Canada hosted a Friendship Tour of 16 women curlers from the United States at a number of curling clubs in the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island). The US women began and ended their adventure on November 4 through 16, 2018, flying in and out of Boston.
Applicants were selected February 15, 2018 at the USWCA National Women's Bonspiel held at the Triangle Curling Club in Durham, North Carolina. To be considered, the applicant had to be 50 years of age by May 1, 2018, have at least 3 years of curing experience by October 2018, and be a member of a club that had been with the USWCA for a minimum of three years leading up to and including the application year.
Congratulations to those chosen to travel in the beautiful Maritime Provinces, pictured below. A part of their story is reproduced here from the Spring 2019 Curling News:
Curlers hailing from Maine to Washington represented the United States in the 2018 USWCA - Canadian Senior Women's Friendship Tour, hosted by the Canadian Maritime Provinces. The Tour began in Prince Edward Island at the Cornwall Curling Club, then continued into New Brunswick, and concluded with five games in Nova Scotia. Each host club rolled out the red carpet, providing delicious local cuisine, drinks, and gifts. Several clubs also invited local dignitaries to mingle and greet the Tour, including several women who visited and participated in the 1997 Friendship Tour in the United States. Creative entertainment from the host clubs followed the games, as well as rousing singing from the Tour participants. The Maritime Provinces do not lack in beauty and the Tour was fortunate to view many, including the Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks, the Reversing Falls in St. John, the Historic UNESCO town of Lunenburg, the lighthouse at Peggy's cove, and Citadel Hill in Halifax. The Tour concluded in Halifax where the women watched a Cashspiel in progress at the Halifax Curling Club and posed for a team picture with Brad Gushues's Newfoundland/Labrador team - a fun way to conclude the Tour.
Front row, kneeling, left to right - Debra Horn (Tour Captain), Anne Pryor, Jacalyn Stetina.
Middle row, left to right - Brenda Tait, Ruth Brown, Michelle Widen, Nadyne Krienke, Pat Davis, Joanne Docteur, Martha Naber.
Back row, left to right - Nancy Busby, Lucy Harr, Lynn Adams, Lee Alexander, Laura Heuer, Maryann Vermeulen.
East
Lee Alexander, Philadelphia Curling Club
Lucy Harr, Belfast Curling Club
Laura Heuer, Potomac Curling Club
Maryann Vermeulen, Plainfield Curling Club
Central
Ruth Brown, Bowling Green Curling Club
Nancy Busby, Columbus Curling Club
Michele Falvey, Detroit Curling Club
Debra Horn, Mayfield Curling Club
Wisconsin
Lynn Adams, Centerville Curling Club
Anne Pryor, Madison Curling Club
Jacalyn Stetina, Kettle Moraine Curling Club
Brenda Tait, Racine Curling Club
West
Pat Davis, Denver Curling Club
Joanne Docteur, Duluth Curling Club
Nadyne Krienke, Granite Curling Club
Michele Widen, Four Seasons Curling Club
Alternates
First Alternate, Martha Naber, Albany Curling Club
Second Alternate, Susan Fleck, Circle City Curling Club