JUNE 2022

U.S. WOMEN WIN BRONZE AT WORLD JUNIOR CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

Delaney Strouse, Anne O’Hara, Sydney Mullaney, Susan Dudt, and Kaitlin Murphy captured bronze at the World Junior Curling Championships 2022 with a 10-6 victory over Norway.

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U.S. MEN ACHIEVE 5-4 RECORD AT WORLD JUNIOR CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

A four-game win streak improved Team USA’s record to 5-4, narrowly missing playoff qualification at the World Junior Curling Championships 2022.

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2022-23 USA CURLING WHEELCHAIR NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS

On May 24-26, the Denver Curling Club hosted the nation’s top wheelchair curlers to tryout for the 2022-23 USA Curling Wheelchair National Team.

Eight athletes were named to the USA Curling Wheelchair National Team roster and will compete and train together under the direction of USA Curling National Team coaching.

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USA CURLING GRASSROOTS ACCESSIBILITY SURVEY

In an effort to continue to grow the sport of curling and foster an inclusive community, USA Curling will add accessibility feature categorization to the “Find a Club” locator map.

Photo by Chris Neseman, Wauwatosa Curling Club

Curling is a lifetime sport that offers accessibility and playing opportunities to people of all ages and abilities.

As such, many people with differing abilities are drawn to curling. Whether it be looking for a new activity later in life or finding a sport that offers inclusivity and pathways to competitive success for every participant, curling has a lot to offer everyone.

The long-standing history of curling is special and the sportsmanship that spans centuries is enticing, but due to the historic nature of the sport, many facilities were formed before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was signed into law.

The Act, prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in the workplace, public entities, public transportation, and more, also prompted guidelines for accessibility.

ADA Standards for Accessible Design are regulations in place to enforce accessibility standards across different types of facilities.

For curlers, the removal of architectural barriers in existing facilities can not only allow for more people to enjoy the environment of a curling club, but also enable them to partake in the sport for as long as they desire.

In an effort to continue to grow the game and foster an inclusive community by identifying all USA Curling member clubs across the country that offer accessibility features, USA Curling has assembled and distributed the “USA Curling Grassroots Accessibility Survey” to every member club president in the country.

In this survey, USA Curling seeks to identify which areas of each club (including warm room, ice surface, and additional access such as lavatories, changing rooms, and parking) have accessibility features.

This survey aims to provide insight into accessibility considerations and accommodations, as well as demonstrate that in some cases, improving a facility from inaccessible to accessible is easier than maybe initially thought – especially when considering all the positive benefits accessibility has to offer. Additionally, the survey will allow USA Curling to gather best practices or answer any inquiries regarding accessible accommodations.

The survey responses will identify clubs with accessibility features through the newly added search functions on the “Find a Club” map, enhancing inclusivity from the moment an end user searches for the club nearest them.

The map, which can be found on the homepage of USA Curling’s website, is how the nearest member clubs were identified over 100,000 times during the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Adding the “Accessibility Features” classifications to the USA Curling club locator map will not only allow end users to search for facilities with accessibility features (as defined by the USA Curling Grassroots Accessibility Survey), but also serve as a tool that helps make the sport of curling more accessible at the grassroots level.

View how prioritizing accessibility at Denver Curling Club has enhanced the club’s opportunities.

VIEW THE SURVEY ->

The survey linked above is not the online survey. The online USA Curling Grassroots Accessibility Survey was distributed to every USA Curling member club president for completion. The club locator map will be updated upon the completion of the survey.

Please note, the questions asked in the survey do not supersede ADA Standards for Accessible Design, nor will completing the survey qualify a facility as ADA compliant.

2022-23 USA CURLING INSTRUCTOR CLINICS

To provide a consistent schedule and offer a financial incentive to our member clubs, USA Curling is introducing a new process for hosting Level 1 Instructor courses during the upcoming traditional curling season. Here’s how it works!

USA Curling member clubs that would like to host a Level 1 course can communicate their interest and offer dates through our online registration form.

It is suggested that clubs offer more than one date, as USA Curling’s intent is to provide this training throughout the years. USA Curling will respond directly to confirm a date with each host club.

