Curling - The Canadian Encyclopedia email MLA 7th Edition Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey "Curling" The Canadian Encyclopedia. Eds. Jeremy Freeborn. Toronto: Historica Canada, 2010. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey "Curling" The Canadian Encyclopedia. Eds. Jeremy Freeborn. Toronto: Historica Canada, 2010. Web. 16 Jan. 2017. APA 6th Edition Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey, R. The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2010). Curling. Retrieved January 16, 2017, from Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey, R. The Canadian Encyclopedia. (2010). Curling. Retrieved January 16, 2017, from Chicago 16th Edition Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey. "Curling" In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 1985–. Article published May 9, 2010.

Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey. "Curling" In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 1985–. Article published May 9, 2010. Turabian Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey. 2010. Curling. The Canadian Encyclopedia (accessed January 16, 2017). Gerald Redmond Revised: Patricia G. Bailey. 2010. Curling. The Canadian Encyclopedia (accessed January 16, 2017). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Updates? Omissions? Article suggestions? We want to hear from you! Sports Curling Curling is a sport in which two teams of four players each send stones over an ice surface toward a target circle in an attempt to place nearest the centre. In Canada, curling has steadily grown in popularity since the first club was formed in Montréal in 1807.

The national championships (Brier, Scotties) and Olympic trials are among some of the most popular sporting events in the country, and many winners of these tournaments have also achieved victory on the international stage. Curling is one of the country’s most popular sports, and is the most televised women’s sport in Canada. Curling is a sport in which two teams of four players each send stones over an ice surface toward a target circle in an attempt to place nearest the centre. In Canada, curling has steadily grown in popularity since the first club was formed in Montréal in 1807. The national championships (Brier, Scotties) and Olympic trials are among some of the most popular sporting events in the country, and many winners of these tournaments have also achieved victory on the international stage. Curling is one of the country’s most popular sports and the most televised women’s sport in Canada. Scottish Heritage Although there is some artistic and etymological evidence from the 16th century in the Low Countries of Europe pointing to a similar ice game, most authorities agree that curling as we know it today was codified in Scotland and exported from there in organized form.

Certainly the origins and early evolution of this sport in Canada were due to the consistent, enthusiastic and ubiquitous presence of the Scots . Undoubtedly, too, curling has thrived to a prodigious and unparalleled extent here. Factors contributing to its contemporary popularity in Canada include the wintry climate, the traditions of the game, certain technological advances and the active patronage of influential persons (many of them Scottish). From their influential position in Canadian society, many Scots were comfortably situated to indulge in and promote the traditions of their native land, including curling. First Clubs in Canada Some historians have suggested, without documentation, that curling began on the North American continent among Scottish soldiers during the Seven Years' War of 1756–63 . Curling certainly occurred informally before 1800, until a group of Scots who were identified chiefly with the fur trade formed the Montréal Curling Club in 1807, described as the first sports club in Canada. Other Scots formed clubs in Kingston (1820), Québec City (1821) and Halifax (1824). These pioneering enthusiasts experimented with local "stones" made of iron or maple, as well as imported stones from Scotland.

By 1839, when more clubs had been formed, locally made granite curling stones were being advertised in Toronto at $8 a pair. A year later, the first book on curling in Canada was published — James Bicket's The Canadian Curler's Manual. Intercity matches began in 1835, interprovincial ones in 1858, and in 1865 the first international bonspiel was held between American and Canadian clubs at Buffalo, New York. Much of this progress was aided by the long, cold winters and the availability of innumerable lakes and rivers, ensuring abundant and safe ice on which to enjoy curling. Indeed, these conditions surpassed even those in Scotland, an unusual occurrence for a transplanted sport. In fact, it was often too cold to participate outdoors, and curling fanatics took their sport indoors; members of the Montréal Curling Club were likely the first to do this in 1838. The neighbouring Thistle Club constructed an enclosed rink six years later. By 1859, Toronto had its first indoor facility, and soon indoor curling rinks became common across Canada.

During the 1880s and 1890s, until ice hockey arenas were created, these rinks were being used by many fledgling ice-hockey teams. A Canadian Game Despite the dominating Scottish influence, other nationalities participated from an early date. Because a Canadian-born curler, William Reynolds, had won the Denham Medal in 1843, a Toronto newspaper claimed: "Curling may now be considered in this Province a Canadian rather than a Scottish game." Similar sentiments were expressed in Québec in 1861 when a French Canadian (Benjamin Rousseau) won a gold medal in curling competition. And the progress of non-Scottish teams (often called "barbarians") against Scottish-born teams was keenly reported. Since the Earl of Dalhousie was reported as a member of the Québec City Curling Club in 1828, the sport has included many famous figures within its ranks, such as Sir John A. Macdonald , Lord Aberdeen and Lord Strathcona . The vice-regal support of the governors general was especially significant.

Lord Dufferin (1872–78) was an ardent proponent and had a rink built at his own expense at his official residence, Rideau Hall . In 1880, he instituted the Governor General's Prize, one of Canada's coveted curling trophies. His successors also sponsored the sport, adding to its prestige. Another stimulus to the sport was provided when a Scottish curling team, captained by Reverend John Kerr, toured Canada in 1902–03. The team played matches in 11 cities from Halifax to Winnipeg , then visited 6 American cities. The Scots lost more matches than they won and returned home tremendously impressed with the status and progress of curling in the Dominion . When a Canadian team first toured Scotland in 1908, it won 23 of 26 matches, including three international contests for the Strathcona Cup. Curling in the West By 1910, almost every town in the West had an arena, and Winnipeg was the acknowledged curling centre of Canada. In 1950, it had more curling clubs than Montréal and Toronto combined; and Manitoba had more clubs than Ontario and Québec .

The Flin Flon club was the largest in the world, with more than 50 rinks. During the 1940s, outdoor curling with cement-filled jam tins became a craze across the Prairie Provinces. The West was also the host of the first "Carspiel," which was held at Nipawin , SK, in 1947, with four Hudson sedans valued at $2,200 each as prizes. The popularity of curling in the West would be reflected by the number of national and international champions from that region over the coming decades. The Brier By the 1920s, curling enthusiasts had begun to organize nationwide competitions. A Dominion championship competition was inaugurated in 1927, sponsored by the W. D. Macdonald Co, for a trophy known as the Brier (the first Brier champion was Murray Macneill of Nova Scotia ). This annual event gave curling a significant impetus and became one of the most prestigious trophies in Canadian sport. Sponsorship has changed a number of times; since 2005, the Canadian national men’s curling championship has been known as the Tim Hortons Brier.

The Brier has been held annually since 1927 (except for 1943–45 during the Second World War ). In 2002–03, many curling teams boycotted the competition owing to disagreement with the Canadian Curling Association over prize money and sponsorship. From 1927 to 1939, the Brier was held annually in Toronto at the Granite Club. Meetings at the Granite Club also led to the formation of the Dominion Curling Association in 1935 (renamed the Canadian Curling Association in 1968). In 1940, the Brier was hosted for the first time in Winnipeg , the city that many consider the national (and even international) centre of curling. The western provinces produced many national champions in the first decades of the Brier. In 1949, Ken Watson of Manitoba became the first curler to win the Brier three times. Ten years later, Ernie Richardson formed the famous Richardson Rink in Regina , SK, which went on to win four Briers in five years.

Two other curling teams, both from Alberta , won the Brier three times each during this time period: Matt Baldwin (1954, 1957 and 1958) and Ron Northcott (1966, 1968 and 1969). In the mid-1970s, there was a short shift in success from Western Canada to Eastern Canada. For the first time there were Brier champions from Québec and Newfoundland . Jack MacDuff skipped his Newfoundland rink to a Brier title in 1976 in Regina, SK, and a year later Jim Ursel won the Brier in his home town of Montréal . Since the mid-1970s, Alberta and Manitoba have dominated the Brier, although other provinces have also provided national champions. Men’s World Championship In 1959, there was added incentive to win the Brier. For the first time, the Brier champion would represent Canada internationally. The World Championship, known initially as the “Scotch Cup,” was a five-game series between Canada and Scotland.

Richardson ’s curling rink from Saskatchewan won the first two Scotch Cups in dominating fashion, winning all ten games. Hec Gervais of Edmonton won the 1961 championship (the same year the United States joined the tournament), followed by Richardson, who once again won back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963. The 1964 Scotch Cup was played in Canada for the first time, with Calgary hosting at the Stampede Corral. Vancouver’ s Lyall Dagg won the Cup that year, but in 1965 an American team was victorious. One year later, when the Scotch Cup returned to Canada with Vancouver as the host, Calgary’s Ron Northcott went undefeated. In 1968, Air Canada sponsored a new world curling championship known as the Silver Broom. The first (played in Pointe-Claire , Montréal, QC ) was won by Northcott, who won it again the following year.

In fact, Canada was victorious at the first five Air Canada Silver Broom World Curling Championships: the Don Duguid Rink won in 1970 and 1971, and the Orest Meleschuk rink won in 1972. In the 1970s, Canada struggled during the World Men’s Curling Championship. After Meleschuk’s victory in 1972, Canada did not win again for eight years. However, