Fee increase for sports channels a blow to game’s grassroots, says Curling Canada

By Devin Heroux, CBC Sports

Curling clubs across Canada are rallying together and pushing back against what they see as unfair treatment by the country’s two biggest cable television providers.

In March, Bell and Rogers announced that “public viewing establishments” with a license to sell alcohol, mainly bars and restaurants, would be charged more money to get sports channels like Bell’s TSN and Rogers’ Sportsnet in their establishments. The move could end up costing the average-size bar upwards of $4,000 more per year, according to an industry estimate.

• Bell and Rogers ask bars to pay more for sports packages
• Cable TV cord cutters threaten sports business

Curling clubs also fall under this classification, and the fee hike could put many of the nearly 1,000 such places across the country, many of which are run by volunteers, in jeopardy, says Curling Canada.

“I would describe the first reactions as dismay and disbelief, followed by frustration at Bell and Rogers when the clubs realized that they were being targeted,” says Katherine Henderson, the CEO of Curling Canada.

Bar or not a bar?

Bell and Rogers say it’s costing them more than ever to generate content for their sports channels, and that the events they broadcast bring bigger crowds to bars and restaurants. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

While many curling clubs generate revenue from alcohol sales, Curling Canada argues the biggest difference between sports bars and curling clubs is the motivation for those sales. Sports bars exist as for-profit establishments, while most curling clubs use the money they earn from selling beer, other drinks and food to subsidize their leagues and programs and help keep the lights on. If they can’t show sports on the TVs in their licensed areas, their members might go elsewhere when they get off the ice, costing clubs a potential revenue stream.

Taking it online

An online campaign, featuring the website NotASportsBar.ca, is now being coordinated by Curling Canada on behalf of its member clubs to make more people aware of how they believe the cable fee increase could negatively affect them.

The campaign is gaining momentum with clubs across Canada, according to Henderson.

Solutions?

Bell controls the broadcast rights for Curling Canada events like the Tournament of Hearts and the Brier, while Rogers has the rights to Grand Slam of Curling tournaments. Henderson says both companies are aware of Curling Canada’s concerns and they’ve both indicated they would like to “better understand the issue.”

Click for full story at CBC Sports

Young curlers from across the country will once again be able to further their academic and athletic ambitions, thanks to the Curling Canada Foundation’s For the Love of Curling Scholarship program.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 For the Love of Curling Scholarships, which are funded through the generous support of the Canadian curling community.

Ten $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to male and female curlers who best demonstrate athletic and academic prowess as well as community leadership.

As well, for the 2017 scholarship campaign only, there will be three additional scholarships — each worth $1,100 — made available to young female curlers, a legacy of the remaining funds from the now-defunct Women’s World Curling Tour.

“This is one of my favourite announcements annually because it gets young people engaged and excited about curling, and it demonstrates how supportive our curling community truly is from coast to coast,” said Peter Inch, Chair of the Curling Canada Board of Governors. “We’re well aware of the challenges facing our young athletes, and we’re excited that we’re able to play a role in helping them pursue their curling and scholastic dreams.”

2010 Olympic silver-medallist Cheryl Bernard, who, like Inch, is a member of the selection committee for the scholarships, was a driving force with Anne Merklinger, Karen Purdy and Cathy King on the Women’s World Curling Tour.

“We’re all thrilled to see the final legacy of the WWCT being put to such good use,” said Bernard. “Canada’s curling future is bright, but those young athletes need support to train and go to school, and this is a wonderful way to help them achieve their goals.”

Both of this past season’s Canadian junior champion skips are past recipients of the For the Love of Curling scholarships. Kristen Streifel, who won bronze for Canada at the 2017 World Juniors in Gangneung, South Korea, was awarded a scholarship in 2015 while Tyler Tardi, who lost a playoff tiebreaker in South Korea, was a recipient last year, as was his vice-skip Sterling Middleton. Another 2016 scholarship awardee, Maxime Blais, won a bronze medal with Northern Ontario at the 2017 Canadian Juniors in Victoria, while 2015 awardee Laura Masters also was a bronze-medallist at the 2017 Canadian Juniors with the Northern Ontario women’s team.

All of the 2017 scholarships will be awarded to deserving young athletes, from across Canada, to help post-secondary athletes cover some of their education and curling costs.

Emphasis will be placed on athletes who have competed at the provincial/territorial level or higher; who have maintained a good level of academic standing; while showing a commitment to curling through their involvement in coaching, instructing and/or volunteer activities. Athletes must be under the age of 23 as of Dec. 31, 2017 and not have received the For the Love of Curling Scholarship previously.

The application process runs to June 30, 2017. Scholarships will be awarded in August.

For more information or to apply, visit online www.curling.ca/scholarship

Click to read this post at Curling Canada.

The Trustees of the Joyce Myers Trust Fund, established under Curl Atlantic from profits from the 2003 Brier and the 2005 Roar of the Rings curling events in Atlantic Canada, have selected the 2017 recipients of its Student/Athlete Scholarships and Curling Club Capital Works grants. Please note that next year (2018) will be the final year for the Joyce Myers Trust Fund Grants.

Photo (Facebook): Breanne Burgoyne, one of four PEI scholarship winners

The 2017 Joyce Myers Scholarship recipients will each receive $500. The successful applicants are:

• Prince Edward Island: Breanne Burgoyne, Alex MacFadyen, Brooks Roche, Veronica Smith
• Nova Scotia: Karlee Burgess, Alec Cameron, Matthew Manuel, Graeme Weagle
• Newfoundland and Labrador: Kyle Barron, Stephen Trickett
• New Brunswick: Julia Hunter, Jamie Ward

The 2017 Joyce Myers Capital Works Grant recipients will each receive $1500. The successful curling centres are:

• Miramichi Curling Club, NB
• Maple Leaf Curling Club, PE
• Strait Area Community Curling Club, NS
• Conception Bay South Arena, NL

Backgrounder:

The Joyce Myers Trust Fund is an Atlantic Canada initiative to foster the development and promotion of the sport of curling throughout Atlantic Canada.  The Trust Fund, which was established from profits from the 2003 Nokia Brier and 2005 Tim Horton’s Roar of the Rings, provides funding for the development of curling in Atlantic Canada through grant opportunities for Curling Club Capital Works projects, Student/Athlete Scholarships, and Atlantic Provincial Association Program Initiatives.

The trustees of the Joyce Myers Trust Fund announced plans for future investments in the sport of curling for Atlantic Canada and released its first grants during the 2009-2010 curling season.  Joyce Myers was inducted into both the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame and the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame as an athlete and a builder.  Joyce’s accomplishments as an athlete, administrator, coach and official made her one of the most versatile and impacting persons in Nova Scotia sports. Her passion for sport and the countless hours she contributed to many individuals and events has left a lasting impression.  Joyce was a true inspiration and mentor to many.

Capital Acquisition Grants

The Trustees of the Joyce Myers Trust Fund created the Capital Acquisition Grants as a means to assist member curling clubs within Atlantic Canada with capital projects. Expenses that are of a special and/or extraordinary nature will be eligible for funding. In other words, programs and initiatives that are both unusual and occur infrequently; they are not part of the regular, day-to-day operation of the club. Listed below are a few possibilities:  The repair, replacement, purchase or construction of a curling facility or part of a curling facility. For example, the repair or replacement of a curling club roof; the repair, replacement or purchase of a plant asset or piece of equipment; the repair or replacement of ice making equipment; the purchase of special curling equipment; the purchase of little rocks for a junior curling program.  Exempt from funding are any expenses of an operational nature. For example, membership dues, utility and tax bills do not qualify.

Scholarships

The Trustees of the Joyce Myers Trust Fund implemented a scholarship to curlers who have enrolled in full time studies in a post-secondary institution. The intention of these awards is to allow talented athletes to devote primary sources of time and energy to training, rather than extensive employment in order to fund post-secondary education. Recipients will be expected to devote a full-time, shared commitment to sport and education exclusively. This award is not intended to reward past achievements but rather a means to pursue further achievements that surpass the current level of performance. Priority will be given to athletes attending Atlantic universities, colleges or vocational schools.

Two more teams of each gender will get a chance to chase their gold-medal dreams at the 2017 Road to the Roar Pre-Trials later this year in Summerside, P.E.I., it was announced today by Curling Canada.

Because the race was so tight for the final available berths into the Pre-Trials, rather than force teams into tiebreaker scenarios, the decision was made to add teams to the field, with the added benefit of giving more teams a chance to get a feel for the pressure of being part of the race to represent Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The Road to the Roar Pre-Trials are scheduled for Nov. 6-12 at Credit Union Place in Summerside. The event will decide the final two entries in each gender for the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, Dec. 1-9 in Ottawa, where Canada’s men’s and women’s four-player teams for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be decided.

“I’m very pleased that more teams will get this kind of experience,” said Gerry Peckham, Curling Canada’s Director, High Performance. “It’s important that teams get a chance to perform under these circumstances — not just for this Olympic cycle, for the future as well, and I think this was the most equitable solution, not to mention the most beneficial as we look beyond 2018. This event is as much about getting teams ready for 2022 and 2026 as it is about 2018, and it’s yet another reminder that the Olympic qualification process truly is the engine that drives competitive curling in our country.”

The two additional teams were added based on their performance on the 2016-17 Canadian Team Ranking System.

On the men’s side, that means Mark Bice of Sarnia, Ont., and Jamie Murphy of Halifax have earned invitations to participate in Summerside.

On the women’s side, a potential tiebreaker between Karla Thompson of Kamloops, B.C., and Briane Meilleur of Winnipeg for the 12th and final spot will no longer be necessary. Additionally, Winnipeg’s Shannon Birchard has been invited to join the field.

Here’s an updated look at the teams that have earned invitations to participate in the Road to the Roar Pre-Trials:

Men

Greg Balsdon, Kingston, Ont.
Mark Bice, Sarnia, Ont.
Brendan Bottcher, Edmonton
Adam Casey, Charlottetown/Regina
Dayna Deruelle, Brampton, Ont.
Matt Dunstone, Winnipeg
Jason Gunnlaugson, Winnipeg
Glenn Howard, Penetanguishene, Ont.
Bruce Korte, Saskatoon
William Lyburn, Winnipeg
Jean-Michel Ménard, Gatineau, Que.
John Morris, Kelowna/Vernon, B.C.
Jamie Murphy, Halifax
Charley Thomas, Calgary

Women

Shannon Birchard, Winnipeg
Nadine Chyz, Calgary
Kerri Einarson, Winnipeg
Tracy Fleury, Sudbury, Ont.
Jacqueline Harrison, Mississauga, Ont.
Shannon Kleibrink, Okotoks, Alta.
Stefanie Lawton, Saskatoon
Krista McCarville, Thunder Bay, Ont.
Briane Meilleur, Winnipeg
Sherry Middaugh, Coldwater, Ont.
Darcy Robertson, Winnipeg
Kelsey Rocque, Edmonton
Karla Thompson, Kamloops, B.C.
Julie Tippin Woodstock, Ont.

Invited teams are being given time to decide on their status for the Pre-Trials, with some teams already having changed lineups for the 2017-18 season. To accept the invitation, teams must retain three of the original players who earned the qualifying points for the berth, and have them on the ice at all times. In some cases, the invitations may have to be declined because of that stipulation.

An announcement of the official field will be made at a later date.

The Pre-Trials teams will be seeded one through 14 based on their 2016-17 CTRS rankings, and then split into two pools of seven for the round-robin competition.

The top three teams from each pool will advance to the playoffs, with the first- and second-place teams crossing over to meet each other in the first round of the A-side. The winners will then meet for the first available Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings berth.

The first-round losers, meanwhile, will drop to meet the third-place teams in each pool in the first round of the B-side. The winners of the two games will then meet, with the winner taking on the A-side final loser for the second available Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings berth.

Tickets are available for the Road to the Roar Pre-Trials. CLICK HERE for more information.

Click to read this story at the Curling Canada website.

The Charlottetown Curling Club is pleased to announce an evening to celebrate Brett Gallant. On Saturday, June 24th, they will be hosting a reception and dinner to honour his amazing accomplishments of winning both the Brier and the World Men’s Curling Championship in the same year with Team Gushue. 

They invite you to come out and join the celebration. The evening will start with piping the guest of honour in to a reception in the lounge area, where guests will enjoy conversation and a selection of seafood including mussels, chowder and oysters.

Guests will then join Brett and his family, along with various dignitaries, in a delicious dinner of lobster, ham, rolls, potato salad, coleslaw and sweets, prepared by the St. John’s United Church women’s group in Mt Stewart.

They will be transforming the upstairs room at the club into a banquet for 170, including a bar, a stage and a head table. The overflow of up to 100 guests will be seated downstairs in the lounge. Video cameras and screens will be used to project images of Brett’s rise to stardom and ensure all  guests have a good view of the proceedings.

Because space upstairs is limited, they encourage you to take advantage of the early bird ticket price until June 3rd.

Schedule

6pm  Seafood Reception

7pm  Lobster & Ham Dinner

9:15pm Local Entertainment  (19 +)

Tickets can be purchased by:

email [email protected]
phone: call the CCC 902.892.7467 and leave a message
in person at the CCC 11am – 2pm Saturday, May 27th and June 3rd

All the latest breaking news and updates will be posted on the event Facebook page which they are inviting everyone to follow and like:

www.facebook.com/events/1828783447439851

Sunday, May 28^th is “Pizza Day for KidSport” in partnership with Papa John’s Pizza!  Any order over $25, on this particular day, will see $5 donated to KidSport PEI!  Customers will also receive enough Papa Points loaded onto their Rewards Card for a free large pizza, valid within 30 days!

This is an online promotion only – ou must visit papajohns.ca and use PROMO CODE: kidsport

KidSport PEI is a program that helps remove the financial barriers that limit some children from participating in sport in PEI.

Ian MacAulay of P.E.I. recently faced off against some of the best curlers in the world at the World Senior Men’s Curling Championship in Lethbridge, Alberta. The team finished with the silver medal.

“Representing Canada is pretty special,” said MacAulay, who is back on P.E.I. at his cottage near Souris for a couple of weeks. 

“Putting on the jacket the first time, I got choked up a bit and to see all of your family out there it’s pretty special.”

Ian MacAulay focuses on a shot at the World Senior Curling Championship in Lethbridge, Alberta. (Submitted by Ian MacAulay)

There was a large contingent from P.E.I. at the Worlds to cheer him on. Not surprising considering MacAulay has 42 first cousins on his mother’s side, and even more on his father’s. 

MacAulay got his start at the Souris Curling Club as a teenager, working as a volunteer to the club’s ice makers.

He moved to Ottawa as a mechanic, but needed to find another career after injuring his back. He found it making curling ice.

“Passion for the game, I guess,” recalled MacAulay about what attracted him.

“I really loved making ice and turned it into a full-time career.”

MacAulay is currently the ice maker for two clubs in Ottawa, where he sometimes comes in at 6 a.m. to get in some practice time.

He has also helped to get curling up and running again in Souris, on a makeshift curling sheet at the local rink.

“My son and I came down to help Colin LaVie,” he explained.

• Souris rink to offer trial curling

Islanders take the world

MacAulay joins an impressive list of Prince Edward Islanders who have curled at world championships, including the Bill Jenkins rink, world junior champions in 1977.

Suzanne Gaudet of Summerside, P.E.I. skipped her team to gold the 2001 World Juniors.

Brett Gallant and his teammates won silver at the 2009 World Junior Curling Championships.

Last month, Gallant won world gold as part of Team Canada.

Is there something in the water?

“We’ve always been a factory at producing really talented young curlers,” said well-known curling coach Al Ledgerwood.

While curlers in other provinces could live long distances from the best curlers, on P.E.I., they shared the ice.

“It is the natural advantage of a junior on P.E.I.,” said Ledgerwood.

“If you were a young junior team, you got to play the best.”

President of the P.E.I. Curling Hall of Fame and Museum Jerry Muzika has also watched world champions emerge on P.E.I.

“The curlers from P.E.I. who have been successful on the wider curling stage know the game well, they practice, they take advantage of learning opportunities,” said Muzika.

‘A little bit more passion’

P.E.I.’s newest world silver medallist has his own theory.

“People from small towns have a little bit more passion for whatever they do, whether it’s curling, hockey.”

“Maybe the lifestyle on the Island is the reason,” he said. “I’m not sure, but it’s a great question.”

Click for full story at CBC PEI

(by Jason Simmonds)