NEW FEATURE - Monday Morning Lead Rocks

Starting Monday, August 31st, I will be introducing a new feature to the Manager's Blog ... "Monday Morning Lead Rocks"

One of the objectives of From the Manager's Desk was to highlight and summarize, daily and weekly club activities. Monday Morning Lead Rocks will be a bulletin board of sorts - snippets of member's announcements and achievements - births, celebrations, meeting reminders, etc.

Much like a Lead's rocks setting up the start of a game, I hope Monday Morning Lead Rocks will evolve to become an essential place to start your curling week at RKCC. But, I will need your help!

If you have an announcement or reminder you would like to make (birth, anniversary, etc.), please notify me in person, or by email (admin@royalkingston.com). Give me the specifics and I will try to include it in the next posting. The more the merrier ... it is your bulletin board! If you have any questions about what can be reported, please contact me.

To demonstrate the type of content to be highlighted, I offer this recent member announcement:

Congratulations to RKCC members Allan & Lacey (nee Smith) Monk, who became the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy (8 lbs. even), named Carson Earl Monk, at 5:58 a.m. on August 24, 2009. Proud grandparents Donna and Wayne Smith, are already sizing him up for curling gear!

And don't forget!!! I am still looking for ideas about issues to discuss more in depth on the blog, and I would like the members to help pick the content. As mentioned previously, if you have a question about club operation, policy or activty, then it is likely that another member does as well ... let's try to get the question answered so that all of the members understand!

Good Curling!

Another advertiser confirmed for 2009-10 ...

Thanks to Lori Coulter and the good people at McGinnis Landing, for continuing to sponsor the Royal Kingston Curling Club.

In addtion to their yearly wall ad, McGinnis also lends support to our annual RKCC Golf Day, which takes each June at Camden Braes Golf Course. Those of you who were lucky enough to hit the green at #12 should have enjoyed your free food by now ... if not, what are you waiting for? Get over to McGinnis Landing asap!

Recycling has finally come to RKCC!

REDUCE ... REUSE ... RECYCLE - let's do our part!

In an effort to minimize the Royal Kingston Curling Club's yearly contribution of conventional waste, a recycling program will be implemented this year at your club. Collection boxes for glass, paper, plastics and metals, will be placed in and around the building, and we hope that each member will encourage other members to be aware, spread the word and recycle - to do our part.

If you have ideas for the recycling program at RKCC, please contact me in the office to discuss how they might work ... I am excited to see how this will evolve!

While recycling is a responsible act, and a great start, striving to reduce is another part of the puzzle. I intend to carefully evaluate the office usage and disposal of paper, cardboard, batteries, etc., and make changes where I can. I hope that as we strengthen our commitment at RKCC, and develop effective strategies to minimize our footprint on the environment, that it becomes just a matter of fact to REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE.

Good Curling!

That time of the year ... HERE WE GO!

Well, hard to believe that the Cards of Intent are in the mail already! Seems like we just handed out the Championship Night trophies and turned the ice plant off. But, before too much longer, the chiller will be on, concrete will be cooling, Rod and Terry will be hauling hose and water will once again start to freeze at the second oldest curling club in North America! Come on curling!!

Now please, don't get irritated by my enthusiasm. I am enjoying the summer as much as you. The sun has decided to finally stand guard against the seemingly unstoppable rain clouds, while the warmer (and more humid) temperatures make travelling to your favorite swim hole a very good idea ... a more typical, lazy summer climate. However, the club has to get the ball rolling, and that's what the Card of Intent package signals.

Those members who provided an email address on a previous Card of Intent, should have received a notification on Monday, August 10th, with instructions on how to view and download this year's forms. The remaining members will receive their packages in the mail - they were mailed on August 10th as well. If you would rather receive email notification of club business, and did not yet receive your Card of Intent email, then please provide a valid address on this season's application.

Another quick point regarding providing the club with information ... the Cards of Intent capture the membership info effectively for the start of the year, but, given the turnover in email addresses and telephone numbers, they miss the mid-season changes. Please contact the office when you change your email address or telephone number. That way, you can stay in the loop!

Another way to stay in the loop ... read the 1st Sweep of 2009/10! It contains articles from all the usual suspects and was compiled and edited by Carole Rivington - excellent job, Carole! You can view it inside the Members area of the new, improved website. Teresa Wilson has done an absolutely FABULOUS job upgrading our site. She took some suggestions and want lists, and turned them into smooth, functional reality. You must, if you haven't already, browse the site to appreciate all of the upgrades - I am sure you will be impressed - thank you for your tireless effort and patience, Teresa!

One of the more important upgrades came with the addition of a password protected section for Member Only information. While we don't plan on housing any government secrets, and therefore do not require the most sophisticated, state of the art security, the necessity of a user name and password will allow us to post useful member items and information, like the club roster, online. In doing so, in the case of the club roster, we can make it easier for you to access other member's phone numbers and email addresses, without posting if for the general public ... higher level of privacy for club members.
What other type of information will be available in the Members area? Club by-laws, Board correspondence, the Sweep, event photos, league schedules and standings, and more - we are still working out some of the applications.
Will each member have a unique user name and password? No, it is believed that the time and effort to construct and maintain such a complex entry system is not warranted. By using a common user name and password (which all email active members would have received in their August 10 notification) we can keep potential solicitors out as effectively as if we had unique ones. If there was information online that was to be shared between only you and the club, and not the other members, then maybe it would be necessary to create the necessary individual files. However, since we only want to keep prying eyes from searching, the common entry should work perfectly. If you have not received the user name and/or password, please contact another member who would have received it via email, or contact the office for assistance.

Note to members ... to maintain the privacy of the Members area, do not share the user name or password with any one you don't want looking at club business.


It is very exciting to be getting close to the start of another curling season and there will be many more things to update to the membership in the days to come. Please check back to the Manager's Blog often, to see what may be happening in the club that you shouldn't miss. And, if you think that I have missed something, or have a suggestion for an item to be included here ... please call me in the office, or drop me a note :o)

Good Curling! ... but keep applying the sunscreen for now

The list of advertisers and sponsors for the 2009/10 season keeps growing!

Since the last update, we have had the following companies sign on for the upcoming season, and beyond:

Ramekins
Kwik Kopy
Edwards Jones Financial - Peter Schenk
Trousdale Home Hardware
Bob's Butcher Shop

Again, thanks to the companies and individuals who support RKCC - remember to consider them when shopping for your family's goods and/or services.

Also, a BIG thank you to the RKCC Marketing Committee for filling our walls with support. Some leads are suggested by members, some are cold calls, but they all need to be investigated with professional enthusiasm. With the number of wall sponsors/advertisers approaching 53, they have obviously done an excellent job.