Hello Tam Members,

As we kick off the 2024-25 season, you may notice some individuals on the ice sporting light grey jackets with the Tam logo and red name tags. These are our Tam Curling Instructors, and we’re excited to introduce our Private Curling Instruction Program for all members.

We have 18 certified instructors through the National Coaching Program, Curling Ontario, and the Ontario Curling Council, ready to provide you with personalized, one-hour curling sessions.

Whether you want to improve your balance and delivery, work on stick delivery, sweeping, line of delivery, or enhance team communication, our instructors will create a custom training plan tailored to your needs. Instruction is available for individuals and teams.

Instructional Pricing (per hour):

• $30 for individuals
• $50 for groups of 2-3 people
• $80 for teams of 4

Our goal is to offer you the best possible curling experience, and our certified instructors are here to help you reach your full potential. Don’t forget to check out our Group Clinics, available this year for just $10 per clinic!

Stay tuned for instructor bios and contact details.

We have added new Stick Delivery clinics with two dates!

Tuesday October 29, 2024 Or Tuesday, November 12,2024
5:00 – 6:30pm
Lower lounge and ice surface

Capacity: 6
Skill Level: New and Novice

Cost: $10 to paid at time of registration

The purpose of this clinic is to provide instruction to those new or novice when delivering with a stick

Lounge:

• orientation to stick curling
• line of delivery walking with release

On ice:

• line of delivery instruction and practice
• release instruction and practice
• speed of delivery practice

Register

Looking for “newer” women curlers who want to enhance their understanding of the game!

The Mini Majors is a development-focused program with four games played at different curling clubs in the area – we are excited to welcome The Cricket Club into our program this year! You will rotate through the different team positions – but don’t worry, there will be coaching sessions before each game! There’s also a Finals Day for those who excel in their “section” (there are 4 sections in the GTA).

Who can participate? Women curlers with less than 10 years of experience who play Lead or Second positions in league play. You can participate in the Mini Majors for up to 7 years.

The cost for the four eight-end games, with tea, coffee and snacks before each game, and a lunch after one of the games remains unchanged at $50. There is an additional cost for those who qualify for the Finals Day.

The tentative schedule includes:

• Monday, November 4 (AM) at Unionville Curling Club
• Friday, November 22 (PM) at The Cricket Club
• December (exact date TBA) at Thornhill Golf & Country Club
• Monday, January 20, 2025 (AM) at Tam Heather Curling Club
• Finals Day is Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at the Oakville Curling Club

Interested? Contact Susan Cox at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 647.293.9680 for more information.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance YOUR curling game!

Reminder to All Members:

If you are feeling unwell or experiencing any symptoms of illness, we kindly ask that you stay home until you've been symptom-free for at least 24 hours. Let's work together to keep everyone healthy and prevent the spread of illness within our community.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

Hello Tam Heather Members,

The curling season is underway, and we are preparing to place our first name tag order! If you would like to have a name tag, please place your order online. 

The deadline for the first order is Friday, October 25th. Don't miss out! Cost per name badge - $20.00 tax included. (Payment required on pick up)

Looking forward to a great season ahead!

Order Name Tag

We are excited to announce the installation of a new fob reader just outside the revolving door in the vestibule. For your convenience, we’ve attached photos for reference.

Starting Tuesday, October 1st, all members with court bookings or participating in a booking must scan their fob before entering the courts. This new system will help the office effectively track member bookings and attendance.

Please note that if a member with a court booking does not scan in, the office will follow up to ensure future compliance.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we implement this update and look forward to another fantastic season at Tam Heather!

Safety Tips

YOUR SAFETY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

• Warm up before the game. Stretching and warming up muscles before going out on the ice can help prevent injury.
• Never use street shoes. Always change your street shoes to appropriate curling shoes. It is highly recommended that you wear a gripper on your sliding foot when sweeping for more stability.
• Step onto the ice gripper foot first. Never use your slider foot to step onto the ice.
• Always be careful when stepping off the ice. Always put your slider foot up first.
• Never stop a rock with your hand. Your fingers can be crushed, especially if the rock hits another rock while you’re trying to stop it.
• Never use your foot to stop a fast-moving rock. You could lose your balance and fall. Use your broom to stop a rock.
• Watch for stray rocks and prevent rocks from going onto another sheet.
• Keep the rocks on the ice at all times. Slide the rocks, never lift them.
• Keep your feet on the ice. Walk or slide, never hop or run.
• If you can’t keep up with a fast-moving rock while sweeping, stop and step aside to allow your fellow sweeper to continue.
• Never go onto the ice when your balance is impaired from sickness, excessive alcohol, etc.
• Always keep walkways ‘clear’ of equipment – place unused brooms, grippers, etc., as far away from the ice as possible.

Other Reminders

• Stand up immediately. Body heat causes depressions in the ice which can negatively affect the path of curling stones.

• Curling Canada’s Rules of Curling for General Play can be downloaded in PDF format at https://www.curling.ca/about-the-sport-of-curling/getting-started-in-curling/rules-of-curling-for-general-play/

1. Please be ready to start your games on time.
2. When the other team has thrown their rock immediately get in the hack and prepare to throw your rock. You should be ready before the opposing rock that your opponent has just thrown crosses the far hog line.

Registration begins Sep 30

The 55^th annual Ross Tarlton International Bonspiel (RT) is an invitational men’s competition pitting teams for clubs in the Ontario Curling Association (CurlON) with those from the Grand National Curling Club (GNCC) of the USA.

The competition was first held in November 1967 and the site of the yearly RT alternates between the United States and Canada. Last years RT was held at the Niagara Falls Curling Club.

This year’s Ross Tarlton is scheduled to occur at the Nashua Curling Club in New Hampshire and Petersham Curling Club in Massachusetts from November 7^th – 9^th. The competition is a 32 team event (16 teams from the GNCC and 16 teams from the CurlON) and the winning side is determined by the aggregate number of stones won after each team plays 4 games.

The identity of the winning side is a carefully guarded secret which is revealed at the closing concluding gala banquet the final day of play. Although all of the competitors play to win, the true intent of the bonspiel is to promote friendship and camaraderie between GNCC and CurlON curlers.

Details:

• Dates of play: November 7^th-9^th
• Approximate driving times from Toronto – 8.5 hrs to Nashua, 7.5 hrs to Petersham (some participants will do the drive, others will fly to Boston and rent a car)
• The competition starts with 3 draws at the Petersham Curling Club (2 sheets) at 4, 6:15 and 8:30pm on Thursday the 7^th.
• Hotel arrangements have been made at the Sheraton Nashua and a shuttle service between clubs will be provided
• Participation guarantees and invite to the 2025 Ross Tarlton which will be held at the Cricket Club, Toronto
• Right now we have confirmed teams from: South Muskoka, Guelph, Humber, Cricket, Donalda, Mississuagua A & B, Oshawa A & B, Granite, Niagara Falls, Galt, Lakefield and Milton. Only 2 spots remain.
• Cost of entry $440/team

We hope you’ve had a great summer and are excited to return to the ice at Tam Heather!

This is a friendly reminder that registration and full payment are required before you can join your fellow curlers on the ice for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

We look forward to seeing you at the club and enjoying our newly renovated upper lounge area together.

Two spots have become available in this fall/winter’s Monday morning Men’s Doubles tennis league!

If you want to play Men’s doubles tennis on Mon. mornings from 8 am to 10 am, please log into your Tam account and sign up to the Mens Open League under the Recreational tennis tab on the Tam website.

Please contact Paul Ambos @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

An updated Governance document that will be voted on at the Tam Heather Annual Meeting has been posted onto the Tam website titled “Proposed Governance Document Update – Sept 2024 which you can download HERE”. We thank those members who submitted their feedback on the original document posted in August. Your comments and ideas have been reviewed by the Committee, the Board, and Sport Law, and several changes to the original document were made. Changes are highlighted so you do not need to read through the entire document again.

A. Changes made in the yellow highlighted sections alter the intent of the section.

2.6 Meetings of Members

a) Annual Meeting
i - last sentence reworded to read: “no later than 6 months after the end of the previous fiscal year”. Previous wording was “no less than 6 months’’ which did not align with Tam’s schedule.
vi Agenda – reworded to read “presentation of audited financial statements”. Previous  wording read “approval of annual financial statements”.
b) Special Meeting
i) changed the word “may” to “shall”.
i) Added the timeframe of 14 days for notice of Special Board meeting.

5. Communication
       b) Notice vi - added a statement dealing with email notices to insure 2 members at the same address with different email addresses both receive notice.   

B. Sections highlighted in green are mainly wording changes or the addition of phrases/sentences to better define or clarify the section.   

Title - changed to ‘Rules of Governance’ as the term Constitution was used in error.

1.1. Interpretation

Added definition of ‘the Club’ as term appears throughout document

2.6 Meetings of Members

Members wanted ‘quorum’ defined as to what voters were counted and the procedure if there was no quorum at the start of the meeting, for both the Annual and Special Meetings
a) iv - Quorum - defines those voters that are counted for a quorum
a) v - ‘No quorum’ Added process and restriction if ‘no quorum’ at opening of meeting
b) Special Meeting - added parts iii and iv re: quorum as stated in 2.6 a) iv and v).

3.1 Board of Directors

g) Tenure – the word “consecutive” was previously omitted in error. There is no change from the existing by-laws as was passed by a motion at the 2022 Annual Meeting.

4.4 Auditor

a) Appointment- section reorganized and reworded into a) and b) for clarity. No change in meaning.

5. Communication

c) Timelines - put into chart form and expanded wording for clarity

Tam Heather is your club, and your active participation is vital. Please take the time to read the document, and share your thoughts and questions soon, so we can address them before the Annual Meeting.  Send your questions or concerns to: Diana Ranken at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Don Richard at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thank you
Tam Heather Governance Committee

To All TAM members

As I write this invitation, the kids are going back to school and it really does feel a little like fall. It is too early to put away the golf clubs, but you might be thinking about getting back to the curling rink. Well, here is the first step.

I would like to invite you and your TAM friends to TWO special meetings, both to be held on Monday September 30, 2024 in our newly renovated Tam Upper Lounge.