information (rulesstandingsschedules, and lots of statistics), including communication, is delivered via the website. Bookmark it, Add it to your Home Screen, Tattoo it on your arm.

CONVENER
Kris Blonski
krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com
905-977-8101 (Text Preferred)

GAME RESULTS
Submit winners and final scores via text message / email ASAP. The website is updated quickly, so the faster you submit them, the faster you can brag about your glorious victory.

CURRENT SEASON

TEAM ROSTERS
Please review your rosters for accuracy. Name spelling is important as it helps connect all your lifetime stats.

SEASON SCHEDULE

  • Open League Start - October 16/17
  • Christmas Break - Dec 25/26, Jan 1 (Jan 2 will be available for weather makeup games)
  • Open League Finals Week - April 16/17
  • NEW! All Leagues End of Season Dinner & Party - April 25

NEW! - OPEN LEAGUE SUNDAYS 

Due to a shortage of weeks to run the full season, we will potentially have up to two League-wide SUNDAY Games: December 14th and March 16th. All teams and flights will play these days and we're hoping to make an event out of it. More info to come closer to the date and keep these days available on your calendar!

REGULAR SEASON FORMAT

After the success of last year's trial run, we will be sticking with our dedicated days format! C and D flights will continue to run on Wednesday nights and A and B flights will be on Thursday nights.

Additionally, we will also have an empty sheet available on both Wed/Thurs nights at 8:45PM that can be used for rescheduling your games as required.

IN CLOSING

Schedules will be posted by the weekend prior to the start of the season - We are anticipating 1-2 additional teams prior to season start, thus the delay.

That should be everything for now. If you have questions absolutely feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to help!

Good luck, good curling, and we'll see you on the ice!

2024-25 Signup Info
August 16, 2024

Surprise! Time to talk about Open League Curling... in August... in 30 degree weather.

Registration

I know many of you have already emailed me with your teams but if you could fill them out again in our very short DV Open League Registration Form that would be fantastic (Note: Varsity / Academy Teams do not need to register using this form). You are able to sign up your team (please, talk to each other, only one entry per team!) or you can register as a free-agent where I will put you in contact with teams / each other who are looking to bolster their rosters. 

We did max out last season with 38 teams, so don't delay! If you need a player to complete your team, let me know and I'll send you any currently available free agents.

Important Dates

Open House - September 19th  @ 7-9PM
Opening Day - TBA
Open League Season Start - October 16th
Open League Season End / Finals - Thursday, April 17th
Club Closing Dinner and Party - Friday, April 25th

Looking forward to hearing from everyone and, as always, if you have any questions feel free to email me!

2023-24 Finals!
April 11, 2024

We're down to the FINAL WEEK of the Open League with Semi-Finals being played last night and tonight, and Finals tomorrow! Check out the brackets here!

Even if your team is no longer in contention, I encourage everyone to come down, grab a drink, and watch all the Champions be crowned on Friday, April 12th @ 630PM before we go our separate ways to work on our tans during the off-season. In addition to some exciting curling, there is also a live pasta station starting at 6PM!

Prizes will be handed out after the games. If you have won a series this year, finished top 3 in the regular season, or make the finals, you MUST have at least one team member come and collect it (No rules against keeping all the money to yourself if you're the only team member to show up). Prizes not collected will be graciously donated to next year's prize pool (this is not a joke).

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

2023-24 Playoffs
March 17, 2024

Congratulations to our 2023-24 Regular Season Champions: Team Mohawk Varsity! This is their second win in a row, topping their season last year with 172 points, 16-4 record and 4 Series wins and breaking into the record books in three categories. For the rest of us: Give yourself a pat on the back knowing that your prize fee is helping put these deserving young men through college.

With that said it's time for the playoffs! We are continuing our Pool Playoff format from last season. You can get the full rundown on the format in the rules... which you should also refresh yourself on since the playoff rules are slightly different than the regular season (most notably, no timeclocks - they will still be running as a guide so that we don't see any 2.5 hour games out there).

You can view the full playoff brackets here along with the classic schedule here.

The Playoff Schedule is as follows:

Round Robin Games - March 20 to April 4
Semi Finals - April 10/11
Finals - FRIDAY, April 12

As noted above, the finals will be held on Friday, April 12th. As always, prizes for all Series WInners, Regular Season Top 3 Finishers, and Playoff Finalists will be handed out at this time. You MUST have a team representative available to collect your prize money or else will be graciously donated to Rob to spend on more toys for the rink (this is not a joke). We encourage all Open League participants to come and cheer on the finalists and enjoy one last hurrah with everyone before our sole focus becomes working on our summer tans.

Best of luck to all teams in the playoffs!

Locker Room Closure
March 7, 2024

Just a quick reminder that locker rooms will NOT be available for games next week (March 13-14). Please make sure to get your equipment prior to next week!

Weather Update
February 15, 2024

I'm sure you've all looked out the window at the snow and wondered if curing is still happening tonight. As of right now, games will proceed as scheduled for tonight. Rob and I will make a final Go/No-Go decision tonight at 5PM.

If you do not feel comfortable playing tonight: We do have an official makeup day of Tuesday, February 27th at 630PM with 3 sheets still available (and 845PM if required). If you do want to proceed down this route, please contact your opposition ASAP and get confirmation back that you agree to move your game. We want to do our best avoiding making teams show up with no opponent to play!

Series 3 Updates
February 7, 2024

Just a quick note to remind everyone to double check their Series 3 schedules; we did make some changes to Thursday games relatively quickly after they were first posted but I know how eager some people are!

Another note: The U21 provincials are being held at the club during our league dates of Feb 28th and 29th so there are no scheduled games for that week. That said, Rob is looking for some volunteer teams to reschedule their games to Feb 27th to help train the timers. So, if you are looking to reschedule your league game. want to prove to yourself that you actually aren't the slow team, or just want to throw down the gauntlet to a team of your choice, this is your opportunity.

Feb 1 Schedule Change
January 17, 2024

Due to the Hamilton Districts ice requirements, we've had to make a last minute change to games scheduled to play on February 1st @ 630PM. Those games will now be scheduled for SUNDAY, January 28th @ 10AM.

I realize this is somewhat short notice and scheduled on a non-league day. If this new time doesn't work for your team, we do have two timeslots available:

January 31st @ 845PM
February 1st @ 845PM

These will be first come, first serve. If you absolutely need to use them, please let me know ASAP and I will adjust the schedule on the website accordingly. If you would like to reschedule your game to another date/time, please ensure they are played by February 2nd.

Thank you for your understanding!

Series 3 Schedules Posted
December 31, 2023

I hope everyone had a great holiday break!

We jump right back into the back half of the season with games starting on Jan 3rd / 4th. All the schedules have been posted and are available on our schedule page.

Unfortunately we did have a team drop from the league, so if you notice some unusual / extra team shifting, that's why!

Schedule 2 Updated
November 18, 2023

Quick Note: Some ice assignments have been adjusted for Series 2 due to multiple games being played on the same sheet at the same time (thanks Linda for noticing). Days and Game Times are unaffected so fortunately no reason to update your calendars.

Series 2 Schedules Posted
November 17, 2023

Firstly, congratulations to all of our winners this series! You've found your way onto our series winners list and have earned a tiny star beside your name in the standings.

The schedules for Series 2 have been posted. You can see them on both our schedule page, or by clicking your team name for a more focused view.

One small administrative note: The McMaster Women's JV team has been re-added to the league and have been demoted from B to C Flight.

Series 1 Schedule Available
October 12, 2023

The schedule for the first series has been posted! Check out the schedule page for the complete list or click your team name anywhere on this site for information specific to your team. Please be aware that the schedule can change if I notice any significant errors so please make sure you check back often before the start of the season.

We've gained another team since the original announcements, bringing us in at 38 teams for the season which means no BYES!

2023-24 Opening Announcements
October 4, 2023

WELCOME BACK! 

We've had a WILD offseason up to literally this morning where we've ended up at 37 teams; the second-most ever for the Open League. We've gone through multiple format changes and MANY phone calls between myself and Curling Director Rob but (hopefully) we're finally settled now and ready to start the season!

 

SPONSOR

Firstly, a BIG thank you to McNally Construction who have been a longstanding sponsor of the club and title sponsor of this league.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE & CONTACT INFORMATION

LEAGUE WEBSITE

https://dundas.itscurling.com
Nearly all league information (rulesstandingsschedules, and lots of statistics), including communication, is delivered via the website
 

CONVENER

Kris Blonski
krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com
905-977-8101 (Text Preferred)

GAME RESULTS

Submit winners and final scores via text message / email ASAP. The website is updated quickly, so the faster you submit them, the faster you can rub your glorious victory in the face of your curling rivals.

NEW! - PLAYER MAILING LIST

If you would prefer to receive these emails directly from me, rather than through your incredibly unreliable team contact then please fill out this form. A typical season will see roughly 5-6 league update-type emails and then additional emails in case of last minute weather cancellations / scheduling changes. Copies of all these emails, as well as more general updates which are not emailed out, are available on the website.

 

CURRENT SEASON

TEAM ROSTERS

Please review your rosters on the website for accuracy. We have a few TBD's and people with complicated last names that almost certainly need to be corrected.

SEASON CALENDAR

Pre-season Practice Ice - Oct 3-6 (see Club Website for Times)
Open League Start - October 18/19
Christmas Break - Dec 27/28
Open League Finals - April 12

NEW! - SPARES LIST

By popular demand, DV is developing a "universal" spares list that will be available on the club website once you've logged on with your member credentials. You can also get spares from any member-run league and even from people in the Open League who are available that day.

NEW! - REGULAR SEASON FORMAT

As teased at the end of last season and throughout the summer, we will be running a trial season focused on more consistent scheduling: 

  • All C & D Flight games will be played on Wednesdays 
  • All A & B Flight games will be played on Thursdays
  • Game timings ARE NOT guaranteed to flip between early and late draws and you may end up with multiple early / late games in a row. Over the course of the season, you should see your schedule balanced as close to 50/50 as possible.
    • Despite best efforts, the sheer number of teams entered this season made switching between early/late draws each week non-feasible.
  • Playoffs will match the above as much as possible - however there will absolutely be games played outside of the "normal" day.

Again, these are just some high-level changes. Please review the rules for the complete list.
 

A FEW MORE THINGS

Schedules will be posted by the weekend prior to the start of the season (Oct 14/15) - it's been hectic and we've already gone through multiple changes.

Thanks to all of those who filled out the survey at the end of last season. I'll provide a short breakdown on the website in a couple weeks for those who are interested in the results.

That should be everything for now. If you have questions absolutely feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to help!

Good luck, good curling, and we'll see you on the ice!


 

2023-24 Signup Info / Early Announcements
August 26, 2023

Wait, summer is almost done?! Isn't it still June?! Why is the Curling Manager showing up at my house, menacingly holding a broom, suggesting that I'd better make this the best DV Open League season ever or else?!

In all seriousness, I wanted to reach out to everyone who played last year with some brief information about the upcoming season and get you all to start submitting your teams!

Registration

I've created a very short DV Open League Registration Form where you are able to sign up your team (please, one entry per team!) or you can register as a free-agent where I will put you in contact with teams / each other. Spots fill up quickly, so don't delay!

Note: Varsity / Academy Teams do not need to register using this form.

Notable League Adjustment

We will be running a one-season trial of dedicated days for specific flights this season. This means moving to 8-Team A, B, C, and D Flights with C and D Flight Games occuring on Wednesdays and A and B Flight Games occuring on Thursdays. Flights will alternate between early and late draws each week.

Please note that the trial is not guaranteed to occur as we do require a certain number of teams to make it work. More details to follow as we get closer to the start of the season as this adjustment does mean a substantial number of rule / format changes.

Important Dates

Open House - September 21st  @ 6:30PM
Opening Day - October 3rd
Open League Season Start - October 18th
Open League Season End / Finals - April 12th

Looking forward to hearing from everyone and, as always, if you have any questions feel free to email me!

2022-23 End of Season Address
May 1, 2023

Thank You's

Thanks to everyone for another great season - we had 31 teams this season and actually managed a full, uninterrupted, season for the first time since 2018-19! 

Another thank you to Rob and Eric, our icemaking team for their thankless work.

Finally, thanks to our longtime sponsor, McNally Construction, for their continued support.

Notable Accomplishments

It's been a while since we've done this but we've had some notable league milestones and accomplishments this year

  • Congrats to the McMaster Women's team for their 11 game winning streak which ties them for 2nd of all time.
  • Congrats to Mike Eddy for taking top spot in the lifetime winning percentage with a current record of 75.86%
  • Congrats to Pete Kastrau for being the first player to reach the 300 Wins and 3000 Points milestone. In honour of this, all players will be required to rock sweet moustaches in the upcoming sesaon.

Team Hot Shots

So, this years triumphant return of the Team Hot Shots competition took the literal interpretation instead, as it occurred during the two hottest days of the season (29 degrees!). As a result, only half the teams were able to participate. So take these results with a grain of salt but your Team Hot Shots winners are:

  • A Flight: Blonski - 43pts - 1st Overall
  • B Flight: Academy Girls - 39pts - 2nd Overall
  • C Flight: Sarvari - 26pts - 8th Overall
  • D Flight: Nease - 35pts - 3rd Overall

Champions

Finally, congratulations to our champions this season! The games were exciting to watch with our Club Championship game going to an extra end. And thanks to everyone who came out and watched!

You can view all their team pictures on the Past Champions page

Survey and Playoff Finals
April 19, 2023

Firstly, I have put together a short, 2-3 minute anonymous survey that I would appreciate all players complete.

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/MBHN6VRbpisGuHPt8

Your responses will help guide the league and make sure I don't get too avant garde with future plans!

Secondly, we're down to the FINAL WEEK of the Open League with Semi-Finals tonight, and Finals tomorrow! I encourage everyone to come down, grab a drink, and watch all the Champions be crowned on Thursday, April 20th before we all work on our tans during the off-season. 

Prizes will be handed out after the games, so if you have won a series this year, finished top 3 in the regular season, or make the finals, you MUST have at least one team member come and collect it (No rules against keeping all the money to yourself if you're the only team member to show up). Prizes not collected will be graciously donated to next year's prize pool (this is not a joke).

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

April 13th Hot Shots Cancelled
April 13, 2023

Due to the very hot weather, we need to cancel the Hot Shots competition tonight. Unfortunately the cooling system in the rink isn't able to keep up and we risk seriously damaging the ice.

There won't be an opportunity to make up the Hot Shots during regular league play, although feel free to bring your team out to any available ice and give it a go anyway!

Team Hot Shots: Schedule
April 9, 2023

The schedules have been prepared! Please see below for the Team Hot Shots competition. While there are no prizes for this event, aside from ULTIMATE TEAM GLORY, feel free to get creative.

One more reminder, game times for this event are 630PM and 800PM (NOT 845PM).

Team Hot Shots!
April 6, 2023

With only two weeks left in the season, we're fortunate to be able to use our "weather delay" week to bring back an old favourite, Team Hot Shots!

Team Hot Shots can be played with 3, 4, or 5-man teams, so there is no need for spares (unless you want one) or to worry about leaving someone out (unless they are secretly being cut from the team next season). For more complete information, please see the following documents (What is Team Hot Shots / Shot Sheet).

This is an OPT OUT event, so if you are opposed to fun, socializing, and bragging rights please let me know prior to Saturday at noon. The official schedule will be released Saturday afternoon via email / website news post (not the official schedule page), with all games being at 630PM and 800PM (no super late nights!)

If you have any questions, as always, feel free to reach out.

2022-23 Playoffs
March 17, 2023

Firstly, congratulations to our 2022-23 Regular Season Champions: Team Mohawk Varsity. They racked up an impressive 160 Points with a 15-5 record, collecting two Series Wins and one Series Tie along the way. While they're currently participating in the CCAA / Canadian College Championships, I'm certain they view this title with equal, if not greater, prestige.

With that said, it's playoff time in the Open League!

With our longer season, I've opted to change our longstanding playoff system from a Single Elimination Bracket to a Pool-Based Qualifier. For more information on how it works, check out our rules. Or, if you're rules-phobic, just imagine a simplified version of the Scotties or Brier.

Speaking of rules, the playoffs do operate slightly differently than the regular season, most notably the removal of timeclocks (they will still be running as a guideline and so we can all look at you like a disappointed parent if your game goes too long) and tighter sparing rules. Have I suggested reading the playoff rules yet?

The Playoff Schedule is as follows:

Round Robin 1 - Mar 22/23
Round Robin 2 - March 29/30
Round Robin 3 - April 5/6
Weather Backup Week / Team Hot Shots - April 12/13
Semi Finals - April 19
Finals - April 20

If we somehow avoid a final winter storm, we'll be bringing back our fun Team Hot Shots event for that week. More information to follow closer to the date.

Our Finals will be held on April 20th.  As always, prizes for all Series Winners, Regular Season Top 3 Finishers, and Playoff Champions / Finalists will be handed out during the finals. You must have a team representative available to collect your prize money or else it will be graciously donated to Rob's rock fund (this is not a joke).

While the Club-Wide End of the Year Celebration takes place on April 22nd, I still encourage all Open League participants to come out, grab some snacks and drinks, and cheer on your finalists! 

February 22nd Games Postponed
February 22, 2023

Due to the high risk of freezing rain, games tonight are being postponed.

All games will be moved to Thursday, February 23rd @ 845PM and Thursday, March 2nd @ 845PM. The schedules will be updated on the website in the next 30-45 minutes so please check to see when your adjusted game time will be.

EDIT: The schedules have been updated.

I understand that this may be challenging or frustrating for some teams who have made various pre-arrangements, but we want to maximize the number of games while still keeping safety in mind.

For teams who are unable to to play their new times, we do have alternate times available for a re-schedule on March 9th and 16th at 845PM. These spots are first-come first-serve and must be communicated to Rob and I to be confirmed.

Stay safe out there!

Weather Alert
February 22, 2023

As you're likely aware, there is a significant freezing rain warning for the Hamilton area that may conflict with games tonight. We will be keeping an eye on things and will make a go / no-go decision mid-afternoon.

We will let you know on this website as well as via email once a decision has been made.

OUA and OCAA Champions!
February 13, 2023

Congratulations to both the McMaster Women's Varsity Team and the Mohawk Varsity Team for winning their respective provincial championships over the last two weeks!

Take a look at the following articles for more information:

Banner Season: McMaster breaks tie in final end to claim 2023 title

Men’s Curling Wins OCAA Gold, Again; Mixed Doubles Capture Bronze

League Fee
February 3, 2023

Just a quick reminder that all League Fees will be billed this month. Please make sure your teams on the website are accurate as they will be used to enforce all rules going forward.

CLUB CLOSURE - January 25th Games Postponed
January 25, 2023

Due to the winter storm, all games scheduled for tonight (January 25th) will be postponed.

Games originally scheduled for January 25th @ 630PM will be moved to January 26th @ 845PM.

Games originally scheduled for January 25th @ 845PM will be moved to February 2nd @ 845PM (with a lone game being moved to February 9th @ 630PM).

I understand that this may be challenging for some teams who have made various pre-arrangements, however my goal is to get as many games as possible played for each team.

For teams who are unable to make their new times, we do have one alternate timeslot on February 9th @ 845PM. These spots are first come first serve and any desire to move games must be communicated to Rob and I.

Thanks everyone for understanding and be safe out there.

Series 3 Schedules
January 3, 2023

The Series 3 schedules have been posted. Check them out here! You can also click your team name (almost) anywhere on the website to be taken to a specific schedule just for your team.

Something new this series: We will have two dedicated extra draws for rescheduled games. Should you need to reschedule a game, you can use January 18th @ 845PM OR January 26th @ 845PM. As always, please let Rob and I know that your game has been rescheduled (unless you like playing on ice with no pebble).

Series 2 Winners / Holiday Closure
December 24, 2022

Congratulations to our Series 2 winners! As always you can find this series' winners (and all previous series too) on our Past Series Winners page!

We had a relatively rare 4-way tie in B1 Flight this series which was broken by modified head-to-head results. First I look at the head-to-head between all four teams, resulting in the following standings: Reid (2-1), Olson (2-1), McLeod (1-2), and Sarvari (1-2). Then I look at the head-to-head results between Reid and Olson, resulting in Team Olson being the Series Winner.

We are on our annual Holiday Closure now and the league will return with Series 3 starting on January 11-12.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Dec 15 Games
December 15, 2022

UPDATE: The club is open and games will be played as scheduled!

Just a quick note to say that all scheduled games for tonight are, as of right now, still on for tonight. A final decision will be made early-to-mid afternoon that will be updated on the website and, in the event of cancellation, emailed to team contacts.

Series 2 Schedule Posted
November 19, 2022

Congratulations to all Series 1 Winners! Don't spend your bonus 2 points all in one place!

Series 2 Schedules have been posted. Check them out on the schedule page or click your team name anywhere on the website to be taken to a more personalized page!

Good luck to everyone this Series and lets all hope for no COVID delays!

Series 1 Schedule Updated
October 31, 2022

Just a quick note to let you know the schedules have been updated to reflect all the postponed games. 

There was a little bit of shuffling for THIS WEEKS GAMES so please double check to make sure your games have not been moved. Affected teams are: Academy Girls, Horn, Scott, and Wardlaw.

October 26th Games Postponed
October 26, 2022

Unfortunately, while the power has returned to parts of the club, the ice rink is not one of them. Therefore, all games tonight are cancelled / postponed.

As previously mentioned, we will make the games up during the Thursday @ 845PM timeslot starting NEXT week to avoid last minute scheduling / potential conflicts that people may have. This will result in many teams playing two games in one week, however no team will be required to play two games in one day.

Please check the schedule in a few days to see the adjusted schedule. I expect to have it updated by the end of the weekend.

Series 1 Schedule Posted
October 12, 2022

Schedules have been posted for the first series of the season! You can check them out on the schedules page or by clicking your team name anywhere on the website.

2022-23 Opening Announcements
October 4, 2022
It's curling time! We've got lots of new teams, some new rules, and a whole new playoff system in store for you! Read on for all the information you'll need to play in the Open League this season.

SPONSOR

A big thank you to McNally Construction for being the longstanding title sponsor of this league and our club.


ADMINISTRATIVE AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Nearly all league information (rules, standings, schedules, and lots of statistics), including communication, is delivered via the website. Bookmark / add it to your iOS / Android home screens and check back often! The website has been updated over the summer to work better on all devices and includes more functionality and features.

LEAGUE WEBSITE
https://dundas.itscurling.com

CONVENER
Kris Blonski
krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com
905-977-8101 (Text Preferred)

GAME RESULTS
Submit winners and final scores via text message / email ASAP. The website is updated quickly, so the faster you submit them, the faster you can rub your glorious victory in the face of your curling rivals.


CURRENT SEASON

TEAM ROSTERS
Please review your rosters on the website for accuracy. We have a few TBD's and people with complicated last names that almost certainly need to be corrected.

REGULAR SEASON FORMAT
We've officially shut the door on new teams and will play this season with 31 teams. This means we will run with 5 flights in an A, B1, B2, C1, C2 format. Regularly scheduled game times will be Wednesdays @ 630PM and 845PM, and Thursdays @ 630PM. For more detailed information about our flight system, please refer to the league structure section in our rules.

NEW-ish! PLAYOFF FORMAT
As originally promised for our 2021-22 season (before losing 4 weeks of the season to COVID), we are going to try a new playoff format this season with the dual purpose of:

  1. Providing more guaranteed games (21-23 games in the old system, 23-25 with the new) 
  2. Making the playoff system more fair / robust.
More detailed information will come later in the season but the format will be: Teams will be seeded into 4 flights of 8 teams (based on regular season results) and play a two pool round-robin, where the top two teams from each pool advance to the Semi-Finals / Finals.

Of course, if weather or COVID robs us of too many weeks, we will stick with our old standby: single elimination playoff brackets.

SEASON CALENDAR
Open League Start - October 19 & 20
Open League Season End / Finals - April 20

End of Season Celebration - Saturday, April 22 (as part of DoublesMania II)


EVERYTHING ELSE

The schedules for Series 1 will be posted on the website next week. A reminder that this league does not actively accommodate scheduling requests; as the league continues to grow it becomes substantially more challenging to accommodate requests without negatively affecting other teams schedules.

That should be everything for now. If you have questions absolutely feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to help!

Good luck, good curling, and we'll see you on the ice!
2022-23 Signup Info
August 26, 2022
While it's hard to believe that we're closing in on the start of another great curling season, I wanted to reach out to all of you to provide some quick information on the upcoming season and get you thinking about submitting your teams.

Registration

Just send me an email with your full team and you'll be considered registered for the league. For new players, don't forget you'll still need to submit an application / register with the club!

Something a little different this year: We will be running with a soft cap of 30 teams (3 Draws) to start this season and will only expand past that once we reach 34 teams (4 Draws). With 11 teams already signed up, you'll want to guarantee your spot by signing up early!

Important Dates

Open House - Sept 22nd @ 630p to 10p
Opening Day - Oct 11
Open League Start - October 19 & 20
Open League Season End / Finals - April 20
End of Season Celebration - April 22
Website Update
June 6, 2022
A rare summer update for everyone: The website has officially been updated to Version 5.0!
In general, the site should be easier to read on all kinds of mobile devices and I've simplified a lot of the "overdesign" that plagued the old site.
If you notice any issues, please let me know!

2021-22 End of Season Address
May 3, 2022
Would you look at that, we actually finished a season for the first time since 2018-19! Of course that also comes with some closing words before we sign off for the summer.

Thank You's

Before anything, a big thank you to our longtime sponsor, McNally Construction, for their continued support of our club / league. Their support has enabled us to do various creative things over the years and into the future!

Another thank you to Rob Matheson and his tri-role of Membership & Curling Director and Head Ice Maker. Coming from someone who runs only a single league, I can assure you there are countless unseen hours that go into keeping things running smoothly throughout the season. Additional thanks to the ice making team for their hard and thankless work making great ice all season (except for those games I lost, what a strange coincidence).


The Finals and our New Champions

Firstly, thanks to Pete and Lindsay Kastrau for filling in for me during the finals night!

A big congratulations to Team Warriner (McMaster Varsity Women) for winning the 2021-22 Club Championship! This is a tremendous milestone for the league as they represent not only the youngest team to ever win but also the first time an all-female team has won in the 48 year history of the league.

Congratulations to the McMaster Varsity Men's team (I sense a trend this year) for winning our Inaugural Regular Season Championship. While they currently are in VERY exclusive company, I imagine that they too will also hold the distinction of youngest team to ever win it for a long time to come!

Both teams will qualify as our Male and Female representatives for the Everest Curling Club Championships in the fall. Good Luck!

Finally, not to be forgotten, congratulations to our remaining Playoff Champions: Teams Sedgwick (B Flight), Rutherford (C Flight), and Spratt (D Flight).


State of the League

One last update, I've been working on a refreshed website for the last couple months that I will be launching in the next couple weeks. It should be generally easier to read, work better on mobile devices, and have a bunch of new team and individual statistics for you to dig into. As a result, you may not see team photos posted on the current site until the transition is complete.


And with that, this essay of an email is finished! I hope everyone had a great season and has an even better summer. I will see you all in October for the 2022-23 season!

Stay safe!

2021-22 Finals
April 29, 2022
The Finals are upon us and I just wanted to remind everyone of tonight's schedule and give everyone a quick rundown of the evening.

Before that, unfortunately both Rob's family and my family have been taken down by COVID so we will be absent tonight. In our place, Pete Kastrau has volunteered to hand out prizes - Please help him out the best you all can! For our champions, if at all possible can you please take a team photo and email it to me so we can keep our Champions page as up to date as possible. Group selfie, professionally posed... anything works! Please report game results via text/email per usual.

All games start at 630PM. During the evening, for all spectators, finger foods will be available in the Bertram lounge free of charge, so help yourself! For those on the ice don't worry, you will be provided with per-table platters after the game, so you don't need to hoard anything beforehand. 

After the games have been completed, we'll be moving everyone up to the Ballroom for the rest of the evening. There will be ice-specific tables for our playoff finalists and then other tables for everyone else.

Prizes will be given out at approximately 900PM (depending on how long the games go) for Playoff Champions, Finalists, and Series Winners.

Again, I'm sorry I won't be there tonight but I hope everyone has great time.

Good luck and good curling!
2021-22 Playoffs / Regular Season Champions
April 15, 2022
Playoffs are finally here - Head over to the playoffs page to find out your schedule! And don't forget to double check the playoff rules!

Playoffs are a 2-week, 3-game single elimination event with the final occurring on April 29th @ 630PM. Come out and watch the final games of the season and enjoy our free-of-charge charcuterie-style snacks / food throughout the experience. No registration required! If you attended the Open House at the start of the year, it'll be similar to that! Teams playing in the finals will have per-table plates ready to go for them after the game.

If you've won a series or finished in the top 3 during the regular season, congratulations, you have prize money coming your way! However, you MUST have at least one representative come to the club to collect your winnings or else they will be graciously donated to help pay for new rocks (this is not a joke).

Finally, a big congratulations to our Inaugural Regular Season Champions, McMaster Mens Varsity! They finished with an impressive 14-6 record, collecting 150 Points and two series wins along the way. Previously, the Club Champion was determined by regular season results, however that title will be declared through the playoffs (previously the A Flight Playoff Winner).
Series 4 Schedules and Playoff Information
March 11, 2022
Hi Everyone!

Playoffs: Barring any weather cancellations we will be able to squeeze in a single elimination 2 week 3 game playoff at the end of the season. Games will be played on April 20-21 @ 630PM and 845PM (Quarter-Finals), April 27-28 @ 630PM (Semi-Finals) and April 29 @ 630PM(Finals)

Assuming our co-acquaintance, COVID, decides not to ruin things; April 29th will also double as our first end-of-season event in since 2019. The plan is to mimic the Open House with plenty of charcuterie-like food throughout the night. So come out, grab a drink, watch the finals, and have a great time before enjoying that nice summer weather!

Schedules: Series 4 Schedules are officially posted. 

Team K. Blonski has returned to the league and are being placed in B Flight. I am treating the team as if they went 0-5 (without any points being assigned - don't worry) in A Flight. As a result, the following additional adjustments have been made:
  • The bottom 1 team from A Flight has moved to B Flight
  • The top 1 team from B Flight has been moved to A Flight
  • The bottom 5 teams from B Flight have been moved to C Flight
  • BYE Games have returned to C1 now the flight has increased to 7 teams
To quickly address the 3-way tie in B Flight that resulted in one team moving to C Flight: Head-to-Head results and Overall Season Standings were unable to break the tie, so I used a strength of series 3 opposition calculation to determine the results.

Thanks everyone and good curling!
Series 3 Schedule Information
February 4, 2022
Series 3 Schedules have been posted. Check them out!
One team, K. Blonski, has taken advantage of the opt-out option for Series 3 and have been temporarily removed. As a result, the following adjustments have been made:
  • The top 3 Teams from B Flight have been moved to A Flight
  • The top 5 Teams from C Flight have been moved to B Flight (there was a very convenient 3-way unbreakable tie in C2, which resulted in all 3 teams being moved to B Flight)
  • The BYE Games from C1 have been removed for this series due to an even number of teams in the League
At the start of Series 4, Team K. Blonski will be returned to the league in either the A or B Flight after some 3rd party consultation.

Good curling!
Return to Play
January 25, 2022
The Open League will resume on February 2nd / 3rd. Please review the schedule to and update your calendars to reflect the final game of Series 2.
If your team is not comfortable resuming play, please let me know and I will not schedule you for Series 3 (starting Feb 9th / 10th). Should you wish to return for Series 4 (March 16th / 17th) I will happily return you back to the league.

Pre-omicron rules will remain in effect however we will be moving all post-game drinks to the Stanley Thompson Lounge. Please review the emails from the club for more information.
Schedule Delays
December 31, 2021
As the Club continues to monitor the situation with COVID-19, we want everyone to know that we will prioritise the safety of our membership and employees. As a result, we have decided to postpone all curling leagues until January 27th, 2022. Practice ice will however be available starting on Monday, January 10th. To secure your spot, please register via the calendar on Member Central. 

For any further questions, please contact our Membership & Curling Director, Rob Matheson, at rmatheson@dundasvalleygolf.com.
Week 10 Game Reschedules
December 18, 2021
Per the club:

In light of the growing concern surrounding COVID-19, we feel the need to be cautious and prioritize the safety of our curlers. Dundas Valley has made the decision to cancel curling starting on Monday December 20th to Thursday December 23rd. This will include Day Men’s TAG, Day Open, Twisted Singles, Two person Stick, Monday Night Men’s Social, Tuesday Doubles, and Wednesday/Thursday Open League Games. We will be rescheduling all games to the first week of January. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding through these uncertain times.

All Games originally scheduled for December 22/23 will be moved until January 5/6.




2021-22 Series 1 Schedules Posted
October 13, 2021
The schedules for Series 1 have been posted. You'll be able to find them on the schedule page or you can click your team name and get personalized schedules that way.
Please be aware that the schedules may change if we get a last minute entry, so check back often prior to your first game.
2021-22 Season Announcements
October 7, 2021
Hello and welcome back to the 2021-22 Season of the Dundas Valley Open League. After missing almost the entirety of last season, I think we're all itching to jump right on the ice and play our first games (and then wake up the next day asking, "why do I hate myself" while reaching for the Tylenol.) But first, please take the time to read this email in full.


SPONSORS
Firstly, a big thank you to McNally Construction for being the title sponsor and their longstanding support of this league and our club.


ADMINISTRATIVE
CONVENER CONTACT: Kris Blonski - krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com - 905-977-8101 (Text Preferred)
GAME RESULTS: Submit via text message or email ASAP

Nearly all league information, including communication, is delivered via the website (rules, standings, schedules, statistics, etc). Bookmark and check back often!

TEAM ROSTERS: Please review your rosters on the website for accuracy. We have a few TBD's and people without last names that need to be corrected.

NEW! While the Club will provide more detailed COVID-19 protocols, the high level view is as follows:
  • All members are required to be fully vaccinated. Proof can be submitted to the club to avoid providing it before each game.
  • No masks are required on-ice. Masks are required in all other parts of the club.
  • No alternate curling rules, distancing restrictions, or pre-game grouping protocols: We've ditched "New Curling" and brought back regular curling, or as I like to refer to it, "Curling Classic" (trademark pending).
  • Please avoid handshakes before and after the game. Alternate greetings, such as finger-guns or the "queen wave", are strongly encouraged.

CURRENT SEASON
LEAGUE CHANGES
NEW-ish! As promised for our 2019-20 season before it was cut short, we will be adjusting how the Club Champion is chosen:
  • The team who collects the most points during the regular season will be crowned the "Regular Season Champion" (formerly Club Champion). 
  • The team who wins the A Flight Playoffs will be crowned the "Club Champions" (formerly A Flight Playoff Winners).
NEW! With our new longer season (more info below) we will be trialing a new playoff system that will (hopefully) add more games to everyone's season as well as making the playoffs more robust. More information on this will come out later in the year.


LEAGUE FORMAT
We are sitting at a wonderfully awkward 26 teams this season so, while I'm still working out the details, we will have early and late draws on Wednesdays and early draws on Thursdays.

NEW! We have new start times! Games will start at 6:30PM and 8:45PM this season in an effort to start standardizing league times across all days and leagues. Please make all efforts to be throwing the first rock of the game at these times (or earlier if possible).

Finally, as has become customary, I would like to remind all players that there is NO difference between numbered flights (eg. C1 and C2) and they are purely used as a method to expose players to the maximum number of unique teams.


SEASON CALENDAR
We've got a 27 week season ahead of this year, so lots of opportunities to get out on the ice! Barring any unexpected issues or weather closures the season will look roughly as follows.

Pre-Season Practice Ice - October 12 to October 16 (please book via Member Central)

Series 1 - October 20 to November 18
Series 2 - November 24 to December 23
Series 3 - January 5 to February 10 (excluding Jan 12 and 13)
Series 4 - February 16 to March 17

NEW! Playoffs / Makeup Weeks - March 23 to April 28

Championships & EoY Banquet - FRIDAY, April 29


That should be everything for now. Schedules will be posted sometime next week on the website, so make sure to check that often. As always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out to me.

Have a good season everyone and good curling!
2021-22 Early Season Information
August 31, 2021
So, wow, what an interesting ride we've all been on.  With all the turmoil that we've all endured over the last year and a half, I wanted to reach out a little early to provide some information for the upcoming season. 

First things first: I've created a digital signup sheet for you to both register your team or sign up as a free agent. I suspect that we'll see a lot of turnover this season so this will help me get a better grip on preparations. If you don't believe you'll be returning, please just reply to this email (no hard feelings!)

Please sign up as a team or free agent here: FORM CLOSED

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly: Dundas Valley will be requiring double vaccinations for all members, including participants of the Open League. Official written policies and documentation will be provided in the coming weeks but you should expect to not require masks on the ice.

Finally, some important dates for you:
Open House - September 30th @ 7pm
Open League Start - October 20 & 21
Open League Season End - Last week of April

Looking forward to hearing from all of you and thank you for taking the time to make my life just a little bit easier!
We Are Back!
August 24, 2021
Hi Everyone! Just a quick note to not only dust off this site but also let you know that the Open League will be back this season! Expect an email from me over the next couple weeks with more information.
Season on Hold
November 14, 2020
With our new "RED ZONE" status, all curling games are postponed until further notice. Thank you for your understanding!
Schedule Adjustment
October 30, 2020
What I'm sure is the first of many:  I've adjusted the schedule leading into the season.  Please review to ensure your team hasn't been affected.

2020-21 Pre Season Announcements
October 19, 2020
We've figured out a way to play this game we all love but please brace yourself for the length of this message.  It is VERY IMPORTANT that you read though it completely as this season is literally unlike any other that we've had.  It will discuss club related rules and procedures as well as league specific information.


CLUB INFORMATION & CURLING GUIDELINES

While I will discuss certain points of this document throughout this email, please take the time to completely review and familiarize yourself with the DV Curling - Standard Operating Procedures (as of Sept 2020).  It contains all the information and explanation on how pre and post game activities work as well as the adjusted rules on how Curling is to be played this season. 

All members need to review and complete all of the following forms before starting the season:
All members will be assigned lockers this season. You will be contacted with your locker information between October 27th and the start of the season.

Before each game / outing to the club please ask yourself:  If you have travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days, had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 (without appropriate PPE), or are feeling any of the following symptoms: 
  • Fever
  • New or Worsening Cough
  • Shortness of Breath
  • Difficulty Breathing
  • Sore Throat
  • Decrease/Loss of Taste or Smell
  • Chills
  • Headache
  • Unexplained Fatigue or Muscle Aches
  • Nausea / Vomiting, Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain
  • Pink Eye
  • Runny Nose without specific known cause
If Yes, then PLEASE STAY HOME.


OPEN LEAGUE RULES & GENERAL INFORMATION
LEAGUE WEBSITE

While the website is VERY popular (to the tune of 25000-35000 page views per season), we will only be using it as a communication and historical reference tool this season.  Unfortunately, with the dramatic changes to the league format, it is impossible to maintain the data integrity of the stats that everyone has come to enjoy.

This year we will be taking it old school with online shared spreadsheets - they will contain team lists, schedules, and standings for all our flights/leagues.  I will send these out next week as well as leave permanent links to them on the league website.


GAME RESULT SUBMISSIONS
Please submit all results electronically (Winner and Final Score), either by email or text message using the convenor contact information above.  Typically scores are submitted by the winning team.

IMPORTANT - 2020-21 COVID RULE CHANGES
I really want to emphasize that this season is strictly about getting on the ice and playing the game we all love. Please make all efforts to embrace the spirit of the game and to not abuse any of the rules put in place in order to win a meaningless game that will have no impact on any of our fun Open League Lifetime Statistics.
  • Masks are Required at all times (sole exception is when you are SEATED at the table enjoying a post game drink)
  • Dry-Erase markers will be used to mark the score on the scoreboards. Please assign one player per sheet to handle all the scoring.
  • No rescheduling games for any reason (player illness, personal scheduling conflict, etc)
    • Should this result in your team forfeiting, please make all efforts to inform the Convenor and other team ASAP
  • No pre-post game handshakes
  • No Coin Flips - Please use Rock/Paper/Scissors in the lounge prior to going on the ice
  • Rock colours and numbers (eg. Lead throwing rocks 1 and 2) must be declared prior to the start of the game
    • Rocks may not be changed once the game has started (Ice Maker Rob has informed me there are no bad rocks, just bad players)
  • One Sweeper Only
    • Any methodology is allowed whether it be sweeping alternating shots, having one sweeper sweep everything, or sweep all in-turns or out-turns
    • Alternating sweepers during a shot is CURRENTLY PERMITTED. HOWEVER sweepers must be 6 feet apart at all times.  Any reports of this rule being abused and I swear to god I'll turn this car (rule) around right now and go straight home (ban it forever).
  • No sweeping behind the T-Line by any player of any team
  • 1hr 55min HARD time limit for all games
    • When the buzzer goes, the game is over
    • Please use some level of discretion here - if the final shot of an end is being thrown, just let it finish.
    • If it is clear that you will not be able to play a full end prior to starting, please end the game at that point.
  • Sparing is allowed, however you may only select a spare from your 50-person flight/league
    • You CANNOT participate regularly in one flight/league and spare in another
    • You CANNOT spare in multiple flights/leagues, you must declare which flight/league you will be a spare
Please refer to the DV Curling - Standard Operating Procedures for a complete list of game-related changes.

OPEN LEAGUE SEASON INFORMATION

SEASON SCHEDULING
If there is a positive this season, this is it.  We basically play uninterrupted (Christmas break aside) all season!

Pre-Christmas Season - November 4-5 to December 16-17
No Curling - December 23-24 and December 30-31
Post-Christmas Season - January 6-7 to April 28-30

I'll figure out what we're going to do in regards to any sort of playoff series once we get firmed up numbers and a better sense of how things are playing out.


GAME TIMING & SCHEDULING
We have adjusted our scheduled game times for this season in order to give our ice maintenance team more time to sanitize the playing area.  Games will be played on a rotational basis on the following days/times:

Wednesday @ 630PM
Thursday @ 630PM
Thursday @ 900PM

Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes prior to game time in order to limit crossover between multiple flights/leagues. 


IMPORTANT - LEAGUE FORMAT
This is the big one.  Due to the size of the Open League, we've had to break into 3 smaller leagues based roughly on previous flight results.  Each flight will playing a looping round robin for the duration of the season, with no move-ups or downs between series.  I will investigate some playoff options towards the end of the season but right now don't have anything definitive to provide you.

Currently we are sitting at 28 Teams that will be split into 3 flights / leagues.  I fully expect that this number will fluctuate up and down as the season progresses so we will be adding/removing teams throughout the season to a maximum of 11 teams per flight / league.  As indicated earlier in the email, I will be sending out shared online spreadsheets prior to season start with your schedule and flight listings and will link to them permanently from the league website.

Additionally, we will not be collecting the typical $25 Prize Pool donation this season, so make sure to put it to good use at the bar (convener also accepts bribes gifts).


OPEN LEAGUE SPONSORS
Finally, a big thank you to McNally Construction for being the title sponsor and their longstanding support of this league. A new thank you to itscurling.com for providing webhosting to the league.  We’re always looking for additional sponsors (I have a lot of ideas) so if you or your company is interested, let’s talk!
Registration Updates
September 22, 2020
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the league thus far. Right now we are sitting at roughly 25 teams which is great considering the circumstances!  

Unfortunately there have been multiple instances of teams / players being signed up without their knowledge. Obviously in a year where accurate numbers are paramount, this makes things extremely difficult, as well as finding teams for our free agents equally challenging.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM* independently sign up using the Open League Digital Signup Form. Writing out your team in the comments or sending me an email IS NOT ENOUGH.

*Varsity teams do not need to sign up

Thank you for your cooperation!  If you participate in other leagues at the club, please ensure you also sign up via the digital signup forms in addition to communicating with your coveners.
2020-2021 Open League Info
September 1, 2020
Well, this sure has been interesting, hasn't it?

In addition to the information that Rob sent out last week in regards to handling COVID at our club (Playing The GameSafety and Social ProtocolsRegistration and FeesFee ListCurl Ontario - COVID Reopening Kit) you will be receiving more information in the coming week about registration.

I've been getting a fair number of inquiries and wanted to give everyone some insight to what the season will look like this year.  Keep in mind that things can change as government and club restrictions loosen and tighten, so these are AS OF RIGHT NOW plans but by no means final, season-long, decisions.

General Rules (and reminder of some DV and CurlON Guidelines):
  • No rescheduling games  
  • No pre/post-game handshakes
  • Masks are required off and on ice
  • One sweeper only (you can choose whatever methodology works for you)
  • No sweeping behind the T-Line at all
  • 1hr 55min hard time limit for all games (buzzer = game over)
League Structure:
  • The league will be divided into 1-4 sub-leagues, with no more than 10 teams in each
    • Teams will be evenly distributed amongst sub-leagues as best as possible (eg. if we have 24 teams signed up, we will do 3 sub-leagues with 8 teams in each)
    • Sub-leagues will be grouped roughly according to past season results (eg. "A" League, "B" League, etc)
  • Each Sub-League will play looping round robins (likely 2 or 3) throughout the course of the season
    • There will be no "post series" movement between sub-leagues
  • Each Sub-League will play all their games at the same time; no intermingling with other sub-leagues.
    • Sub-leagues will rotate through available time slots as usual
    • Start times are 630PM and 9PM 
  • Playoff Structure is yet to be determined
Spares / Alternate Players:
  • Spares can only be selected from a pool of players provided to your particular sub-league, or from available 5th players in your sub-league
    • You CANNOT participate regularly in one sub-league and spare in another
  • 5-Person teams are allowed, however you can only be a registered member of a single team across all of the sub-leagues.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I would encourage you all to reach out to your teams sooner than later!

Thank you to all who have reached out to me so far with questions or by letting me know their plans this season!
2019-20 End of Season Address
April 20, 2020
As I'm writing this from our new quarantine life, it should be no surprise to anyone that the season is officially over. With that comes some closing words before we all dive into our socially distant dry land training!

Thank You's

A big thank you to our longtime sponsor, McNally Construction, for continuing to support our league year after year.  Thanks as well to Rob and his ice-making team for continuing to make great ice and stepping up to support all the new draw times we've had this season!  And of course, thanks to all of you for playing in the league!

State of the League

It was a great season with a record 40 teams!  As a result, the standings were tight throughout the entire season (which is exactly what we want!).  Unfortunately we weren't able to try out our new playoff rules, but we'll give it a shot next year!

While most people will tell you they played about 90% of their games at 9PM this season, the actual results are much better: 
  • 80% (32) of the teams had balanced seasons, with 10 early and 10 late game
  • 10% (4) of the teams had early favoured seasons, with 11 early and 9 late games
  • 10% (4) of the teams had late favoured seasons, with 9 early and 11 late games
Season Results

With the season ending early, I've opted to push back our inaugural Regular Season Champions introduction until next season.  So, with that being said, congratulations to Team Schellenberg for becoming our 2019-20 Club Champions!  They had a commanding season going 15-3 with 157 points and collecting two series wins along the way.  Great job guys!  They will also represent our club at the Travellers Club Championships in October!

And, for the second season in a row, Team Warriner have qualified to represent our club at the Travellers Club Champships as well!

So What Now?

As of right now, we're still hoping to have a proper curling send-off sometime in the summer.  I'm planning to handout Series Wins and Regular Season prize money at that time.  Failing that, we'll hand out all prizes at the start of next season.

In the meantime, I hope you all stay safe during this pandemic!  Wash your hands, practice social distancing, Facetime (or Skype, Zoom, Facebook Message) your friends and family, learn a new hobby, or finish that project that's been sitting in your basement for years.  Oh, and work from home (I guess, if you must).
Club Closure / Open League Suspended
March 13, 2020
As of March 15th, the club will be closing until April 6th due to the COVID-19 Virus.  For more information about this closure, please read the letter sent out by the club.
More information as it relates to the limited time remaining in the curling season will be released soon. 

In regards to the Open League specifically, the remaining games in Series 4 are cancelled.  A decision about trying to squeeze in any sort of playoff series will be made once more information is  available.

Obviously there are (and will continue to be) mixed opinions on what is the the "correct" level of concern / action to take in regards to the Coronavirus. I'm also certain that we'd all love to continue and finish the season uninterrupted.  However, playing our part in slowing the spread of the Coronavirus to support and protect the most at risk members of our communities is bigger and more important than curling. 
Coronavirus Precautions
March 11, 2020
With news of the Coronavirus making it's way to Hamilton, I would like to encourage all Open League participants to refrain from shaking hands pre and post game in favour of fist bumps or elbow bumps or even abstaining completely if preferred.
While the public health risk associated with the Coronavirus is still low for Canada, that's not to say that we shouldn't all take some precautions to keep ourselves, our families, and our community safe during this time!

Thank you everyone for your cooperation!
Curling is ON
February 26, 2020
We have decided to go forward with games tonight!

If you want to reschedule: ice will be available March 22 at 12:30 and 2:45 PM
Weather Alert
February 26, 2020
Just a quick note:  We will be making a decision about the weather at roughly 330-400PM, however we're hoping everything will be ok!
Should there be a cancellation, all games will be rescheduled to either March 15th or 22nd.  More information to follow,
Series 4 Schedules
February 21, 2020
Continuing our theme of congratulations, great work to our Series 3 Winners!: Teams Schellenberg, Mac Mens Varsity, Lamb, Olson, Barnard, L. Blonski, and Sarvari. You came, you saw, you conquered (but not before buying them all drinks).
Series 4 Schedules have now been posted, so check them out now!  With this being the final series of the season, it also gives us a chance to reflect back on our often discussed 6:45PM / 9:00PM balance for the season!  
  • 80% (32) of the teams had balanced seasons, with 10 early and 10 late game
  • 10% (4) of the teams had early favoured seasons, with 11 early and 9 late games
  • 10% (4) of the teams had late favoured seasons, with 9 early and 11 late games
Overall I'm pretty happy with this result and is relatively expected with the amount of movement and balance points that the league has.

PLAYOFFS:  A reminder that we play a condensed playoff season, meaning you may play multiple games in a week.  Our playoff schedule looks like this:
  • April 1-2: Quarterfinals
  • April 8: Semifinals
  • April 9: Finals / Club-Wide Closing Banquet
We also run slightly different rules in the playoffs, including rules about sparing, so make sure you spend some time reading them over!

Congratulations to our Varsity Teams!
February 18, 2020
Our McMaster and Mohawk Varsity curling teams were competing this past weekend in the OUA and OCAA provincial championships and they've brought home the hardware!
Congratulations to the McMaster Girls Varsity team (Team Warriner) for winning the Gold Medal!  They're moving on to the National Championships in Portage La Prairie on March 11th.

Congratulations to our Mohawk Team for winning the Silver Medal!

And finally, congratulations to our McMaster Boys Varsity Team for turning in a strong performance, going 5-1 in the round robin!

Once again, congratulations to all teams on your success and good luck on your remaining games this year!
Schedule Update
January 12, 2020
There was an error on the schedule that has now been corrected.  Please re-check your schedule as this has affecting the timing of a couple games.
Series 3 Schedules
January 10, 2020
Congratulations to our Series 2 Winners: Schellenberg, McAninich, Jackson, Gardiner-Dean, Lamb, Mohawk Varsity, and Thorsen!  You are the final winners of the decade!
The Schedules for Series 3 are now posted.  Due to accommodating all evening Districts teams to the best of my ability, many teams will likely notice they play an odd amount of Wednesday or Thursday games this series.  Unfortunately, it's just a side effect of having to reschedule so many games.  We should be back on track for Series 4!

As of right now, we have Sunday, Feb 9th @ 12pm as a possible reschedule date, although I do encourage teams to take advantage of spares before attempting a complete reschedule.

A look ahead and reminder for the rest of the season:  With the exception of our Feb 13th games being moved to January 15th, we will be playing solidly through the rest of the season with no weeks off.  In regards to playoffs, our Quarterfinals take place on April 1st and 2nd, Semifinals on April 8th, and our Finals (and club-wide blowout party) on April 9th.  Book that time off now!

Finally, in the next couple weeks I will ask the club to bill you the $25 league fee, so please make sure your teams (as listed on the website) are correct!  All players, including 5ths, are required to pay the fee.

Best of luck to everyone in Series 3!  The standings have never been this close before, so it should make for an exciting second half of the season!
Series 3 Schedule Notice
December 11, 2019
I want to give a bit of a heads up to all players of the Open League.  Typically we do not play games during the week of the Districts (January 15th and 16th this year), however we are going to have to run some 9PM games on both days in order to make up for lost ice time later in the season.  Unfortunately, just the way the calendar landed this year, we don't have any free weeks to shuffle these games to.
If your team is playing in the districts, or you've scheduled trips around the districts week, please let me know ASAP and I will do my best to not move your games to this week.

Thanks everyone!
Schedule Correction
November 22, 2019
For the hyper efficient amongst us, please be aware that there's been a minor change to the schedule (edited at 10:30AM) and to double check that your game has not been moved.
Series 2 Schedules
November 22, 2019
A hearty congratulations to all our Series 1 Winners: Teams Warriner, M. Blonski, Winslow, McAnnich, Barnard, Mac Mens Varsity, and Ranta!  Our Curling Manager, Rob, has mentioned that he'll be getting your names tattoo'd on his body to forever celebrate this tremendous feat.
Our Series 2 Schedules have now been posted.  Please check out our schedule page, or your individual team pages, to find out when you'll be curling for the next five weeks.  This Series does spill over into January for the 5th and final game, so please be aware that there is no Open League curling on December 25-26 and January 1-2.
Special Spectator and Road Opening
November 6, 2019
Just a note that all the road closures affecting the club have been lifted!  You're now able to access the club via King St. in Dundas - good news for all our local players.
On a particularly entertaining note: We'll likely have a special spectator for this weeks games - a bird has found its way into the curling rink and enjoys flying around during games.  Rob is doing what he can to move it back outside but in the meantime, feel free to utilize "the bird" as an indisputable reason why you missed your last shot.
Team Name Change
October 24, 2019
A small note - one of our Varsity teams has been renamed.  Team Gregory is now referred to as Team Warriner.
Club Access
October 11, 2019
Incase you've missed the emails, there is a major road closure leading from Dundas to the club. Please check your travel routes prior to your first game - it's looking like the road will be closed for a substantial period of time.
Rescheduling Games
October 2, 2019
With the league being entirely full, it's become a little more challenging to reschedule games.  Right now we have two league dates available for reschedules for the first two Series:
Series 1 Reschedule Date: November 13
Series 2 Reschedule Date: January 2

You do also have the option to switch draws with another schedule game (eg. Move your Wednesday 645PM game to Thursday at 645PM) if the other teams agree.

Lastly, there is also the possibility to play games on an alternate day by coordinating with our Curling Manager, Rob Matheson (contact info available to the right of this post).  This would likely occur during the late draw on Friday nights, or potentially immediately after the Sunday Morning Mixed League.

Of course, the simplest option is always to find a spare!  This league does not maintain a spare list, however, any Dundas Curling member is eligible to play, including Junior players.  You are also allowed to get spares from any Flyte within the Open League.  All spares are subject to the standard sparing rules outlined here.
2019-20 Season Announcements
October 1, 2019

Welcome to the 2019-20 Season of the Dundas Valley Open League!  We’ve had a tremendous influx of new teams and players which means some big changes in how the league is organized!  I strongly encourage you all to read this email in full as well as check out the website for updated rules.

For all our new participants, the Open League is a CYOR ladder-based league, which means that you ultimately will be playing against teams of similar skill level to your own.  You’ll play nearly every week of the curling season on Wednesday or Thursday at either 6:45PM or 9:00PM.  The schedule is as balanced as having an odd-numbered-sheet curling club will allow so, over the course of the season, you should have close to an equal split over all 4 timeslots (with a greater emphasis on 6:45 vs 9:00 balance than Wed vs Thurs balance).

The season is broken into four 5-week series in which you’ll find yourself competing in A, B, C, or D Flyte (more on that later).  After each series, teams are shifted up or down a flyte depending on your results!  At the end of the season, we have a quick 3-game playoff before heading off to work on our tans for the summer.

While the Open League, in comparison to other leagues at Dundas, leans slightly more towards a competitive league than recreational, we are out there primarily to have fun and enjoy the game of curling!

MEMORIZE THIS:

League Website:  

https://dundas.itscurling.com

This is your source for all rulesschedulesstandings, statistics, and league news (plus a ton of other things).  Most league communication is done through the website, so bookmark it and check it often!

Please check the team page on the website to ensure that all spelling is correct and team members are present.  Some of the writing on the signup sheet is very tough to read!

Convener Contact Information:

Name: Kris Blonski
Email: krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com
Phone / Text: 905-977-8101

Game Result Submissions:

Please submit all results electronically (winner and final score), either by email or text message, using the information above.  Typically, scores are submitted by the winning team but it doesn’t hurt for both to submit. All information on the website is updated instantly as scores are submitted, so get them in quick!


ABSORB THIS INFORMATION:

Season Calendar / Series 1 Schedules:

The schedule for Series 1 is up and available on the website!

We have a tight schedule this season.  As always, the schedule is subject to change based on unexpected weather closures.

Pre-season Practice Ice - October 7 to October 10
Series 1 - October 16 to November 21 (No Curling November 13-14: Mixed Districts)
Series 2 - November 20 to January 9 (No Curling December 25 to January 2)

No Curling - January 16-17 (Hamilton Districts)

Series 3 - January 22 to February 20
Series 4 - February 25 to March 26

Playoffs (Quarterfinals) - April 1 - 2
Playoffs (Semifinals) - April 8
Playoffs (Finals) / Club-Wide Season End Party and Banquet - April 9

After last year’s major success, we will be continuing with the club-wide season end party and banquet to coincide with our Open League finals.  I strongly encourage everyone to attend (whether playing or cheering) as it’s a great time and open to all leagues!


League Format:

We have hit 40 teams!  This is a league record and, with that, comes some big changes to the league format in order to accommodate additional teams.

A much more detailed explanation can be found in the league rules however, in summary:

  • Addition of a second division in A Flyte
  • Addition of a single division D Flyte

The addition of a second division in A Flyte is particularly exciting to me as it solves two long-standing format concerns: “It’s too challenging to get to / stay in A Flyte” and “A Flyte teams play each other too often”.

D Flyte will have a complete turnover every series, so no team needs to be worried about getting “Stuck in D Flyte”.

Of course, with all this talk about multiple divisions, I do want to remind new and returning members that there is no skill difference between Divisions 1 and 2 (They could also be referred to as East and West) and the only important thing is what Flyte you belong to.  It’s simply an organizational method so that the gap and point differentials between the top and bottom flytes doesn’t get too big.

 Rule Changes:

 As was discussed last year, we are changing how Champions are crowned this season:

 The team who collects the most points during the regular season will be crowed the Regular Season Champion (formerly Club Champion). 

 The team who wins the A Flyte Playoffs will be crowned the Club Champions (formerly A Flyte Playoff Winners).

THANK THESE PEOPLE:

Finally, a big thank you to McNally Construction for being the title sponsor and their longstanding support of this league. A new thank you to itscurling.com for providing webhosting to the league.  We’re always looking for additional sponsors (I have a lot of ideas) so if you or your company is interested, let’s talk!

As always, have a great season and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on the ice!

Good curling!

2019-20 Signup Info
September 11, 2019
Just a reminder that league signups take place at the Open House which takes place on Thursday, September 19th from 7-9pm!  If you are unable to attend, please send me an email with your complete 4-5 person team (sorry 3 man teams won't be accepted via email) and I will sign you up on your behalf.

We are expecting an influx of new teams/players so it's very important you sign up ASAP!

Survey Results - The results are in!  We will be continuing with the current league format (Mixed Wed/Thurs games, Split Division) going forward.  I received many insightful and passionate comments and will continue to adjust and tweak the league to best suit the broadest audience.  Thank you to all the teams/players who responded!

Thanks everyone!  Look forward to seeing you at the Open House!
2019 End of Season Address
April 14, 2019
What a season!  

I want to start first by thanking everyone who participated this year, without you the league doesn't exist!  A big thank you to our sponsor McNally Construction for your continued support over the years.  Another thank you to Rob and the ice making team for producing great ice throughout the season.  And a final thank you to all the staff at Dundas Valley for supporting curling in whatever way they can throughout the season!

State of the League

It's looking like next year the league is going to continue to grow and we are expecting somewhere between 36-40 teams, so with that we'll be looking to make some changes to the league next year.  This will likely mean the addition of a 2nd A Flyte, to match how things are done already in B and C flyte.

However, the biggest change will be how the Club Champions are declared:  Currently our Champion is declared based on regular season results, but no more!  Next season we will have a regular season champion, and the A Flyte Playoffs will be replaced by the Club Championships, where the top 6 teams will play down to represent the club! 

Travelers Club Championships Representatives

Congratulations to our two representatives for next years Travelers Club Championships! This is a national event to determine the best club team in the country!

Mens:  Team K. Blonski: Kris Blonski, Russ Gray, Peter Kastrau, and Dan Baker
Womens:  Team Gregory:  Kaelyn Gregory, Maddy Warriner, Grace Lloyd, and Maddy Fisher

Playoff Results

Great job to all teams who qualified for the finals held on Friday, April 12th.  It was an exciting night with a HUGE (and very loud) crowd featuring many nail biting games on the ice. 

Congratulations to all our winners - make sure to check out their photos, when they're posted, on our Past Champions page:

E Flyte: Team Ranta
D Flyte: Team Krizmanich
C Flyte: Team Snell
B Flyte: Team Olson
A Flyte: Team K. Blonski
2018-19 Playoffs
March 28, 2019
The official schedule is now available on the website.  Please be reminded that the playoff rules significantly differ from regular season, so I encourage you to check the website and give them a quick runthrough!

The Finals will be held on Friday, April 12th, at 6:30PM and will be the featured games for the club-wide curling blowout party!  Get those babysitters ready, bring your family, friends, and fan clubs because there will be plenty of food, drink, and entertainment at the post-game banquet!  Please email Jessica (administration@dundasvalleygolf.com) to register (this is a plated meal, so you must register!)  Guests more than welcome!

As if you all needed more incentive to come, all $4500 in cash prizes will be distributed during the banquet - if your team has won a series this year, make sure you're there, otherwise it goes back into the pool for next year!

Best of luck to all teams in the playoffs!

Series 4 Winners and Club Champions
March 28, 2019
Congratulations to our Series 4 Winners:  Teams K. Blonski, Lawler, Olson, Elsliger, and Gardiner-Dean!  While your success this series will not move you up a flyte, it will move you up... in our hearts.
An additional Congratulations to Dan Baker for winning his first Club Championship with a 17-3 record and 179 points.  A reluctant "good job" to the other three members of the team:  Russ Gray, Peter Kastrau and some other jerk.  This will be the final year that the Club Champion is declared based on the regular season - find out more at the end of year banquet!
Feb 27 Curling CANCELLED
February 27, 2019
All curling scheduled for tonight, Feb 27th, is CANCELLED due to weather conditions!  Games that were to be played tonight will be moved to March 27th.

Games scheduled for tomorrow, Feb 28th, are still scheduled as normal unless you hear otherwise!

Thanks everyone.  Be safe out there!
Series 3 Results
February 14, 2019
Congratulations to our Series 3 Winners!  Teams K. Blonski, Goll, Vollick, Gomes, and Olson!  Your names will forever be etched into our digital history (at least while the hosting bill continues to be paid).
We are in the final stretch of the season and I just wanted to remind everyone how the schedule will look for the remaining series and then playoffs.

Series 4 - February 20 to March 21

"Snow Day" Backup Week / Hotshots - March 27 - 28

Playoffs (Quarterfinals) - April 3-4
Playoffs (Semifinals) - April 10-11
Playoffs (Finals) - FRIDAY April 12
Feb 6th Curling CANCELLED
February 6, 2019
Just a quick notice to let you all know that curling is cancelled tonight due to the weather.  Fortunately we have a couple weeks built into the schedule for just such an occasion, so the league will not be affected in any way.

As of right now, games scheduled for tomorrow are unaffected.

All games from TONIGHT, Feb 6th, will be rescheduled to NEXT WEEK, Feb 13th.  Teams playing tomorrow will have the week off (sorry to those who were using "I have curling" as an excuse for getting out of romantic valentines day plans).

Due to the delay, Series 4 will start on Feb 20th.  Here is a schedule of the remainder of the season as a reminder:

Series 4 - February 20 to March 21

"Snow Day" Backup Week / Hotshots - March 27 - 28

Playoffs (Quarterfinals) - April 3-4
Playoffs (Semifinals) - April 10-11
Playoffs (Finals) - FRIDAY, April 12
Combine Spiel 2019
January 29, 2019
EDIT: All spots are now full! Enjoy the bonspiel for those who signed up!

Have you not had a chance to play in the Combine Spiel over the last few years? Well you're in luck, there are currently 5 team spots available!  Come experience the white knuckle thrill ride of farming as you combine teams for a final, 10 vs 10 showdown!  To signup, contact Mike Blonski (or me).  Only one DV Member required per team!
League Fees
January 21, 2019
Just a notice that the $25 league fees will be requested for the next billing cycle.  All participants, including 5th players, will be charged.  All money collected goes back to the players in the form of cash prizes!
2018-19 Series 2 Winners
December 21, 2018
Congratulations to our Series 2 winners! Teams K. Blonski, Snell, Lawler, Elsiger, Vollick, and Gregory! 

Series 3 will start on January 2nd, so we're only off for one week this Christmas. Look for the schedule to be posted sometime over the holiday break. We will have our usual Districts break on January 16th and 17th, and then powering through the rest of the season. 

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season!!
Series 2 Schedules
November 18, 2018
Congratulations to our Series 1 Winners!  Teams M. Blonski, Henricks, Wardlaw, Lawler, Gregory, Winslow, and Child!

Unfortunately, as is the way with flytes that have 7+ teams, we had two three-way ties that had to be broken by convener discretion.  This is a problem that is generally unique with Series 1 and shouldn't be a problem in for the remainder of the season.

Series 2 schedule are now posted!
McMaster Team Update
October 22, 2018
Just a quick update to let everyone know that Mac Varsity teams officially have new names:
Mac Varsity 1 - Team Lau
Mac Varsity 2 - Team Gregory
Series 1 Schedules
October 10, 2018
The schedules for Series 1 are now posted!  Go to the schedule page to check them out or view your team page (click on your team name pretty much anywhere) to get a team summary.
Please be sure to check the schedules often as there still is a chance for additional teams to enter which would cause new schedules to be created!  We have had a team signup since my last communication which means we're back at 33 teams.

If your team is still looking for an additional player, or perhaps an official 5th member, I do still have a handful of people looking to play.
NEW DV Open Doubles League
September 29, 2018
Attention Open League Curlers! If you are looking for an additional curling opportunity Dundas Valley's new doubles curling league is looking for a few more teams. League play will be scheduled on Tuesday evenings from 5:30PM - 7:00PM or 8:45PM-10:00PM. 

The league is based on a "round-robin" format consisting of 6 end games according to posted international "double" curling rules with the exception that there will be no restriction on team make-up in terms of gender. If you are interested please contact Mike Blonski at blonskimichaeld@gmail.com .  League play will starts Tuesday 25 October.
2018-19 Opening Announcements
September 27, 2018
Welcome to the 2018-19 Season of the Dundas Valley Open League!  We're changing up a few long-standing rules and traditions this year, so please read this (occasionally boring) email in its entirety!

MEMORIZE THIS:

Game Result Submissions:
Please submit all results electronically (winner and final score), either by email or text message, using the information on the side of this page.  All information on the website is updated instantly as scores are submitted, so get them in quick!
 
Team Information:
Please check the team page on the website to ensure that all spelling is correct and team members are present.  Some of the writing on the signup sheet is very tough to read!
 
Free Agents:
Do you need an extra player?  Please let me know and I'll send you their contact info!
 

LEAGUE INFORMATION:

Rule Changes:

5-Rock Free Guard Zone - Starting immediately we will be adopting the 5-Rock rule for all Open League games.  This generally means more rocks in play (and more exciting comebacks), so make sure to play "ready curling" on the ice so that you don't get caught by the timeclock!

Hair Brooms - As of this season, hair brooms are banned from all Dundas Valley leagues.  This includes using it as both a sweeping device AND delivery aid.

As always, it's a great idea to brush up on the league rules!


League Calendar:
Obviously none of this is set in stone but should give you a pretty good guideline for this season.

Pre-season Practice Ice / Training - October 9th to October 13th

Series 1 - October 17th to November 15th
Series 2 - November 21st to December 20th
Series 3 - January 2nd to February 7th (No Curling Jan 16-17: Hamilton Districts)
Series 4 - February 13th to March 14th

"Snow Day" Backup Weeks / Hotshots - March 20th to March 28th

Playoffs (Quarterfinals) - April 3-4
Playoffs (Semifinals) - April 10-11
Playoffs (Finals) - FRIDAY, April 12th

Big difference this year is the date of the finals.  We are hoping to take our already great curling finals night, move it to Friday to avoid early bedtimes, and expand it to an all leagues curling party in which our games will be featured.  More details to come later in the season.  PENCIL IN THAT DATE NOW.  NO EXCUSES.


League Format / General Scheduling:
We are currently sitting at 32 teams this season which means we will once again be playing Wednesday's and Thursdays at BOTH 645pm and 900pm.  As most teams discovered last year, a slightly unfortunate side effect of this is that it increases the number of 9pm games league-wide.  On average most teams will see two 9pm games per series, a handful of lucky teams with one, and a handful of unlucky teams with three.  As always, I'll do my best to balance all teams across all four time slots as evenly as possible.

NEW! Another adjustment for this season will be a significant reduction in accommodating scheduling requests.  Unfortunately, as the league continues to grow, it has become much more challenging to accommodate requests without noticeably altering other teams' schedules.

On a positive note, the schedules for Series 1 should be released sometime during the week of October 9th in order to allow any last minute teams to enter!  Should we reach 34+ teams, I'll send out an additional email as the league format will adjust to two A, B, and C flytes.
 

THANK THESE PEOPLE:

Finally, a big thank you to McNally Construction for being the title sponsor and their continued support of this league. A new thank you to itscurling.com for providing webhosting to the league.  We're always looking for additional sponsors (I have a lot of ideas) so if you or your company is interested, let's talk!

As always, have a great season and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on the ice!

Good curling!
New League Website
September 17, 2018
Congratulations!  If you're seeing this, you've found your way to our new website.  Please make sure to update your bookmarks to dundas.itscurling.com.  Don't worry, all your stats and various accolades have made it over in tact!

If you discover any weird quirks (and I'm sure there will be some) please let me know.
2019 Open House and Early Announcements
September 5, 2018
Just a reminder that signups take place at the Open House which is occurring on Thursday, September 20th from 7-9pm.  If you're unable to attend please send me an email with your complete 4 or 5 man team and I will sign up on your behalf.

If you don't have a team, don't worry!  We have our usual free agent list and, as always, we'll work out some deals on the floor to help you find the perfect team.  We're aiming to fill the league at 36 so make sure to spread the word!


IMPORTANT RULES ANNOUNCEMENT

There are two significant rule changes these year and I want to give plenty of notice to all teams.

5-Rock Free Guard Zone:  The CCA and CurlON have formally announced that adoption of the 5 rock rule at all levels of play.  We will be following suit immediately and all games will be played with the 5 Rock FGZ.

Hair Brooms Banned:  In another effort to follow the CCA and CurlON, the use of hair brooms for sweeping is officially banned in the league.  All synthetic heads are still allowed.  
2018 End of Season Address
April 5, 2018
What a season!  I want to start first by thanking everyone who participated this year - It has been a huge year for the league, with tons of new faces and players.  And I want to congratulate everyone - We have broken virtually every participation record in the 43 year history of the league:
  • We had 33 teams play this year which is the highest number of teams
  • We had 8 all women teams, which shatters the previous record (I think it was 4)
  • And, to continue along that line of thought, it was pointed out to me early in the season that out of our 150 players, we are about 40% female players which is fantastic - especially when you consider that it wasn't until the 2000-01 season that women could play, and the following season when Junior players were finally allowed to play.
I am hoping that next year we can hit 36 teams which will max out the league and let us use our final format of 2 A Flytes, 2 B Flytes and 2 C Flytes.  As much as I've enjoyed playing against the Mike Blonski team 34 times over 9 seasons, or Brian Olson's team 29 times, having 2 A Flytes will go a LONG way into freshening things up!

Bonspiels:

Speaking of participation, I'm going to go on a slight tangent here but our Bonspiels this year killed it.  I think the Beer Spiel didn't even need a signup sheet, the Hunger Games filled up in an evening and, everyone's favourite, the Combine Spiel, is probably about 'this close' to having people camp out overnight to signup.  Of course, congratulations to Danny Dozer for the stunning upset over Johnny Tractor! 

I do have an ulterior motive in bringing up the Bonspiels:  Tiffany and I are looking to step down from running the Hunger Games Bonspiel, so we're looking for some new volunteers to take over.  If it's something you'd be interested in trying let me or Craig know!  Trust me, it's the easiest bonspiel to run.

Club Champions and Travelers Representatives:

Congratulations to our Club Champions: Mike Blonski, Chris Dion, Derek Blonski and Alan Finlayson.  They will be our Mens Travelers Club Championship representatives for the following season. 

Congratulation Team Coe: Candace Coe, Lori Eddy, Kristi Ahokas and Roxane Dunmore - They are the highest ranked Womens team which makes them our Womens Travelers Club Championship representatives

For those who don't know, the Travelers Club Championship is a National Event where teams compete to become the best club team in the country.  So good luck to both our teams!

Playoffs:

FINALLY, congratulations to all our playoff champions:

A Flyte - K. Blonski
B Flyte - Gregory
C Flyte - Vollick
D Flyte - Martindale
E Flyte - Jackson

Once again, big congratulations to all our winners!  Before I sign off, I want to also thank Craig and his team for the great ice all season, McNally Construction for their continued sponsorship, all the wait staff from tonight and throughout the year and, finally, to all of you for making it fun to run this league!  Thanks everyone and we'll see you in September!
2018 Finals
April 3, 2018
Just a reminder that the finals for the Open League are tomorrow!  All games start at 6:30 PM, so slightly earlier than normal in order to accommodate the club end of the year banquet that follows at 8:45 PM.

Click here for the complete playoff schedule!

For those whose quest for the championship ended early, I still strongly encourage you to come out to watch the games, grab a drink, and socialize.  This is the last day of curling for the season, so make it a good one!

Finally, all prizes and trophies will be given out during the banquet, so if you have won anything make sure you come to grab it, otherwise it goes back into the prize pool for next season.

Good luck to everyone playing!
2018 Playoff Schedule
March 22, 2018
Firstly, congratulations to everyone for completing the regular season and extra congratulations to our Club Champions:  Mike Blonski, Chris Dion, Derek Blonski and Alan Finlayson!  Starting in B Flyte this year, they went 17-3, finishing with 169pts and collecting 3 session wins along the way.

With 45 minutes left to spare to the 10am deadline, the playoff schedules have been created!  Click here to view the complete schedule.

Our lucky teams who will be playing tonight @ 6:45PM are:

Ice 2:  Nease vs Gardiner-Dean
Ice 3:  Jackson vs Styles
Ice 4:  Glenny vs Winslow

If, for some reason, you're not able to play your game tonight, you are the fortunate few who can reschedule their game as long as it's played prior to March 28th.

Best of luck to all teams in the playoffs!
2018 Playoff Update
March 16, 2018
Hi Everyone!

As always, please forward this message to the rest of  your team!

It's (almost) the playoffs and I want to give some quick clarification in regards to schedules and rules.

Rules:

Playoff rules are slightly different from the regular season and I encourage you to double check them before starting your games.  Rule adjustments are in relation to spares, time clock, rescheduling, and tie games.  

Scheduling:

March 21 - 6:45PM & 9:00PM - Snow Day (Mar 1) makeup games
March 22 - 6:45PM - Playoff Overflow - D and E Flyte Quarterfinals (3 Games Total)

March 28 -  6:45PM & 9:00PM - A, B, C, D, E Flyte Quarterfinals (10 Games Total)
March 29 -  6:45PM & 9:00PM - A, B, C, D, E Flyte Semifinals (10 Games Total)

April 4 - 
6:30PM - A, B, C, D, E Flyte Finals (5 Games Total)
7:30PM - End of Year Banquet Seating #1
8:30PM - End of Year Banquet Seating #2

Just a few additional points:  

Schedules for the playoffs will be posted and emailed on March 22nd before 10am.  Unfortunately, with the makeup games being so close, I cannot get the playoff schedules out any sooner.  If you are ranked 19th to 33rd (based on the overall standings), you should operate under the assumption that you're playing that night until the schedules officially confirm either way.  For those playing on March 21st, please submit your scores ASAP to help expedite this process.

Second, the FINALS are started 15 minutes earlier than usual at 6:30PM in order to better accommodate the end of year banquet.  The Club-wide end of the year banquet will be split into two servings this year, one at 7:30PM and the second at 8:30PM.  Signups are now in the curling lounge - cost is $35 per person and open to significant others.  If your team is not playing in the finals, I still strongly encourage you all to come out, enjoy the banquet and have a great time watching the last games of the season!

Finally, all trophies and prize money (around $4700 in cash and prizes this year) will be distributed after the finals.  So if your team has won a series this year, make sure you're there, otherwise it goes back into the pool for next season!

Curling Cancelled (March 1st)
March 1, 2018
Hey guys,

Just found out that the club will be closing due to the winter storm, all curling is cancelled tonight. All games originally scheduled for today will be played on March 21st, I'll update the schedule on the website to reflect this chance as soon as possible.

Unfortunately this means we cannot do Hot Shots this year because March 21st was reserved for that but it has to be cancelled.


Series 4 Schedules
February 10, 2018
Congratulations to our Series 3 WInners: Teams M. Blonski, Olson, L. Blonski, Gregory, and Sarvari!  Those two points you all just earned are worth thousands of dollars in Bitcoin.

The Series 4 Schedules are posted, so feel free to check them out.

We are nearing playoff time, so here will be our schedule going forward for the remainder of the season:

Feb 14th-Mar 15:  Weeks 16-20 of the Regular Season
March 21:  Team Hot Shots or Weather Related Makeup Games
March 22:  Team Hot Shots / Spill-over E Flyte Quarterfinal Game
March 28:  Quarterfinals
March 29:  Semifinals
April 4: Finals (Starting at 6:30pm)

For our single E Flyte Playoff game that will be held during the hotshots tournament, you still will be able to play the Hotshots competition the day prior if you so choose.  

Good luck to everyone in the final regular season series!
Schedule Update
December 30, 2017
Just a quick notice that there was a slight error in the earlier schedule and it has since been adjusted.  Some games have been moved so please double check your schedule if you have already passed on information to your team.
Series 3 Schedules
December 30, 2017
I hope everyone had a happy holiday season!
The Series 3 Schedules are now posted.  As always, please keep in mind that I try to keep the schedules as balanced as possible across days, times, and sheets.  However, accommodating scheduling requests will occasional result in some teams playing "weird" schedules (such as 3 Thursday games in a row).

Just a reminder that there will be no curling on January 10th and 11th due to the Hamilton Districts.  Good luck to all teams participating!
Series 2 Results and other Reminders
December 22, 2017
Congratulations to our Flyte Winners this session:  Teams M. Blonski, Henricks, Schellenberg, White, Pickthall, Wardlaw and Martindale.  In what has quickly become the most competitive and tightly contested season in league history, you have risen above the rest!

Schedules for the 3rd series will be posted sometime during the holidays, likely through an eggnog included haze.  We will be returning on January 3rd and 4th, off the following week of January 10th and 11th due to the Hamilton Districts, and then returning on January 17th and 18th.  After that, there will be no additional breaks in the schedule until the end of the season (currently scheduled for either April 4th or 11th).

I also want to give a gentle reminder that the Open League does follow standard OCA/CurlON (Curling Ontario) and Curling Canada rules of play which states you may only use one broom and one throwing device per game.  There will almost certainly be additional rule changes coming in the following season (likely the 5 rock Free Guard Zone and banning of hair brooms from club play) as it's the start of a new Olympic cycle, so I'll do my best to keep everyone informed and to adjust the league accordingly!

Finally, have a great holiday season and we'll see you all in the new year!
Winners and Series 2 Schedules
November 19, 2017
Congratulations to all our series winners: M. Blonski, Olson, McLeod, Goll and our three-way tie for A Flyte K. Blonski, Coe, and Maslin.  It's shaping up to be a very competitive season with a 5-way tie for first place!

New Teams / Name Changes:

We are up to 33 teams(!) as McMaster University has now split into their Junior and Senior Varsity teams with the following names:
Team Gregory - They will retain McMasters existing B Flyte Spot
Team Jackson - They will start in C Flyte with a 0-0 record

Team Conley is now known as Team Pickthall (this makes my life easier)

Format Adjustment:

We will be running C1 with 8 teams and C2 with 7 teams.  I will re-evaluate this format at the end of the series to make sure it's as fair as possible.

Schedule Requests:

As the league grows, it's becoming much more difficult to accommodate scheduling requests without causing odd side effects such as teams having skewed schedules (ie. 4 Thursday games out of 5).  Please keep this in mind and I will continue to try my best to continue to accommodate all scheduling requests.

Some teams have mentioned that they are playing a lot of games on ices 2, 3 and 4, including back to back games.  This is due to 9pm games only needing three sheets so, while in a "perfect" schedule you may have been been playing on an edge sheet during that timeslot, since we don't have a full 9pm draw, I've moved all the teams to the centre sheets.

Holiday Scheduling:

We will be playing up to December 21st to complete this series.  Series 3 will start January 3rd.  We will then have a week off January 10th for the Hamilton Districts, and will return the following week, running all the way through to the end of the season.  We are on track to finish the season and playoffs on April 4th assuming we don't miss any time due to weather.

League Start Delayed
October 10, 2017
The start of the curling season is going to be delayed until likely Friday of this week due to the high temperatures and humidity in the ice rink causing, what essentially amounts to, rain in the building.  We will probably push the end of the curling season back from April 4th to 11th in order to compensate.

Craig will be sending out additional updates as the week goes on.

The schedules posted last night will be revamped and adjusted for the new start date (but should give you a rough idea of the first series).  As always, they are subject to change up until the first day of the league start, so make sure you check back often to make sure you know exactly when you are playing.

Series 1 Schedules
October 8, 2017
The schedules are now posted.  Check out the Results/Schedules page for all the details. You can also click your team name on any site on this website to be taken to a customized page with more details!

We have officially expanded into Thursday nights at 9pm, so you will likely notice an increase of Thursday games as well as 9pm games.  Additionally, you'll likely play more games on sheets 2,3, and 4 as 9PM games only use those sheets.

One quick note on C1 and C2 - There are actually 7 teams in each flyte but due to a limitation with the website it is not displaying properly.  Team Krizmanich is in C2, not C1.  I'll be working on the site in the meantime to hopefully find and correct the error.
2017-18 Opening Annoucements
October 2, 2017

Welcome to the 2017-18 Open League Season!  I'm happy to say that we have a LOT of new teams this season, and with that comes a lot of tweaks and adjustments to the league.  Read on for all the juicy details.

 

 

MEMORIZE THIS:

 

Convener Contact Information:

Email: krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com

Phone / Text: 905-977-8101

 

Game Result Submissions:

ALL results should be sent electronically, either by email or text message, using the information above.  Please include your team name and final scores.  Resultsstandings, and statistics (herehere, and here... there's a lot) are updated immediately on the website so the faster you get them in the faster the site gets updated!

 

Team Information:

Please check the team page on the website to ensure that all spelling is correct and that all members of your team are accounted for.  Some of the writing on the signup sheet is very tough to read! 

 

 

READ THIS (IT'S IMPORTANT):

 

Teams / Schedules:

Well, I asked and you delivered:  We are currently sitting at 31 teams this season with a potential of 3 more teams on top of that.  Additionally, we do have a couple of individuals who are looking to play, so if you're in need of an additional player (or maybe a 5th) let me know and I will send you their contact information.

 

As always, teams will be seeded into the league based roughly on last year regular season and playoff results.  Teams completely new to the league, or returning teams with 2 or fewer returning players from last season (ie. A team that splits into two teams of 2 players are both considered to be "new" teams, regardless of where their new teammates come from) are considered "new" and will be started in C Flyte regardless of skill level.  It's nothing personal, I promise!

 

Open League curling starts October 11th and 12th this year.  Schedules will be posted sometime during the weekend prior to allow for any of the last minute teams to enter.  Once posted please check your schedule often prior to game time in case of any emergency adjustments. 

 

Please note that should we end up with 32 or more teams this season, we will be expanding the league to also include Thursday @ 9:00PM games.

 

Rule Changes / Format Changes:

With 31+ teams comes another slight adjustment to the league to accommodate the influx of teams.  You'll notice in the explanation below that if we have 33 teams, we could technically run both formats.  

 

28 to 33 teams: 

  • A Flyte will have a single division.  B and C Flytes will both have two divisions.
  • At the end of each Series:

o    Bottom 2 teams from A Flyte will move to B Flyte (2 total)

o    Top 1 team from each B Flyte Division will move to A Flyte (2 total)

o    Bottom 2 teams from each B Flyte Division will move to C Flyte (4 total)

o    Top 2 teams from each C Flyte Division will move to B Flyte (4 total)

 

 

33 to 36 teams: 

  • A, B, and C Flytes will all have two divisions
  • At the end of each Series:

o    Bottom 2 teams from each A Flyte Division will move to B Flyte (4 total)

o    Top 2 teams from each B Flyte Division will move to A Flyte (4 total)

o    Bottom 2 teams from each B Flyte Division will move to C Flyte (4 total)

o    Top 2 teams from each C Flyte Division will move to B Flyte (4 total)

 

Rules have been updated for clarity as well as to accommodate the increased sized of the league.  As always, new and veteran players alike, I recommend everyone take a quick look at the rules prior to the start of the season!

 

 

THANK THESE PEOPLE:

 

Finally, a big thank you to McNally Construction for being the Title sponsor of the league this season and thank you to Clean Sheet Curling (Norm Gervais and Sheilagh Lamb) for continuing to provide web hosting for the league.  If you're interested in sponsoring to help grow the league and enable us to run more fun events please contact me for more information!

  

That should be everything!  Remember to check the website for all future information.  And, as always, if you have any questions feel free to contact me.


Good curling!

Extra Players
September 24, 2017
If you are still looking for a team, or for additional players to fill in any gaps you may have please contact me and I will provide their contact information. I still have a number of players looking to play!
DV Open House
September 11, 2017

Just a quick reminder that the Open House is Friday, September 22nd from 7-9pm. The date has recently been changed, so make sure you update your calendars to reflect the change. The club is also running their Ribfest event from 5:30-8pm, so for $35+tax you can get your fill of ribs prior to the Open House.

This is the best time to sign your team up for the 2017-18 season of the Open League, or to find a new team or new players! If no one from your team is able to make it to the Open House, please send me an email with a complete 4 or 5 man team and I will pre-register for you this season.

Our goal this year is 30 teams (last year we had 27), so if you have friends from other leagues definitely get them to sign up. As we all know, the Open League is a great league for teams/players of all skill levels.

The season is slated to start on October 11th so make sure to start your dry land training today!

2017 End of Season Address
April 6, 2017

What a season!

Before everyone puts away their curling gear I want to quickly re-cap the year! First of all, a big thank you to our sponsor, McNally Construction, for once again supporting our league. Everything that we bring in goes back to the players so the more support the better!

Brier Challenge 2.0
This is our second time running the event and we increased our entries from 56 to 92! Next year we will be running this for the Olympic Trials so make sure to start your research now! So without further ado, your Challenge champions are:

1st Place - Pam Irvine
2nd Place - Dave Dean
3rd Place - Team Laurin

Hot Shots
We ran our annual Team Hot Shots competition again this year and with 25 entries, was the largest event so far. Based on the final overall standings, we award one winner from A and B Flyte, and two winners from C Flyte.

Congratulations to our winning teams:
McMaster University (B Flyte - 39 pts - 6th Overall)
Team Hipple (C Flyte - 43 pts - 5th Overall)
Team Henricks (C Flyte - 47 pts - 3rd Overall)
Team K. Blonski (A Flyte - 51 pts - 1st Overall)

Congratulations to Russ Gray for earning the prize of "Best Curling at Dundas Valley" as he had the highest individual score of all participants with 24 out of 30 points.

Season Accomplishments
Two real dominating teams this regular season: Linda Blonski and Craig Maslins teams. Tied for 2nd and 4th most wins in league history with 18 and 17, and tied for 2nd in longest winning streak at 11. The Maslin team was particularly ruthless, setting the league record for highest average points per game at 8.55; almost a full point ahead of the previous leader.

Club Champions and Travelers Club Championship Representatives
Congratulations to our Club Champions this season: Kris Blonski, Russ Gray, Peter Kastrau, and Pete Child. Another congratulations go to our third place team, Team Coe - Candace Coe, Lori Eddy, Kristi Ahokas, and Roxane Dunmore: Both teams will represent our club at the Travelers Club Championship in October this year. Great job everyone!

Playoffs
FINALLY, great job to all the teams that made the finals this year but there can only be one winner in each flyte! So congratulations to the following teams for winning the playoffs:
A Flyte Playoffs: Team Coe
B Flyte Playoffs: Team Schellenberg
C Flyte Playoffs: Team Henricks
D Flyte Playoffs: Team Vollick
D Flyte Playoffs: Team Klein

Final Season Thank Yous!
I want to thank Craig for his fantastic ice throughout the year - without a doubt we have some of the best ice in Southern Ontario and we're all lucky to have someone so dedicated to the club.

As usual I'll be making some tweaks to the league and the website over the summer, and I'll see all of you again at the Open House in September!

Thanks Everyone for another fantastic season here at Dundas Valley!

The Finals - 2017 Edition
April 3, 2017

We are down to one game left this season and it's time to see which teams have what it takes to walk away as playoff champions!

The schedule of events for Wednesday, April 5th is as follows:

Pre-Announcements: 6:40PM
Game Start: 6:45PM
Awards and Closing Ceremony: ~9:00PM

For those who signed up: Appetizers will be available during the game, and a separate serving after the games for those who are playing in the finals.

For those who's quest for the championship ended early than expected, I strongly encourage you to come out to the finals anyway and enjoy the last game of the season! It's a great opportunity to see everyone one last time before the summer break and, most importantly, that everyone shoots 100% from behind the glass. As an added incentive, all prize money from Hotshots, Brier Pool 2.0, Session Wins, Top 5 Finishes, and, of course, the playoffs will be distributed at this time!

Good luck and good curling to all those participating in the finals!

Playoffs and Hot Shots
March 17, 2017

PLAYOFFS

Firstly, congratulations to everyone for completing another regular season of the Open League! It was a battle all year long with many new teams emerging as contenders for the Club Championship.

The schedules for the playoffs have been posted and you can check them out on the website on the schedule page or in the way-harder-than-you'd-think-to-code bracket format! Of course, you can also see your games via your team page as well.

Please remember that there are adjusted rules for the playoffs, so I'd recommend spending a couple minutes brushing up on them!

Game times will be:
Quarter Finals - Wednesday, March 29 @ 645 & 900 PM
Semi Finals - Thursday, March 30 @ 645 & 900 PM
Finals - Wednesday, April 5 @ 645 PM (with awards and prizes to follow)

We are trying something new for the finals night and instead of a post-game banquet, we're going to serve hors d'oeurvres throughout the night. Signups for this should go up very soon in the curling lounge and the pricing should be around $20-25 per person. For those playing in the finals, there will be a separate service just for you (assuming you also sign up). For those who unfortunately don't make it to the finals, I strongly recommend coming out and enjoying the finals anyway and say goodbye to your curling friends before they hibernate for the summer! And don't forget to bring your significant other so that they can experience where you spend 95% of your time in the winter.

HOT SHOTS

The Team Hot Shots will be played next week on March 22nd and 23rd.

Please take note that the games will be played at 645PM and 815PM. Hotshots typically only takes about 1:15 to 1:30 hrs to play, so even if you're on the late draw, you'll be home in bed nice and early!

You can play with 3, 4, or 5 man teams and feel free to use spares if you'd like. I do not need to be notified ahead of time of how many players you will have.

I will be there for all draws to do a quick announcement and run-through of the rules and to answer any questions you may have!

Series 4 Schedule and Playoffs
February 12, 2017

Congratulations to our Series 3 winners: Teams K. Blonski, Hagen, L. Blonski, and Olson. It is about 130 in the morning right now and I cannot think of anything particularly clever, so just give yourselves a pat on the back. Great work!

So, lets talk about the 6-way tie in B Flyte! Since head-to-head results were impossible, as per the rules, I used the overall standings to break the tie. I will spend some time in the off-season to figure out a better, more fair, method of breaking ties that does not punish teams who had a particularly rough time in A flyte.

Barring any winter snowstorms, we will go ahead with our annual Team Hot Shots competition on March 22nd and 23rd. Should your team not wish to participate, please let me know ahead of time for scheduling purposes.

I will be billing your teams the 25 dollar league fee over the next week or two and then locking the rosters. Please make sure your team on the website is correct as that will be your playoff rosters. This year there will be no exceptions of the rules - if you are using an unrostered player they will be considered a spare and will have to follow the playoff spare rules.

Series 3 Schedule
December 20, 2016

Firstly, a hearty Christmas congratulations to our Session winners: Teams K. Blonski, Maslin, Stanyar, and Richards. I have put in a good word with Santa for all of you.

Secondly, after last weeks announcement a few more Provincial Qualifiers have come out of the woodwork! Congratulations to Danielle Hudson and her team for qualifying for the U21 Provincial Championships, and congratulations to Lori Eddy and her womens team for qualifying for the Ontario Scotties Provincial Championships. Good luck to everyone!

The schedules for Series 3 have been posted. All late games for the first week back will be played Thursday at 9pm, and then the following week we are off for the Hamilton Districts and then back to the regular schedule after that. Thank you to Craig for arranging to have the club open a little bit early to accommodate our league!

Have a great holiday season and we'll see you back on the ice in January!

Fundraising and Winter Schedule
December 13, 2016

In some exciting news one of our Open League members and longtime DV Junior curler Lindsay Kastrau has qualified for the Under 21 Provincial Championships. Her team is looking to raise some money to help offset the costs and Lindsay will be collecting money (and signing autographs if you ask nicely) for a 50/50 event on Dec 14th and 15th.

I have had a couple questions in regards to the winter schedule. There will be NO curling next week for our league (Dec 21 and 22) and we will reconvene in the first week of January to start the 3rd Series. Craig is checking to see if he will be able to open the club a day early (January 4th) and once we find out I will post the schedules for the new session.

If we are unable to open a day early, we will be playing a two full draws on Thursday, January 5th and six teams will end up playing two games in a week at some point during the series.

I will keep you updated as I find out more information!

Thanks everyone and have a happy holiday season!

Series 1 Winners and Series 2 Schedules
November 11, 2016

A hearty congratulations to our Series 1 winners: Coe, Hagen, L. Blonski, Vollick and Maslin. I think this may be the first time we have had five teams post a perfect 5-0 record, especially when you consider that there are only four flytes!

The flytes have been reshuffled and the schedules for Series 2 are now available. In regards to BYEs, each team will receive a maximum of 2 BYEs throughout the season.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to do a great job texting or emailing your results to me. The sooner I get them the faster the website is updated and faster new schedules can be posted!

Schedule Adjustment
October 10, 2016

There has been a minor change to Week 4 of the schedules. Please adjust your calendars accordingly.

Series 1 Schedules Posted
October 9, 2016

The 2016-17 Schedules have been posted! Go to the Schedule page to see the complete listing or click your team name to see detailed information!

Unfortunately we were unable to get our 28th team this season, so we'll proceed with 27. For our returning players: the format has changed (specifically how teams move up and down between series) so check out the Rules page for more information!

Looking forward to another great season!

2016-17 Season Announcements
October 3, 2016

Before I get into everything I want to welcome everyone to the 2016-17 Season of the Open League at Dundas Valley! We have a LOT of new teams this season which means a bunch of adjustments to the league. Read on for more information:

BUT FIRST, SOME BORING (but important) ADMIN STUFF:

Convener Contact Information:
Email: krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com
Phone: 905-977-8101

Game Result Submissions:
Unless I have personally collected your game results, ALL results should be sent electronically, either by email or text message, using the information above. Please include your team name and final scores. Results and statistics are updated immediately on the website so the faster you get them in the faster the site gets updated!

Team Information:
Please check the team page on the website to ensure that all spelling is correct and that all members of your team are accounted for. Some of the writing on the signup sheet is very tough to read!

AND NOW, THE EXCITING (to me) LEAGUE STUFF:

Teams / Schedules:
We have 27 teams this year! BUT we also have a yet-to-signup 28th(!) team that is in desperate need of a 4th fulltime player before they can commit to the season. If you know of an individual who is looking to curl this season in the Open League but didn't make it on a team PLEASE let me know so we can get that spot filled. It would be fantastic to have 28 teams!

Open League curling starts October 12th and 13th this year. Schedules will be posted on October 9th or 10th to allow for any last minute teams to signup. Once posted please check your schedule often prior to game time in case of a last minute adjustment.

Also a quick reminder that all non-returning teams are placed in either C Flyte division initially regardless of skill level.

Rule Changes / Format Changes:
With 27+ teams comes some long awaited adjustments to the league format. See the attached files for a visual explanation - otherwise here is my best attempt at a quick and dirty explanation:

26 or 27 teams: B Flyte will increase to 8 teams with the top 2 teams moving to A Flyte and the bottom 4 teams moving to C Flyte after each session. In each C Flyte Division the top 2 teams will move to B Flyte after each session.

28 to 33 teams: B Flyte will split to two divisions (B1 and B2) with the top 1 team moving to A Flyte and the bottom 2 teams moving to C Flyte after each session. In each C Flyte Division the top 2 teams will move to B Flyte after each session.

In regards to rules, they've been slightly updated to reflect the new size of the league as well as to clarify some sparing rules. As always, I recommend everyone take a quick look at the rules prior to the start of the season!

Sponsors:
Finally, a big thank you to McNally Construction for being the Title sponsor of the league this season and thank you to Clean Sheet Curling (Norm Gervais and Sheilagh Lamb) for continuing to provide web hosting for the league. Of course we're always looking for additional sponsors to help grow the league and enable us to run more fun events so if you are interested please contact me for more information.

Open House Reminder
September 8, 2016

Just a quick reminder to everyone that the DV Curling Open House will take place on September 28th @ 7-9pm! So start figuring out your teams for this upcoming season now so that you can quickly signup on Open House night!

Our goal this year is 26 teams (up from 24) so if you know of any people who may be interested in playing make sure to send them a message.

If you are looking for additional players, please contact me and I will put you in touch with some members who are interested in playing in the Open League this year.

2015-16 End of Season
April 7, 2016

It's been another great year for the Open League and I wanted to quickly re-cap the events of the season!

50/50 Brier Challenge
This was the first season we ran our Brier Challenge and it was a great success! In about a week we managed to get 59 participants and we were very impressed to see that the curling knowledge at Dundas Valley is very high!

Big congratulations to our winners, Dan Schellenberg and Dave Gaylor, who topped the list with a whopping 53/68 correct answers.

A big thanks to Lori from Team Coe who ran the challenge and make sure to play next year when we make it bigger and better!

Hot Shots
For the second year we ran our popular Team Hot Shots competition to see how you stack up against other teams. Based on the final overall standings we award one winner from A and B Flytes, and two winners from C Flyte.

Congratulations to our 4 Winning teams:
Team Goll (B Flyte - 41 pts - 6th OVerall)
Team WInslow (C Flyte - 46 pts - 4th Overall)
Team Snell (A Flyte - 48 pts - 2nd Overall)
Team L. Blonski (C Flyte - 50 pts - 1st Overall)

And, while there is no official prize except for the title "Best Curler at Dundas Valley", congratulations to Paul Winslow for the highest individual points with 23!

Season Accomplishments
Welcome Peter Kastrau, Brian Olson, and Brian Snell to the 200 Lifetime wins club!

Congratulations to Team K. Blonski for their record breaking season. They officially took possession of three long standing league records: 19 Wins (previously 18), 198 Points (previously 182), and 17 Game Winning Streak (previously 10). Check out how all the teams stacked up this season on our Single Season Team Records page.

Club Champions and Travelers Club Championship Representatives
Congratulations to our Club Champions this season: Kris Blonski, Russ Gray, Peter Kastrau, and Pete Child. Another congratulations go to our second place team, Team Coe - Candace Coe, Lori Eddy, Kristi Ahokas, and Roxane Dunmore: Both teams will represent our club at the Travelers Club Championship in October this year. Great job everyone!

Playoffs
FINALLY, great job to all the teams that made the finals this year but there can only be one winner in each flyte! So congratulations to the following teams for winning the playoffs:
A Flyte Playoffs: Team K. Blonski
B Flyte Playoffs: Team Maslin
C Flyte Playoffs: Team Sedgwick
D Flyte Playoffs: Team L. Blonski

Final 2015-16 Season Thank Yous!
I want to thank Todd for his fantastic ice throughout the year - without a doubt we have some of the best ice in Southern Ontario and we're all lucky to have someone so dedicated to the club.

I also need to thank our sponsor, McNally Construction, without whom we couldn't provide all the fantastic prizes at the end of the year.

As usual I'll be making some tweaks to the league and the website over the summer, and I'll see all of you again on September 28th at the Open House!

Thanks Everyone for another fantastic season here at Dundas Valley!

2016 Finals
April 4, 2016

The end of the season is nearly here with only one game left: The Finals

The schedule of events for the evening will be as follows

Game Start: 6:30PM
Dinner Service: ~8:15-9:00PM (Subject to slight adjustment)
Awards: 9:00PM

As always, I encourage everyone who isn't playing in the finals to come out and enjoy the last game of the season with the rest of your teammates and league-mates. If your team has won a session at any point during the year, it is especially important to come out as any unclaimed prizes go back into the prize pool for the following season!

Congratulations to all the teams who've made it to the finals! Here are the matchups for the finals:

A FLYTE:
(1) K. Blonski vs (3) M. Blonski
2009-2016 Skip Vs Skip record: M. Blonski leads 13W-12L

B FLYTE:
(7) Maslin vs (9) Richards
2009-2016 Skip Vs Skip record: Richards leads 1W-0L

C FLYTE:
(13) Sedgwick vs (17) Mackenzie
2009-2016 Skip Vs Skip record: Sedgwick leads 1W-0L

D FLYTE:
(21) L. Blonski vs (22) Boag
2009-2016 Skip Vs Skip record: Boag leads 1W-0L


Good luck and good curling to everyone!

2016 Hotshots Schedule
March 14, 2016

The Hotshots Schedule has been officially announced and can be seen below. Please note that the second game on March 23rd starts at 8:20PM (We have found that Hotshots only take about 1:15hr to 1:30hr to complete)

I will be there before each draw to do some quick announcements and get everyone started on the right path!

Brier Challenge Winners!
March 14, 2016

Congratulations to our Brier Challenge Winners: Dan Schellenberg, Dave Gaylor, and John Price! Make sure to attend the end of the year banquet to collect your winnings!

Brier Challenge Day 4 Update
March 9, 2016

The standings are as follows:

31 Points

  • Kris Blonski

30 Points

  • Russ Gray
  • Josh Erion
  • John Price
  • Cam Knapp

29 Points

  • Dan Schellenberg
  • Dave Gaylor
  • Paul Winslow
  • Cathy Smith

3 more days to go! Lots can change!

Brier Challenge Day 2 Update
March 7, 2016

This is straight from the official scorekeeper, Lori:

Tied for first with 17/19

  • Joyce Neal
  • Paul Winslow
  • Kris Blonski
  • Mark and Candy

One back from the leaders at 16/19

  • Brian Snell
  • Ron Richards
  • Alan Finlayson
  • Cam Knapp
  • Linda Blonski
  • Russ Gray
50-50 Brier Challenge
February 25, 2016

We will be (finally) billing all players the $25 league fee in the next week or so. Please confirm that your team members on the league website are accurate. These will be the rosters you'll use going into the playoffs, so it is important that they are correct.

Now something a little more fun:

We're going to try our first ever 50/50 Brier Challenge! The challenge is simple:

  • $10 per individual entry for those interested in participating
  • Pick up a draw sheet at the club
  • Choose who you think will be the winner of every game in the round robin by CLEARLY circling the winning team
  • Choose you you think will win the Pre-Qualifier Tournament (Between NS, YT, NT, and NU)
  • Submit your completed form to Todd or Kris and sign the official entry sheet in the curling lounge by Saturday, March 5th at noon!

The winner of the challenge will be the person who guesses the most games correctly and will receive the 50/50 winnings! In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the player who correctly guessed the Pre-Qualifier Tournament winner. If the players are still tied, they will split the prize money! All prizes will be handed out at the End of the Year Banquet on April 6th.

Good luck for those who choose to participate!

Session 3 Winners
February 12, 2016

Congratulations to all our session 3 winners: Teams K. Blonski, M. Blonski, Maslin, and Schellenberg. It would be best for the morale of the league if you would try to stay indoors this weekend and not lose any fingers to frostbite.

In what is becoming slightly embarrassing for the convener, congratulations to team K. Blonski for becoming the first team to win three sessions in a row with perfect 5-0 records in each.

We will be billing all of our players in the coming week or two the $25 entry fee for the league. Please review your official team list and let me know if there are any changes that need to be made. Remember that these will be your official rosters going into playoffs where the roster rules are a little more strict.

Finally, barring any winter storm closures, we will be running our team hot-shots competition again during the final week on March 23rd/24th. If your team does not wish to participate, please let me know ASAP so I can create some appropriate schedules.

The schedules for Session 4 will be posted by Saturday. Good luck on the final session of the year! And a reminder to all that the playoffs occur on: March 30th (Quarterfinals), March 31st (Semi Finals, and April 6th (Finals).

Session 2 Winners
December 18, 2015

Congratulations to our Session 2 Winners: K. Blonski, Snell, Stanyar, and Lawler. I'll put in a good word with Santa for all of you!

An extra congratulations for team K. Blonski who officially captured the best 1st-half season record in league history at 10-0. This also ties them with the longest winning streak of all time and makes them only the second team to win back-to-back sessions with 5-0 records. Will this particularly handsome team be stopped in the new year? Probably.

Schedules for session 3 have been posted. Just a reminder that we start back up on January 6th. There is no curling the following week (Jan 13, 14) due to the districts. After that there are no more missing weeks for the rest of the season. Playoffs are scheduled for March 30th, 31st and April 6th with the end of the year banquet immediately afterwards.

Wishing everyone a safe and fun holiday season!

Session 2 Schedules (Almost)
November 15, 2015

The schedules are complete but unfortunately there is an issue with the server preventing me from uploading them. I will update it when possible but for now, see below for week 1's schedules.

EDIT: Schedules are posted

Session 1 Winners
November 13, 2015

Congratulations to our Session 1 Winners: K. Blonski, Goll, Coe, and Wardlaw. I will forward any press interview requests that I receive!

A reminder that all tie-breakers at the end of a session are broken by head-to-head results first and then by accumulated league points second. In the case of C2, the winner was determined by head-to-head results: In the group of 4, two teams were 2-1 and two were 1-2. We then look at the two teams at 2-1 and compare their head-to-head results against each other to get the winner.

I should have the schedule for session 2 posted by Saturday evening. Next week we will be doubling up our Wednesday games due to the Mixed Districts taking up our Thursday space. After next week, we shouldn't have any more odd scheduling for the rest of the season (unless we get snowed out one week).

I want to thank everyone for submitting their scores quickly this session! It makes things much easier and gets the site updated much faster!

Nov 11 Schedule Adjustment
November 3, 2015

Quick message: All games that were originally scheduled for November 11th @ 9pm have been moved to Nov 12th @ 645pm. I had mistakenly thought the mixed districts was next week and scheduled around them.

The following week will have the schedule doubled up in order to accommodate the districts.

Session 1 Schedules Posted
October 9, 2015

Just a notice that the schedules for session 1 are up! Take a look at the Schedule/Results page to view them. For our new teams: You can click your team name (pretty much anywhere it is listed) to be taken to your individual team page which has in-depth stats and a personalized schedule.

Some clarification for November 10th and 11th: Because of the Mixed Districts, we only have ice available on Wednesday. Rather than cancel the week, we have opted to move most Thursday games to either Wednesday @ 9pm or Tuesday @ 7pm.

2015-16 Open League Info
October 8, 2015

Please click here to read the kickoff announcement for the Open League!

Good luck to all teams this season!

Summer Info!
August 28, 2015
Couple brief announcements:

OPEN HOUSE:
The annual Open House is being held on September 30th from 7pm-9pm. Be there and sign up your team!

NEW WEBSITE:
Gone is the longtime green colour scheme! The new site is functionally identical, however it is now mobile-friendly which means no more squinting and zooming on your phone or tablet. For those iPhone or iPad users out there, click the "Send To" icon (The box with the arrow point out the top), and then click "Add to Home Screen" and the website will then function as an independent app. Neat!

SERVER SPEED ISSUES:
The server that this website is being hosted on has been having issues over the last couple weeks and, as a result, you'll notice that the website speed is up and down. It is something that they are working on but unfortunately do not have an ETA for a fix yet. Sorry for the inconvience!

Don't forget to Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, and Bookmark DV Curling's website!

twitter.com/dvcurling
facebook.com/dvcurling
www.dundasvalleycurling.com
2014-15 End of Season Address
April 16, 2015
First of all a big thank you to our Sponsors Home Renovations by Barbara (Barb Boag) and Clean Sheet Curling (Sheilah and Norm Gervais). We have, without a doubt, one of the best leagues in the district and sponsors like them enable us to continue to provide a top quality experience!

A big congratulations to all of our champions this season:

Club Champions: K. Blonski
A Flyte Champions: M. Blonski
B Flyte Champions: Snell
C Flyte Champions: Styles
D Flyte Champions: Tkachuck

I will post the pictures of all our champions as soon as I get them!

Accomplishments:

We had a lot of teams break into the Top 10 Team Records list this season! Particular congratulations go to Team K. Blonski with 17 wins, tying them with the second most wins of all time, Team Sedgwick for their 9 game winning streak, again tying them for second all time, and lastly team Shiraishi for the 2.03 PF vs PA record, which is the best ever!

Hot Shots:

This year was the first year that we ran the Team Hot Shots competition - 20 of our 23 teams participated in what turned out to be a very entertaining event. I was originally concerned that the A Flyte teams would run away with the top prizes, but turns out that most of them are overrated; 4 of the 6 A Flyte teams finished in the bottom half of the overall standings. Congratulations to our winners: Teams Styles, Boag, B. Knapp, Goll and Vollick! We will certainly be running another Hot Shots Event next year, so make sure to practice up!

Next Year:

While this may only be exciting to me, we will have a new website for the upcoming season! It's been completely rebuilt with mobile viewing in mind, so that means it will be fully responsive on your phones and tablets - no more zooming required! I'm also strongly considering running a Calcutta for the playoffs next year as an added ripple to change things up - expect an email about that next season to gauge interest!

In club news, we'll have two new bonspiels next season: The Hunger Games Spiel (Open Event) and the Men's Beer Spiel (Mens - shockingly). I'm particularly excited to announce that we'll also be running a 5-week trial Doubles League (Open) that uses a format that I believe is unique to curling. Look for signups and more information at the Open House in September!

Finally, I want to thank everyone who participated in the league this season and I want to encourage everyone to to tell their friends and get them playing in the league. While it is a little competitive, it's primarily about playing with good friends and having a good time!

Thanks again to everyone and we'll see you at the Open House on September 30th.
2014-15 Open League Champions (and playoffs!)
March 26, 2015
YOUR BACK-TO-BACK OPEN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ARE:
Skip - Kris Blonski
Vice - Russ Gray
Second - Peter Kastrau
Lead - Peter Child
Spare - Steve Dawe

Overall they finished with an impressive 17-3 record collecting three session wins along the way, totalling 178 points for the season. This ties them with the 3rd highest points total and 2nd highest amount of wins since 2003. Click here to see where other teams ranked this season in comparison to the top finishes of all time.

SESSION 4 WINNERS:

Hidden amongst all the celebration are our flyte winners for this session: M. Blonski, B. Knapp, White, and Sedgwick. You're all really swell people.

PLAYOFFS:

The playoff schedules have officially been posted. Due to the nature of the playoffs, rescheduling games is not permitted unless approved by the convener. Please note that the start time for the finals on April 8th is 6:30pm, not the typical 6:45pm.

Check out the playoff schedule and brackets here

Remember that there are a couple modified rules for playoffs as outlined below:

- The timeclock will NOT be used during the playoffs
- All games that are tied after regular play will be determined by a FULL extra end played towards the glass. Should that end not decide the winner, then skips rocks will be used to break the tie
- Teams may play with 2 registered members (posted rule requires 3 registered members) and a maximum of 1 spare who must play front end on a 4-man team and must play lead on a 3-man team.

While I encourage all teams to play quickly without the timeclock, please be aware that this will likely cause some delayed start times for 9pm games. In the spirit of sportsmanship I ask for your patience and understanding in the matter as we would all hate to a lose a playoff game due to a time infraction that may be out of our control.

Good luck and good curling to all teams in the playoffs!
Hot Shots
March 20, 2015
Hello Everyone!

The schedule is officially set for the Team Hot Shots event taking place next week. Please see below:



I will be there both nights to kick off the event and to answer any questions that may arise throughout.

PS. The Playoff Schedule is officially posted. Stay tuned for the official playoff kickoff.
Remaining 2014-15 Schedule
March 13, 2015
I just want to give everyone a heads up as to what the final few weeks of the season are going to look like:

March 18-19 - Week 20 - Final Week of Session 4
March 25-26 - Open League Hotshots (information to come soon)
April 1 - Playoff Quarter Finals
April 2 - Playoff Semi Finals
April 8 - Playoff Finals and End of the Year Banquet

Remember to sign up for the end of the year banquet in the curling lounge! I would recommend that all Open League participants choose the 8pm dinner serving so that it doesn't interfere with any potential games you might have to play!
Minor Scheduling Change
February 17, 2015
Please be aware that there has been a minor scheduling change for the last week of this session.
Session 3 Winners
February 14, 2015
Congratulations to our Session 3 winners: Teams K. Blonski, Maslin, Shiraishi and Vollick!

The schedule for Session 4 is officially posted. Due to the large volume of rescheduling requests, I wasn't able to accomodate every single one but still managed to fit in most!

We are actually running ahead of schedule this year, so I will be in touch with each team to figure out the general consensus in regards to what to do on that day. Perhaps a Hot Shot's competition is in order!
League Fee
January 29, 2015
Just a reminder that the $25 league fee will be billed to your accounts in the next month. This fee is used to supply all the fabulous prizes at the end of the year!
Session 2 Winners
December 22, 2014
Congratulations to this sessions winners: Team K. Blonski, Goll, Maslin, and our three-way tie, Richards, Styles, and Vollick. Your success has brought hope to the rest of us that one day we will be as awesome as you!

Schedules for Session 3 will be posted sometime over the break (even the convener needs a rest occasionally). We will be returning on January 7th and 8th, skipping the following week due to the districts and then running straight through to the end of the season. Don't forget, the end of the year banquet and finals take place on April 8th!

Due to the volume of ties this session, I wanted to include a brief explanation as to how the ties were broken. As a reminder, the rules state that ties are broken by head-to-head results first, and then by accumulated league points and then, if no other option is available, they are broken by convener discretion.

The C Flyte 3-way-tie could not be broken by head to head results since each team had a 1-1 record against the other two (Richards beat Styles, Styles beat Vollick, Vollick beat Richards). So, the tie was officially broken by accumulated league points, meaning that Team Styles will be moving up to B Flyte in Session 3.

The B Flyte 4-way-tie was broken by head-to-head results. Of the 4 teams tied, two of them had 2-1 records against the others in the tied sub-group, and two had 1-2 records against the others in the sub-group. This means that Teams C. Knapp and Gomes will be staying in B Flyte, and Teams Reimer and Shiraishi will drop to C Flyte.

Hopefully this helps clarify the logic behind the decisions!

Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Session 2 Posted
November 16, 2014
The schedule for the second session is officially posted.

Just a note in regards to November 26th and 27th. The Mixed districts are being played at the same time, so you will not be able to reschedule games for November 27th at 6:45pm as that ice is already spoken for.
Winners and Club Updates
November 14, 2014
Congratulations to our Session 1 winners: K. Blonski, M. Blonski, Olson B. Knapp, Shiraishi, and Gomes. For the first time since 2008, we had a session tie in the A Flyte, so congratulations to those teams for making my convener life just a little more difficult!

I just want to remind everyone about some of the upcoming events at the club:

Friday Night Entertainment:

Nov 14 - Loralee McGuirl and Bruce Tournay
Nov 28 - DV Curling's Own: A Flyte Band (Pete Child, Steve Dawe, Kris Blonski)
Dec 12 - Doug Feaver


Club Functions:

Nov 14 - Pasta Night
Nov 21 - Gourmet Wine Night
Nov 28 - Steakhouse Night
Dec 6 - Breakfast with Santa
Dec 13 - Dinner Dance
Dec 16-19 - Lunch Buffet
Dec 31 - New Years

The schedules for session 2 will be posted this weekend. We will be cramming all 5 weeks in before the Christmas, so I hope you're ready to curl!
Scheduling
October 11, 2014, 4:15 am
The schedules are officially posted!

Just a quick note on scheduling this season: I've been asked by the ice maker to only schedule a single game for Wednesday Nights at 9pm. I HIGHLY encourage this team to try and reschedule their game for Tuesday Night at 6:45pm so that you're not stuck out there all alone!

We we see how this system works for this session and then re-evaluate for the second session.
2014-15 Season Announcements!
October 11, 2014, 3:36 am
Welcome everyone to the 2014-15 Season of the Open League! We're nearly ready to kick off the games but, before we do, there are a number of things that you should know!

Game Result Submissions:
Using the above information, I ask that everyone to please submit their scores to me after each game via email or text message. When submitting, please include your score, the opponents score and if the game was completed on time.


Teams / Schedules:
We are currently sitting at 23 teams this year which means there will be a placeholder BYE team added to the league. Should you be scheduled against this team, you will not have a game that week. No team will be given more than two BYEs the entire season.

I absolutely hate BYEs, so if you know of any players or teams who are interested in playing who may have not found a team this season, please have them contact me and Ill be happy to create a spot for them.

Please make sure to check the schedule prior to your gametime and they will have a potential to change up until October 14th in the evening.


Rule Changes:
After successful test runs during the previous season, we will permanently sticking with the following rules

Time Clocks The rule states that if the final skip rock of the 7th end is in motion (the skip leaving the hack) before the time runs out, you will be able to start and play the 8th end.

Playoffs TWO registered team members (reduced from three) must be present for playoff games. However, only ONE spare may play in a playoff game and must play front end (if three registered team members are present) or lead (if two registered team members are present).


New Sponsor:
A big thank you to Home Renovations by Barbara (Barb Boag) for becoming the title sponsor of the league! I would also like to thank Clean Sheet Curling (Norm Gervais and Sheilagh Lamb) for continuing to provide web hosting for our league.

We are always looking for additional sponsors to help support and grow the league. If you or your company would like to become a sponsor, please contact me at krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com for more information.
2014-15 Season is Coming Soon!
September 19, 2014, 1:27 am
It's almost that time again! Some important dates for you to know:

Open House - September 24th @ 7pm
Open Ice - October 6-10
First Game of the Season - October 15

We have a new sponsor this season! Thanks to Home Renovations by Barbara!

Make sure to check the sidebar for other events that are happening around Dundas Valley Curling!
2014 - Playoff Champions
April 14, 2014, 8:48 am
Congratulations to all of our playoff champions:

Club Champions: K. Blonski
A Flyte Champions: M. Blonski
B Flyte Champions: Vollick
C Flyte Champions: Simonits
D Flyte Champions: Stanyar

See the bottom of this post for pictures of our really ridiculously good looking winners!

I'll try to keep the rest of this short, but I really want to thank Ernst & Young (Bob Neale) for their continued sponsorship of the league. We have without a doubt one of the best leagues in the district in terms of available prize money and sponsors like Bob enable us to do that.

Finally, a big thank you to all of you who participated in the league. You really make it easy and fun to run the league.

Make sure you encourage everyone who doesn't already participate in this league to consider signing up as a team or as an individual. This really is the premiere league at Dundas Valley and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy it!

Thanks again to everyone! Have a great summer and we'll see you back here in October!

Click each picture to see a larger version:
2014 Finals
April 4, 2014, 7:45 am
The finals have arrived. The evening schedule of events will be roughly as follows:

Game Start: 6:30pm
Dinner Served: 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Awards: 9:00pm


I encourage everyone who isn't playing to come out and have some drinks while enjoying some good curling! This is especially important if your team has won a flyte throughout the year so that you can pick up your prize - otherwise it goes back into the pot for next year!

The teams playing in the finals are:

A FLYTE:
(1) K. Blonski vs (3) M. Blonski
2009-2014 Head-to-head record: M. Blonski leads 10W-8L

B FLYTE:
(8) McCall vs (10) Vollick
2009-2014 Head-to-head record: McCall leads 4W-1L

C FLYTE:
(14) Simonits vs (16) Shiraishi
2009-2014 Head-to-head record: No Previous Games

D FLYTE:
(19) Winslow vs (24) Stanyar
2009-2014 Head-to-head record: No Previous Games


Good luck and good curling to everyone!
Open League 2014 Champions (and playoffs)!
March 28, 2014, 9:32 am
YOUR INCREDIBLY HANDSOME 2014 OPEN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ARE:
Skip - Kris Blonski
Vice - Russ Gray
Second - Peter Kastrau
Lead - Peter Child

With a strong start they were able to hold onto the top spot and never let go for the remainder of the season. Overall they finished with an impressive 16-4 record winning two session wins along the way, totalling 168 points for the season. This gives them the 6th highest points total since 2003. Click here to see where other teams ranked this season in comparison to the top finishes of all time.

SESSION 4 WINNERS:

Hidden amongst all the celebration are our flyte winners for this session: K. Blonski, M. Blonski, Reimer, and Richards. You're all really swell people.

PLAYOFFS:

The playoff schedules have officially been posted. Due to the nature of the playoffs, rescheduling games is not permitted unless approved by the convener. Please note that the start time for the finals on April 9th is 6:30pm, not the typical 6:45pm.

Check out the playoff schedule and brackets here

Remember that there are a couple modified rules for playoffs as outlined below:

- The timeclock will NOT be used during the playoffs
- All games that are tied after regular play will be determined by a FULL extra end played towards the glass. Should that end not decide the winner, then skips rocks will be used to break the tie
- NEW FOR 2013-14: Teams may play with 2 registered members (posted rule requires 3 registered members) and a maximum of 1 spare who must play front end on a 4-man team and must play lead on a 3-man team.

While I encourage all teams to play quickly without the timeclock, please be aware that this will likely cause some delayed start times for 9pm games. In the spirit of sportsmanship I ask for your patience and understanding in the matter as we would all hate to a lose a playoff game due to a time infraction that may be out of our control.

Good luck and good curling to all teams in the playoffs!
Playoff Rule Modification
March 20, 2014, 2:43 pm
It is nearing playoff time, so I encourage everyone to head over to the rules section and refresh their memories on the slight differences between Regular Season and Playoff play!

THIS PART IS REALLY IMPORTANT!!!

However, since apparently half the league has forgotten that the playoffs are always held during the first two weeks of April, I will be making a slight modification to the playoff eligibility requirements. Instead of three original members, each team will be allowed to play with only two original members. The spare rule will remain in effect, so should you only have two eligible players, you may only get one spare who must play lead, effectively limiting you to a 3-person team.

As a reminder the dates for the Playoffs are as follows (please note the start time adjustment for the finals:
Quarter Finals - April 2nd @ 6:45pm and 9pm
Semi Finals - April 3rd @ 6:45pm and 9pm
Finals and Banquet - April 9th @ 6:30pm
March 12th Games Cancelled
March 12, 2014, 11:21 am
With the blizzard that we're currently going through, the club will be closing and all games are cancelled for today.

All games that were to be played at 6:45pm will be moved to tomorrow, March 13th @ 9pm.

All Games that were to be played at 9:00pm will be moved to next week, March 20th @ 9pm.

My apologies for the immediacy of some of the rescheduled games but we're simply running out of time to play. Please try your best to accommodate the new schedule or alternative scheduling requests by your opposition. All games for this session MUST be completed by March 27th.

Thanks for your understanding,
Ontario Winter Games
March 3, 2014, 9:07 am
Read about our very own Team Simonits (the team with the pants) and their trip to the Ontario winter games on the main curling members website here:

Day 1 Recap
Day 2 Recap
Session 3 Winners!
February 21, 2014, 3:22 pm
Congratulations to teams Olson, Vollick, C. Knapp and Gardiner-Dean for successfully making it through all the winter storms and coming out on top.

The schedules for the final session should be up on the weekend. The Quarter Finals and Semi Finals will take place on April 2nd and 3rd. The finals and the end-of-the-year banquet will be on April 9th.
Snow Day Reschedule
February 6, 2014, 8:59 am
The schedule for games missed on January 5th are below. Due to the tight schedule please try to avoid rescheduling unless a significant number of your teammates are unable to make the new date. All other previously scheduled games will continued as planned.

Should you need to move your game please keep in mind that all games MUST be completed by the evening of February 20th.

Feb 5th games CANCELLED
February 5, 2014, 12:03 pm
I'm sure you've all received the notice from the club but if not, all the games schedule for February 5th have been CANCELLED. Please alert your teams!

I will be preparing a separate schedule just to make up the games that were originally scheduled today and should have it out by the weekend. All the other previously scheduled games for the remainder of the session will remain the same.
Possible Weather Cancellation
February 4, 2014, 12:15 pm
With upcoming blizzard that is being forecasted we are at risk of a possible club closure for tomorrow, February 5th. If this is the case, we will be rescheduling the evening games to be played sometime over the next two weeks either on Wednesday's @ 9pm or Thursday's @ 9pm. If things get really crazy we may also have to play games Tuesday @ 7pm.

Todd will be keeping me up to date and the final decision will likely be made early to mid-afternoon tomorrow.

Please do your best to keep an eye on your email as well as our league website as I will contact you through both sources as soon as I find out.
Noel Spratt 1946-2014
February 3, 2014, 10:21 am
A message from Linda Spratt:

Dear Friends,

It is with great sadness that I inform you that my darling husband, dearest friend and life soul mate has passed away. Noel ended his battle with cancer on Thursday, January 30, 2014. He was in his 68th year of life, born December 21, 1946. He was so brave and always positive until the end. We celebrated 40 years of marriage last August 4th and he battled cancer for 20 of those years. The last two years were difficult ones for him. When diagnosed with metastasis to his bones in December, 2011, we decided that we would live each day to the fullest and be positive about our time together. We did just that. We traveled to Arizona, The Dominican, England, Ireland and France to visit friends, family and just to holiday. Noel got to spend the whole summer at the cottage which was his favourite place to be. Noel never complained. He told me every day how lucky he was to have this time with me and his family. He passed peacefully at home with our sons, Michael and Jonathan, and me by his side.

Noel and I had time to talk about what he wanted after his death. He wanted a party where people drank a toast to him and told lies about him. And so that is what he will have. You are all invited to come to a celebration of Noels Life at 2pm on Saturday, February 15, 2014 at Dundas Valley Golf and Country Club. I have no way of contacting everyone, so please extend this invitation to people who knew Noel. He touched many people over his 40 years in Canada through family, friends, colleagues of Hillfield, The Jewish Academy and Lee Academy, the curling club and at our cottage. An obituary will be in The Hamilton Spectator on Saturday, February 8th. You can also sign an online book of condolences at Marlatt Funeral Home in Dundas, Ontario. If you have any special memories of Noel that you would like to share, please email me. It gives me great pleasure to hear peoples stories about Noel.

Linda Spratt
Team Simonits Qualifies for Bantam Provincials
January 31, 2014, 10:46 am
Read all about it on the main curling website at curling.dundasvalleygolf.com or by clicking this link:

CLICK ME!!!
Winners! Session 3 Schedules (finally!)
January 15, 2014, 9:24 am
Congratulations to our Session 2 Champions: Teams M. Blonski, Olson, Shiraishi, and Thachuk. You came, you saw, you didn't get nearly as rusty over the winter break as the rest of those teams out there.

I have FINALLY posted the session 3 schedules, so take a look when you feel like it. At this point we will play ten straight weeks in a row with no breaks so make sure that fitness regime is in place!

Good luck to everyone in the third session!
Happy Holidays!
December 23, 2013, 9:55 am
Just wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season full of family, friends and good food!

Session 2 will finish up on January 8th and 9th, and Session 3 will begin after the districts, on January 22nd!
Bring on Session 2!
November 23, 2013, 9:41 am
Another Session 1 is in the books and with it comes another group of new celebrities! Congrats to our session winners: K. Blonski, Goll, McCall, C. Knapp, and Winslow. Autographs are available on request - signed 8x10 headshots will be expensive.

The schedules are now posted for the next session with a record setting 12 schedule requests. Please check to make sure that your schedule makes sense!
Rosters Locked
November 12, 2013, 4:31 pm
A reminder that the rosters will be locked upon the conclusion of next week's games. Please check the website via the link below to ensure that the roster posted for your team is indeed accurate:

Team List

I will be asking the club to bill everyone on the final roster the $25 league fee at the same time - you should see this apply to your monthly bill. To our Junior teams (Reimer, Simonits, and the youthful half of Team Hagen), since you do not have member numbers, can you please coordinate with Todd Maslin (curling@dundasvalleygolf.com) for payment.

Now, on a bit of a lighter note...

For those who are interested, I have added the ability to look back in time and view overall standings and team pages from seasons past. You can find it via the "Statistics" section of the website or through the link below.

Past Season Standings
Reminder about the Clock
October 30, 2013, 10:09 am
Just a reminder that all games require you to run the clock for your games. Any team that is playing on Ice 4 is responsible for starting the clock at 6:45 or 9pm. Please and thanks!
Friday Night Entertainment
October 21, 2013, 10:42 am
Hey Gang,

While this post isn't about this league, I'm sure you've all seen the little (ok, giant) side banner advertising the Friday Entertainment Series.

The first night is this Friday, October 25th and I'd like to encourage all Open League participants to go out and have a good time listening to some awesome Celtic Music and having a couple drinks with friends. There is no signup required, no entry fee and is open to all members of Dundas Valley as well as any outside guests you'd like to bring!

Hope to see you out there!
Schedule 1 Updated
October 16, 2013, 8:49 am
The official schedule for the first session has been posted. Please check it out and make sure you have the most up to date schedule of your games!
Schedule Update
October 15, 2013, 2:52 pm
Just a quick note: We have added a 25th team to the league. This means that B-Flyte will be increasing to 7 teams. I will update the schedules on this website as soon as my hosting company fixes a technical glitch. Each B-Flyte skip has been informed of the change via email.
Open League 2013-2014: Important Information!
October 7, 2013, 5:31 pm

Welcome everyone to the Open League sponsored by Ernst and Young. We're nearly ready to start the season, but before we do, there are a number of things that you should know!

Time Clock Rule Change:
After seeing teams and players nearly kill themselves to start the 8th end on time I have altered the Time Clock rules slightly. Previously, teams were not allowed to start the 8th end if the time ran out prior to the first rock of the 8th end being released. The new rule states that if the final skip rock of the 7th end is in motion (the skip leaving the hack) before the time runs out, you will be able to start and play the 8th end.

You can read the rules here: The Rules

Game Result Submissions:
I ask that everyone to please submit their scores to me after each game via email or text message. I will also be tracking if the game was completed on time or if you had to cease play due to the time clock.

When submitting, please include your score, the opponents score and if the game was completed on time.

Teams / Schedules:
We are currently 24 teams this year which means no BYE's for anyone! The schedule is currently posted and can be found at: The Schedule

Please check the schedules often as they have a tendency to change prior to the start of the season.

Sponsors:
A big thanks to Ernst and Young (Bob Neale) for their continued sponsorship of the league. Without their help our league would not be nearly as fantastic as it is today. Additionally, having excellent sponsors has enable the Open League to help with various curling initiatives over the years like the on-ice cameras. I would also like to thank Clean Sheet Curling (Norm Gervais and Sheilagh Lamb) for continuing to provide web hosting for this site.

We are always looking for additional sponsors to help support and grow the league. If you or your company would like to become a sponsor, please contact me for more information.
2013-2014 Pre-Official Announcement
September 18, 2013, 9:10 am
Welcome Back (Almost)!

Some important dates first:
Open House / Signups - Sept 27 @ 7pm
First Games of the Season - October 16/17

The league has been renamed! It is now known simply as The Open League and you'll see that reflected throughout the club this season.

The website is largely the same! In a shocking turn of events I left the website generally as-is (save for a few visual changes). I do however need your help! You'll notice that the Past Champions page has been re-done to include pictures of all our winners. If anyone has pictures that I am missing please send them to me to be included!

I have players for you! With the influx of new members, I have a handful of singles and pairs who are looking for teams. If you're in need, send me a message and I'll see what I can do for you.

Send me messages! For those looking, my phone number is 905-977-8101 and email is krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com . It's also at the top of this page!

That's all for now. Keep your eyes open for the big official league announcement!
2013 Playoff Champions
April 18, 2013, 2:46 pm
Congratulations to all of our playoff champions:

Club Champions: M. Blonski
A Flyte Champions: K. Blonski
B Flyte Champions: Simonits
C Flyte Champions: Goll
D Flyte Champions: Macintosh

See the bottom of this post for pictures of our really ridiculously good looking winners!

Also a BIG congratulations for the Macintosh team for scoring an incredibly rare 8-ender during their finals game last night! Click the picture to see the 8 Ender in all it's glory!

I'll try to keep the rest of this short, but I really want to thank Ernst & Young (Bob Neale) for their continued sponsorship of the league. We have without a doubt one of the best leagues in the district in terms of available prize money and sponsors like Bob enable us to do that.

Finally, a big thank you to all of you who participated in the league. You really make it easy and fun to run the league.

Make sure you encourage everyone who doesn't already participate in this league to consider signing up as a team or as an individual. This really is the premiere league at Dundas Valley and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy it!

Thanks again to everyone! Have a great summer and we'll see you back here in October!

Click each picture to see a larger version:
2013 Finals
April 15, 2013, 10:12 am
The finals have arrived. The evening schedule of events will be roughly as follows:

Game Start: 6:30pm
Dinner: 8:30pm
Awards: 9:00pm


I encourage everyone who isn't playing to come out and have some drinks while enjoying some good curling! This is especially important if your team has won a flyte throughout the year so that you can pick up your prize - otherwise it goes back into the pot for next year!

The teams playing in the finals are:

A FLYTE:
(1) M. Blonski vs (2) K. Blonski
2009-2013 Head-to-head record: M. Blonski 8W-6L

B FLYTE:
(8) Boag (10) Simonits
2009-2013 Head-to-head record: No Games

C FLYTE:
(14) Winslow vs (15) Goll
2009-2013 Head-to-head record: Winslow 2W-1L

D FLYTE:
(19) Macintosh vs (21) Tkachuk
2009-2013 Head-to-head record: Tkachuk 1W-0L


Good luck and good curling to everyone!
2013 - Open Competitive Champions Crowned
April 5, 2013, 9:59 am
With an eerie sense of deja vu...

YOUR (BACK TO BACK) 2013 OPEN COMPETITIVE CHAMPIONS ARE:
Skip - Mike Blonski
Vice - Chris Dion
Second - Derek Blonski
Lead - Alan Finlayson

After bouncing back from a tough 5-5 start, they went a perfect 10-0 in the second half of the season, outscoring their opponents 72-32 (2.25 PF vs PA). Not only is a 10 game winning streak a league record, but it is also the first time in league history a team has posted back-to-back session wins with 5-0 records. Overall they finished with an impressive 15-5 record, totalling 159 points for the season. This gives them the 6th highest points total since 2003 (when A-Flyte wins switched to 10 points).

SESSION 4 WINNERS:

Not to be forgotten, congratulations to our flyte winners for this session: M. Blonski, McCall, Hagen and Simonits. You came. You conquered. You escaped C Flyte.

HOLY CRAP IT IS PLAYOFF TIME:

Playoff schedules have officially been posted. If you viewed the schedules before this was posted, please double check to ensure you are playing at the right time on the right ice as there were changes made. A reminder that you CANNOT reschedule your playoff games.

There will also be a couple regular season rules altered for the playoffs are as follows:
- The timeclock WILL NOT BE USED during the playoffs.
- All games that are tied after regular play will be determined by a FULL extra end played towards the glass. Should that end not decide the winner, then skips rocks will be used to break the tie.


Be aware that this may cause some delayed start times for the 9pm games, however I would prefer a team not lose due to a time situation that is potentially out of their control. In the spirit of sportsmanship, I ask for your patience and understanding in the matter.

Good luck and good curling to all teams in the playoffs!
Playoff Quickie
April 4, 2013, 7:58 am
It's been mentioned before in these updates, but to clarify, the playoffs will run on the following dates:

Quarter Finals - April 10 @ 6:45 and 9:00
Semi Finals - April 11 @ 6:45 and 9:00
Finals - April 17th @ 6:30

The playoff schedules should be posted on Friday after the completion of the games tonight.
Friday Night Entertainment
March 26, 2013, 9:40 am
For those of you who are looking for a good night out, Friday night curling is hosting some musical entertainment!

April 5th @ 8:30pm - Steve Sinnicks (Folk Music)
April 12th @ 8:30pm - Joe Callura (Las Vegas Style Hits)

Thanks to John Price for organizing these performances and all the musical acts throughout the year. Friday night has always been a great social league and I encourage everyone looking for a fun night of curling to take a look for next year!
Bantam Mixed Zone Champions
March 1, 2013, 8:51 am
Last weekend the OCA Bantam Mixed Zones competitions were held at Glendale. Two Dundas Valley teams, Simonits and Macintosh, both participated and both qualified for the regional competition held in beautiful sunny Vanastra on March 9th and 10th. This ranks them amongst the top 32 Bantam Mixed teams in the province and we're happy to have them playing amongst us!

Congratulations and good luck next weekend!
Down to the Wire
February 27, 2013, 2:33 pm
People often comment at the collection of records and statistics that this league has to offer. There are actually a lot more that aren't published that you might find interesting. So, that being said, with the crowning of the overall champions just around the corner, lets take a look at the biggest blowouts and closest finishes in The Open League's history:

Largest Margin
YearPts (1st / 2nd)
2005 53 (182 / 129)
2011 48 (177 / 129)
2006 41 (180 / 139)
2002 37 (191 / 154)
Closest Margin
YearPts (1st / 2nd)
20071 (135 / 134)
20104 (143 / 139)
20036 (146 / 140)
200116 (170 / 154)

One additional note: The 2006-07 season is actually the tightest race in the history of the league with the top 4 results being: 135 (13-7), 134 (14-6), 133 (13-7), 128 (12-8)
Schedule 3 and Beyond
January 27, 2013, 1:27 pm
First things first: Congratulations to team K. Blonski, Richards, Shiraishi, and Webber for winning each of their respective flytes. You'll notice on the standings page that a star is beside every team who has won a session this season. Unfortunately, we simply don't have the budget to provide gold stars to all members of the team, so you'll have to share the digital version instead.

Cross your fingers, but we shouldn't need to double up weeks for the remainder of the season unless we're faced with a unscheduled club closure. This means that the 4th session will end on April 4th, and the playoffs will take place on April 10th, 11th and the finals on the 17th.

Todd has asked that we do not play any games on sheet 1 if at all possible. This means that if you do need to reschedule games, the only available time is Wednesdays at 9pm on Sheet 5.

Finally, please post your scores on the board after each game so that they can be collected and posted to the website. Not doing so causes unnecessary delays in scheduling and countless emails from me harassing you throughout the week.
Return to Curling
January 7, 2013, 9:08 am
Just a reminder to everyone that the curling season fires back up again this week. We, of course, will follow this with another week off for the Districts. After that we should hopefully not miss another week for the rest of the season.
Submitting Scores
December 14, 2012, 11:05 am
Just a quick reminder that if I am not there to gather the scores, PLEASE either post them on the board at the end of the game, or email them to me.
Session 1 Winners
December 1, 2012, 3:10 pm
Congratulations to Teams Olson, Knapp, Sedgwick and Lawler for winning each of their respective flytes. Usually I promise bronze busts for each of the winners, but due to construction, we just don't have the budget. Fortunately, the plan is to sneak into the construction zone and write all your names onto one of the wall studs instead. That way you'll always be a part of the Dundas Valley legacy.

Schedules have been posted for the upcoming session, so go check them out now. For those not in the know, if you click your team name, you'll be presented with a quick summary of all your upcoming games, as well as standings and results focused on your team.

For those wondering about the long gaps in the schedule, the club is closed for two weeks over the holidays, and then the Districts are the second full week of January.
Rescheduled Games
November 22, 2012, 9:30 am
The schedule has been updated to reflect a few rescheduled games. Please double-check the schedule before coming out to practice to ensure that there still is free ice available!
December Scheduling
November 21, 2012, 2:09 pm
I've had this question a few times, so I figured I would address it on the website: The schedules for Session 2 will be posted likely on the weekend following our last scheduled games next week.

What I can tell you is that we will be playing all weeks until April with the exception of the following three:

December 24th, December 31st, January 14th (Districts)

Of course this is subject to change based on the weather and construction conditions.
Mixed Districts Scheduling
November 8, 2012, 1:58 pm
I've been asked a few times about scheduling conflicts with the Mixed Districts being held next week (Nov 14 and 15). Our ice is not being utilized those days by the Mixed Districts so we will proceed as normal with our regularly scheduled games.

In years past we've taken the week off, however due to the construction delays, we cannot afford to cancel any games. For those affected, I encourage you to either find spares or to reschedule your games for a later date. We have plenty of free ice-time available, just make sure you inform me so that I can make sure Todd prepares your ice. Thanks for your cooperation!
Open Competitive 2012-2013: What You Need To Know!
October 23, 2012, 10:21 am
Welcome everyone to the Open League sponsored by Ernst and Young. We're nearly ready to start the season, but before we do, there are a number of things that you should know!

Contact Information:
Email: krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com
Phone: 905-977-8101

I try to avoid mass emailing, so the vast majority of future updates will be posted only on the website. I encourage everyone to check it at least weekly!

BYEs and Teams:
We have settled at 23 teams this season, which means that one C Flyte team will have a BYE each week. I have inserted TeamBYE as an actual team so if you are scheduled against them you can use the ice for practice, the bar for some 9th end training, or just have the day off.

That being said, if ANYONE knows people who would be willing to put in a team, or individuals who still want to play, please let me know so that we can replace TeamBYE with an actual team! See below for a list of leads and seconds who would love to team up with a vice and skip.

Spares:
For those teams who are still looking for 4th players or potential 5th players, I have a handful of potential players still looking for teams.

They are: Annette Bailey, Jim Craig, and Judy McNaughton.

If you are interested, please contact me and I'll put you in touch with them!

Scheduling:
Due to the unfortunate construction issues, the schedules have tentatively been posted based on an October 31st starting date. Should the season need to be pushed back further, I will inform all the skips via email as well as the league website.

The late start also adds some complications with regular season scheduling. In order to make up for some lost time, we will likely have one or two weeks after Christmas where you will play a game on both Wednesday and Thursday. I'll communicate more about this issue closer to the actual dates.

Rules:
I have completely revamped and fleshed out the rules from previous years, as well as added a few addendum and adjustments. I strongly recommend that everyone, including seasoned veterans, give the rules a quick read.

I want to re-emphasize to everyone that Reciprocal Drinks (buying a drink for the opposing team) are not enforced, required, or encouraged in the Open League. I realize this rule may ruffle some feathers of some of our loveable grumpy old men traditional players. Regardless, it is important to remember that we are an economically diverse, all-ages league that needs to be accessible to any player who would like to play and, as such, we should be willing to embrace the removal of any potential barriers to play. I would greatly appreciate your support in this matter.

Sponsors:
A big thanks to Ernst and Young (Bob Neale) for their continued sponsorship of the league. Without their help our league would not be nearly as fantastic as it is today. Additionally, having excellent sponsors has enable the Open League to help with various curling initiatives over the years like the on-ice cameras.

We are always looking for additional sponsors to help support and grow the league. If you or your company would be willing to become a sponsor, please contact me at krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com for more information.



I'll end this essay-like update here. As always, if you have questions feel free to contact me!

Good luck to everyone in the upcoming season and good curling!
2012-2013 Pre-Official Announcement
August 31, 2012, 3:20 pm
Hello everyone! I hope you have all been mentally and physically preparing yourself for the grueling 20 week season that lies ahead!

As you can see I've been making some changes to the website over the summer, with all the official changes to be revealed once the season starts. Browse around in the meantime and see if you can discover what has changed.

I have re-written a large portion of the rules, so I suggest that everyone (including you 15+ year veterans) go to the rules page and refresh your memories!

For those looking for it, my phone number is 905-977-8101 and email is krisblonski+dundas@gmail.com . It's also at the top of this page!

I'll post a far more in depth welcome in a few weeks time! Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Photos From the Finals
April 13, 2012, 10:16 am
Here are all the photos from the finals! If you weren't there, look at how much fun you missed! For future reference, you can access these at any time from the "League Information" tab at the top.

Take me to the pictures!

If you would like a copy of the stunning full high resolution picture and not just the small website version, email me at krisblonski [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll gladly send they your way. Just remember to let me know which one you'd like!
2012 Playoff Winners and Thank Yous
April 13, 2012, 9:44 am
A big congratulations to all of our champions this season. Our big winners this year are as follows:

Club Champions: Team M. Blonski
A Flyte Winners: Team Olson
B Flyte Winners: Team McCall
C Flyte Winners: Team Lloyd
D Flyte Winners: Team Lawler

Click below to see all of our fabulously good looking winners. If you'd like a fully high resolution picture, just email me at krisblonski[at]gmail[dot].com and I will send it to you. We've been assured by Larry that the picture quality is so high that you can print, frame and mount it above your fireplace. I should have the on-ice action photos up sometime this weekend. All photos from the finals are available here: GO NOW!


So to close out the year, I need to thank all the people who helped make the league possible:
  • Ernst & Young (Bob Neale) for their continued sponsorship of the league. We have without a doubt one of the best leagues in the district in terms of available prize money and sponsors like Bob enable us to do that.
  • All the people who helped pick up the scores for me throughout the season.
  • And finally, a big thank you to all of you who participated in the league. You really make it easy and fun to run the league.
Make sure you encourage everyone who doesn't already participate in this league to consider signing up as a team or as an individual. This really is the premiere league at Dundas Valley and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy it!

Thanks again to everyone! Have a great summer and we'll see you back here in October!
The 2012 Finals
April 9, 2012, 11:34 am
This is just a reminder that all the final games are being played this Wednesday starting at 6:45pm. There is unfortunately no banquet this year due to all the construction, however I would encourage everyone who plays in the league to come and support your fellow players and we'll all have a great time throwing 100% games from behind the glass. Please let your teammates know.

As an added incentive, all the prize money will be distributed that night and if you don't show up, well, then the convenor is going to have a really great summer!

The following teams have already won money this year:
M. Blonski, McCall, Snell, L. Blonski, Knapp, Webber, Richardson, Boag, Whetham, Olson, K. Blonski, Goll, Marcinkowski and Hagen.

Don't miss out!
2012 - Winners! Champions! Playoffs!
March 30, 2012, 10:51 am
Brace yourself: A huge newspost is coming...

AND YOUR 2012 OPEN COMPETITIVE CHAMPIONS ARE:
Skip - Mike Blonski
Vice - Chris Dion
Second - Derek Blonski
Lead - Alan Finlayson

Throughout the course of the season they racked up an impressive three A Flyte Session wins with their 16-4 record, totalling 170 points for the season. This gives them the 5th highest points total since 2003 (when A-Flyte wins switched to 10 points).

Included in the budget that the renovation committee has outlined for the curling lounge is a lifesize bronze statue of our champions. Expect to see it installed in October of this year!

SESSION 4 WINNERS:

Congratulations to our flyte winners for this session: K. Blonski, Goll, Hagen and Marcinkowski. While you may not get to move up in flyte this season, your win will of course be taken into consideration for next season! Sadly, the building renovation budget only included enough money to award these teams with "Participant" ribbons.

HOLY CRAP IT IS PLAYOFF TIME:

Playoff schedules have officially been posted. If you viewed the schedules before this was posted, please double check to ensure you are playing at the right time on the right ice as there were changes made. PLEASE do not reschedule your playoff games.

There will also be a couple regular season rules altered for the playoffs where are as follows:
- The timeclock WILL NOT BE USED during the playoffs.
- All games that are tied after regular play will be determined by a FULL extra end played towards the glass. Should that end not decide the winner, then skips rocks will be used to break the tie.


Be aware that this may cause some delayed start times for the 9pm games, however I would prefer a team not lose due to a time situation that is potentially out of their control. In the spirit of sportsmanship, I ask for your patience and understanding in the matter.

Good luck and good curling to all teams in the playoffs!
Eulogy for Bill Stevenson
February 27, 2012, 10:13 pm
This is a copy of the Eulogy presented by Paul Peacock on the past weekend. Many people who weren't able to hear it have asked to have it reposted.

On behalf of Candy, thank you for joining us in this celebration of Bills life. Personally, I spent a fair bit of time with him over the past 15 years or so. Whether it was on the ice, on the water, or just chatting, I mostly remember laughing together, most often at each others expense. I have and will miss him!

Bill was a big man in every way. Big heart, big personality, big dreams. Outgoing and gregarious and almost invariably cheerful. You always knew when Bill was in a room. A generous man. Always willing to help his friends.

Bill adored Candy and was very proud of her. After he was diagnosed, he was very concerned with her state of mind and well being, much more so that his own. He maintained a positive attitude right to the end. He fought this disease as hard as he could but even the big man couldnt win this one.

He loved their cats and, given the opportunity, would go on and friggin on about them. He was an avid and proud curler and sailor and a huge auto-sport fan. It is appropriate that we would hold this memorial on the day of the Daytona 500, one of his favourite events of the year.

Bill was not a religious man but I sensed a spiritual kinship between he and the water. He always seemed happy and at peace at the helm of any watercraft.

We are immensely saddened by this passing but will remember him fondly, and, I hope, with laughter at his often outrageous sense of humour. May his spirit be wherever he would be happiest.

Before closing, I would like to read an e-mail from a sporting hero of his: I think he would have appreciated it.

Dear Paul: I received your news regarding the passing of your friend Bill. Sorry to hear that but I trust with Bill enjoying sports that he lived a fun and full life. Thank you for thinking of me to pass on a message to everyone at the memorial. Curling is a small community and with events across Canada, I have had the opportunity to meet many curlers and curling fans and I am sure I would have loved to have a beer with Bill. Take care, Kevin Martin

Thanks again for coming. I would like to end with a toast to our good friend, Bill.

Cheers, Buddy!
2012 Session 3 Winners, Schedules and Playoffs
February 26, 2012, 1:04 pm
Congratulations to teams M. Blonski, McCall, L. Blonski and C. Knapp for winning their flytes this session. The C-Flyte was especially close with a 3-way tie between C. Knapp, Richardson and Webber, broken only by the overall points (as per the rules).

The 4th and final session schedules are finally posted. As per usual the official C Flytes look like this:

C1: Boag, Hagen, Sedgwick, Lawler, Tkachuk
C2: Vollick, Richardson, Marcinkowski, Webber, Lloyd

Playoffs are just around the corner and we will again be running the quarter and semi finals during the same week (April 4th and 5th) due to time constraints. So make sure to book all your corporate travel around it!
Open Competitive Entry Fee
February 17, 2012, 3:11 pm
Just a quick note that the $25 entry fee will be charged to your account in the next week or two. Thanks!
Bill Stevenson 1955-2012
February 6, 2012, 1:33 pm
For the few remaining people who haven't heard the unfortunate news, Bill Stevenson has passed away. Bill will be remembered, not only for his big weight on the ice, but for his big heart and personality off the ice.

There is a celebration of life planned at the Winchester Arms Pub in Dundas Ontario on Sunday February 26th, from 130 to 430 pm open to anyone who'd like to attend.
Session 3 Schedule
January 20, 2012, 9:45 am
Congratulations to our Session 2 winners: M. Blonski, Snell, Boag and Whetham! If you are interested, you can always take a look at all the past session winners. My goodness this site has everything, doesn't it!

The one thing it doesn't have is properly functioning C Flyte standings, so like last session, here is the official C-Flyte lineup:

C1: Sedgwick, L. Blonski, Lawler, Marcinkowski, Hagen
C2: Webber, C. Knapp, Tkachuk, Lloyd, Richardson

We will continue to leave the time clock as it is (at 1:50). I cannot stress enough that most of the time lost occurs between ends and waiting for players to get ready in the hack.

Here are some tips that may help speed up your game:
- When the end is complete, the lead should NOT help clear off the rocks and should instead find their own rock and get in the hack, ready to throw. Think of it as a perk of playing lead!
- As soon as the opponent has released their rock, you should be in the hack getting ready (removing your gripper, cleaning the rock, etc). That way, when your skip puts the broom down, all you need to do is line yourself up and throw.
- When your teammate is taking their gripper off while getting ready to shoot, do them a favour and grab their rock from the pile.
Schedule Adjustment
December 12, 2011, 3:43 pm
Due to the club being closed the first week of January, the season will not resume until January 18th. Games originally scheduled for Jan 4th and 5th have been moved to the 18th and 19th.
Website Notice and Session 2 Schedules
November 17, 2011, 1:55 pm
Hi All,

The schedules are up! For those wondering, we have returned back to our split C flyte system. Each team will have one cross-over game where they play a team from the other flyte. I figured this was better than having a BYE!

Just a quick note about the standings page on the website. Due to a bug in my programming (I know, I know...), currently the C flytes are shown with 6 teams in one, and 4 in the other. This is not the case. Each flyte has 5 teams each, and for clarity, the teams are as follows:

C1: Marcinkowski, Richardson, C. Knapp, Boag, L. Blonski
C2: Tkachuk, Whetham, Hagen, Lloyd, Lawler

Until I get it fixed, please reference this list when determining flyte rankings.
Session 1 Winners and Session 2 News
November 11, 2011, 5:30 pm
Congratulations to the M. Blonski, Olson, Snell, and McCall teams for winning their respective flytes. C flyte was particularly close, with a large second place tie that was broken by the roll off scores. Congratulations to all teams!

A quick note about the second session. It will begin on Nov 23rd as we have the week off due to Mixed Districts. Regardless, the schedule should be out sometime this week. We will also be reverting back into our typical A, B, C1 and C2 flyte system again. If anyone is unfamiliar with that setup, you can check out the rules for more information.

Finally, I will be sending around an email to all teams in regards to the new game clock, as well as posting on this site.

As usual, if you have any questions feel free to email me at krisblonski[at]gmail[dot].com
C Flyte Roll-Off
November 1, 2011, 2:04 pm
Due to the nature of this session we've ended up with a huge number of teams in C Flyte. This will be rectified in the next session as we return to the typical C1 and C2 system we've used in previous seasons.

However, it is looking like we're going to have a variety of ties at the end of the session, which can make deciding which teams move up and down slightly messy. So for this session, we will be doing a roll-off to use as the final method of tiebreaking. The roll-off will take place after each of your games this week on the sheet you just played on.

The rules of the roll-off are as follows:
- Each team member takes turns throwing one draw, with sweeping, into the house.
- The rock is then measured from the distance from the button to the closest edge of the rock
- Each team member's distance is added together, with the resulting number being your team's final score
- The lower the score, the better.

Ties will still be broken by head-to-head results if at all possible, and then roll-off scores will be used.

If you have questions, please let me know. I will be at the club both nights to assist in the measuring and to gather scores.
Minor Schedule Change (again)
October 16, 2011, 1:15 pm
There was a minor glitch in the schedule that has been fixed. Please check the schedules again!
Updated Schedule and League Notes
October 16, 2011, 10:29 am
Schedules:
A quick note to remind everyone that the schedules are updated to reflect the additional team that was added to the league. Please check to see if your team is playing at a new time!

Reciprocal Drinks:
We are continuing on with the system we had last year. For those unfamiliar with that, reciprocal drinks are not required. This means that you continue to buy your own drink after each game.

Start Times and Game Clocks:
I will send out a more detailed description of the clock rules when it is installed, but here are a few items worth noting. The clock will start at 6:45pm (and approximately 9pm, depending on ice maintenance). This means that your team should be down on the ice ready and doing your practice slides approximately 5 minutes before game time (6:40pm and 8:55pm). The clock will give you 1:50 of game time, meaning that when the clock strikes 0:00, you cannot start any additional ends. The system will be loosely enforced for the first half of the season to allow teams to get used to the change.

Contact Information:
I can be contacted at krisblonski@gmail.com (most reliable method) or 905-648-0414.
2011-2012 Season Start!
October 3, 2011, 11:11 am
Hello everyone! The 2011-2012 curling season is upon us and Im sure everyone is excited to get this season underway. Look for the first session schedule to be posted in a day or two. The first game is schedule for October 12th.

For those teams who are looking for additional teammates or spares, I have an available list of people who can be contacted. Just send me an email and I will pass along the list. The official league email that should be going out in the next couple of days will have a complete list as well.

There are going to be a couple changes this season due to the small number of teams that have entered the league this year. The flyte distribution will be:

A Flyte 6 Teams
B Flyte 6 Teams
C Flyte 9 Teams (1 team gets a BYE each week)


For those paying attention, that means that the C-Pool system we have been using the last couple years will be removed (although it will hopefully return in future years once we get additional teams). Each session will continue to consist of 5 games each, with 4 sessions in total. Now, due to the nature of the club this year, the final session may not be fully completed. If this occurs, we will complete as many schedule games as possible, but not reward the session winner bonus points for that particular session.

The playoffs will continue to run as normal barring any construction mishaps.

On the topic of the ongoing construction, should a game need to be cancelled, all teams will be contacted via email and an update will be posted on the league website. Depending on the time and severity of the cancellation, makeup games could be played on Tuesdays at 9pm or Thursdays at 9pm. Hopefully it shouldnt come down to this, but I will keep you informed nonetheless.
2011-2012 Open House
September 14, 2011, 11:19 am
Hello All! It's almost that time of year, so I'm going to take this time to remind you about the Dundas Valley open house on September 23rd! This is where you can sign up your teams for this wonderful league! I'll see you there!
End of the Season
May 5, 2011, 10:24 am
Hello! It's been a while I know, but a delayed congratulations to all our playoff champions and league champions. For those of you who didn't attend the end of the year banquet, or forgot to venture over to the playoffs section, the winners this year were:

Club Champions - Team Blonski
A Flyte Winners - Team McDowell
B Flyte Winners - Team Olson
C Flyte Winners - Team Hagen
D Flyte Winners - Team De Villiers

And of course everyone's picture:


A big thank you to our sponsor Ernst and Young for their continued sponsorship of the league. And finally a big thank you to you, the players. You make running this league very easy! Remember next year to tell your friends so we can continue to grow the league and provide even more fabulous prizes!

See you all next year!
And the 2010-2011 Club Champions Are...
March 30, 2011, 10:26 am
Congratulations to the team of Kris Blonski, Russ Gray, Peter Kastrau and Steve Dawe for becoming the 2010-2011 Club Champions! Along the way, they racked up a 17-3 record and two flyte wins to earn them 177 points. I believe the club will be contacting them soon about creating some bronze busts to be displayed in the curling lounge.

Not to be forgotten, the session winners were: K. Blonski, Goll, Whetham and Irvine. As there is no 5th session, there are obviously no move-ups associated with these wins, however it will be taken into account for next year's seedings.

Finally, the playoff brackets have been finalized. Head over to the Playoffs Page and find out when you're playing. Remember that the finals schedule for April 13th start at 6:30, not at the usual 6:45.

Congratulations again to all our winners and good luck to all the teams in the playoffs!
March 23rd Curling Cancelled
March 23, 2011, 12:23 pm
Due to the weather, curling scheduled for March 23rd has been postponed.

Makeup games will be held on the following days:

Games scheduled for 6:45pm are now going to be played TUESDAY MARCH 29th @ 9:00pm.

Games scheduled for 9:00pm are now going to be played THURSDAY MARCH 24th @ 9:00pm.


These games MUST be played ON or BEFORE the new schedules in order to have our playoff brackets setup in time.
Playoff Schedules
March 10, 2011, 11:38 am
The playoff time slots have been posted, so head over to the Playoffs page to find out more. As per usual, the playoff rankings for each flyte are as follows:

- Teams 1 and 2 get byes to the semi-finals
- Team 3 vs Team 6 (Winner plays Team 2)
- Team 4 vs Team 5 (Winner plays Team 1)

Further rules and details can be found in the Rules section.
Session 4 Schedules and Playoffs
February 21, 2011, 9:36 am
The Session 4 Schedules have been posted. So head over there and check when you're playing!

In more scheduling news: Due to the Bantam/Junior mixed provincials being played at the club, we are going to have to play two games in one week. That means that the quarter finals will be held on April 6th, and the semi finals will be held on April 7th. Fear not: no team will be scheduled for back-to-back 9pm games.
A Record Breaking Performance
February 10, 2011, 12:32 am
Congratulations to Team Vollick - Larry Vollick, Frank Stoneman, Noel Spratt, and Bill Foye - for their all-time league record of 10 wins in a row; A feat so impressive that it's broken my streak counter on this page (don't worry, it still works on the standings page)! The previous record was 9 wins, held by a handful of teams, most recently the McDowell and M. Blonski rinks.

I'm fairly certain I heard Larry saying that he was so overjoyed that he'd be more than willing to buy a round for anyone who asked. Make sure to take him up on the offer!
NEW Schedule for Session 3
February 2, 2011, 9:59 pm
Here is the updated schedule for Session 3.

Session 3 Updated Schedule
Feb 2nd Games Postponed
February 1, 2011, 2:23 pm
Due to the club closure, all games on Wednesday, February 2nd have been postponed until a later time. Unless otherwise informed, games scheduled to be played on Thursday, February 3rd will be unaffected and should be played at the regular scheduled time.

Make-up times for the postponed games will be posted on the front page of the website and emailed to all the teams as soon as I get approval from the club to schedule games for Thursday at 9pm. The vast majority of the makeup games will be scheduled for Wednesday and Thursdays at 9pm during the remaining 3 weeks of this session.

I apologize for the change in schedule and will get the alternate schedules out ASAP.
Session 2 Winners
January 7, 2011, 10:27 am
For the first time this season we have a three-way tie for session winners. In the incredibly tight B Flyte, we had three teams finish with 3-2 records and three teams with 2-3 records. So without further ado, the session winners are: Winslow (A), L. Blonski, Sedgwick and Webber (B), Vollick (C1) and Whetham (C2). Congratulations to all our winners!

We have a one-week break due to the Hamilton Districts and will return again on January 19th!
Practicing, Rescheduling Games and Scores
November 30, 2010, 12:10 pm
Just some things to be aware of:

As mentioned before, practicing before the games is strongly discouraged in order to maintain high quality ice throughout the game. If you wish to practice, you may do so after the games or contact Gary Pearce for official ice times.

If you are rescheduling games, please mark it on the schedule in the curling lounge, as well as contacting me to let me know of the changes.

Finally, if I'm not available to take the scores PLEASE email them to me or post them on the curling board so that I can retrieve them at a later date. I only need the final score (no need to record ends won).

Thanks!
Session 1 Winners and Notes
November 12, 2010, 9:06 am
Congratulations to the K.Blonski, McDowell, Richards and L. Blonski rinks for winning their respective series'. If I ever get around to it, you will be forever immortalized in the "Series Winners" section that has yet to be created!

Session 2 schedules should be posted this weekend. Remember that next week there will be no curling due to the Mixed Districts. Games will resume on November 24th.

Finally, two quick league notes:
Pre-game Practicing - We encourage everyone to keep pre-game practicing to a minimum. This is to prevent the ice from breaking down before the game is finished. If you still insist on taking a few shots, please do so on your own sheet.

Scores - If I am not available to retrieve your scores, please post them on the board or email them to me at krisblonski@gmail.com . Thanks!
Clean Sheet Curling Skins Spiel
October 28, 2010, 3:54 pm
November 13th, 2010 @ 10am
$200 per Team - ONLY 10 Spots Available!
Two 8-End Games and a Shoot Out
Lunch Provided
UP TO $2000 IN PRIZES!


SIGN UP IN THE CURLING LOUNGE!

What is a Skins spiel?
Essentially you can think of a skins game as one game broken down into 8 mini-games. In Skins, youre playing to win the end, or skin, with each skin worth an increasingly higher amount of money.

Very Basic Rules
To win a skin, you need to score 2 or more points (with hammer) or steal 1 or more points (without hammer). If the team with the hammer blanks the end or scores only a single point, the skin is considered to be carried over. This means the next skin is worth its current value in addition to the value of the previous skin(s).

In an effort to even the playing field, we will alternate the hammer regardless of the result of the previous end.

OC 2010-2011 Season Announcements
October 3, 2010, 3:50 pm
First of all, welcome back! As you can see we've done a little housekeeping to the website and added a few new toys. So go ahead, look around!

A couple of announcements for this upcoming season:

In an effort to increase our league numbers, especially in the younger range, we are removing the reciprocal drinks after each game. This means that you will now buy your own drinks after the game, regardless of whether you win or lose. We will be evaluating this change at the end of the season and decide whether or not to continue for future seasons.

The Open Competitive Skins Spiel will be returning this season. It will take place on November 13th, 2010 and will have fabulous(!) cash prizes. Sort out your teams now and keep checking back to the website for sign-up information and more details! Entry fees will be roughly $200-$250 per team.

Finally please check out the team list to make sure all your team members are on the team!

As always, if you have questions or concerns, you can contact me at:
krisblonski [at] gmail [dot] com or 905-648-0414.

Good luck on the upcoming season!
Dundas Valley Open House
September 9, 2010, 2:36 pm
Just a reminder that the Open House will be on September 17th starting at 7pm. Why is this important? Because this is where you can sign up for the 2010-2011 Open Competitive season!

Don't forget to encourage friends to sign up for the league either in set teams or as individuals! The more players we have, the more fabulous prizes are available at the end of the season!
Website Construction
August 25, 2010, 8:55 am
In preparation for the upcoming season, I will be making some adjustments to the website in order to make it less horrifyingly ugly and it make it a little more user friendly! That being said, if you do come here over the next few weeks and find something extremely broken, don't worry! Chances are I'm just making some modifications at that very moment!

See you in October!
The Finals
April 15, 2010, 9:42 am
First of all, congratulations to all the teams on an excellent season and a big thanks again to the curling committee for putting together an excellent banquet. And now to the results...

A Flyte Playoff Winners: Team K. Blonski
B Flyte Playoff Winners: Team McDowell
C Flyte Playoff Winners: Team Webber
D Flyte Playoff Winners: Team Tkachuk

And once again, congratulations to our Club Champions: Team Dion!

I will have pictures posted and available for download ASAP!
Click each picture for the fullsize version!


So to close out the year, I need to thank all the people who helped make the league possible:

  • Ernst & Young (Bob Neale) for their continued sponsorship of the league.
  • Pete Child and Stephen Bernard for ensuring that I didn't become the league dictator.
  • Dave McDowell and Stan Shiraishi for gladly passing along all the league information for the last 13 years and essentially making all the cool things on this website possible.
  • All the people who helped pick up the scores for me throughout the season.
  • And finally, a big thank you to all of you who participated in the league. You really make it easy and fun to run the league.


Make sure you encourage everyone who doesn't already participate in this league to consider signing up as a team or as an individual. This really is the premiere league at Dundas Valley and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy it!

Thanks again to everyone! Have a great summer and we'll see you back here in October!
The Little Rocks Need Your Help!
April 9, 2010, 9:01 am
The Little Rocks Program is looking to increase awareness of curling, our program and the Dundas Valley Golf & Curling Club.

To work toward this, Shawn and Chrim Middleton have issued invitations to some school groups and to some Brownie/Guide groups to attend Little Rock Curling Clinics.

Due to an overwhelming response, they are asking for any people who would be willing to volunteer their time to one or more of the clinics to contact them!

The clinics are:
Thursday, April 15
9:15 - 12:00 pm - Group A - 36 Participants registered
12:30 - 3:00 pm - Group B - 30 Participants registered
6:30 - 8:00 pm - Group C - 30 Participants registered

Friday, April 16
12:30 - 3:00 pm - Group D - 30 Participants registered

If you are able to help out with any of the clinics, please e-mail Chrim directly at cssj@bellnet.ca and let her know.
Session 4 Winners, Club Champions and Playoffs
March 26, 2010, 9:04 am
A big congratulations to Chris Dion, Roz Dion, Rob Eedson and Janet Klein for becoming the 2009-2010 Club Champions! They posted an impressive 15-5 record and racked up two session wins en route to a total of 143 points. Check out all the juicy details on their team page.

Not to be forgotten, this sessions winners are: Dion, Winslow, L. Blonski and Spencer. Now while they obviously cannot move to their new flytes this season, we'll make appropriate adjustments for the start of next season!

Finally we come to the playoffs! The brackets have been posted. Make sure to check back here often before your scheduled game, as schedules MAY be adjusted. Also make sure to refresh your memory on the playoff rules as they are slightly different from the regular season. In addition to the posted rules, due to the fact that there are no 9pm games, I will be waiving the time limit rule for playoffs.

Good luck to all in the playoffs!
Rock Experiment at DVGCC
March 24, 2010, 3:08 pm
Those of you watching curling at the Olymics or the Brier this year may have heard announcers such as Rus Howard talk about how much time the top teams take to ensure that the rocks they throw are matched, or have particular characteristics. In particular, Kevin Martin's team apparently spends a great deal of effort selecting their rocks to make sure that the rocks in a pair behave the same and that Martin's last rocks will actually curl. During the Olympics, the Swiss skip thought that one of her final draws came up short, losing the game, because the rock was actually different. If you watched the Canada-China game at the Women's Worlds, you may haved noticed that Jenifer Jones uses a different strategy. It appears as though she choses one straight rock and one rock with more curl for her skip rocks. I noted that for hits she uses one rock preferentially over the other. Presumably for draws she would chose the other. On the broadcast, you could hear her discussing this with her front end.

With that background, a group of us were interested in learning how to determine how the rocks at DVGCC behave with respect to distance and curl. In particular, do the two rocks in a pair (eg. 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8) behave the same. How does one measure that? Some clues to this were given by Rus Howard, who explained how his team did it. We decided to try it.

Each rock in a pair was thrown down the centre line using the same turn and with the same weight (within 0.1 second T-Hog split time) by the same thrower. To capture the distance the rock travelled, we measured the distance from the T-line. A negative value in inches was given to rocks that didn't reach the T-line and a positive value to those that passed the T-Line. The curl was the distance out from the centre line, again, in inches. The entire process was repeated at least twice on each sheet. The experiment was done on March 16, 2010. Ralph had scaped and prepared the ice for us beforehand.

The attached spreadsheets summarize the results for all 5 sheets. You will see the two repeats (away from the glass and towords the glass) for each sheet. Where the intial throws weren't within 0.1 second of each other, we re-threw the rocks, so you will see third and fourth attempts in some cases. All results are in inches. Negative numbers for distance indicate that the throw was short of the T-line. All measurements were to the edge of the rock, not the centre.

Download the Spreadsheet Here

Have a look at the data. We don't have any suggestions yet as to how to score each rock for distance and curl but we are working on that. If any pairs look to be different, I'd suggest you confirm that observation using your own throws. Some of the differences may be release dependant and we don't have a good way to control for that. If you have any questions please feel free to ask Kris Blonski or Peter Child.
Deadline for games to be completed
March 19, 2010, 10:23 am
Just a friendly reminder that all games must be completed no later than March 26th. Teams failing to do so will receive automatic forfeit losses.

Thanks!
Updated Session 4 Schedules
February 21, 2010, 8:11 pm
Apparently I was drinking when I made the schedule, but it is corrected now. Please double check to see if your schedule has changed. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Session 4 Schedules, Playoffs and More!
February 20, 2010, 12:53 pm
For those who haven't noticed, the Session 4 Schedules are now posted.

For those wondering about playoffs: The quarter finals will be starting on March 31st and April 1st. It is a single knockout event that all teams qualify for. Seeding will be based on the Overall Points with ties being broken with Head-to-Head results (if applicable) and then overall wins. Any further seeding / tie-breaking will be determined by the convener. Teams ranked 1-6 will be in the A-Flyte playoffs, 7-12 in the B-Flyte playoffs, 13-18 in the C-Flyte playoffs and finally, 19-24 in the D-Flyte playoffs.

The Club Champion is the team with the highest overall points at the end of the regular season. This team is then eligible to participate the in the OCA Dominion Championship where they will represent Dundas Valley in a nation-wide tournament.
Session 3 Winners
February 18, 2010, 9:44 pm
Congratulations to teams M. Blonski, McDowell, Richardson and Vollick for winning their flytes this session! You're going to disneyland!

As seems to be the common theme with these posts: If no one is there to take your game scores, PLEASE either email me the results or post them on the curling board!
Game Results
February 12, 2010, 8:50 am
Just a friendly reminder that if I'm not there to pick up the scores, can you please email me or post them on the board. Thanks.
Session 2 Winners
January 7, 2010, 11:58 pm
Congratulations to the K. Blonski, Hagen, Pearce and Whetham teams for coming in first in each of their divisions this session. The statues will be made up in due time!

Don't forget that there is no curling next week because of the districts. We'll be back up and running on January 20th with no more breaks until the end of the season.

One additional note: Upon the start of the 3rd session, all teams will be considered final and each player will be charged the league fee of $25. Once again, no players (including 5th members) will be allowed to join teams after January 20th. So if you need to make changes, let me know before that date.

One BONUS additional note: If I am not around to pick up the scores, can you please either email me after the game, or post the score on the Wednesday night section of the curling board. Thanks!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
December 17, 2009, 10:52 pm
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holidays! We'll see you back here on January 6th and 7th!
Session 2 Schedules
November 15, 2009, 8:18 pm
The second session schedules are now posted. Please make note of the weeks that we have off because of the Districts and Christmas holidays.
Session 1 Winners
November 12, 2009, 9:53 pm
Congratulations to the K. Blonski, Dion, Winslow and Bishop teams for successfully becoming their division winners! Each team receives a 2 point bonus for accomplishing this feat.

As a reminder, the winner of each of the C1 and C2 flytes will be moved to B flyte and the remainder of the C flytes will be completely shuffled to try and give you the largest variety of teams.
5th Players
November 2, 2009, 10:03 am
If any team is looking for a 5th player please contact me and I will put you in touch with them. I have a handful of enthusiastic players looking to find a team. First come, first served!
Ralph's Camera Network
October 21, 2009, 8:56 am
The big change to curling this year at Dundas Valley has been the addition of the camera network to the curling rink. I think we call all agree that it certainly adds another element for the spectators and adoring fans who are watching the games.

What you may not know is that last year the Open Competitive League donated $1500 towards their purchase and installation. So a big thank you to last years conveners, Dave McDowell and Stan Shiraishi for their generous donation!
Session 1 Schedules are Up
September 29, 2009, 9:34 am
The schedules for the first session of the season have been posted. Should there be changes, I'll notify people here.

I'll be tweaking the layout of the schedule page as we go along, so if it looks different, you'll know why!
Open Competitive 2009-2010: Under New Ownership
September 4, 2009, 11:58 am

On behalf of myself, Stephen Bernard, and Pete Child, welcome to the new 2009-2010 curling season and to the new Open Competitive Website. Our goal is to continue to run the league as smoothly as Dave and Stan over their 20 years of service.


I encourage you to explore the website and report back to me with any bugs or oddities that you may encounter. I hope to add new features and expand on existing options throughout this season and future seasons. And remember to change your bookmarks to www.cleansheetcurling.com/dundas!


The first games of the open competitive season will begin on October 14th - 15th, although there is ice available the previous week for practice.

Jump To News
Series 2 Schedule Posted - November 16, 2024
Series 1 Schedule Posted - October 13, 2024
2024-25 Opening Announcements - October 4, 2024
2024-25 Signup Info - August 16, 2024
2023-24 Finals! - April 11, 2024
2023-24 Playoffs - March 17, 2024
Locker Room Closure - March 7, 2024
Weather Update - February 15, 2024
Series 3 Updates - February 7, 2024
Feb 1 Schedule Change - January 17, 2024
Series 3 Schedules Posted - December 31, 2023
Schedule 2 Updated - November 18, 2023
Series 2 Schedules Posted - November 17, 2023
Series 1 Schedule Available - October 12, 2023
2023-24 Opening Announcements - October 4, 2023
Survey and Playoff Finals - April 19, 2023
Team Hot Shots: Schedule - April 9, 2023
Team Hot Shots! - April 6, 2023
2022-23 Playoffs - March 17, 2023
February 22nd Games Postponed - February 22, 2023
Weather Alert - February 22, 2023
OUA and OCAA Champions! - February 13, 2023
League Fee - February 3, 2023
Series 3 Schedules - January 3, 2023
Dec 15 Games - December 15, 2022
Series 2 Schedule Posted - November 19, 2022
Series 1 Schedule Updated - October 31, 2022
October 26th Games Postponed - October 26, 2022
Series 1 Schedule Posted - October 12, 2022
2022-23 Opening Announcements - October 4, 2022
2022-23 Signup Info - August 26, 2022
Website Update - June 6, 2022
2021-22 Finals - April 29, 2022
Series 3 Schedule Information - February 4, 2022
Return to Play - January 25, 2022
Schedule Delays - December 31, 2021
Week 10 Game Reschedules - December 18, 2021
2021-22 Season Announcements - October 7, 2021
We Are Back! - August 24, 2021
Season on Hold - November 14, 2020
Schedule Adjustment - October 30, 2020
Registration Updates - September 22, 2020
2020-2021 Open League Info - September 1, 2020
Coronavirus Precautions - March 11, 2020
Curling is ON - February 26, 2020
Weather Alert - February 26, 2020
Series 4 Schedules - February 21, 2020
Schedule Update - January 12, 2020
Series 3 Schedules - January 10, 2020
Series 3 Schedule Notice - December 11, 2019
Schedule Correction - November 22, 2019
Series 2 Schedules - November 22, 2019
Team Name Change - October 24, 2019
Club Access - October 11, 2019
Rescheduling Games - October 2, 2019
2019-20 Season Announcements - October 1, 2019
2019-20 Signup Info - September 11, 2019
2019 End of Season Address - April 14, 2019
2018-19 Playoffs - March 28, 2019
Feb 27 Curling CANCELLED - February 27, 2019
Series 3 Results - February 14, 2019
Feb 6th Curling CANCELLED - February 6, 2019
Combine Spiel 2019 - January 29, 2019
League Fees - January 21, 2019
2018-19 Series 2 Winners - December 21, 2018
Series 2 Schedules - November 18, 2018
McMaster Team Update - October 22, 2018
Series 1 Schedules - October 10, 2018
NEW DV Open Doubles League - September 29, 2018
2018-19 Opening Announcements - September 27, 2018
New League Website - September 17, 2018
2018 End of Season Address - April 5, 2018
2018 Finals - April 3, 2018
2018 Playoff Schedule - March 22, 2018
2018 Playoff Update - March 16, 2018
Series 4 Schedules - February 10, 2018
Schedule Update - December 30, 2017
Series 3 Schedules - December 30, 2017
Winners and Series 2 Schedules - November 19, 2017
League Start Delayed - October 10, 2017
Series 1 Schedules - October 8, 2017
2017-18 Opening Annoucements - October 2, 2017
Extra Players - September 24, 2017
DV Open House - September 11, 2017
2017 End of Season Address - April 6, 2017
The Finals - 2017 Edition - April 3, 2017
Playoffs and Hot Shots - March 17, 2017
Series 4 Schedule and Playoffs - February 12, 2017
Series 3 Schedule - December 20, 2016
Fundraising and Winter Schedule - December 13, 2016
Schedule Adjustment - October 10, 2016
Series 1 Schedules Posted - October 9, 2016
2016-17 Season Announcements - October 3, 2016
Open House Reminder - September 8, 2016
2015-16 End of Season - April 7, 2016
2016 Finals - April 4, 2016
2016 Hotshots Schedule - March 14, 2016
Brier Challenge Winners! - March 14, 2016
50-50 Brier Challenge - February 25, 2016
Session 3 Winners - February 12, 2016
Session 2 Winners - December 18, 2015
Session 2 Schedules (Almost) - November 15, 2015
Session 1 Winners - November 13, 2015
Nov 11 Schedule Adjustment - November 3, 2015
Session 1 Schedules Posted - October 9, 2015
2015-16 Open League Info - October 8, 2015
Summer Info! - August 28, 2015
Hot Shots - March 20, 2015
Remaining 2014-15 Schedule - March 13, 2015
Minor Scheduling Change - February 17, 2015
Session 3 Winners - February 14, 2015
League Fee - January 29, 2015
Session 2 Winners - December 22, 2014
Session 2 Posted - November 16, 2014
Winners and Club Updates - November 14, 2014
Scheduling - October 11, 2014, 4:15 am
2014-15 Season Announcements! - October 11, 2014, 3:36 am
2014-15 Season is Coming Soon! - September 19, 2014, 1:27 am
2014 - Playoff Champions - April 14, 2014, 8:48 am
2014 Finals - April 4, 2014, 7:45 am
Open League 2014 Champions (and playoffs)! - March 28, 2014, 9:32 am
Playoff Rule Modification - March 20, 2014, 2:43 pm
March 12th Games Cancelled - March 12, 2014, 11:21 am
Ontario Winter Games - March 3, 2014, 9:07 am
Session 3 Winners! - February 21, 2014, 3:22 pm
Snow Day Reschedule - February 6, 2014, 8:59 am
Feb 5th games CANCELLED - February 5, 2014, 12:03 pm
Possible Weather Cancellation - February 4, 2014, 12:15 pm
Noel Spratt 1946-2014 - February 3, 2014, 10:21 am
Team Simonits Qualifies for Bantam Provincials - January 31, 2014, 10:46 am
Winners! Session 3 Schedules (finally!) - January 15, 2014, 9:24 am
Happy Holidays! - December 23, 2013, 9:55 am
Bring on Session 2! - November 23, 2013, 9:41 am
Rosters Locked - November 12, 2013, 4:31 pm
Reminder about the Clock - October 30, 2013, 10:09 am
Friday Night Entertainment - October 21, 2013, 10:42 am
Schedule 1 Updated - October 16, 2013, 8:49 am
Schedule Update - October 15, 2013, 2:52 pm
2013-2014 Pre-Official Announcement - September 18, 2013, 9:10 am
2013 Playoff Champions - April 18, 2013, 2:46 pm
2013 Finals - April 15, 2013, 10:12 am
Playoff Quickie - April 4, 2013, 7:58 am
Friday Night Entertainment - March 26, 2013, 9:40 am
Bantam Mixed Zone Champions - March 1, 2013, 8:51 am
Down to the Wire - February 27, 2013, 2:33 pm
Schedule 3 and Beyond - January 27, 2013, 1:27 pm
Return to Curling - January 7, 2013, 9:08 am
Submitting Scores - December 14, 2012, 11:05 am
Session 1 Winners - December 1, 2012, 3:10 pm
Rescheduled Games - November 22, 2012, 9:30 am
December Scheduling - November 21, 2012, 2:09 pm
Mixed Districts Scheduling - November 8, 2012, 1:58 pm
2012-2013 Pre-Official Announcement - August 31, 2012, 3:20 pm
Photos From the Finals - April 13, 2012, 10:16 am
2012 Playoff Winners and Thank Yous - April 13, 2012, 9:44 am
The 2012 Finals - April 9, 2012, 11:34 am
2012 - Winners! Champions! Playoffs! - March 30, 2012, 10:51 am
Eulogy for Bill Stevenson - February 27, 2012, 10:13 pm
2012 Session 3 Winners, Schedules and Playoffs - February 26, 2012, 1:04 pm
Open Competitive Entry Fee - February 17, 2012, 3:11 pm
Bill Stevenson 1955-2012 - February 6, 2012, 1:33 pm
Session 3 Schedule - January 20, 2012, 9:45 am
Schedule Adjustment - December 12, 2011, 3:43 pm
Website Notice and Session 2 Schedules - November 17, 2011, 1:55 pm
Session 1 Winners and Session 2 News - November 11, 2011, 5:30 pm
C Flyte Roll-Off - November 1, 2011, 2:04 pm
Minor Schedule Change (again) - October 16, 2011, 1:15 pm
Updated Schedule and League Notes - October 16, 2011, 10:29 am
2011-2012 Season Start! - October 3, 2011, 11:11 am
2011-2012 Open House - September 14, 2011, 11:19 am
End of the Season - May 5, 2011, 10:24 am
And the 2010-2011 Club Champions Are... - March 30, 2011, 10:26 am
March 23rd Curling Cancelled - March 23, 2011, 12:23 pm
Playoff Schedules - March 10, 2011, 11:38 am
Session 4 Schedules and Playoffs - February 21, 2011, 9:36 am
A Record Breaking Performance - February 10, 2011, 12:32 am
NEW Schedule for Session 3 - February 2, 2011, 9:59 pm
Feb 2nd Games Postponed - February 1, 2011, 2:23 pm
Session 2 Winners - January 7, 2011, 10:27 am
Practicing, Rescheduling Games and Scores - November 30, 2010, 12:10 pm
Session 1 Winners and Notes - November 12, 2010, 9:06 am
Clean Sheet Curling Skins Spiel - October 28, 2010, 3:54 pm
OC 2010-2011 Season Announcements - October 3, 2010, 3:50 pm
Dundas Valley Open House - September 9, 2010, 2:36 pm
Website Construction - August 25, 2010, 8:55 am
The Finals - April 15, 2010, 9:42 am
The Little Rocks Need Your Help! - April 9, 2010, 9:01 am
Rock Experiment at DVGCC - March 24, 2010, 3:08 pm
Deadline for games to be completed - March 19, 2010, 10:23 am
Updated Session 4 Schedules - February 21, 2010, 8:11 pm
Session 4 Schedules, Playoffs and More! - February 20, 2010, 12:53 pm
Session 3 Winners - February 18, 2010, 9:44 pm
Game Results - February 12, 2010, 8:50 am
Session 2 Winners - January 7, 2010, 11:58 pm
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! - December 17, 2009, 10:52 pm
Session 2 Schedules - November 15, 2009, 8:18 pm
Session 1 Winners - November 12, 2009, 9:53 pm
5th Players - November 2, 2009, 10:03 am
Ralph's Camera Network - October 21, 2009, 8:56 am
Session 1 Schedules are Up - September 29, 2009, 9:34 am
Open Competitive 2009-2010: Under New Ownership - September 4, 2009, 11:58 am