The Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary is holding a Little Rocks car wash and barbecue fundraiser on Saturday, June 29 from 11 AM to 2 PM at the Club (426 Main Street), to help finance a makeover for the Club’s Kids Room, which they use in their school program that has been running for about 20 years. Please come out and help give them a better space! 
Monthly Archives: June 2019
Canada’s future stars on the ice have the opportunity to also further their ambitions in the classroom, thanks to the Curling Canada Foundation’s For the Love of Curling Scholarship program.
Eighteen participants in the 2019 New Holland Canadian Junior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships were past recipients of the For The Love of Curling Scholarship. Front row, from left, Selena Sturmay, Mackenzie Zacharias, Megan Smith, Karlee Burgess, Kaitlyn Jones, Kate Sherry. Middle row, from left, Jessica Humphries, Sarah Hoag, Megan Smith, Sarah Daniels, Kira Brunton. Back row, from left, Matt Hall, Tyler Tardi, Maxime Blais, Tanner Horgan, Ryan Lamswood, Dustin Mikush, Sterling Middleton. (Photo, Curling Canada/Michael Burns)
Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 For the Love of Curling Scholarships, which are funded through the generous support of the Canadian curling community.
A total of 10 $2,500 scholarships will be awarded to male and female curlers who best demonstrate athletic and academic prowess as well as community leadership.
“It’s always exciting to see the results of this Curling Canada Foundation program, because it produces such a tangible outcome,” said Maureen Miller, Chair of Curling Canada’s Board of Governors. “The scholarships will give young curlers across the country an amazing opportunity — not only to continue improving as athletes and students, but also as citizens, and that’s truly gratifying.”
At the 2019 New Holland Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Prince Albert, Sask., there were 18 former recipients of the For The Love of Curling Scholarship, including two-time reigning world and three-time reigning Canadian junior men’s champs Tyler Tardi and Sterling Middleton.
Another former recipient, Karsten Sturmay, will be a member of the 2019 Selection Committee.
All of the 2019 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 strong commitment to their community through involvement in coaching, instructing and volunteer activities. Athletes must be under the age of 24 as of Dec. 31, 2019, and not have received the For the Love of Curling Scholarship previously.
The application process runs from May 1 to June 30, 2019. Scholarships will be awarded in August.
For more information or to apply, visit online at www.curling.ca/scholarship2019.
The residency rules that determine eligibility for the national men’s and women’s curling championships has been updated, it was announced by Curling Canada. Players can now use birthright status to represent the province or territory they were born, even after moving away.
For a summary of the update, click here.
For the full residency rules, click here.
For frequently asked questions about birthright, click here.
This decision was made by the Curling Canada operations team after discussion with the Board of Governors and Member Association presidents.
Birthright will be implemented nationwide as of the 2019-20 curling season and in effect at the Tim Hortons Brier, Scotties Tournament of Hearts and all provincial/territorial playdown events leading up to the national men’s and women’s championships. This means all teams can still consist of one free agent and the remaining players may be bona fide residents or have birthright.
“Ask any Canadian curler about their dreams as a young player and they’ll tell you it’s competing at a Tim Hortons Brier or Scotties Tournament of Hearts and wearing the colours of their province or territory,” says Curling Canada CEO Katherine Henderson. “This update gives all curlers the opportunity to keep that dream alive no matter where they live in the country, while continuing to celebrate the traditions of inter-provincial/territorial competition that makes our sport special.”
This move provides curlers with more freedom in their personal and professional lives while achieving their athletic goals and aligns curling with best practices of other National Sport Organizations.
“I think it makes sense. Today in curling we’re going up against such strong competition at the world level and we need to make sure our best team is representing Canada. This allows players more leeway to live their lives and still have a strong team at worlds,” says Ben Hebert, lead for Kevin Koe.
The decision also benefits Member Associations (MA) that can feel the impact of curlers moving away for school and work opportunities. MA’s spend a lot of time, money and resources on developing young curlers and birthright provides these athletes with opportunities to represent the region they were born even if they move away.
“The way the world works many people are required to move because of circumstances,” says Jennifer Jones. “Whether it’s a job, school, a relationship or family there are many reasons why people move. In many cases, curlers end up having to make a difficult choice between where they live and their goals playing the sport which is unfortunate.”
Brady St. Louis of St. Marys, Ont., is now eligible to compete in Nunavut’s territorial playdown process. St. Louis learned to curl in Iqaluit and spent the first nine years of his life there. He is a national college champion with the Fanshawe Falcons. (Photo, Curling Canada/Rob Blanchard Photograph)
Birthright removes that difficult choice for some curlers, such as Brady St. Louis, by providing more options. St. Louis, from St. Marys, Ont., plans to use his birthright and make an immediate impact for his home territory of Nunavut. The 22-year-old could inject the territory with new talent that it otherwise would not receive.
St. Louis spent the first nine years of his life in Iqaluit and learned to curl there. He moved to Ontario with his family and eventually played for the Fanshawe Falcons where he won a national college curling championship and was named an all-star twice.
He hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps (David St. Louis skipped Nunavut at the 2018 and 2019 Tim Hortons Briers). If he does, he brings no shortage of skill to Nunavut: strategy, clutch draw weight, strong sweeping and experience on arena ice – to name a few.
“Having this is really phenomenal for me and other kids,” St. Louis says. “It’s a dream come true to go to the Brier for any curler. To have that chance while not being a permanent resident is just amazing. It gives me and other people that move away – because of working parents and other reasons – a chance to prove themselves. I still see Nunavut as being home for me. And to get a chance to represent a place where I grew up makes it that much better.”
The update to the rules leave a lot of possibilities on the table for curlers who have moved away, including some well-known names. Ben Hebert (born in Regina) playing for Saskatchewan again? He doesn’t rule out the possibility in the future.
“I have a great team here in Alberta now, but down the road if there was ever an opportunity for me to play for my home province and to play for Saskatchewan, I think that would be a very welcoming system,” says Hebert.
It’s welcoming because even though Hebert spent the first 22 years of his life in Saskatchewan, he has established his home in Alberta with a career, wife and kids. It’s very unlikely he would move back to Saskatchewan to play for the province.
It’s the realities of life for himself and many others who play the sport, but he doesn’t believe it should prevent a curler from representing the province or territory they identify with.
“For example, Rachel Homan just had a baby. For her now to play out of Ontario, that’s where she’s from and she’s put a lot of time into that association, and move out to Alberta with her husband and have their family here and not have to move back, I think that’s outstanding for curling and a step in the right direction,” Hebert says.
Curl PEI is hiring!
Curling Promotion Coordinator – Youth Position
Overview:
This individual will help promote the sport of curling to help build membership through public events, marketing materials, and personal engagement with groups and individuals. This person will be expected to plan, organize, and track activities and travel across PEI.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with the scheduling of summer Street Curling events
- Assist with the production of marketing materials to be used during the various events
- Promote the sport of curling using Street Curling and Floor Curl equipment
- Provide basic curling instruction directly to the general public and children during various events
- Set up and tear down the display at each event
Preferred Skills:
- Energetic and enthusiastic
- Strong verbal communication
- Ability to organize, control and generate enthusiasm in a group of 20-30 children
- Ability to work independently
- Good organization and time management skills
- Experience teaching or coaching elementary aged children in a sport, camp, daycare, or school setting is an asset
- Experience delivering public presentations is an asset
- Knowledge of the sport of curling is an asset, but not a requirement
Special Requirements:
- Valid drivers license
- Access to a vehicle is required for this position
- Must travel to events across the Island (compensated for travel)
- Successful completion of a criminal record check (vulnerable sector) is required prior to starting employment
- Non-standard hours may be required
This is an 8-week position; 30 hours per week.
Applicants must be between 15-30 years of age and legally able to work in Canada.
Anticipated start date is June 24, 2019.
Applications accepted via email ([email protected]) until June 10.
Thank you to all applicants but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
This position is supported by the federal government’s Canada Summer Jobs program.
Amy Duncan
Executive Director, Curl PEI
Tel: 902-368-4208
The following are the approved dates and locations for the 2019-20 Curl PEI Provincial Events:
Click to download/print Curl PEI 2019-20 Event Dates in Adobe PDF format
The Cavendish Farms french fry wagon will be at the O’Leary Community Sports Centre during the PEI Potato Blossom Festival in mid-July, with proceeds going towards the Maple Leaf Curling Club.
Sales July 15-18.