April 16th is the last event of our 2015-2016 season, the K-W Granite’s Monkey bonspiel. Following the Monkey bonspiel on Saturday, April 16, we will be holding our annual Awards potluck dinner and Shindig (with a cash bar) beginning at 6:30 pm. Please bring a dish of your choice (salad, main, vegetables, dessert) to share with other families. I understand that Swedish meatballs are a FAVORITE. Following dinner will be our awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of our youth curlers during this past season.
And there were many achievements this year, particularly with our bantam players, as Elmira bantams contributed players to five different teams that qualified for Regional OCA playdowns this winter:
- Team Molenaar (Anika Molenaar, Emma McKenzie, Kate Martin, Alison Poluck) qualified out of Zone 14 for OCA Bantam girls;
- Team Bauman (with Emma McKenzie and Alison Poluck) qualified for regional play in OCA Region 4 Bantam mixed;
- Team Domaratzki (Sam Domaratzki, Thomas Kraemer, Kyle Henry, Tony Domzella) qualified out of Zone 12 for OCA Bantam boys;
- Veronica Bernard and her team, playing out of Richmond Hill, qualified out of Zone 7 for OCA Bantam girls;
- Sam Domaratzki and Tony Domzella (with Aubrey Kropf and Lindsey Schmaltz) out of K-W Granite qualified for Region 3 Bantam mixed in Zone 12.
Congratulations to all of these players for their dedication, hard work and success this season.
2015-2016 Youth Award Nominees
Each year at Elmira we present awards to those young athletes who have distinguished themselves over the season. This year’s award nominees are as follows.
The Ken Watson Sportsmanship Award, presented to the player in each age category that exhibits the highest levels of sportsmanship both on and off the ice.
- Little Rock nominees: Parker Malloy, Brendan Hickey, and Leia Wrigglesworth.
- Bantam nominees: Thomas Kraemer, Adrianna Molenaar, Alison Poluck, Larissa Musselman, and Kyle Henry.
The Sandra Schmirler Rookie of the Year Award, presented to the Little Rock and Bantam/Junior player who exhibit the best mastery of the skills of curling in their first year in their specific program.
- Little Rock nominees: Emma Penston, Mackenna Riel, Parker Malloy, and Lauren Penston.
- Bantam nominees: Blake Roemer, Larissa Musselman, Luke Sinclair, Quinn Caplice, and Riley Domaratzki.
The Vera Pezer Most Improved Player award, awarded to the player who in the view of the coaching staff improved their curling skills the most during the past season.
- Little Rock nominees: Valorie Martin, Brody Runstedler, and Leia Wrigglesworth.
- Bantam nominees: Alison Poluck, Sam Domaratzki, Tony Domzella, Kyle Henry, and Riley Domaratzki.
The Russ Howard Most Valuable Player Award, given to the player of each age group who, in the opinion of the coaching staff, is the most valuable to their team or to bonspiel teams that are formed during the season.
- Little Rock nominees: Valorie Martin and Cameron Johnson.
- Bantam nominees: Emma McKenzie, Veronica Bernard, Sam Domaratzki, and Andrew Paulley.
Congratulations to all of the nominees! Winners will be announced following the potluck dinner on April 16. Each of the award winners will have their name engraved on our Junior Curling Awards plaque that hangs in the downstairs hallway adjacent to the main bulletin boards.