MARCH/MARS 2005

For years now the Whirlpool peoplehave made appliances that help individ-uals - mainly women - get the ordinaryand not so ordinary domestic tasks donequicker and easier.

Now those same people are helpingwomen get out of the house and take upthe lifestyle sport of curling.

In 2000, Whirlpool launched theWomen in Sports initiative, a sponsor-ship program where Whirlpool HomeAppliances supports Canadian femaleathletes. The Women in Sports programis designed to support female athletesand encourage and inspire Canadianwomen to pursue their athletic goals. Theappliance makers Marketing SponsorshipCoordinator, Heather Rice feels “We’rehere to praise the effort of every womanand girl who makes a commitment tophysical activity.”

But why curling? Rice explains: “Wechose to sponsor curling because it is afun sport that just about anyone can par-

ticipate in and enjoy.” The large grass-roots support curling enjoys and a com-mitted following of high calibre teamsalso attracted the appliance folks.

Currently, four well-known “profes-sional” curling teams received sponsor-ships. They are PEI’s curling phenomSuzanne Gaudet World JuniorChampion, 2005 Manitoba ProvincialChampion Jennifer Jones, Canada’sWorld Champion Colleen Jones and the2002 Red Deer Classic ChampionAlberta’s Atina Johnston. Included in theprogram’s sponsorship list, are a few curl-ing clubs that maintain strong women’sprograms.

But now the program has branchedout. In conjunction with the St. George’sCurling Club in Toronto, WhirlpoolHome Appliances presented a winterSaturday of curling instruction that fea-tured expert instruction thanks to the vol-unteer efforts of Jennifer Jones andSuzanne Gaudet.

Your First End campaign is a jointcooperative venture of the Canadian CurlingAssociation, the Alberta Curling Federation,the Northern Alberta Curling Associationand the 2005 Brier Edmonton hostcommittee. This program is designed to assistcurling clubs in the NACA region with ideasand promotional materials to assist withtheir efforts to attract new participants to thesport and new members to their facilities.

The communications campaign is timed tocoincide with the 2005 Canadian men’s curl-ing championships to allow their club to cap-italize on wide-spread media interest andtremendous public awareness of our sport.Because curling’s exposure is at its peak dur-ing national competitions, this time of yearprovides a wonderful opportunity to inviteand welcome new curlers to your club. Alsokeep in mind, curling’s ‘Season ofChampions’ runs from January throughApril, supplying additional opportunity to

take advantage of existing momentum foryour own Your First End events.

The Your First End theme is designed tocapture public attention by emphasizing howeasy and how much fun it is to get involvedin curling activities. The whole idea is to en-courage people to investigate and experiencethe enjoyment of the game first hand.

Your First End will be released nationallyin 2007 following pilots in 2005 and 2006.Here are the details of the program within theplanning guide. Clubs in the northern Albertaarea are following this guideline in develop-ing their own individual campaigns.

WHY DO IT?Attracting new curlers is essential for

the survival and growth of every curlingclub. Participating in the Your First Endcampaign will not only bring new curlersthrough the door, but will also revitalizeexisting members’ interest by providing

the enjoyment of getting involved in anew event.

YOUR CHALLENGEFirst, use your own enthusiasm for the

sport to encourage others.Secondly, use as many of the ideas and

materials as you can to get the message out.Third, encourage everyone at your club

to share in the welcoming of newcomerswho are making enquiries or playing forthe first time. Everyone becomes a sales-person to promote the club. If peoplefeel welcome and have fun, they’ll beback and everyone wins. Friend-get-a-friend or member-get-a-member cam-paigns are successful in most member or-ganizations – not just curling!

PURPOSE OF THE PLANNINGGUIDE

Your First End Planning Guide is de-signed for curling club managers and vol-unteer Board members committed tobuilding membership and overall curlingparticipation at their clubs.

The information on the followingpages will provide ideas and suggestionsto help with the organization of YourFirst End activities at your club. It willalso provide assistance to using the ma-terial found in the Your First EndPromotion Kit.

While the guide is intended to providea starting point, ultimately your most ef-fective ideas will come from within.Make use of the innovative ideas of yourcommittees and your members.

GETTING STARTED &GETTING ORGANIZED

To launch Your First End campaign,form an organizing committee.

Possible areas of responsibility for yourcommittee and volunteers could include:1. Chairperson – oversees theorganization of events and the use anddistribution of promotional material,including people and finances.2. Publicity and Promotion – spreadsthe word about your activities – withinyour club and out in the communityusing Your First End promotionalmaterials.3. Registration & Follow-up – tracksall new customer leads generated byYour First End Welcoming &Orientation – creates the ways andmeans of introducing new people whenthey arrive at your club for the first time.The Welcoming & Orientation committeeis also responsible that every newcustomer has an on-going contact tohelp answer questions. This will ensurethe “first contact” to your club and itsfacilities is a successful one. (Note:personal contact can be a powerful toolin encouraging new memberships.)Follow-up can be as simple as a postcardto let people know you haven’tforgotten them, or as detailed as invitingthem to another event during the seasonor after the summer. Either way,remember to take advantage of the fruitsof your efforts again at the beginning ofthe next season.4. Instruction / Training – explain thesport’s basics through clinics and/orlessons.

Participants actually won their spotsinto the clinic/fun day by entering a con-test either on the Mothers In Motionwebsite (a site Whirlpool helps support)or in the Toronto area’s Metro Newsnewspaper.

Sixty per cent of the contest winners(participants were all women) had nevercurled before. The day consisted of in-struction by Gaudet and Jones; a fun twoend game as well as a draw for a majorWhirlpool appliance.

“Most of the participants (includingWhirlpool’s Heather Rice) were new tothe sport and most left with an eagernessto get more involved in curling in theircommunities” said Rice.

If your curling club wants to host oneof these events, contact Heather atwis_sponsorship@whirlpool.com.

Current and potential new members ofyour curling club will thank you andWhirlpool.

Your First End Curling Club Open House Event Planning Guide

What’s InsideSpring Symposium 2005 ......................2

Tim Hortons Brier Tankard Tour ........3

Guy Hemmings - Rockin’ the House Tour ..................................4, 5

Canadian Curling AssociationDevelopment Fund ..........................6

Ford Dealer Hot Shots Program ........7

Volunteer of the Year,Delbert Comeau ..............................8

Principal of Curling,Bryan Cochrane ..............................8

Continued on page 2

WhirlpoolWhirlpool Women In Sports Initiative by Joe Pavia

85972_BUS OF CURLING 3/3/05 8:49 AM Page 1

TIMING OF YOUR EVENT – March 14-24, 2005

Your First End is timed to coincidewith the tremendous visibility our sportreceives with media coverage of the 2005Brier and the Canadian Men’s CurlingChampionships in Edmonton. Thechoice is yours on the length of the cam-paign. It can be as little as 2 hours on aspecific night or as much as a full day ofactivity.

The dates of March 14-24 were chosenas they fall immediately after the conclu-sion of the Brier and conclude the day be-fore the Easter Holidays. This time framemost likely represents the conclusion ofthe curling season at your club and alsorepresents a great opportunity to show-case your club to new customers beforeyou shut down for the summer.

The first of two challenges for your clubis to remain in contact over the summerwith all new customers who choose tovisit your club during Your First End.Your next and most important challengeoccurs at the beginning of the next curl-ing season when you must be able to‘painlessly’ integrate any of these new cus-tomers into your curling program.

TARGETING PROSPECTIVECURLERS

If you focus your attention specificallyon people you want to attract to yourclub, you will greatly enhance the possi-bility of success.

Two important areas to investigatebefore you start:1. Determine your membership’sstrengths and weaknesses. Concentrateyour efforts in those areas where you

may be weak. For example, consider thefollowing sectors: mixed couples,families, women, commercial leaguecurlers, occasional renters, or any groupthat will increase participation and buildmembership in your club.2. Look at your community to see ifthere are any other opportunities. Inother words, look for groups of peoplethat are not using your facility but couldbe, if the invitation was extended andsomeone made it attractively easy (i.e.Chamber of Commerce, 4H Clubs, GirlGuides, church groups).

Knowing who you’re hoping to attractand concentrating on specific target groupsmakes it easier to choose and plan activities.

MEMBER-GET-A-MEMBERA successfully used practice in business

is to ask current clients (members) to rec-ommend prospective new customers.This concept can work well for Your FirstEnd. It is very simple. Ask current mem-bers to identify individuals who may beinterested in attending your event(s).

Your First End - PREPARINGTHE WELCOME

HINT - When new people arrive, they’llbe unfamiliar with the ways of your cluband may have limited knowledge aboutthe game itself.

To lessen any anxiety and ease newpeople into life at your club, it is impor-tant to do everything possible to extenda friendly and informative welcome. Thefollowing are some things you may wantto consider:◆ Orientation sessions and tours –Take time to talk to newcomers aboutyour club. Finish the explanation with a

tour of the facility. Show them as muchof the club as possible including lockers,the ice area and the refrigeration room.

HINT – The club should be spotless. Thisis their First Contact with your buildingand if cleanliness is an issue, you’ve madea poor impression and chances are goodyou’ll never see those customers again.◆ Information hand-outs – Give allnewcomers written details of how yourclub operates. Include informationabout leagues, instruction, planned andnon-planned social activities and anyother services offered by your club.◆ Incentives – Consider start-upincentives such as trial or provisionalmemberships (e.g. a one-monthmembership), equipment packages andgroup or family rates.◆ Special touches – Often little things can count a lot. Your creativity in making that all-important firstimpression will go a long way towardmaking someone feel welcome.

RUNNING Your First EndACTIVITIES◆ Registration: Obtain vital informationon everyone who attends each event.Details could include name, address,phone numbers, place of business,curling experience, name of contact, if any, as well as other information youcan use to help make them feel welcomeat your club. Make sure your privacypolicy is clear on the registration form (a sample copy of a privacy statement isattached).◆ Instruction: Provide the opportunityfor new curlers to receive some briefinstruction on the basics of the game.

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Have brooms and sliders or sliding

material available. One of the key

reasons we encourage clubs to leave one

sheet available for instruction is that

there should be other games happening

on the other sheets. Your prospective

customers / new members will be able to

see curling by other members and will

see up close the broad cross-section of

the Canadian population that curls.

◆ Competition: Playing the game is

what truly gets people started. Organize

funspiels or mini-games – taking care

to team experienced curlers with new

curlers. Emphasize the fun and

enjoyment aspects to make novice

players more comfortable and more

inclined to try again. These events can be

scheduled in the spring but are more

likely to have more effect in the fall.

FOLLOW-UPAlthough all aspects of Your First End

events are important; the key to the over-

all success will be the interest your club

shows in the new customers. While the

timing of the Your First End campaign

will largely take place after a large segment

of the season has finished, continue to

find ways of including new curlers in the

remainder of the season’s (and off-sea-

son’s) activities. Stay in contact through

written correspondence and consider or-

ganizing a welcome-back event prior to

the fall opening.

Curling clubs today are experiencingtremendous change both within theculture of the sport and its participantsand the environment in which they exist.Demands in terms of financing, risingutility costs, competition from manymore winter activities than ever beforeand increasing consumer demand forquality products and services are creatingnew pressures in the business of curling.

Following the tremendous success of the inaugural spring symposium inMay of 2004, the Canadian CurlingAssociation is teaming up with memberassociations to deliver three Business ofCurling symposiums this spring!!!!

In conjunction with the ManitobaCurling Association, the Business ofCurling Symposium will be held April15th - 17th at the Victoria Inn inWinnipeg. Two weeks later, the AlbertaCurling Federation and the SouthernAlberta Curling Association will presentthe symposium at the Best WesternVillage Park Inn in Calgary on April 29thto May 1st. Finally, Curl Ontario and theOntario and Ottawa Valley CurlingAssociations are set to go May 13th –15th at Algonquin College.(see below for registration details)

The goal of the Business of CurlingSymposium is to bring together all curlingclubs from the respective regions for aweekend of learning and sharing in thebusiness of our sport. During this sympo-sium, attendees will hear from a numberof interesting and highly qualified speak-ers who will offer their expertise in severalkey business and operation areas which allcurling clubs face on a daily basis.

We highly recommend that every curl-ing club attend and that they send a min-imum of three people (there is not a max-imum number of attendees). There are

three simultaneous sessions and for yourclub to absorb all the information provid-ed, three representatives would be ideal.

BASIC SCHEDULEFriday, May 14th

• Registration & Check-inSaturday, May 15th

• 9:00am – 5:00pmKeynote Address and Business Sessions• 7:00pmBanquet & Entertainment with guestspeaker

Sunday, May 16th9:00am – 12:00pmBusiness sessions and closing

CONTENTA. Curling Club Operations

1.The Curling Club Bar• spirits, wine, and beer - acquire a

greater knowledge of products andnew consumer habits

• learn methods for pricing individ-ual drinks, tracking inventory, pre-venting loss

2. Our Books – Keeping Track of ourHard-Earned Money• getting comfortable with account-

ing software• what accounts do we need?• producing reports – when and why• budgeting

3. Refrigeration – an in-depth look at howit all works• follow the brine from start to finish• what are the capital costs of

replacing equipment includingshelf life?

• how to maintain equipment tolengthen life expectancy

• new methods to save energy andsave money

4. Making Championship Ice at Your Club• new scraping patterns and why

they work• improved maintenance• innovative tips

5. Club Insurance / Liability / Property Taxes• do you have suitable coverage and

are you paying too much?• what is Directors and Officers

coverageB. People

1. Recruiting New Customers• how to design an effective recruit-

ing campaign• sealing the deal• are we missing out on new markets?

2. Retention or ‘Keeping What We WorkedSo Hard To Get’• orientation – a new buzz word• 5 Effective Steps to Retention• what is customer service

3. Volunteering – our valuable workforce• creating an effective volunteer plan;• recruiting much needed help;• “paying” our volunteers for their

work4. Junior and School Programs

• who is responsible to deliver programs for our teenagers?

• key components of a successfuljunior program

• how to partner with schools for effective and ‘lucrative’ programs

• safety issues5. Board Governance workforce

• what type of Board of Directorsshould we be?

• roles & responsibilities• committee structures• duty of care

C. Learning1. Corporate Days / Charity Events

• how to take advantage of this newtrend in corporate recreation andcharity fundraisers

2. Show me the money!• how to write effective & successful

sponsorship proposals

BUSINESS OF CURLING SPRING SYMPOSIUMS 2005“INVESTING IN YOUR CLUB’S FUTURE”

• hosting championships – the prosand cons

• where are the grants that can helpyour club and how to write the ap-plication

3. Technology and how it affects thebusiness of curling• membership databases – why you

need them• web site design – their value as an

information and marketing tool• e-mail newsletters – everyone

reads them4. Adult Intermediate Development

• golfers, regardless of handicap, canget instruction to improve theirgame. Now curlers of all skill levels can too! We will show youhow to implement and deliver aneffective program for your mem-bers.

5. The “How To Guide for Little Rocks”(or youth curling)• everything you need to know to

organize and operate and success-ful Little Rock Program

To register your club, contact:Manitoba (Victoria Inn - Winnipeg)April 15-17, 2005c/o the Manitoba Curling AssociationPhone: 204.925.5723Toll Free: 800.706.1486

Southern Alberta (Best WesternVillage Park Inn - Calgary)April 30 – May 1, 2005c/o the Southern Alberta CurlingAssociationPhone: 403.246.9300

Ottawa Valley (Algonquin College - Ottawa)May 13-15, 2005c/o the Ottawa Valley CurlingAssociationPhone: 613.692.5224Toll Free: 800.385.6621

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MARCH/MARS 2005

The Canadian Curling Association’s relationship with its title sponsors is evolv-ing beyond the traditional concept ofevent sponsorship. The recent agreementwith Tim Hortons included the creationof a promotional tour aimed at increas-ing both the awareness of the sport andof the Tim Hortons brand at the commu-nity level. The Tim Hortons BrierTankard Tour targets the home club, itscurlers and the community of the provin-cial / territorial men’s champion with apromotional tour of the Brier TankardTrophy.

The Tim Hortons Brier Tankard Tourvisited the home clubs of the twelve 2005provincial / territorial men’s curling cham-pions between the end of the provincial /territorial championship schedule and thestart of the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier.

The 2005 Tim Hortons Brier Tankardtour stops include the following: • A curling celebrity (Randy Ferbey,Mark Dacey and/or Guy Hemmings),Bill Tschirhart - the CCA national highperformance coach - and of course, the

Brier Tankard Trophy.

• A visit to an elementary school. The

objective is to expose youth to the sport,

share in the excitement of the trophy and

to recognize and encourage the team as

they prepare for the Tim Hortons Brier.

When the Brier Tankard Tour occurs on a

weekend, the school visit will be replaced

by a junior / youth curling clinic.

• Adult intermediate clinic.

• Media session with local press.

• Photo opportunity with the trophy

and/or celebrities.

• Formal session with introductions of

special guests, championship teams and

speeches.

• Presentation of the team’s share of the

Tim Hortons cresting contribution.

• One full set of Youth Curling stones

with engraved handles compliments of

Tim Hortons and the CCA to the home

club’s youth programme.

Deane Horning (skip), Fred Thomson (third), Chris Sykes (Tim Hortons), Don Freschi (second), Rob Norbert (lead)

Trail CC, Trail, British Columbia

(clockwise starting top right) Jean-Michel Ménard (skip), Jean Gagnon (5th),Michel St-Onge (coach), Maxime Elmaleh (lead), Eric Sylvain (second), François Roberge (third)

Victoria CC, Quebec City, QC

(clockwise starting top right) Wayne Middaugh (skip),Nelson Serpa (Tim Hortons Regional Marketing Manager),Marcia Stewart (National Promotions Manager - Tim Hortons), Scott Bailey (lead), Joe Frans (second), Graeme McCarrel (third)

St. Georges Golf & Country Club, Etobicoke, ON

Ed White and grandson Erik Sorensen. Erik’s great-grandfather Bill Walsh Sr. won the Brier in 1952 and 1956

St. John’s CC, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

Bill Tschirhart and Greenway Elementary School inWinnipeg, MB

85972_BUS OF CURLING 3/3/05 8:50 AM Page 3

The refrain from that old song“This land is your land” couldhave been written for Guy

Hemmings.No matter where he visits - in smaller

communities or in larger urban centres -a Guy Hemmings visit seems to brightenthe locale and raise both curling’s profileas well as funds.

Just how can a Rockin’ the House Tourstop happen for you? It may be easierthan you think.

Do we need a committee?Yes and no. The majority of host clubs

squeezed in plenty of other events tocompliment the Tour stop and take ad-vantage of Hemmings’ short time withthem. A chair or co-chairs took chargewith various portfolios established tooversee each individual segment: clinics,school visits, banquets, auction etc. Thisapproach got the most work done thefastest and lightened the burden foreveryone.

Each of his Rockin’ the House Tourstops is different, tailored to the com-munity but focused on exposingHemmings to as many people as possi-ble. While curling may be the focus of atour stop, the goals are different and es-tablished by the host.

What were some goals andwere they met?• An October 2004 Vauxhall, Albertaappearance was typical. NatalieBroderson and her committee wanted toraise the profile of the sport and increaseclub membership. After his day longvisit, Broderson saw a number of results.“The event really boosted our member’senthusiasm about curling.” What? Wellhere you are at the beginning of your

curling season and members areenthused about curling – an added spinoff!

She went on to say, “Our little rockprogram had a lot more interest thisyear.” Hemmings’ enthusiastic talk to theK-6 school kids sparked that interest.“One grade 3 teacher said she thoughther kids would be bored with the pres-entation,” related Broderson, “ and thenafter it was over, she asked her studentshow many would like to try curling, andevery kid in the class put their hand up.”Adults were effected also recalled the or-ganizer. “We were able to get one more

team in ladies curling, and may get 1more in January.”• The Rivers, Manitoba visit wasdesigned to meet two goals: amembership boost and a fundraiser tore-build their aging club. It worked. Afterpaying all the expenses, the club realizedan $11,490 profit. Lorne Green, thePast President of Rivers Curling Clubwas very pleased with the bonanza.“Our men's league saw an increase of 3rinks this year, and there is now enoughinterest to run a high school curlingleague. Our banquet was attended byapproximately 50% non-curlers, someof whom have taken up the game thisyear. We believe much of this is a spinoff of the spirit Guy left with everyone.”• St. Mary’s Hospital in Camrose,Alberta likes Guy Hemmings. VickiRoose and her team of curling hospitalworkers raised $12,000 towards a CTscanner via the Tour. Every hospitaldepartment faced a fund raisingchallenge and Hemmings helpedRoose’s department raise more moneyto date than any group at St. Mary’s.There was an added bonus. “Our afterschool curling program doubled afterthis (the Tour stop)” said Roose.• Going east, the Rockin the House Tour

touched down at numerous smallercommunities in Northern Ontario. Formost communities, the Guy happeningwas meant to raise communityawareness of curling. In New Liskeard,people made $10 donation to watch aHalloween on ice game with Guyamongst others, curling in seasonalcostumes. The proceeds went to a localsenior’s home. In the othercommunities, events keyed on

membership drives while inVirginiatown, Hemmings brought somemuch needed resources to anunaffiliated curling club and helpedpromote junior curling. The northernOntario organizer, Steve Amyot said“The Tour really provided a punch tokick off the season.” Would he do itagain? “Absolutely, in a heart beat!”• In Forestburg, Alberta, organizerBrenda Fink extolled “We thoroughlyenjoyed our day and I would recommendthis to any curling clubs.” She enjoyedthe day to the tune of $9,000 theycleared as a club fund raiser. As tomembership – well maybe there’s a sideeffect she explained. “It did not changethe membership although the schoolkids seem to be keener about curling.”

What are the components of the Tour?

They are all over the board and dependon what your goal is.SCHOOLS AND SENIORS: If anyonedefines intergenerational, it’s GuyHemmings. Most host committees senttheir “star” attraction directly into theschools. Most were elementary schools.In Forestburg and Vauxhall all gradeswere involved up to grade 12. Everyonereported that the schools were mostsupportive of the visit. One hostreported that the older teens weren’t askeen as the younger children “the seniorhigh kids were a little tougher crowd -they seemed to think curling wasn't nearas interesting as hockey or volleyball.”remarked Natalie Broderson.

Besides the fundraiser for the senior’shome in New Liskeard, Hemmingsadded components. In Rivers, LorneGreen reports “We were most movedwhen Guy insistedthat he visit the localseniors care home.The time he spentthere was touching,as he interacted per-sonally with as manyof the residents aspossible, and histhanks was the roomfull of smiles beam-ing back at him. Hewas no longer acelebrity, but a caring

human being who gave unselfishly ofhimself to make these people happy.”CLINICS: Almost all the curling clubsstaged some sort of clinic mainly forchildren and youth. In Castor, Alberta,local juniors were taught the properdelivery. Tour hosts delegated the clinicsto club junior coaches or parents. Someclubs charged for the clinics (at aroundthe $10 mark) and nobody balked aboutpaying.BANQUET: The review from Forestburg

is in. “Everyone thought he was a verygood speaker. He had everyonelaughing. They loved him.” When youhave a banquet guest speaker that getsrave reviews like that, it’s not easy todismiss a meal. Most host committeesbut not all, held their banquet at thecurling club to boost club revenuesthrough bar sales and food service. Allvenues sold out with ticket sales rangingfrom 100 to 300 individuals. InCamrose, the local senior’s home renteda bus and sent their residents. InVauxhall they added after dinnerkaraoke, lead by Guy. Some venuesreported that 50% of attendees were

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How can a Rockin’ theHouse Tour stop happenfor you? by Joe Pavia

85972_BUS OF CURLING 3/3/05 8:51 AM Page 4

non-curlers. Individual prices varieddepending on the menu and source ofthe meal – a professional caterer ormember chefs. Hemmings entertainedfor up to an hour and this just in fromVauxhall “His jokes in the evening werepriceless - he spoke for over an hour, andnot one person moved - nobody got upfor a drink, or to go to the bathroom,everyone was so interested in everythinghe had to say.”AUCTIONS: Another fund raising ideawas silent and live auctions. • Camrose auctioned off an opportunityto play an eight end game with andagainst Hemmings. The highest bid was$550 to play for him. The net amountraised to throw at his broom was$3,000. (Hemmings won by one withthe hammer).

• Silent auction items were displayedduring the banquet then successfulbidders were announced during themeal. If there was a live auction it tookplace after the dinner speeches withHemmings acting as auctioneer for partof the time.

Attaining auction items is a time con-suming job. Hosts recommend that asub-committee be struck just for this pur-pose. The auctions can also be time con-suming so plan well.OTHER EVENTS: There were a host ofother activities planned.• New Liskeard witnessed costumedcharacters competing in a Halloweenbattle of the sexes. • Engelhart, Ontario presented apancake breakfast during the whirlwindtour in that part of the country. • Some places developed a $5 drawwith the winners playing a four endgame with Guy. • One venue organized a hot shotscompetition for a $7 entry fee. Thosewith the most points played withHemmings.

• Rivers, Manitoba levied a $10 spectatorfee to see their visitor play a celebritygame.

How do people know aboutthe Tour stop?

Every community is different. The eas-iest way is to distribute the Rockin’ theHouse Tour posters supplied by the CCA.

If there are many tour components, themedia might have to get involved. Manycommittees bought newspaper adswhose message encompassed the entireevent or a major revenue stream such asthe banquet and auctions. NorthernOntario paid for television ads owing tothe breadth of the tour in that locale.

Many smaller markets reported thatword of mouth, public service an-nouncements on radio and courtingnewspaper coverage for pre-event public-ity did the trick. Rivers received a free adin their community newspaper. For theOntario tour, Hemmings conducted tele-phone radio interviews prior to his arrival.

Almost without exception, local mediacovered some aspect of the event to someextent. In Vauxhall his face and hair madethe newspaper’s front page. Rivers’celebrity game and banquet were tele-vised by the local community access sta-tion. Everyone reported that post-eventcoverage served to make their curlingclubs more visible in the community.

How much does a Rockin the House Tour stop cost?

The CCA sends Hemmings to a num-ber of pre-planned destinations through-out the year – the Official Schedule.Personal appearances over and above theofficial tour cost your committee $1,100

plus accommodations and meals.Additional expenses vary depending on

the complexity of your events. Here is therevenue/expense breakdown from theRivers Curling Club. The visit there was aone day multi-event stop.

What is your next step?A survey of a few tour stops gives one

the impression that the rewards are highand the risks are few. Planned correctlyand with some help, your club just mayprofit in so many ways - just not finan-cially.

“Several of our members asked if wecould do something like this at the startof each curling season - they had such agood time.” observed Natalie Brodersonfrom Vauxhall. This sentiment is echoedby Lorne Green from Rivers. “I believe

there were positive spin-offs for our club,as well as others around us. From this,we are now planning to carry on with anannual event. In 2005, we hope to fea-ture Sam Richardson, of the curlingRichardsons.”

Hemmings is no longer Quebec’s GuyHemmings. He is Canada’s curler whocan rock your house.

Tour information:Danny LamoureuxManager of Curling ClubDevelopmentCanadian Curling Association1.800.550.2875 (106)1.613.834.0716 (fax)danny@curling.ca

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ITEM REVENUE EXPENSES COMMENTS(after expenses)

Curling clinic $350.00 Negligible. $10 charge for youthand held at the club.

Lunch during clinic $320.00 $200.00 Sold at curling cluband made bymembers.

Celebrity game $350.00 Negligible. $10 door charge towatch.

Banquet $7,500.00 $2,000 Expenses: hallrental, caterer anddecorations.

Live and silent auction $2,650.00 $500.00 Most auction itemswere donated but afew were purchased.

Sponsors $350.00 No expenses Businessescontributed kick offfunds.

TOTAL $11,490.00 $2,700.00

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MARCH/MARS 2005

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The Canadian Curling Association,under its event management system forthe Tim Hortons Brier, Scott Tournamentof Hearts and Tim Hortons CurlingTrials (every four years), has committed10% of net profits from these events topromote and develop grassroots curlingthrough the establishment of the CCACurling Development Fund.

Since the first grants were handed outin 1998, Canadian curling clubs andmember associations have shared inmore than $600,000 to help develop andpromote our sport.

Each curling facility in our country canaccess this fund with the minimum re-quirement that the club be affiliated withtheir provincial or territorial member as-sociations.

Here are the funding guidelines for2004-2005:

There are three types of grants availableto curling clubs:

The first type of grant is the Business ofCurling Phase 2 workshop which is atwo-day facilitated session designed tohelp your club’s Board of Directors createstrategic and long range plans. The work-shop will be granted to clubs based onneed: low or declining membership; a se-rious financial situation; or a new facili-ty in a community previously withoutcurling.

The second opportunity is a grant forPrograms and Services. The maximumamount available under this heading is $3,000 and grants will be awardedbased on applications targeting (but notrestricted to) the following programs andservices:

a) projects designed to recruit newcurlers;

b) projects that will contribute to theretention of current members;

c) training of novice and intermedi-ate curlers including youth, juniors, adults and senior adults;

d) projects that will help in the recruiting and the managing ofvolunteers;

e) advertising or awareness cam-paigns that will sell your product;

f) training programs (other thanBusiness of Curling) for Boardmembers, club managers, or ice-makers;

g) the purchase of youth curlingstones;

h) training of Level 1 or Level 2 in-structor/coaches.

Note: applications for funding are notnecessarily restricted to the above areas.We are constantly looking for new ideasto improve our sport. We encourage youto be creative.

Finally, curling facilities are also eligi-ble for Capital Acquisition Grants andthe maximum amount available is$8,000. The selection committee willconsider applications for funding of re-frigeration equipment, critical improve-ments to the building, or other equip-ment fundamental to the operation of acurling club, i.e. ice scraper.

Grants will be awarded based on all orsome of the following:

a) financial need; or, by not goingahead with the capital expendi-ture, the survival of the curlingclub is in jeopardy;

b) the potential to grow the sport inthe community;

c) the ability to pay the minimumcommitment;

d) a signed written quote from a minimum of one reputable con-tractor or supplier;

e) assistance from a third party, i.e.the municipal government.

To download a complete copy of theapplication forms, go to www.curling.caunder “Grants, Awards & Scholarships”or call the CCA at 1-800-550-2875 extension 101.

Finally, the selection committee re-ceives many applications that are similarin content. We suggest you be as creativeas possible. We are always looking fornew ideas to help improve curling oper-ations in Canada.

The CCA would also like to thank thethousands of volunteers from the 2005St. John’s Scott Tournament of Hearts andfrom the 2005 Edmonton Tim HortonsBrier for their hard work and commit-ment that ensured, not only the successof their events, but ultimately, the successof this fund.

The deadline for receipt of applicationsis June 3, 2005.

Canadian Curling Association Development Fund

ClubInsurance

Ottawa based Shea is the owner of JohnShea Insurance Brokers Ltd (JSI). Sevenyears ago he developed a comprehensiveinsurance program specifically tailored tocurling venues.

How can this program work for your club? Shea has partnered withDominion of Canada Insurance Companyto be able to offer curling clubs a groupplan. This made all the difference regarding price and helped the individ-ual clubs rationalize the need for ade-quate insurance coverage.

“Clubs can save 10% to 50% on theirexisting policy by joining this program.A $15,000 premium can cost only$9,000 under the program.” With 110clubs now participating in the program,Shea feels he has saved those clubs$250,000 annually.

With the reach of Dominion Insurance,Shea has brokers available in every part of Canada ready to assist clubs develop their insurance program.

For more information contact:

John Shea Insurance Brokers Ltd. 203 - 2625 Queensview Drive

Ottawa, ON K2B 8K2 Toll Free 1-800-281-9476

E-mail: bking@johnsheainsurance.com

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How To Run a Ford HotShots Competition:THE SHOTSIn each game, a total of six shots willbe thrown by each player with amaximum of 30 points possible tobe attained. Each shot will be wortha maximum of five points with thefinal location of the shooter valuedas follows: button - 5 points, fourfoot circle - 4 points, eight foot circle- 3 points, twelve foot circle - 2points and the free guard zone willbe valued at one point for draw shots(B), (C) and (D). One point will beawarded on takeouts (A) and (E)when the stone in the house isremoved from rings and the shooterrolls out of the rings. In any of thescoring areas, the rock simply has totouch a portion of the circle to earnthe points. For example, a stone just

touching the four foot would beworth 4 points.

In order to score any points for thedouble takeout shot (F) both thestones must be removed from therings. One point will be awardedwhen both stones are removed fromthe rings and the shooter rolls out ofthe rings.

The shots will be as follows:(A) Hit and Stay (figure 1)(B) Draw the Button (figure 2)(C) Draw the Port (figure 3)(D) The Raise (figure 4)(E) Hit and Roll (figure 5)(F) Double Takeout (figure 6)

THE PRELIMINARY ROUNDThe objective in the preliminary

round will be to score the highestnumber of points possible. (Note:sweeping will not be allowed) Thetop four curlers with the highest

points after the preliminary roundwill qualify for the Hot Shot Playoffs.Ties for the final 4 playoff positionswill be broken by the draw to the but-ton that shall be measured andrecorded (Shot B). The player(s) clos-est to the button will advance to thefinal four.

THE PLAYOFFSFinal: the player with the highest

score following the six shots will bedeclared champion. Ties will be bro-ken by a draw to the button.

THE GAMEA total time of 20 minutes will be

set aside for each game. Each playerwill be allowed a 5 minute practicewith 15 minutes allocated for the ac-tual playing of the game.

After you have registered all of yourplayers, draw them from a hat fororder of play. The first name out will

play first on ice 1. The second playerout will play first on ice 2 and so on.

The volunteer in charge of the sheetmay hold the broom for each shot atthe request of and under the directionof the player. The volunteer will alsobe responsible for the positioning ofstationary stones and determining thescore. The determination of the scoreis visual only. A player may not ad-vance any further down the sheetthan the far hogline.

Each player may play the shotsusing either the in turn or out turnbut must play the same turn for all sixshots (cannot throw one shot withone turn and then switch to the otherturn for the next shot).

All players will deliver their firstshot simultaneously.

FIGURE NO. 1 - HIT AND STAYSet up the object stone on the center line touching the back ofthe button

FIGURE NO. 4 - THE RAISEOBJECT ROCK A - 18” above the 12 foot circle and on thecenter line

FIGURE NO. 5 - HIT AND ROLLIn TurnOBJECT ROCK A - 34” above Tee-Line touching the 12 foot circleOut TurnOBJECT ROCKS B - 34” above Tee-Line touching the 12 foot circle

FIGURE NO. 6 - DOUBLE TAKEOUTIn TurnOBJECT ROCK A - 4.5” above the tee-line and biting the 4 foot circleOBJECT ROCK B - full four foot touching the button, 45 degrees to Rock AOut TurnOBJECT ROCKS C and D

FIGURE NO. 2 - DRAW THE BUTTONNo object rocks in play

FIGURE NO. 3 - DRAW THE PORTOBJECT ROCK A - 105” Above the Tee-Line to the left of the center lineOBJECT ROCK B - 105” Above the Tee-Line to the right of the four footstrip (reverse for the in-turn)

Ford Dealer Hot Shots ProgramCurling Club Event Planning Guide

MARCH/MARS 2005

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Just how do you catch a volunteer likeDelbert Comeau?

Just ask him.About five years ago, some friends

talked Comeau and his wife into curling.“I tried it and I liked it.” said the unas-suming fisherman.

The Clare Curling Club in Meteghan,Nova Scotia (about half way betweenYarmouth and Digby) is glad he enjoyedthe game. He helped save the club.

While the club is only seven years old,there was a major problem with the rink.As Comeau explained “They built the iceshed like a house. It let the cold out andkept in the warmth.” - not good whenyour trying to make ice.

The seasonal worker warmed to thegame of curling fast. He also warmed tothe club that had an active membership

of about 175 people. In quick fashion hecast his net at the club, reeling in the jobat league convenor for the open leaguehe curled in on Sundays. His responsi-bilities grew over the next few years whenhe helped out on the ice committee. Itseemed that if you asked Comeau to vol-unteer for something he would.

As the unforeseen ice shed problemgrew, he assumed the chair of the build-ing committee.

During the 2002/03 curling season amildew problem festered requiring amajor renovation of the ice shed – newinsulation had to be installed or therewould be no curling. As the chair of thebuilding committee that only oversawthe daily maintenance of the facility,Comeau was tasked with carrying out thejob. “The job was not really something Iknew lots about but it’s what I had todo.” he remembers.

And do the job he did. The budget sat at $120,000. The shed

had to be gutted and new insulation in-stalled. A general contractor was hiredand answerable to Mr. Comeau. This clubmember had to attain the necessary per-mits then schedule inspections. He coor-dinated the work of plumbers, electri-cians, refrigeration staff and carpenters.He also ordered the building materials,aided by the former chair of the com-mittee who owned a hardware store. It

wasn’t beyond him to actually go andpick up materials as well.

At the same time the ice shed was beingrenovated, a building extension startedthat was to house a kitchen and dressingrooms. As if this wasn’t enough, midwaythrough the project, a decision was madeto add central air and an on ice furnace.

This extra workload didn’t fazeComeau at all. “Everything went accord-ing to plan. We just kept going to get itdone.” He is quick to point out that hedidn’t do all the work alone. Many curl-ing club volunteers lent many hands tohelp lighten the load. “When work wasto be done we would just call volunteersand they would do it.”

Another critical issue they club facedwas the timing of the project. The reno-vations and installations had to be donequickly in order to save the 2003/04 curl-ing season. Another critical issue was theupcoming “Congrès Mondial Acadien” –a major festival that was going to wel-come thousands of far flung Acadiantourists to the region in the summer of2004. The Clare Curling Club has alreadybeen chosen as the chief tourist centre.Not only that but two major concertswere going to be hosted by the club inthat time frame.

As his nomination papers remarked“He managed to oversee all of these proj-ects and they were all completed within

a few days of the deadline and, most im-portantly, the jobs were under budget(this included the additional cost of in-stalling a heating system in the ice area).”

He had the building ship shape for thefestival. He also coordinated the use ofthe curling club for this major tourist at-traction, becoming THE MAN to ensurethe club was ready for any activity thattook place.

The seemingly tireless volunteer still isthe chair of the building committee. Heand his volunteers do the day to daymaintenance of the club. There are otherduties he continues to perform: he is onthe Board of Directors; he maintains hisconvenor duties for the Sunday league;he remains on the ice committee and heeven helps out at the 60 team summerbonspiel the club hosts.

The 53 year old garners lots of supportfrom his fellow club members and thecommunity at large. He laughs that onthe home front his wife has trouble get-ting him to dig into the job jar “There’swork to do down at home she tells mebut we’ve been together and she’s stay-ing.” he jokes.

Comeau best sums up his own reasonsfor taking on so many volunteer duties.“The jobs were something new, some-thing different. I learned a lot.”

The Clare Curling Club caught a fish-erman. They aren’t throwing him back.

he continues, “if all the best athletes in school tried curling. They might justcontinue.”

Cochrane sees other benefits. “Curlingis something I like to expose children tobecause they can do it all for a lifetime.”He also encourages the students to bringtheir parents for a special period at thecurling club where the adults play thekids even if the parents have never curledbefore. A club might get a few interestedparents joining the club.

His program is meeting with success.Of 80 children he introduced to the sportfrom one school, 50 signed up for anintra-mural league – that’s twelve newteams they never had before at theschool.

There is just one thing Cochrane won’tdo. “I just don’t show them my in-turn. I don’t want to ruin anyone for life.”

MARCH/MARS 2005

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Delbert Comeau, Volunteer of the yearby Joe Pavia

Bryan Cochrane, Principal of Curling by Joe Pavia

Bryan Cochrane might just bethe principal of curling.

In real life Cochrane is a com-petitive curler who resides in thetown of Russell, Ontario, aboutthirty minutes south of Ottawa.His avocation is teaching.

The long time educator wasthe principal of both the RussellElementary School and Russell MiddleSchool and is now the principal ofRussell High School.

He had been thinking about marryinghis two passions – curling and kids – fora long time. When he representedOntario at the 2003 Halifax Brier, onewould think he might just concentrate onhis game. But no. “Going to the Brier gen-erated more interest for me in the game.It boosted my interest seeing all the peo-ple in the stands who loved the game.”

When he returned to his school duties,

Cochrane sought waysto get his students to trythe sport. For the nexttwo years his schoolsadded curling to thephysical education cur-riculum. 200 kids triedthe sport annually.

He sees some easyways to make the curl-ing club – school mar-riage work.

He feels the first stepis approaching a schooldirectly. “All it takes issomeone to get it start-ed.” he says. His strate-

gy is simple. A curling club canprovide instructors fromamongst their retired mem-bers or indeed through anymembers that have an interest.

A key step is “setting out a few basicrules and responsibilities – rules for theteachers and rules for the curling club.”For instance, the teachers should be thedisciplinarians.

Once the kids are on the ice Cochranewants the instructors to “give them thebasic skills but let them have fun. It’s nothigh maintenance if the fun aspect is em-phasized.”

The Brier alumnus feels that at least forOntario curling clubs, the time is right toapproach their neighbourhood school.The new physical education programmandates at least thirty minutes a day ofphysical activity – a goal schools can findhard to achieve in a structured program.Curling clubs might just provide the ve-hicle to help achieve this goal.

“Some kids who aren’t the better ath-letes just might enjoy it. And imagine”,

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