CURLING CONNECTION. Province s curling heroes are celebrated at Curl BC Awards. The IN THIS Fortius Sport & Health. June

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1 The CURLING CONNECTION June Fortius Sport & Health Province s curling heroes are celebrated at Curl BC Awards A team of national champions, a five-time Purple Heart recipient and a lifelong volunteer were among the recipients of the 2015 Curl BC Annual Awards. Team Lepine, the Canadian Women s Masters champion, Rick Sawatsky who plays lead on Team Cotter, and Bernice Mulock from North Shore Winter Club were all honoured at the awards ceremony which took in May. Fifteen awards were handed out at the event which recognized the vital contribution that volunteers, coaches and athletes have made to the sport of curling in BC over the past year. Team Lepine was named Masters Athlete / Team of the Year. Despite losing a player to injury just a few weeks before provincials, Team Lepine s competitive spirit, excellent curling ability and determination helped them win not only the BC title but the national crown too. After receiving the award, skip Karen Lepine spoke of her joy at having secured a national title after experiencing numerous set-backs on previous occasions. Sawatsky, who represented BC at the Brier for the fifth time this year, was crowned Male Athlete of the Year. The lead, who lives in Kelowna, has played a significant part in the rink s continued success over the last twelve years... Continued on page 2 IN THIS ISSUE Curl BC celebrates $105,000 grant Curling Canada announces changes Sign up to host a 2016 BC championship Register for the BC Junior Curling Tour Dates for your diary: New courses New members join the Curl BC Board All the news from the Business of Curling

2 Championships and qualify for the AMJ Campbell BC Mixed Championship. As well as his success at provincial level, Cody played in four leagues this season and volunteers with young curlers across the lower mainland. Speaking about the award, Tanaka said: BC is full of amazing curlers and I am honoured to be awarded Junior Male Athlete of the Year. This award is also for my teammates, they deserve this as much as I do. The awards ceremony was amazing as I ve never been a part of something that big before so it was very exciting. Above: Canadian Masters Champions, Team Lepine. Page one (from top): Rick Sawatsky - Male Athlete of the Year, Bernice Mulock - Pat Kennedy Award for Long Service, and Ernie Daniels - Anita Cochrane Coaching Award. Continued from page one... and holds the record for both best percentage at a Brier and the most perfect games in a row. He was nominated by his skip Jim Cotter who described him as the best team mate anyone could ask for, always putting the team ahead of himself. It was not just athletes that were honoured at the ceremony, the countless hours of hard work and dedication by volunteers like Bernice Mulock was recognized as well. Mulock, who received the Pat Kennedy Award for Long Service, was a founding member of the North Shore Winter Club and has devoted 56 years to developing curling at the venue. She has been Club President and organizing committee chair for several curling championships including the 1988 Pepsi Canadian Junior Championships. The excellent achievements of BC s juniors curlers in 2015 were also rewarded with several awards, including Team of the Year, being award to the provinces youth curlers. Cody Tanaka, who lives in Delta, was named Young Male Athlete of the Year in recognition of a superb season which saw him win silver at the 2015 Tim Hortons BC Junior Erin Pincott and Sydney Fraser of Team Brown celebrate winning Team of the Year alongside their co-winners, Canada Winter Games bronze medallists, Team Tardi. Ron Phillips, the Chair of Curl BC s Recognition and Awards Committee paid tribute to the winners, saying: It has been a good year for curling in BC which made judging the nominations a tough job. All of our award winners have made a great contribution to curling in our province and we re pleased we can recognize their contribution in this way. All of the recipients received their awards at a banquet which included entertainment by BC comic John Cullen and photo booth fun courtesy of The Laugh Lounge. Photo booth photos from the evening can be viewed on the Laugh Lounge website. You can read more about all the award winners on the Curl BC website. Dezaray Hawes and Cody Tanaka who won Junior Female and Junior Male Athlete of the Year Left: Samantha Siu, winner of Athlete with a Disability. Right: Cathy Pidduck who was named Volunteer of the Year 2

3 Curl BC receives over $100,000 to help develop curling Curl BC has secured a $105,000 Community Gaming Grant from the provincial government to support a wide range of initiatives to help promote and develop the sport. The funding will be used to expand programs such as Rocks and Rings and SOAR, assist with the delivery of training courses and educational events, and cover essential provincial championship costs. Speaking about the grant, Curl BC CEO Scott Braley said: Community Gaming Grants are essential to the ongoing operations of both Curl BC and its member curling centres across the province. On behalf of the 24,500 regular curlers in 90 BC communities, Curl BC would like to thank the Province of BC for continuing to provide this invaluable support to amateur sport each year. The funding was presented to Curl BC by Burnaby North MLA Richard T. Lee at a cheque handover ceremony at Fortius Sport and Health on Monday, June 8. MLA Lee said: Curl BC does remarkable work in our community. With the support of this gaming grant, the organization will continue to produce world class athletes and encourage people of all ages to engage in active lifestyles. Further information about the Community Gaming Grants can be found on the BC government s website. Wheelchair curling clinic is a great success There are now more wheelchair curlers and coaches in the province, thanks to a CAN Curl More Clinic that took place earlier this year. The session, which took place at Vancouver Curling Club in March, introduced both potential curlers and interested coaches to the sport of wheelchair curling. Ten curlers and seven coaches took part in the clinic, making it Curl BC s largest wheelchair curling event yet. The session covered all of the basics of wheelchair curling, including positioning and delivery techniques. Brenda Dixon was one of the curlers who took part in the workshop. Speaking about her experience she said: The day was very well instructed, and I learned a lot. I enjoyed trying curling after being given the knowledge and instruction. Josée Menard attended the clinic as she thought it would be a good way to stay active. She explained: I try to keep an eye open for possible activities that fit my abilities. I thought adapted curling might be a good match for my abilities, my needs for rest in between efforts and a good cognitive practice with the strategy involved. I enjoyed the welcoming and positive atmosphere at the club and clinic. It was open to all and for all, no matter what. I discovered I enjoyed curling and it matched my abilities, in fact I have signed up for the novice league workshops starting this September. As well as the curlers getting a great deal out of it, the coaches benefited too as five of them are now trained wheelchair curling coaches. Find out more about wheelchair curling and CAN Curl More on our website. Lead. Second. Third. Tim Hortons coffee. And curling. Some things were just made for each other. Tim Hortons, 2013 Skip. 3

4 Curling Canada announces format changes and new age/residency rules The fields for both the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties Tournament of Hearts will expand in 2018 in a pilot project, Curling Canada has announced. The change in format for the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties, which will feature champions from all 14 Member Associations with the potential of adding other teams with pre-qualified status, will remove the pre-qualifying round at the 2018 Canadian men s and women s championships, and will be assessed immediately afterward. The new format will be put together in consultation between Curling Canada and its various stakeholders and partners. The current pre-qualifying system for the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties, which was introduced this past season, will be retained for the 2016 and 2017 championships to remain consistent during the Olympic quadrennial. The new format will be introduced following the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Meanwhile, junior-eligible players will now be able to enter the playdowns leading to the Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties, bringing Curling Canada in line with World Curling Federation and Olympic rules. Also, a new residency policy was adopted by Curling Canada that will allow teams to have one non-resident outside of the Member Association they choose to represent, but the other three players will be subject to stricter proof-of-residency rules that will be enforced by Curling Canada with the co-operation of the players. You can read more about these decisions, and other news from the AGM, on Curling Canada s website. How the National Sport Trust Fund can benefit you Is your curling centre interested in diversifying its revenue base through fundraising? If your centre is a Curl BC member then you have the opportunity to register your program or project with Sport BC s National Sport Trust Fund (NSTF). The NSTF is a philanthropic giftgiving program established through the Canadian Council of Provincial and Territorial Sport Federations (CCPTSF) for the development of amateur sport on a national level. By registering with the NSTF, your centre has the opportunity to increase its fundraising potential as you will be eligible for additional grant opportunities and donors will be able to receive charitable donation receipts. For more information, visit the Curl BC website. Wherever You Stay in British Columbia, Best Western is There. Our three types of hotels provide what you need, whether on the road for a quick overnight stay, or on a vacation with more time to relax. You can rest assured, there s a Best Western that s right for your trip. Visit bestwesternbc.com/curling for exclusive curling rates. BEST WESTERN BEST WESTERN PLUS BEST WESTERN PREMIER bestwesternbc.com/curling WESTERN Best Western and the Best Western marks are service marks or registered service marks of Best Western International, Inc. 2013/2014 Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved. Each Best Western branded hotel is independently owned and operated. 4

5 Venues sought for BC championships Would your centre like to host some of the best curlers in Canada? Curl BC is currently looking for venues for two different BC championships in 2016 and would welcome applications from centres across the province. There are a great many benefits for championships hosts, including increased community awareness of curling, additional revenue, the chance for members to receive training as officials or statisticians, and the opportunity to have the facility s ice made by the Curl BC Ice Tech Team. The BC championships that we are seeking hosts for are: BC Wheelchair Curling Championship Jan Tim Hortons BC Senior Championships Feb If your centre is interested in hosting an event, please Shannon Aleksic. Can New Customers Find Your Business Online? Internet marketing creates highly targeted, fresh traffic to your website Search Engine Optimization Search Engine Marketing Attorney and Law Firm Marketing Physician, Doctor, Dentist Marketing Reputation Marketing Web Design Mobile Website Design Social Media Marketing Coronation Internet Marketing Ltd. Formerly Hurricane Web Design ltd Championship dates for you diary Championship Date Venue Tim Hortons BC Junior Curling Championships Scotties BC Women s Curling Championship BC Wheelchair Curling Championship Canadian Direct Insurance BC Men s Curling Championship Tim Hortons BC Senior Curling Championships BC Mixed Doubles Curling Championship December 28, 2015 January 3, 2016 January 19 24, January February February February Kamloops Curling Club Coquitlam Curling Club Seeking a venue Nelson Curling Club Seeking a venue Enderby Curling Club BC Winter Games February Penticton Curling Club AMJ Campbell Van Lines BC Mixed Curling Championship BC Master Curling Championships March 3-6, 2016 March 8-13, 2016 Qualicum and District Curling Club To be confirmed BC Junior Tour set to launch As mentioned in the April Curling Connection, the inaugural BC Junior Curling Tour will begin in 2015 and teams will have the opportunity to secure a coveted Tim Hortons BC Junior Championships berth. The five-event tour runs from September 25 to November 15 and includes events at Royal City, Abbotsford, Vernon, Kelowna and Esquimalt. BCJCTR (British Columbia Junior Curing Tour) points will be awarded at each event and, providing they have competed in a minimum of two tour events, the top two teams of each gender will receive a direct berth into the provincial championships. The Tour is open to both junior and juvenile teams and you have until August 15 to register here. Further information about the BC Junior Curling Tour can be found on the Curl BC website. 5

6 Changes to Curl BC competitions announced for 2015/16 At the recent Curl BC Board meeting, a number of changes to playdown and championship policies were approved. The updates will help achieve greater consistency across all of Curl BC s qualifying and championship events. All of these changes are summarised below: Multiple events The Juniors, Seniors and Masters will now run a four team page playoff rather than a three team playoff. The minimum number of ends required for a TV game is now eight rather than ten CTRS points earned in the previous year are only valid if a minimum of three out of the four team members return For Men s and Women s, the previous year s Champion is eligible to receive an automatic berth into the Provincial Championship provided that at least three of the four provincially registered players are returning as part of the team. For qualifying events, with three spots the draw format will be modified triple knockout and for events with two spots the draw will be modified double knockout Once a BC Champion has been determined, no more than one player of that team may be substituted for the Canadian Championship competition. If a BC Champion cannot field a team, the runner-up team shall represent BC at the national championship. The Curl BC CEO may appoint a team comprised of members from the BC champion and runner-up if neither can field a full team. 6 Women s The women s BC Championship will now consist of eight teams competing in a round robin format and a 4 team page playoff From 2015/16 onwards, only the top BC CTRS team, rather than the top two, will qualify automatically for the Championship There will now be three qualification spots available at each of the Open Events Men s The top two BC CTRS teams will now receive automatic qualification into the Men s Championship and, as a result, there will be three berths assigned to the Open Qualifying Spiel Juniors The introduction of the BC Junior Tour means that the top two teams of each gender on the Tour will receive berths into the BC Championships. The top two teams must have competed in at least two BC Junior Tour events. One berth will be available to the winner of each of the four regional playdowns and the remaining two berths prorated based on the number of playdown entries The updated Competition Policies will be published in full in the Curl BC 2015/16 Yearbook. Register now for a coaching or ice tech course Course Date Location Cost Registration deadline Ice Tech Level 2* August 13-16, 2015 Vancouver $420 August 3 Ice Tech Level 1 August 15-16, 2015 Vancouver $315 August 3 Ice Tech Level 1 September 2-3, 2015 Port Moody $315 August 26 Ice Tech Level 2* September 8-11 Salmon Arm $420 August 28 Ice Tech Level 1 September Salmon Arm $315 August 28 Ice Tech Level 1 or 2 - September or 8-11 Salmon Arm $175 August 28 Refresher / audit Club Coach** September Abbotsford $ September 2 Competition Coach and November 6, 7 & 8 Qualicum $ October 21, 2015 Making Ethical Decisions** Club Coach** November Armstrong $ November 2 If you would like to take part in any of the courses listed above, click on the blue course title to access the registration form. * A prerequisite is required to take this course. Level 1 certified ice makers must have two years experience of working as an ice technician before taking the Level 2 course. To qualify for a refresher or audit of Level 1 or Level 2 course, the ice tech must have completed that level of certification in the past. **A minimum of six registered participants is needed for this workshop to proceed.

7 Curl BC Board welcomes new members The Curl BC Board has a fresh look for 2015/16 after new members were added at our AGM in May. The board has moved closer to its goal of gender equity as Teri Palynchuk has become the new Governor for Region 8, 9 and 10 whilst Jan Mori will be a Governor at Large for one year. Teri, who lives in Nanaimo, will be a familiar face to many members as she has competed at provincial level on several occasions and is a three-time recipient of the Lottie Hill Sportsmanship Award. Jan is also well known within the curling community as she worked at Vernon Curling Club for 27 years, has volunteered extensively as a coach and curled for over 50 years, as well as being a past president of both the BC Ladies Curling Association (BCLCA) and Curl BC. We are very pleased to welcome both to the Board and look forward to the contribution they will make over the coming months. The board will also be under new leadership as Terry Vandale has stepped down as Chair and has been replaced by former Vice-Chair and Governor at Large Paul Addison. We are extremely grateful for all of the time and energy that Terry has contributed to curling in BC. Terry, who served as our president for five years and has been a regional and district representative for both Curl BC and the BCLCA, will remain on the Board as Past Chair. Paul, who used to be the Director General of the Canadian Forest Service, is a passionate long-time curler who joined the Curl BC board in 2013 and is a Past President of Glen Meadows Curling Association. Speaking about the new Board, Paul said: " I am delighted to be able to work Reflecting on the last year Did you know that in 2014/15 almost 30,000 young people were introduced to curling in BC? Are you one of the 816 different athletes who entered playdowns last season? Were you aware that Curl BC organized 22 courses and workshops over the last year? These are just some of the facts and figures that can be found in Curl BC s Annual Report and Forecast for 2014/15. The report, which was distributed at our Annual General Meeting on May 31, recaps the organization s progress over the last 12 months and highlights the achievements that have been made across the province this year. The Annual Report and Financial Report, which was also released at the AGM, provide information about Curl BC s Strategic Plan, the programs that we run and our ambitions for curling in the province. Both the Annual Report and the Financial Report, which contains information on all of our revenue and expenditure, can be downloaded from the Curl BC website. 7 Curl BC is pleased to welcome Jan Mori (left) as a Governor at Large and Teri Palynchuk (right) as Governor for Region 8,9 &10. with such a committed and capable Board and of course the Curl BC staff and Regional Representatives on whom we depend so much. Together we can enhance the curling experience for both the Recreational and Competitive Curlers here in BC." Details of all of the Board members and regional representatives will be listed in the 2015/16 Yearbook which will be distributed in September. Northern BC coaches - share your opinions Pacific Sport Northern BC is looking for the input and opinions of coaches in the north of the province. The team is currently planning conferences and courses for the upcoming year and they want to take your feedback into consideration. If you re a coach in northern BC, please help by clicking here and completing the brief survey.

8 Business of Curling round-up What were your thoughts on Curl BC s work? On the last weekend of May over seventy delegates from across the province descended on Burnaby for our Business of Curling Symposium. During the three-day event, attendees heard from speakers on a range of topics including Darryl Horne recounting how a kitchen table discussion led to the creation of a juvenile intercity league in the Okanagan, Danny Lamoureux updating delegates on the state of curling in Canada, and Jock Tyre explaining how he has attracted a whole new audience to Kelowna Curling Club. There were also interactive workshops hosted by BJ Gagnon and Dave Loverock, who shared their knowledge and advice about ice making, and Simon Barrick from Curling Canada who helped centres develop a membership plan. Speaking after the Symposium, one delegate commented: I had a great weekend! I learned so much and felt invigorated to go back to my own club and present more wellrounded and well thought out ideas for our future planning. Thanks for offering such informative sessions that are immediately useful and relevant to what our club is needing and looking for at this time. We would like to thank all of our presenters and everyone who attended the Symposium for their time and commitment to curling. If you would like to access the presentations and materials from the weekend, you can download them from Dropbox. At the Business of Curling Symposium we hosted a panel discussion entitled What can Curl BC do for you in which our staff responded to questions and suggestions about Curl BC s work. The discussion was based on comments that had been submitted by members via an online form or in person at the Symposium. Some of the topics that were covered included: Increased professional development opportunities for ice techs The application process for the High Performance Program Information about funding opportunities How Curl BC can better engage with and support centres boards Whether there should be a united open house day across the province Media support and assistance for centres We are extremely grateful to everyone who sent in feedback and took part in the session and we have taken your ideas on-board. Over the coming months we will be updating you in The Curling Connection on the progress we have made as a result of your suggestions. If you have any questions about Curl BC s work or want to submit your ideas of how we can better support our members and curlers, you can do so via our online comment box. Have your say Would you like to submit an article, picture or story ideas for The Curling Connection? Now s your chance! The Curling Connection is distributed at the end of every month to over 5,000 curlers and curling fans. The deadline for submission of articles and pictures for the next issue is July 15. Ellie Lambert elambert@curlbc.ca if you would like to contribute. 8 Follow us on social media Stay up-to-date on all of Curl BC s latest news, photos and events by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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10 Curl BC Office 2001A Kensington Ave, Burnaby, BC V5B 0A7, Phone: , Fax: Scott Braley Elisabeth Walker-Young CEO & Executive Director Educational Programs Manager Ellie Lambert Shannon Aleksic Will Sutton Mel Murray Communications & Marketing Manager High Performance & Competitions Manager Program Coordinator and Regional Coach Campaign Director Curl BC Coaches Melissa Soligo Will Sutton Darryl Horne, Gerry Richard, Karen Watson, Cindy Tucker, Katie Witt, Brent Giles, Ken MacDonald, Brad Kuhn, Brenda Nordin Provincial Coach Regional Coach Consultant Coaches Curl BC Officers Paul Addison Peter Muir George Horner Terry Vandale Chair Vice-Chair Vice-Chair Past-Chair Curl BC Governors Terry Vandale George Horner Ron Phillips Teri Palynchuk Deb Pound Region 1&2 Region 3,4&7 Region 5&6 Region 8,9&10 Region 11 Paul Addison Jan Mori Peter Muir Governor at Large Governor at Large Governor at Large Contact information can be found at or 10