Belated "Monday Morning Lead Rocks"

Holiday weekends, ice plant start up, Chartered Accountant hopefuls writing exams ... these issues all conspired together to delay Monday Morning Lead Rocks!

Without any further delay, please take note of the following member announcements:

• Barb & Mike Tureski celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary , September 5th. Reminisced by Mike, "It seems like it was only yesterday that I was marched down the aisle to say, "I do" to Barb and guess what, we still share a smile after all those years in spite of curling 'Mixed' together."
• Another milestone was reached in the Tureski family this month. Mom,( Eva Tureski), enjoyed her 99th birthday September 06. When Barb asked what kind of cake she would like for her birthday Mom replied," no cake thank you, just lemon pie with lots of meringue".

Congratulations to Barb and Mike on their 50th, and to Eva Tureski on her 99th!!

If you have an announcement you would like to have reported on Monday Morning Lead Rocks, please email the office.

Your club provides an AED onsite - looking out for our members.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) - It would be best if we never have to use it, but it is available should the unfortunate happen.

The Royal Kingston Curling Club took the step last year to acquire an AED and make it public access for its membership. An AED is used in cases of life threatening cardiac arrhythmias which lead to cardiac arrest. This simple, low maintenance device can be the difference between life and death.


"Better survival has been associated with the first three links in the “chain of survival”: early access to emergency medical care, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation." - Advanced Cardiac Life Support in Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest, August 12, 2004. The New England Journal of Medicine


As part of RKCC staff's emergency first aid training, a two hour instruction component on the proper use of an AED was added to this year's St.John Ambulance visit. Our friends at St.John provided hands on exercises, along with basic theory, to train us in the proper procedure for using the AED on a victim. Combined with basic CPR, this device will significantly increase the victim's chance of survival.

Important facts that you need to know about AED's ...

• They are very easy to use - the particular unit that RKCC has available, the Philips HeartStart, uses clear, natural voice instructions to guide the first aider through each step of defibrillation. Designed to not slow you down or leave you behind, it paces and adapts voice instructions to your actions every step of the way. It even reminds you to call emergency medical services (EMS). On-demand CPR Coaching instructs the stressed user on how to perform the necessary breathing and compressions, even if they have never taken a CPR course - this is a VERY important feature.
• Any first aider using an AED is protected from civil liability - basically, you will not be held responsible if the treatment you provide fails to revive or save the victim. This is also a VERY important condition considered by RKCC when the AED was acquired. The Chase McEachern Act became law in 2007 and protects anyone, even a first aider without any certified defib training, from prosecution.

For your reference, I have provided the relevant links to St.John Ambulance and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

I am very happy that the club is finally able to provide this device for the safety of its members and guests, but, as I said at the top, it would be best if we never had to use it.

Training for club members on the proper use of the defibrillator could be arranged if the interest was sufficient. A lesson could be coordinated to take place in our lounge at the club, for a small fee per attendee. Please contact the office if you are interested.

6 more advertisers to confirm ...

Thanks to:

Quality Tax
Rosen Triheat Anglin
Boston Pizza
Assante Financial - RKCC member, Henry Treier
Specialty Trophies/Graphics
Remax Realty - Cathy Dervan

for confirming their sponsorship of RKCC. We are very happy to have them on board!

It has been sometime since I have included an entire list of confirmed sponsors for the upcoming season, so I have compiled one for you to browse ...

Ice Sheet Sponsors

Four Points by Sheraton/Ambassador Convention Center
Empire Life Financial
TD Waterhouse
BMO - Bank Of Montreal

Wall ad sponsors

State Farm Insurance - Mark Armitage
Township Tire
ServiceMaster
McCoy Bus Service
Tackaberry
Haven Home Climate Care
RBC Dominion Securities
Wayne Halladay
Donohue Financial
Independent Planning - Jeanie Quirt-Brown
The Trophy House
Revell Ford Verona
Kingston Nissan
Amey's Taxi
Union Gas
Collins & Blay - Murray Robertson
Blaser's Physiotherapy
Sutton Group Realty - Brian Ward
The Loyal Oarsman
SafeStep Building Treatments
Independent Pest Control
Wine Kitz - Rose Schwager
Sutton Group Realty - Ron Pols
D&D Auto Service
Kingston Toyota
Exclusive Cooling
Parade of Paints
Thomson Jemmett Vogelzang
Wartman Funeral Home
Investor's Group - Brian McConnell
Svendson Bros. Auto Repair
Bennett's Valu-Mart
Rent A Chef Catering
Ramekins
Kwik Kopy
Edwards Jones Financial - Peter Schenk
Assante Financial - Henry Treier
Specialty Trophies/Graphics
Trousdale Home Hardware
Bob's Butcher Shop
McGinnis Landing
Quality Tax
Rosen Triheat Anglin
Boston Pizza
Remax Realty - Cathy Dervan

There they are! Some confirmations are still pending, so please check back to see which companies or individuals have given support to your club.

And remember ... use these companies for your retail and service needs whenever, and wherever, possible!

Tell them that you are from the Royal Kingston Curling Club and that you are there because they support your club!!

Office Hours for the week of September 7

It is feeling much more like curling season ... at least inside of RKCC! The ice plant was turned on today and the shed is slowly coming down to temperature. Water will be added next week, starting on Wednesday, and the ice will be ready for painting by the end of the week. With the BIG FREEZE on for the ice pad, the building starts to get much cooler as well. And that means ... my days of wearing shorts to work are numbered!!

Each year, at the beginning of the season, we have questions about when the ice will be ready for practice, and it really depends on the weather. We will be curling for each of the advertised clinic sessions, but daytime hours will depend on the temperature, and the amount and severity of humidity inside of the shed each day. The weather is forecasted to be warm, so check with the office before assuming ice will be available ... the staff will do our best to make it available for member usage/practice during the daytime hours of September 22-25 - best to stretch those muscles before league play, which is scheduled for Monday the 28th (check your sections' webpage for more detailed info - updates are happening daily/weekly). Remember, you will need a username and password to access the Members area. For simplicity, everyone in the club will be using the same ones - if you have forgotten them, please email the office for a reminder.

For those members wanting to drop off Cards of Intent next week, please note that the club will be closed Monday, September 7 (Labour Day) and Tuesday, September 8 (staff training day). Office hours will resume on Wednesday, September 9, at 9am. You may leave your applications in the club's mailbox.

Look for the Monday Morning Lead Rocks feature to start up on September 14 - get your announcements into the office before then.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

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!