The fee to take the course will remain $50 per participant. USA Curling will provide a paid course conductor to deliver the official, USA Curling-sanctioned material. When the course is successfully completed and SafeSport/First Aid certification is done, participants will be awarded the Level 1 Instructor patch. (If you’re waiting on patches after taking the Level 1 course last season, please know that they were on back order but are now being mailed out.)

The fee for a club to host the course is $500. But once ten individuals have registered and paid for the course, the Host fee is considered paid. What’s more, 100% of the revenue that is collected after ten participants have registered will be returned to the host club.

If they prefer, Host clubs can also pay the $500 fee and offer the course to its members free of charge.

If you have additional questions, email USA Curling Director of Development, Dean Gemmell.

HOST SITE REGISTRATION

5-AND-UNDER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: QUALIFER BONSPIEL REGISTRATION

On the heels of a successful 2022 5-and-Under National Championship, USA Curling is pleased to invite 5-and-Under bonspiels across the country to apply to be qualifier events for the 2023 Championship.

Photo by Southern California Curling Center

To apply, complete this online form and provide as much information as possible about your event. A range of criteria is considered when choosing the qualifier bonspiels, including the number of expected entries, the event history, and the geographic location.

If you’re a convenor or organizer and believe your 5-and-under bonspiel (an event for people with five years of curling experience or less) would be a great qualifier for the 5-and-Under National Championship, please complete the form and tell us all about it!

SUBMIT 5-AND-UNDER BONSPIEL INFO

INAUGURAL USA CURLING JUNIOR CAMP

Registration has filled for the inaugural USA Curling Junior Camp on August 1-4, 2022.

The USA Curling Junior Camp is an all-intensive dive into what it takes to be a competitive curler.

Designed for athletes 12-20 years of age, the inaugural USA Curling Junior Camp will offer resources and guidance to the future generation of USA Curling.

Camp will take place at the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minnesota, where participants will partake in on and off-ice sessions to elevate their game to the next level.

Participants will receive coaching from USA Curling National Team coaching staff and athletes and have sessions with resources accessible to current National Team athletes such as training and nutrition insight from USA Curling’s partners at Twin Cities Orthopedics and the Training HAUS, as well as sport psychology specific discussions with Premier Sport Psychology.

The inaugural USA Curling Junior Camp will offer two divisions, competitive and open, to maximize participation and provide future curlers the training opportunities needed to succeed.

Competitive Division: 24 participants with either U18 or U21 National Championship experience.
Open Division: 24 participants without National Championship experience but a genuine interest in improving to a higher level of competitive play.

“We’re really excited to share the tools and resources from USA Curling’s National Team with today’s junior curlers who are aspiring to reach new heights,” said USA Curling Director of Athlete Services Jessica Schultz. “This well-rounded weekend is sure to prepare and inspire talented athletes for what’s to come.”

In addition to the on and off ice training sessions, participants will have opportunities to network with like-minded individuals over the lunch and dinners that are included in the registration fee.

Established in 2012, the Volunteer of the Year award was created to recognize the work that curlers throughout the nation do to advance curling on the club level.

Nominations are accepted until June 30th and all USA Curling members are eligible for nomination (with the exception of current board members and employees of USA Curling). Example of relevant contributions include, but are not limited to: program development, facilities repair/maintenance, fundraising, member recruitment or retention efforts, volunteer recruitment, etc.

NOMINATE A VOLUNTEER ->

As a National Governing Body, USA Curling has a responsibility and an obligation to take a long look in the mirror to better understand and evaluate how the organization can make sustainable changes that ultimately create a cultural shift to not only introduce the sport to as many people who want to play it, but foster, from grassroots to podium, an environment that empowers all to achieve competitive success.

Read about the steps USA Curling has taken toward programmatic change.

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As a special thank you, donations of $50 or more between now and July 15th will be entered into a raffle to win a USA Curling banner signed by the 2022 Paralympic curling team.

DONATE

THE 6 “C’s” OF ARIZONA by Eric Kowal

Officially, Arizona has only five “C’s” – Climate, Citrus, Copper, Cattle & Cotton, but the Coyotes Curling Club (CCC) in Tempe is looking to add a sixth “C”… Curling!

Since the self-funded & volunteer based buildout of their dedicated facility eight years ago, there’s been a lot written, shared on social media, television & experienced.

However, Coyotes is now seeing the benefits of that hard work as many of their “Pups” have turned into a full-fledged “Pack”.

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USA CURLING IS SPONSORED BY: