The World Crokinole Championship Committee has taken another step toward standardizing the game of crokinole around the world. Friday night the committee will unveil their "International Standard Competition Crokinole Board" as endorsed by the WCC committee.
Now in their fifth year of hosting the annual competition in Tavistock, the committee has set up a partnership with Creative Wood Products of London to manufacture WCC boards. The board was originally designed by Mr. Crokinole (Wayne Kelly) of Stratford, a former member of the WCC committee.
Al Fuhr, 1999 World Champion, spearheaded the manufacturing process along with WCC Committee chairman Barry Raymer and members of the executive. A prototype of the board was tested last week and thirty (30) limited production boards will be used at this year's tournament and also available for sale.
"I think we've got a product we can be proud of," said Chairman Barry Raymer after seeing the board for the first time.
The enlarged ditch area prevents the discs from coming back into play and the deep-coloured, red NGR (non-grain raising) stain in the ditch area gives the boards a distinctive look. The boards are round and the dividing circles are equidistant with a larger shooting area outside the five circle. A shallow 20-hole (6 millimeter depth) also makes it more difficult to score a 20.
The birch boards are finished with two wood sealers, a primer, and two clear lacquer coats. The lines are black and the posts made of black rubber along with two black WCC logos silk-screened onto the edge of the playing surface.
"I think the boards will sell themselves," Mr. Raymer noted.
Players at this year's fifth annual tournament will get a chance to try the boards and make their own decisions.
An unveiling ceremony will be held on the Friday evening before the tournament (June 6) during a social time in the upper hall of the Tavistock and District Recreation Centre sometime between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.
With registrations winding down for Saturday's tournament, preliminary numbers suggest another successful event. To date there are over 350 participants. Last year 365 people took part in the one-day competition.
Emo, Ontario has the Walleye Classic, Wellesley has the Apple Butter and Cheese Festival, and Tavistock has the World Crokinole Championship. So, what do these events all have in common? They are all part of the Canada Post collection of philatelic pictorial cancels. These cancels are available on an ongoing basis from their respective post offices across Canada.
The World Crokinole Championship (WCC) will host its 8th event on June 3, 2006 and now stamp collectors can have a cancellation commemorating the Championship put on their letters. To most Canadians, that's not a big deal, but to stamp collectors, it's just another unique way to celebrate philately - the hobby of stamp collecting.
An avid philatelist, Dr. Bruce Halliday of Tavistock, who is also a member of the WCC committee, subscribes to stamp magazines and after seeing cancellations from across the country, got the idea for Tavistock.
"It suddenly occurred to me, we should do this for crokinole," he said. "We're unique!"
A trip to the local post office got the idea underway as Postmaster Diane Fishback checked into the process with her supervisor in Brantford. The forms were signed and the application sent away for consideration.
While all this was going on, Dr. Halliday said, "I communicated with Jim Phillips, Director, Stamp Services, in Ottawa. He was quite excited!" Mr. Phillips related that he grew up in Quebec and they had an old crokinole board in their house. So he was pleased to learn that crokinole was a Canadian game and that the home of the World Crokinole Championship was also here.
Dr. Halliday sent in a design idea to Stamp Services with the application form, and Canada Post designers made several modifications to come up with a final design. Dr. Halliday said he was pleased with the outcome of the design, which incorporates an old-style, eight-sided crokinole board along with the "Home of World Crokinole Championship" and the fact that the tournament is held the "First Saturday in June" each year.
The special cancellation stamp was received by the Tavistock Post Office on April 30, 2006, and Dr. Halliday was the first to ask for it to be used on letters he was sending to Crokinole committee members and friends featuring the cancellation mark.
In telephone conversation with Mr. Phillips, Dr. Halliday found the director's personal interest in the game caused him to suggest that the Championship might be the subject of a postage stamp.
This idea seems quite feasible because of recent statements by the new President of Canada Post, Moya Greene, who had the following to say in a guest editorial of "Canadian Stamp News."
She said, "I know that stamps aren't just stamps, they're a reflection of Canada - our accomplishments, our history, our land, and our vision." She goes on to say, "Canada Post will continue to design and produce postage stamps that reflect who we are as a nation for all our customers and collectors and mailers..."
But probably the most exciting vision that the new President has is to bring stamp launches into the communities where they originate, rather than formal affairs held in Ottawa. "Our stamp launches will take on a different look and feel," she said, "as we aim to bring more of them into communities as part of celebrations highlighting the people and events the stamps honour."
Dr. Halliday is working diligently to make the stamp idea another reality. If all goes well, he hopes to have such a product available for the 10th anniversary of the WCC in 2008. It could be held as part of that annual event.
Thankful for the cancellation stamp, it is hoped that use of it will assist in advertising the event that has achieved local support and growing participation from players around the world.
The World Crokinole Championship philatelic pictorial cancel and those in other communities are available on an ongoing basis from the respective post offices across Canada. To obtain any of these cancels, send your stamped envelopes and/or covers with proper postage (51¢) inside a stamped envelope addressed to the 'Postmaster' followed by the name and full address of the post office as it appears below the particular cancel. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed envelope pre-stamped with sufficient postage for return mailing.
Canada Post says envelopes and/or covers will be stamped on or around the dates they are received, but individual Postmasters reserve the right to limit quantities.
First place winners in each category of the 5th Annual World Crokinole Championship on June 7 in Tavistock will not only earn the winner a cash prize, but a custom-designed trophy. And the care taken to produce these unique trophies is another yearly challenge for the WCC™ awards committee.
The 2003 awards were shaped by Tavistock carpenter/craftsman M. Kenneth Roth who has over fifty years of experience in the woodworking trade. The birch bases and crowning discs were all individually manufactured in Mr. Roth's rural East Zorra-Tavistock township shop.
Laser engraving of the wooden trophies is then completed by The Korner Shop in Stratford, who have been doing the work since the Championship began in 1999. Following the engraving process, the trophies will be put together, stained and spray-varnished by Ken Wettlaufer, emcee for the World Crokinole Championship, and Tavistock Recreation Centre manager.
Mr. Wettlaufer originally built the trophies from a design by the committee's publicity co-chair, Bill Gladding. The first year, a total of twenty-three trophies were made with red, green and black stain designated for the first, second or third place prize. In subsequent years, only first place winners have received the awards with each one stained a natural wood colour.
The World Crokinole Championship Committee is presently working with a manufacturer to produce an international standard competition board which is endorsed by the committee. Much input has been collected on the subject of board size, line widths, gutter depth, hole dimensions and depth, as well as material and finish.
The World Crokinole Championship is held the first Saturday of June each year at the Tavistock and District Recreation Centre. You can visit their web site at http://www.worldcrokinole.com for a registration form or for more information.