USA Curling s third annual Members Assembly is more than just a business meeting for members! It is designed to provide curlers with information that can enhance their curling experience through individual skills improvement, club development seminars, and opportunities to network with curlers from throughout the country. All offerings, with the exclusion of on-ice training sessions (10/16) at the Coyotes Curling Club, are offered at no cost to curlers from Member Clubs. CLICK HERE to register for the event. SEMINARS Learn about topics such as building a curling club, league structure, ice preparation, club sponsorships, and more. Most sessions will be held at the Hilton Phoenix Airport, with several break-out topics on Saturday at the Coyotes Curling Club. Friday, October 14 th : 8:30am-12:00pm Saturday, October 15 th : 8:30am-4:00pm SOCIALIZING In addition to informal gatherings before and after seminars, all participants are encouraged to attend the USCA Reception at the Hilton and dinner at the Coyotes Curling Club. Bring your curling shoes and enjoy a few pick-up games or compete in the second annual USA Curling Members Cup, the country s shortest bonspiel with the tallest trophy! Thursday, October 13 th : 7:00pm-9:00pm Friday, October 14 th : 6:30pm-11:00pm Friday, October 14 th: 6:30pm-9:00pm Saturday, October 15 th : 4:30pm-11:00pm ON-ICE TRAINING Sunday, October 16 th : 8:30am-3:30pm USCA BUSINESS USCA Reception and early Registration Pizza and Pick-Up Games at Coyotes Curling Club Dinner for Board of Directors (Location TBD) Dinner, Socializing, and Members Cup Mini-Spiel at Coyotes Curling Club On-Ice Training Sessions (FEE) Interested in learning more about the organization? Attend the Members Meeting on Friday afternoon and/or drop in on the Board of Directors Meeting on Saturday. Friday, October 14 th : 1:15pm-5:30pm Saturday, October 15 th : 8:00am-12:15pm Members Meeting Board of Directors Meeting
SEMINARS All participants are encouraged to attend seminars offered on Friday, October 14 th and Saturday, October 15 th. With the exception of the sessions at the Coyotes Curling Club (highlighted in yellow), the room names noted next to session titles are located in the Hilton Phoenix Airport. Breaks are built into the morning/afternoon with refreshments available throughout the day. Transportation is available for all sessions at the Coyotes Curling Club. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15 TH 8:30am-8:45am Welcome Comments HAMILTON 8:45am-9:45am Using Video to Promote Your Club BALLROOM 1 Video can be an effective and inexpensive way to promote your curling club to members of the public. During this session, presenters will discuss ways in which video can be used to make an impact on website and social media without a large financial investment. Bring your smart phone or tablet to this session! 10:00am-10:50am Securing Club Sponsorships BALLROOM 1 Is your club taking full advantage of sponsorship opportunities in your community? With 13 years of experience as a manager for the Lethbridge Curling Club in Alberta (a 10 sheet facility), WCF Competitions and Development Officer, Darrell Ell, will lead a discussion on how curling clubs can more effectively target and show value to potential sponsors. 11:00am-12:00pm Volunteerism: Recruiting, Retention, Recognition BALLROOM 1 Volunteers are needed at all levels of curling in the United States. This session will address practices that have worked well in recruiting, retaining, and recognizing volunteers at the club level. Attendees will be encouraged to share what works for their clubs. 12:00pm-1:15pm Lunch (on own) 1 P a g e M e m b e r s A s s e m b l y ( 2 0 1 6 )
1:15pm-5:00pm Members Meeting BALLROOM 1 This session is designed to bring Members up-to-date on the business of the U.S. Curling Association, including answers to the question what does the USCA do for clubs? All items requiring Member voting will be addressed. A detailed Members Meeting agenda will be distributed. 5:30pm-6:00pm Town Hall BALLROOM 1 Do you have questions for the CEO of USA Curling or Chairman of the U.S. Curling Association Board? This informal Town Hall meeting will provide you with the opportunity to ask anything about the organization s various programs and/or plans for the future in an informal setting. Both questions and idea sharing are encouraged. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 TH 8:30am-9:30am ICE KING BALLROOM 1 Ice King has a world class reputation for ice scraping equipment, high quality blade sharpening, and curling rink equipment. Whether you work on your club s ice or just enjoy curling on good ice, this session will provide you information about the latest technology, including the new Monarch with Acumen technology, and give you the opportunity to ask questions. (See the 10:30am session at the Coyotes Curling Club if you are interested in more information on making ice.) 9:45am-10:45am Does Successful Club Management Require Change? BALLROOM 1 Has your club recently evaluated its committee structure? Do you have written descriptions for board positions? Have you considered hiring staff to handle certain historically volunteer positions? Panel members will discuss ways in which their clubs are making changes to more effectively manage their curling organizations. 10:30am-12:00pm Ice King Demonstration/Ask the Ice Makers COYOTES CURLING CLUB During this session, Ice King will demonstrate the new Monarch in on the ice. In addition, ice technicians with experience curling making ice in both multi-use arenas and dedicated curling facilities will be available to answer your questions and/or discuss your club s challenges with obtaining the best ice possible. 11:00am-12:00pm Building the Sport for the Future: Youth Curling BALLROOM 1 Investing in youth curling is an important component of building the sport for the future - on the club, regional, and national levels. In addition to introducing some of the programs USA Curling is working on and/or recently introduced, representatives from dedicated ice and arena clubs will provide examples of how they have successfully integrated youth programming into their clubs. 2 P a g e M e m b e r s A s s e m b l y ( 2 0 1 6 )
12:00pm-1:15pm Lunch (on own) 1:15pm-2:15pm Curling Strategy with Team USA BALLROOM 1 Derek Brown, USA Curling Director of High Performance, will lead this interactive session on curling strategy by presenting scenarios uses when training Team USA athletes. Alternative responses to each scenario will be discussed, including factors curlers may consider when thinking about strategy for club as compared to elite level play. 1:15pm-2:15pm Capitalizing on the 2018 Olympic Winter Games MESQUITE The 2018 Olympic Winter Games is just over a year away. This session will discuss effective recruiting techniques used around the country and how your club can start preparing to capitalize on the Olympic bump this season. 2:30pm-3:30pm 2:45pm-4:00pm Is There a Place for College Curling in Your Club? MESQUITE During the 2015-16 season, teams from 34 colleges and universities earned merit points toward participation in the USA Curling College National Championship through 70 eligible events. In addition to highlighting how college curlers can earn merit points, presenters will discuss how clubs with dedicated ice and those who play on arena ice have incorporated successful college curling programs into their offerings. Building Dedicated Ice in the Desert - COYOTES CURLING CLUB Have you ever wondered what it would take to convert an old tennis ball warehouse into a dedicated curling facility? How about building an ice rink in a city with an average annual temperature of over 70 F? Members of the Coyotes Curling Club will guide participants through the ups and downs of this process during a tour of the facility. Participants are encouraged to ask questions. 3 P a g e M e m b e r s A s s e m b l y ( 2 0 1 6 )
ON-ICE TRAINING SESSIONS The on-ice training options listed below will be offered at the Coyotes Curling Club on Sunday, October 16th. All sessions will feature experienced trainers/coaches. Please sign up for these courses when you register for the Members Assembly. Mixed Doubles Strategy Sunday, October 16 th : 8:30am-10:00am $20.00 per person Interested in learning Mixed Doubles or improving your current game? Want to know when (or how) to use the power play? Olympian Allison Pottinger (2010, 2014) and USA Curling High Performance Director, Derek Brown, will discuss this new Olympic curling discipline. Bring your curling gear for the on-ice component. Video Analysis of Delivery Sunday, October 16 th : 10:15am-11:15am Sunday, October 16 th : 11:15am-12:15pm $10.00 per person Need a tune-up before starting the 2016-17 season? Trying to reach the next level of the sport? This is an exciting opportunity to have your delivery analyzed by USA Curling High Performance Director and Olympic Coach, Derek Brown. Derek has years of experience training athletes at the highest levels of the sport in both the United States and Scotland. Each session is strictly limited to five curlers. Wheelchair Instructor Certification Course Sunday, October 16 th : 1:00pm-3:30pm $20.00 per person This course is designed to teach experienced curlers how to introduce the sport to athletes who use wheelchairs. It focuses on safety and addresses recruitment and retention of wheelchair curlers at the club level. Patrick McDonald, two-time Paralympian (2010, 2014), will lead the course. Students will be given the opportunity to practice instructing on the ice.