20TH SPINAL TAP CHARITY BONSPIEL
FEBRUARY 26, 2011
THORNHILL COUNTRY CLUB

Well, we have finally reached a major milestone in the life of the Spinal Tap Charity Bonspiel!  The 20^th Anniversary event will take place on Saturday February 26, 2011 at Thornhill Country Club.  The last two years have included some of the top names in the sport participating, including Team Howard and Team Jennifer Jones have taken this event to an entirely new level.  The last two events have raised almost $120,000, bringing our nineteen year total to over $350,000 raised for spinal cord research. 

This year’s event plans to be even bigger and better; we have a strong commitment from our corporate sponsors to include as many big names in the sport of curling as possible.   Once I have a list of confirmed celebrities, I will post in here, for all of you to see.  Otherwise, it plans to be the same great event as always; 2 draws, 2 – 6 end games, dinner/dance, and great prizes for everyone.  As with last year’s event, entry fee for 2 games is $300 per team,  For those who may be interested in curling with a celebrity, last year the cost was $1000, with the proceeds being split between SFAC Curling, and the Sandra Schmirler Foundation in support of neo-natal care.  We plan on having 10-12 celebrities this year, if you’re interested in teaming up with a celeb, please let me know.  And, of course, if you’re not able to curl, dinner & dance tickets will be available, and you’re always welcome to come out and watch the celebrities curl. 

For the last two years, we have had a waiting list, so be sure to reserve your spot by calling or sending me an email.

Looking forward to another great event, and be sure to check back periodically for more details.

Sincerely,

Ryan Durham
905-887-9402
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Spinal Tap Wrenches 50K to Fight Paralysis

Curling and charity were the big winners as Thornhill Country Club played host to the Dominion Of Canada Spinal Tap Charity Bonspiel on February 2, 2008.

The 24-team event raised $50,000 for Shoot For A Cure Curling, a campaign of the Canadian Spinal Research Organization dedicated to funding spinal cord injury research and the promotion of wheelchair curling, the world’s fastest-growing Paralympic winter sport.

The windfall more than doubled last year’s amount of monies raised, and brought the 17-year grand total to $250,000.

Big names from the world of curling included 2006 Paralympic Gold Medal champion Chris Daw, 1998 Olympic Silver Medallist George Karrys, two-time World Champion and Hall-of-Famer Ed “The Wrench” Werenich, Rogers Sportsnet personality Rob Faulds, and two athletes featured in the 2007 Women of Curling Fundraising Calendar, Leigh Armstrong and Chrissy Cadorin.

The 100 participants were treated to two games of curling, followed by a dinner and dance. Thousands of dollars in prizes were given out from such sponsors as VIA Rail, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, The Cut Above Landscaping, Asham Ontario and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company.

A few special presentations were also made during the evening festivities. Chrissy Cadorin, who finished fourth at this year’s Ontario women’s provincial championship, presented half the proceeds from her calendar appearance to Shoot For A Cure.

Ed Werenich, who has appeared in 18 men’s provincials in his curling career, made a special presentation to Thornhill members Rob and Steve Lobel.

After 20 years of effort, the Lobel brothers finally qualified for 2008 provincial, which started February 4, 2008 in Kitchener.  Werenich’s monologue compared their success to that of the main character in the movie “The 40 Year Old Virgin”, and had the room in hysterics. 

Event organizer, Ryan Durham who is quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident in 1990, says, “The support I’ve received for the event seems to grow every year. Whether its prize contributions, new participants, or new corporate sponsors like The Dominion Of Canada, there’s new success every time. I want to thank everyone who was part of this event. I’m already looking ahead to next year.”

Below is a listing of inductees into the Spinal Tap Hall Of Fame.

2007 Inductees (L to R):
Bill Neilson, Lee Halbert, Ryan Durham, George Karrys,
Chrissy Cadorin, & Representative from thornhill country club
 

2008 Inductees (L to R):
Sharon Anderson, Ryan Durham, Grant Shubert, Al Warren, & Dave Peck [absent]
 

 2009 Inductee
Jennifer Smith

As always, we sincerely appreciate the generous support from our other sponsors, including, The Cut Above Landscaping, The Curling News, Asham Ontario, and Via Rail. To see a full list of our sponsors and donors, please check out our sponsors. And don't forget to check out our photo album from previous year's Spinal Tap Bonspiels.  For more information about the CSRO, or to learn how you can get involved with the Shoot For A Cure Curling campaign, please call the toll free line at 1-800-361-4004 x 229.

BONSPIEL GUIDE
Hold your own curling bonspiel!

This is a promising era in the realm of spinal injuries. We realize that discovering a cure is not a matter of IF but merely WHEN. As we come closer to finding a cure for paralysis we invite you to join our team and help us to achieve our goals. One of the ways you can get involved immediately is by planning your own fundraiser, benefiting SFAC.  You can host your own SFAC bonspiel in your community, or turn your existing bonspiel into a SFAC Curling fundraiser. There are many ways you can help raise funds at an event, it could be as simple as selling raffle tickets, or a running a silent/live auction.

If you are interested in organizing your own SFAC bonspiel, or want to turn your existing bonspiel into a SFAC Curling fundraiser, the following resources will be provided to you by the SFAC campaign:

• entry forms 
• prize request letters on SFAC letterhead
• pledge forms for participants
• event signage
• tax receipts for sponsorship/donations
• some raffle prizes
• silent/live auction items
• bonspiel announcement in The Curling News
• bonspiel announcement on Shoot For A Cure Curling web site
• thank you letters
• administrative assistance

For more information on organizing your own Shoot For A Cure bonspiel, please contact Ryan Durham at 1-800-361-4004 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .