MEDIA

The Curling Connection

December 4, 2008

New National Championship for Club Curlers

In August 2008, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (The Dominion) first announced it was taking Canadian curling to another level with the launch of a national curling event, The Dominion Curling Club Championship, set to benefit Canadian club curlers and charities.

"The Dominion Curling Club Championship, funded by The Dominion, will be an annual event for men's and women's cont. on page 3

Imagine a Better House

The December issue of The Curling News describes the program: Monsanto Canada's "Imagine a better House" community curling club improvement program is back for another year with $80,000 in cash awards available to rural-based curling clubs in Western Canada who need a helping hand.

The program gives rural western clubs the opportunity to secure funding to undertake development or improvement projects at their facility. Cash prizes can be utilized by the winning entrants for anything from building improvements, to new equipment or scoreboards or perhaps even a special event to support and promote the sport of curling at the local rink.

According to the article posters and information were mailed to curling clubs across Canada. If you club doesn't have that information visit www.monsanto.ca for an opportunity to enter this contest.

2008 BC Men's Finalists to Return in 2009

It is now official that the Greg McAulay team from the Richmond Curling Club will return to the 2009 Canadian Direct Insurance BC Men's Curling Championship. McAulay has earned his berth into the 2009 provincials as the BC Men's CTRS points leader. These points were totalled between December 1, 2007 and December 1, 2008. The Sean Geall team from the Royal City Curling Club made the race close with a successful start to their season but were unable to catch the McAulay foresome due to the points McAulay earned over the course of the 2007/2008 season.

Bob Ursel from Kelowna will join McAuley at this year's championship, earning his berth last February as the defending champion. These two teams competed in a thrilling final last year at the provincial championship held in Penticton, with Ursel winning on a measured rock in an extra-end.

The 2009 Canadian Direct Insurance BC Men's Curling Championship will be held in Maple Ridge at the Golden Ears Winter Club, Feb. 9 - 15, 2009. Ursel and McAulay will be joined by eight other teams from around the province. Four teams will win berths from the Interior while the other four will be identified from the Coast.

cont. from page 1. curling teams who have won their respective local club championships," says Leigh Armstrong of The Dominion. "Teams from all 10 provinces and 3 territories, plus a separate entry for Northern Ontario, will compete at the National Championships." The premier event will bring this season's club champions together to compete at the St. George's Golf and Country Club, Etobicoke, Ontario, in late November of 2009. The National Championship will move to other clubs across Canada in future years.

For British Columbia curling clubs and club curlers, this is a national extension of the regional and provincial opportunities established over 10 years ago by the BC Club Challenge and The Pacific International Cup. The BC Club Challenge (www.bcclubchallenge.ca), in partnership with Curl BC, runs six regional Club Challenge events, providing every curling club in British Columbia with the opportunity to have its men's and women's club champions compete to become regional Club Challenge Champions. The Pacific International Cup (www.picup.ca), a partnership with the Richmond Curling Club (www.richmondcurling.com), is celebrating its 10th anniversary of Club Challenge regional champions competing against each other and international teams to determine a BC Provincial Club Challenge Champion and a Pacific International Cup Champion.

Through a new partnership and sponsorship agreement with The Dominion, the BC men's and women's curling club champions that win their regional Club Challenge events and finish on top at the Pacific International Cup, will become British Columbia's Dominion Curling Club Champions and will represent BC at The Dominion Curling Club Championship.

"The Dominion is a proud supporter of Canadian curling and of Canadian athletes," states George Cooke, President and CEO of The Dominion. "We look forward to working with curlers and curling organizations across Canada." Jim Mann, Chair of the BC Club Challenge, and Jim Schuman, Chair of the Pacific International Cup, echo these sentiments. "We are thrilled about the increased opportunity this provides for BC's club curlers and thank The Dominion for their vision, leadership and continued commitment to Canadian curling. It is also exciting to join with The Dominion in its support of charities." Profits generated from the BC Club Challenge, the Pacific International Cup and The Dominion Curling Club Championship will be directed to charities including the Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA), as well as developmental curling initiatives in communities across British Columbia.

What Your Curling Club Needs to Do

Please complete The Dominion Curling Club Championship Declaration of Interest Form included on the inside back cover of your information package and return it to The Dominion as soon as possible. It is critical that we demonstrate to The Dominion that curling clubs across Canada support this generous initiative for club curlers. By completing this form you make a club curler based national championship possible. We want to give every club curler the opportunity to compete beyond their club for a Canadian title. We hope that you will share our view and enthusiasm as we together, create this new National Championship.

Please also visit the BC Club Challenge website at www.bcclubchallenge.ca to find the host club, dates and contacts for your regional Club Challenge event to ensure your club is entered in British Columbia. Your club champions could represent your club and your province at The Dominion Curling Club Championship.

For more information about the BC Club Challenge or the Pacific International Cup, contact: 

Jim Mann
Phone: 604-836-4218
E-mail: jimmann@shaw.ca

New Communications System for Curl BC

Individuals can now sign up for The Curling Connection by visiting the Curl BC home page and clicking the "Sign-Up" button located below the Canadian Direct Insurance advertisement on the left hand side of the page. All clubs are asked to sign up as this system will take effect in January 2009. Clubs and individuals can also sign up to receive updates when Curl BC adds new headlines to the Curl BC website. Headlines will be emailed once a day in a single email. If no headlines are added, then no emails are sent out. Click on "Email Updates" on the top of the home page to sign up for this option.

The search is on for the Chunky MVC: Most Valuable Coach

The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is thrilled to announce its new partnership with the Campbell's® Chunky® brand. This partnership kicks-off with the Chunky MVC: Most Valuable Coach contest in which sport organizations can invite their teams and communities to nominate dedicated coaches who make a real difference. This campaign is designed to give and share the recognition great coaches deserve.

Each year, thousands of coaches selflessly give of themselves to continually improve their team, their sport and their community, and Campbell's Chunky and CAC want to recognize that effort. The winner will receive the Chunky MVC Tribute Day to be featured on TSN, among other prizes.

If you know a coach that deserves recognition for the outstanding work they do, then go to www.chunky.ca/mvc and nominate that coach to be the Chunky MVC!

Spread the Word

Get your printable poster with all of the details here. Print some off and post them in your sports community! Let your friends, family, teammates, and sport organizations know about the contest and help CAC and Chunky shine the spotlight on our great coaches. Invite them to nominate their most valuable coach at www.chunky.ca/mvc!

CAC and Campbell's Chunky Partnership

CAC is pleased to have a new lead partner in Campbell's Chunky to help raise awareness on the importance of good coaching. This exciting new program would not have been possible without CAC's long time partner TSN, who will promote and administer the Chunky MVC online contest.

For more information, contact: chunkymvc@coach.ca

Upcoming Courses

Level 1 & 2 Officiating

Sparwood Curling Club
January 3 & 4, 2009

Club Coach

Victoria Curling Club
January 10 & 11, 2009

Level 1 & 2 Officiating

Golden Ears Winter Club
January 17 & 18, 2009

Level 2 Ice Technician

Salmon Arm Curling Club
January 26 - 28, 2009

REMINDER! 

In order to be considered fully Level 1 certified you must have completed your Level 1 Technical (also known as Club Coach), your Level 1 Practical and your Level 1 Theory Course. If you are not sure of your certification, please go to www.coach.ca to check your certification.

Curl BC Recognition Certificates

The Curl BC Recognition Certificate is available each year to every club in the province for their two chosen Volunteers of the Year, within their own clubs. This is separate from the Curl BC Award for Volunteer of the Year, which has broader criteria for consideration and which must include substantial volunteer effort outside their own clubs and in most cases, outside their own regions. This information is available on the website under programs and awards. The policy manual Section 9 is on the website and gives the criteria for all awards that Curl BC either presents or nominates to Sport BC and other organizations.

For the Recognition Certificates, each club can provide names only - no resume or curling history is required - for their own volunteers of the year - one male and one female. This name should be sent along with gender (think of Pat, Terry, Jaime, and such - could be either). These names are required by February 15TH and the Curl BC recognition certificates will be mailed to the nominating person in early March. That enables you to have the certificate on hand when you make your volunteer of the year presentations at your AGM or closing bonspiel, or other such event.

We encourage all clubs to take photos of the presentations and forward them to your local newspapers, a plug for curling in your community.

APRIL 30th is the deadline for receipt of nominations for scholarships and awards presented annually by Curl BC. The entire revised nomination and selection schedule and process is on the website and outlined in the Policy Manual - which has been provided to every Curl BC Director. Nominations are sought for performance, annual service, long service and some special categories as well. Winners will be named in each category at the AGM in June each year. The nominating person for each winner will be notified and the award plaque will be provided to the Curl BC director or alternate who will make arrangements for presentation of the award with the nominating party, at a suitable date and venue. Please take the time to familiarize yourselves with these awards and the revised criteria for each. If you have questions about the qualifications or criteria, please contact Bev Oldham. See below.

All nominations must be sent to:
Leslie Howe
Administrative Manager
lhowe@curlbc.ca
or fax: 604-333-3615.

Bev Oldham
Director, Chair Awards Committee
604-803-6466 or e-mail
bevoldham@shaw.ca

Athlete Advisory Committee
You spoke...and we listened
Judie Roberts

In October, sixty-six curlers responded to an on-line Curl BC survey, designed by the Athlete Advisory Committee, to find out what curlers and clubs want. Although the number of replies was small, especially considering that it was the beginning of a new curling season, the suggestions were great.

Because of that feedback from sixty-six of your fellow curlers, Robbie Gallaugher has already introduced an individual direct e-mail program. Any curler or volunteer will now be able to register on-line for scheduled e-mails listing website announcements. You'll also be notified of surveys, so that you can provide input to our programs in future.

Our Curl BC webmaster has posted the results of the actual survey. Follow the prompts on the Curl BC website to read the responses, and check out the Athlete Advisory Committee section while you're there. Find out who your representatives are and how to contact them. Browse the entire site to find out who else to call about issues not covered by the Athlete Advisory Committee.

Just one word of advice: the five athletes who have volunteered their time to act on behalf of curlers are busy individuals with careers, families and curling schedules. Curl BC does not require them to visit every club in the province, but to act as a link between our curlers and the Board of Directors. We encourage you to continue to bring your issues to Curl BC's office staff and your directors, as always, and to remember that the members of the Athlete Advisory Committee will do their best to communicate your questions and concerns to those who can best assist you.

View the AAC survey results here.

Athlete Advisory Committee:

Chris Atchison catchison@curlbc.ca
Jacalyn Brown jbrown@curlbc.ca
Deane Horning dhorning@curlbc.ca
Tracey Jones tjones@curlbc.ca
Kelly Scott kscott@curlbc.ca
Wheelchair Rep: Vacant

New Doors Open for Two Office Staff

Curl BC will lose two of its staff members this January. Both Lynne Jambor (Participation Manager) and Robbie Gallaugher (Communications Coordinator) will be leaving the Curl BC office to pursue new opportunities in the upcoming new year.

Jambor will continue to work in the curling world as she has accepted a position at the Golden Ears Winter Club as Club Manager. Gallaugher will be dedicating his full-time efforts to the growth of his personal training business (www.urban-edge.ca) that he began three years ago.

On behalf of Curl BC I would like to thank both Lynne and Robbie for their dedication and hard work over the past years with Curl BC.

Congratulations Lynne on your new position as Manager of the Golden Ears Curling Club. They are truly lucky to have you. Curl BC would like to thank you for your many years of service. We've been fortunate to have such a dedicated person on our staff. Lynne has seen the many changes that our organization has gone through. Without her it would not have been possible.

Best wishes to Robbie. His smile and enthusiasm will be truly missed. Robbie has been a big part of our new on-line look and of course, the wonderful Curling Connection that we all look forward to. We appreciate your help in taking Curl BC to the next level. It will be never forgotten. Congratulations on the success of your business. We all know you will have everyone in tip top shape.

I will truly miss working with both of you.

Terry Vandale
Curl BC President

"My years in the BC curling community and as a member of the office staff of Curl BC have been very fulfilling. It is time for me to take up a different opportunity to further the growth of curling at the grassroots level."
- Lynne Jambor

"I've gained great experience working at Curl BC and am looking forward to giving back to the game and organization in the years to come."
- Robbie Gallaugher

Membership Reporting
A reminder that membership reporting for all clubs is due into the Curl BC office by February 15, 2009.

Need More Yearbooks?
Curl BC currently has extra yearbooks that are available for clubs who require more than they were initially allocated. Please contact the Curl BC office to request an order.

New Bonspiel Website
A new website tracking bonspiels across the world has been created. Visit www.curlingbonspiels.com to find out more.

Richmond Curling Club makes Top 3
The Richmond Curling Club was one of three finalists for the Richmond Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Excellence Awards in the "Associations" category. Way to go Richmond!

Congratulations to Anita Cochrane
Curl BC congratulates Anita Cochrane of the Royal City Curling Club, who won the Sportsmanship Award at the 2009 Canadian Mixed Championship.

Bonspiel Dates
Enderby's Ladies' Bonspiel will now run from January 30th - February 1, 2009. The Kerry Park Summer Spiel will be held from July 1 - 5, 2009. There will be curling all day on July 1st, in the evening on the 2nd and 3rd and all day during the 4th and 5th.

Summer Time Ice
Practice ice will be available at the Kerry Park Curling Club during the days prior to and after their summer bonspiel July 1 - 5, 2009. Interested curlers are asked to contact Sheena Boyles at the Kerry Park Recreation Centre for details at 250-743-5992. Rental fees are applicable.

Curl BC Office Staff

Executive Director & CEO
Scott Braley sbraley@curlbc.ca

Administration Manager
Leslie Howe lhowe@curlbc.ca

Technical & Education Coordinator
Heather Beatty hbeatty@curlbc.ca