Tour Mascots

So, everyone knows that COVID sucks.  It's been a rough few years for the entire planet and while we are happy to be through the worst of it (we think), COVID caused the delay of the 2022 Scot Tour for a full year.  In the last Summer of 2022, the Tourists made the painful decision to delay the tour for a full year because we wanted to experience the camaraderie of the Tour without restrictions like social distancing and face masks.

While it was tough on all the Tourists to delay for a year (we will all be a year older and a year more decrepit when we arrive in Scotland), there are 3 Tourists that were impacted worse than the rest of us, as they were not able to join us on the tour.

Joel Leneker was the first Tourist who had to drop.  Joel lives in Connecticut and curls out of the Nutmeg Curling Club in Bridgeport, CT.  He is a Graphic Designer and a University Instructor of Graphic Design.  He has sat on the board of the Grand National Curling Club (the regional association to which Nutmeg Curling Club belongs) and served for 3 years on the Board of Directors of USA Curling.  Joel let us know before we voted to delay the Tour that if the Tour was delayed a year, he would be unable to attend due to some family issues.  Joel helped design the patch for the Tour and we wear the Scot Tour patch in his honor.  Doug Brugler was chosen to replace Joel on the Tour.

Charlie Brown was the next Tourist to drop from the tour, for a much worse reason. On the evening of Thursday, November 10, 2022, after curling at his beloved Schenectady Curling Club, Charlie returned home and suddenly passed away.  Charlie curled out of the Schenectady and Albany curling clubs in New York.  He was a former Chairman of the Grand National Curling Club and also served for a period of time on the Board of Directors of USA Curling.  In honor of Charlie, our first mascot on this tour will be, aptly, a Charlie Brown doll.  Tourists will bring "Charlie" everywhere we go, collect pins from each club and at the end of the Tour, the Tourists will send "Charlie" to Charlie's widow, Kathy.  All Tourists will additionally wear a patch in honor of Charlie on their on-ice jackets.  Michael Shalhoub was called upon to replace Charlie on the Tour and will be curling in his honor.



Just two weeks before we were set to depart for Scotland, the Tourists were informed by Jeff Kitchens that he would be unable to join us on the Tour.  Jeff has had ongoing kidney issues and knew he would likely need a new kidney in the next 2-5 years.  Unfortunately, in mid-December, Jeff was informed by his physician after some tests that he was in Stage 4 renal failure and would need a kidney transplant much sooner than originally anticipated.  Jeff felt that he couldn't risk going on the Tour for both his own health and because of concern for negatively impacting the experience of his fellow Tourists should things go wrong.  Jeff hails from the great state of North Dakota and U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt spent 4 years as a cattle rancher in North Dakota.  So our second mascot will be a Teddy Roosevelt Teddy Bear in honor of Jeff.  Again, the Tourists will bring the Teddy Bear everywhere they go, will take many pictures of the bear on the Tour, will collect a pin for the bear at each club and will send to Jeff upon our return.  Michael Dry has stepped in on very short notice to replace Jeff and will be curling in his honor.

The Tourists feel very honored to have been selected for the Tour and are heartbroken that Joel, Charlie and Jeff are unable to participate on the Tour that they earned through their contributions to our great sport of Curling.  We will miss you guys and will be thinking of you throughout the Tour!


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