The rainy season is upon us so that the means leaves, needles, mud and more will come in on your shoes when you enter the club.

So since there has been recent increase in the amount of grass and mud debris, we would like ask everyone to:

* Please try to clean your shoes as best as you can when you come in the door.

* Always have a pair of curling shoes or shoes used only for on-ice activity.

* Always use the Boot Boys when you enter the ice shed – there is one at each entrance to the shed.

The first window to purchase tickets for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games has now closed. If you are interested in watching the world’s best winter sport athletes, then you will have hopefully submitted a request on or before November 7, 2008.

If you missed this first chance to order tickets for the 2010 Winter Games, then your next opportunity to purchase tickets will be in February 2009.

Meanwhile, tickets for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will go on sale in May 2009.

A brand new event helped kick off the 2008/09 curling season at the VCC. The Vancouver Cup provided members and guests with an international curling event.

The inaugural Vancouver Cup featured an exciting match up between Team Meguro – the Japanese National team who placed 4th at least year’s World Championship and the VCC’s own high performance Women’s team, Team Mallett, who was the #1 team in the Lower Mainland last season.

The 2008/09 season is underway, and all of us are now settling into our curling season routines. I wanted to take this opportunity to provide a couple of updates to you and all of the VCC members.

The VCC board and staff have been working hard to try to provide the best experience for our members, both on and off the ice. There have been a few changes that have been implemented and we would like to thank everyone for their cooperation.

As we announced at the beginning of the season, the Board of Directors is in the midst of building a business plan for the new home of the Vancouver Curling Club.

After the Board of Directors created the first draft of the Business Plan this summer, meetings were recently held with Leagues Representatives from the club’s leagues. These planning sessions are crucial in building the principles and guidelines for the Vancouver Curling Club as we prepare to relocate from our current facility into the Legacy Facility from the 2010 Winter Games.

New and experienced curlers got their season started off on a very positive note at the Basic Skills and Intermediate Skills Clinics.

The Basic Skills Clinics took place on Sept 15-18, and both two-night sessions were full. A good time was had by all participants and instructors.

Special thanks to Education, Youth and Skills Development Chair, Dianne Petrant, for leading the Basic Skills Clinics. And additional thanks to the clinic instructors: Gary Lubin, Bruce Davy, Croft Bains, Jan Boss and Art Hawkins.

As of 27 October, the club has been advised that the sidewalks that surround our block of Hillcrest Park will soon be paved.

At this time, the actual dates are still TBA but we have been told they are getting very close. But when this paving does take place, the parking lot of the VCC will not be available to Members or staff.

This disruption may take up to 4 days so we will need to be patient and find street parking at that time. With luck, half of our Members will never even know that there was a disruption.

Saturday, Nov 1st marks the second of two sessions with the club's league representatives to build the Business Plan for the club's new facility.

The Business Plan, when it's complete, will provide the principles and guidelines for the Vancouver Curling Club as it relocates from our current facility into the Legacy Facility.

Please click here to learn more about the Business Plan process.