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Volunteer of the Year
In 2002 the Stroud Curling Club initiated a Volunteer Award. The award recognizes and honours member(s) for their volunteer work at the club. Nominations are submitted by secret ballot during the month of March and the winner(s) are announced at the Tournament of Champions the end of March. More information is below on each recipient.
“FOR TIME GIVEN TO MAKE OUR CLUB A BETTER PLACE, WITH THANKS.”
PAST RECIPIENTS
2024-2025 AL BEAUCHAMP
2023-2024 KIM MYERS - SCHUH
2022-2023 ABBIE DARNLEY
2021-2022 JENNIFER ALLAN
2020-2021 MIKE NIELSZERUK
2019-2020 JASON TIZZARD
2018-2019 BOB GRAYER
2017-2018 CAROLYN ALKSNIS
2016-2017 SARAH & JAMES PICTON
2015-2016 EDITH SCHULTZ & SUE JESSUP
2014-2015 GORD THOMPSON
2013-2014 ELLEN DANIEL
2012-2013 BRENDAN DOHERTY
2011-2012 BOB & SHERRY ARMSTRONG
2010-2011 DONNA WICE
2009-2010 RICK & LAURIE BECKINGHAM
2008-2009 FRED & CATHIE DUCKWORTH
2007-2008 PAUL & SHERI GILDER
2006-2007 SHIRLEY WILSON & IAN ROBERTSON
2005-2006 BRENDA REDDY
2004-2005 ANDREW THOMPSON
2003-2004 RANDY & JOAN FLEGEL
2002-2003 JOHN STANLEY
Kim Myers-Schuh - Volunteer of the Year 2023-2024
Our club
operates with many, many volunteers and the annual Volunteer of the Year Award
recognizes one or two people that stand out from all the rest. This years
recipient is Kim Myers-Schuh. Kim is involved in absolutely everything
that goes on at the club - ask for something and it gets done! She is
creative and lends her vast talents to making posters, announcements,
scorecards, bulletin boards etc. all look professional. She has been
heavily involved in the Kitchen Committee this year and was a key reason for
the success of the Ontario Elementary School Curling Championships as an on-ice
official for all four days. She was also involved in making over 700
curling rock cookies for the event. When she sees a need you can count on
her to have it covered. Scrubbing floors, doing kitchen inventory, the
laundry, makng gingerbread houses, decorating the club etc. etc. Thank
you Kim for your hardwork and dedication to the Stroud Curling Club
Volunteer of the Year Award Our recipient this year is Abbie Darnley. Abbie runs our Little Rockers program at our club. Here’s comments about her: "She's a great coach for the little rocks. She makes learning curling fun and helps me get active. For bonspiels she has fun activities and they are really fun !!" Abbie is very involved in the curling world. She is the Program Director of the “Rocks & Rings Program” for Canada. Abbie is an amazing coach, curler and mentor to all she teaches and curls with. It is very interesting to sit and talk with Abbie. She has a vast knowledge of curling and is one intelligent young lady. She is always so willing to share her stories and adventures with all. Thank you Abbie for all you continue to do for The Stroud Curling Club. Such a deserving award to a very deserving person.
Jennifer Allan - Volunteer of the Year 2021-2022
Jennifer has been active member of our club both as a curler and on the board. She was instrumental in coordinating the meat fundraisers each year. As treasurer she had a vital part to play in keeping the books up to date and accurate. We thank her for the hours she has put in to making the Stroud Curling Club a viable place to curl. She is also an avid curler and competitor and volunteers with the Simcoe Major League as treasurer. Congraulations Jennifer and thank you for sharing your time and talents with the club.
Mike Nielszeruk - Volunteer of the Year 2020-2021
Mike Nielszeruk was the President of the Stroud Curling Club prior to his move from our area. He was enthusiastic about bringing new ideas to the club. He was an active curler and responsible for bringing the Corn Hole game, league and tournaments to the Stroud Curling Club. He has left this legacy with the club as the Corn Hole league meets once a week through the curling season and during the off season operates on the pad downstairs. Congratulations Mike on recieving this award in recognition for your enthusiasm and hard work!
Jason Tizzard - Volunteer of the Year 2019-2020
Jason has been an active member with Stroud Curling since 2011 and is active throughout many leagues and volunteer activities. His accomplishments include coaching with Little Rocks and Juniors. He can be seen in the kitchen on Sundays and with various fundraising activities to benefit our youth curlers. Last year he organized and introduced the club to a new Junior Cash Spiel. Jason has worked to elevate the success of the curling programs by improvements in the equipment, mainly building the Little Rocks portable half-hack system that allows for the ice sheet length to be reduced to accommodate the little curlers. Jason Tizzard was elected to the board in 2018 and has represented the youth within the club and supported many club activities. Jason has recognized needs for the club and pitched in where with a positive influence on many of our members. Thank you Jason!
Bob Grayer - Volunteer of the Year 2018-2019
If you've been around the club when Bob is there, chances are you've experienced his friendly smile and welcoming personality. Bob is ALWAYS willing to lend a hand with whatever needs to be done. He helps with many leagues, including the Clif Thompson Senior League, Juniors, and Learn to Curl. In addition to his ongoing work with leagues in the club, he organizes many bonspiels at the club, including the Turkey spiel and Valentine's Mixed Doubles spiel. When something needs doing or someone needs help, Bob is often there saying, "I can help with that!". From the entire club, we say a massive thank you. People like Bob make our club a better place!
Carolyn Alksnis - Volunteer of the Year 2017-2018
Carolyn is a valuable member of Stroud and has brought a lot of new ideas that have helped improve and invigorate the club. She quickly and efficiently applied for an Inspire Innisfil Grant which allowed the club to receive almost $10 000 to replace and improve its supply of brooms and grippers, and purchase new helmets and a shoe cleaner at ice level, as well as promote the sport to the community. Carolyn introduced and organizes our silent auction which we enjoy both fall and winter schedules. Her organization and dedication to this fundraiser has been essential to its huge success in support of our junior curling program. Carolyn also worked with local high school teachers to bring high school curling into the club during the week, and works as a liason to ensure they have a smooth experience. She is also responsible for the improved signage at the club and has worked to get temporary signs during registration or special events to help promote Stroud. Her love of curling and dedication to our club has fuelled her to volunteer in many other capacities. She worked to have one of the largest turn outs for a try curling clinic, helps teach clinics, volunteers in our learn to curl league, volunteers with ladies league, and so much more. Carolyn is always willing to lend a hand and is passionate about helping others, particularly new or junior curlers, to learn to love the sport. Stroud is definitely a better place because of Carolyn!
Sarah & James Picton - Volunteers of the Year 2016-2017
Sarah and James have been dedicated members of the Stroud Curling Club for many years, volunteering countless hours to making Stroud such a great place!! They were the integral part of implementing the new website with online registration and created our Facebook page which Sarah continues to update on a regular basis. Together they have brought new and fun ideas to the Friday Night Mixed League like ‘Glow in the Dark’ curling, meal nights, and even something called ‘Twisted’ curling! Sarah has been the secretary on the Board of Directors for many years and is involved in numerous other roles such as the ladies OCA rep, coordinating the new Learn to Curl League, fundraising, assisting with clinics and implementing a new bonspiel for curlers with 5 years or less experience. Sarah has been a force behind growing the membership at Stroud and getting people to try curling! Although Sarah has been involved in competitive curling since her junior days, James has participated in OCA events as well, both representing Stroud at the provincial level. They are wonderful ambassadors of the Stroud Curling Club and the sport of curling. Their love of the game is demonstrated through their active involvement in the club and their drive to continually make Stroud Curling Club the place to be. No matter what the job, big or small, you can always count on the Pictons to be there to help!
Edith Schultz & Sue Jessup - Volunteers of the Year 2015-2016
Edith and Sue are both hard working and dedicated members of the club. Both ladies play an active role helping in the Ladies and Senior leagues at Stroud. The kitchen committee wouldn't be the same without these two! Helping at the many events around the club to help improve the kitchen facilities, they are often behind the scenes making and cleaning up the meals. When the Fresh Look Committee spent over 200 hours sprucing up the club with much needed paint and repairs, you can bet that these two were part of the volunteers involved. Thank you to Edith and Sue, who are always willing to lend a hand and help make the club a better place for everyone!
Gord Thompson - Volunteer of the Year 2014-2015
Gord has been a long time board member, President, Past President, and now President again for the next two years. He is a staunch promoter of our club and has for years sponsored events at the club financially. For the past couple of years he has been the bonspiel coordinator and organized the Turkey bonspiel in December and the Valentine bonspiel in February. His business skills make him a great negotiator, idea person and communicator. He is often the voice of reason. He excels on the ice and has represented our club at a variety of OCA events and bonspiels around Ontario. This year his Grand Masters team competed at Provincials in Thornill and if he could curl every night at Stroud we would probably see him there. His commitment to the Stroud Curling Club knows no bounds and we thank him for this dedication.
Ellen Daniel - Volunteer of the Year 2013-2014
Ellen first became involved in the Stroud Curling Club when her daughters started curling in the Little Rock program. She volunteered to work and run the kitchen, selling cookies, hot dogs and pizza. When her daughters graduated from the Junior program she continued to work in the kitchen and in the last couple of years took her Club Coach certification to be on the ice with both Little Rock and Juniors. Her work has been invaluable to these programs. Her commmitment has been huge! Imagine the number of hours she has contributed every Sunday for ten years in the curling season. She is definiately one of the worker bees of this club and we thank her for years of volunteer service.
Brendan Doherty - Volunteer of the Year 2012-2013
For several years Brendan has been the league coordinator and organizer of the Monday Night Men's League. He does a great job in promoting the league and keeping league members informed about club news in addition to scheduling league and playoff formats. He is also a member of the Stroud Curling Club Board of Directors responsible for reporting league activities. Brendan was also a member of the 100th Anniversary Committee that planned and coordinated activities for this event. Thank you Brendan for your input and continued enthusiasm in the Stroud Curling Club.
Bob & Sherry Armstrong – Volunteers of the Year 2011-2012
Bob and Sherry are members of the Clif Thompson Senior League executive committee, draw masters and Mini-Spiel organizers. Sherry researched and created an Anniversary Calendar celebrating the 100th Anniversary of our club with special focus on the Clif Thompson Senior League. Bob and Sherry initiated, organized and convened the Welcome the World Senior’s Curling event which invited senior curlers from around the world to come to Innisfil and curl with local seniors. They travelled to Scotland to promote the 2nd Annual Welcome the World event and curled in several different clubs. While in Scotland Sherry was the guest speaker at the Tuesday Clubs annual dinner and at each curling venue was given the opportunity to say a few words about the Stroud Curling Club and Welcome the World. For the last two years she has had contact with over 800 Curling Clubs and 45 Curling Federations around the world to promote the Welcome the World event. Bob is a member of the Simcoe Super Seniors as an organizer and phone convener for the Stroud group. Bob was also on the group of volunteers that moved and set up all the lockers and furniture from Barrie. He has coached Junior and Bantam teams over the last five years and has instructed clinics for visiting exchange students. Sherry is also a member of the Stroud Curling Club Board of Directors and is the club liaison for the Ladies League and the Clif Thompson Senior League as well as an OCA representative and website administrator.
Donna Wice – Volunteer of the Year 2010-2011
Donna is our local historian and writer. Along with Nancy Flood and Randy Flegel she was part of the writing team that researched and wrote the book “The History of the Stroud Curling Club 1910-2003”. She was a member of the 100th Anniversary Committee and showcased a historical PowerPoint of the club during the celebrations. She is an idea person and great asset on any committee. She was instrumental in helping the Clif Thompson Senior League complete the grant application to the Community Reinvestment Fund for Welcome the World. During the Welcome the World week she helped in the publicity of the event and took the participants on a historical walking tour of Stroud. She is an avid curler and has represented Stroud at many events. She was also the Thursday Recreational League organizer in 1983. When the website was being redesigned she provided photos and wrote the forward as well as contributed historical data. She has made us all more aware, more appreciative and more respectful of those who preceded us in the promotion of the sport of curling in Stroud. One club member referred to her as “a phenomenal human being!”
Rick & Laurie Beckingham Volunteers of the Year 2009-2010
Rick and Laurie are long-time executive members of the Stroud Curling Club. Laurie hosts the Curl Against Cancer Fund Raiser and does most of the baking and cooking herself. Laurie has also been a member of the Stroud Ladies Executive for numerous years as Board liaison, social convener and President. Laurie and Rick were both members of the 100th Anniversary Planning committee and an integral part of the success of those celebrations. Rick was part of the team that constructed the outdoor skating rink for the Anniversary celebrations and Laurie was in charge of the food. Imagine planning food for an unknown number of visitors! Rick is responsible for hosting the Stroud Turkey Bonspiel and the Stroud Valentine Bonspiel which have been long standing events at the club and continue to bring in the curlers. Both Rick and Laurie are heavily involved in fund raising activities for our club. Laurie is also responsible for coordinating and writing the regular newsletters. She was a key organizer for the upholstering of chairs and locker installation at the club. It does not seem to matter what is going on at the club, Rick and Laurie are somehow linked to that activity and contribute to its success. They can be found at the rink on most nights curling, organizing or serving behind the bar. Whenever there is a job to be done they are there giving of their time, energy and expertise.
Fred & Cathie Duckworth – Volunteers of the Year 2008-2009
Fred and Cathie were long time members of the Stroud Curling Club and held positions on the Stroud Board of Directors and Ladies Executive for consecutive terms over the years. Fred was President of the Stroud Board of Directors and actively involved in all aspects of the club and its operation. Fred assisted Sheri Gilder in running the Wednesday Night Choose Your own league and is currently responsible for organizing the Friday Mixed League. He was also a key member of the fund raising committee and helps out at all special events. Fred and Cathie also volunteered and coached in the Junior program. Cathie served on the Ladies Executive for over twelve years in many capacities, most recently as the draw master and rules coordinator. Fred was a member of the 100th Anniversary Committee and integral in getting the outdoor sheet of ice ready for curling. Cathie could be found helping in the kitchen during the Anniversary festivities. Fred was also part of a small group of volunteers that assist in the annual ice installation for the club and always working at ongoing improvements. Fred was the keeper of the 8 Ender records and diagrams. No job was too big or small for them! It is second nature for them to lend a hand when things need to be done. Our Love and Prayers to you both, RIP
Paul & Sheri Gilder – Volunteers of the Year 2007-2008
Paul and Sheri Gilder have worked hard to help organize and run leagues and programs at the Stroud Curling Club. Paul served on the Board of Directors as President and helped to organize special events and bonspiels. He is still actively involved in organizing the Junior program and holds clinics to help people learn the game or improve their skills. He organizes and runs the Sunday Junior program at the club and the success of our Junior curlers is a direct reflection of his commitment. Sheri organized and ran the Wednesday Choose Your Own League which is a season long commitment with all of the statistical data to keep and draws to organize. Her organizational skills allowed the league to operate very smoothly. She was also involved with the Junior program and on the Ladies Executive. Paul is also responsible for setting up and maintaining the Stroud Curling Club website and helped John Stanley with the installation of the cameras. He is part of a small group who annually work on ice preparation and installation and helps around the club to maintain its upkeep. Some people do not need to be asked to do things – they see a need and go about getting the job done. Paul and Sheri are two of these people.
Shirley Wilson & Ian Robertson - Volunteers of the Year 2006-2007
Shirley Wilson was one of the people responsible for the start of senior curling at Stroud. She served on the executive committee of the Clif Thompson Senior league for three years and then remained as the draw master and Mini-Spiel organizer until 2009. This is quite a commitment as the seniors have monthly Mini-Spiels. Ian and Shirley were also responsible for organizing the B group of curlers each Monday and Wednesday morning. Regardless of the weather you would find them at the club ready to fulfill their duties. In classic Ian style the names were called for the jitney format very officiously as he ensured that he was properly dressed for the occasion by wearing one of his many hats. They gave up their Clif Thompson Senior League responsibilities only when ill health forced them to quit.
Brenda Reddy – Volunteer of the Year 2005-2006
Brenda Reddy was an active Board Member and President of the Ladies League in 2003-2004. She was also on the Ladies executive as coordinator of rules and games. One of her responsibilities while on the Board was to log and record membership information. With the help of her husband John, she initiated registrations being sent out by e-mail and helped to streamline data. Brenda was also responsible for collecting information, formatting and printing the Club newsletters. She was consistently on-hand to help out with any fund raisers and where ever she saw the need to help she did with a cheerful disposition. Brenda made a huge impact in a short time.
Andrew Thompson – Volunteer of the Year 2004-2005
Andrew Thompson was President of the Stroud Curling Club 1997-1999. He was and still is actively involved in many committees and leagues. Over the years he has been very active in the OCA as representative and competitive curler. His Colt team of 2006 won the provincial competition. In 1998 Andrew coordinated the first Tournament of Champions and closing dinner and he still oversees this event. Throughout his time on the Board Andrew has been active in coordinating special events and bonspiels and you know that things will run smoothly when Andrew is involved. He is the chief organizer, draw master and host extraordinaire for the Ontario Curing Tour Comco cash bonspiel held here every year in November. He is eager to help and volunteers to use his organizational skills in writing policies and by-laws. Andrew remains an active and valued member of the Board of Directors with good ideas and practical problem solving skills. Whenever there is an event happening at the club you will find Andrew there helping out wherever he can! He makes the Stroud Curling Club proud on and off the ice!
Randy & Joan Flegel - Volunteers of the Year 2003-2004
Randy and Joan are an integral part of our Club, its past and the present. They are considered by many to be the “heart and soul of our club”. Randy has served in many capacities on the Board including President and Treasurer. He was part of the volunteer writing team responsible to research and write the history of curling at Stroud. The end result was a book entitled, “The History of the Stroud Curling Club 1910-2003”. Randy and Joan participated in Instructors courses through the OCA and became heavily involved in the development of curling at the Little Rock and Junior levels. Many of the curlers that went through these programs are still active in our club. They ran and coordinated the Little Rock and Junior programs for over 15 years. In 1993 Randy was the key organizer of hosting the Colts and Masters Provincial finals at Stroud. He orchestrated the deal for our club to obtain the lockers and other furniture from the Barrie Golf and Country Club. He can also be seen at the rink doing regular upgrades and improvements. Randy is part of the small group who annually work on the installation and preparation of the ice for the start of the season. Randy is the recipient of the Labatt Achievement Award for Outstanding Service. In recent years Randy was instrumental in the rock handle fund raiser and the purchasing of our new rocks. He was also chairman of the 100th Anniversary committee and he helps organize and run the Choose Your Own League. Randy volunteers his expertise to run clinics for curlers. Randy and Joan continue to be very active curlers in our club and continue to promote our club with their positive outlook, hard work and passion for curling.
John Stanley – Volunteer of the Year 2002-2003
John was the initial recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award. He was instrumental in installing the clubs computer system, the cameras for on ice-viewing and the monitors. This system enables our off ice skips to be able to call the shots much easier as they can see both ends of the ice from the comfort of the lounge. John was also a member of the Stroud Curling Club Board responsible for Special Events. His “I can do that” attitude was a reflection of his involvement in the club. Thank you, John for bringing our club into the technology era. He continues to support the club as a member.
Thanks To Our Generous Sponsors!
