Members, employees and volunteers at PEI’s seven dedicated curling facilities have experienced first-hand how quickly new curlers can fall in love with the sport once they have played the game. The consistent challenge for all of the curling clubs, however, has been getting Islanders to actually try curling for the first time.
This is one of the main reasons why the Island curling clubs and Curl PEI have launched a new awareness campaign and website called ‘Rock The Ice – The Rookie’s Guide to Curling on PEI’.
“Many people are interested in curling after seeing it on TV, but they don’t know where or how to get started”, said Angela Hodgson, Junior Coach and President of Curl PEI. “We needed to create a new way to provide that information to Islanders, showcase how healthy and fun curling is, plus that it can be played at any age.”
After a review of curling on PEI, it was determined there wasn’t a central resource that provided people with an easy-to-understand overview of the sport. Curl PEI also discovered that many Islanders were not aware that anyone could rent ice time outside of existing league and member play.
“We realized that in order to get new players out to experience curling for the first time, we needed to provide a clear overview on how simple it is to take up the game on PEI”, said Amy Duncan, Executive Director of Curl PEI. “Rock The Ice does that for us, and has a lot of fun doing so.”
The central piece of the awareness campaign is the development of the new site www.RockTheIce.ca. Content highlights include the basics of the game through custom graphics and videos, a how-to guide on ‘Curl-lingo’ to better understand the many unique curling terms and phrases, plus info on where to play on PEI, as well as other frequently asked questions.
The local curling facilities have also worked together to offer a new ‘Rookie Deal’ where new players can rent any sheet of ice across the Island for just $80 (taxes included) for 2 hours. With 8 players on two teams, that’s only $5 an hour per person.
“Curling clubs are also providing options for new players to have an instructor join them,” added Duncan. “We’re thrilled our clubs are offering so many valuable options for friends and family to get out together, be active, and give curling a shot this winter.”
For Curl PEI and the local curling clubs, this campaign is the first step in showcasing how fun the sport is, and working towards getting more people into the clubs.
“This is a sport that anyone can play and is not just for competitive curlers”, added Hodgson. “No commitment, just get out on the ice, learn to slide, throw some rocks, and have a great time socializing – once people do that, we are sure they will be hooked.“
For more information on this new rookie’s guide, visit www.RockTheIce.ca.
For more information on curling on PEI, visit peicurling.com
Click to download our Rock_The_Ice_Poster (PDF)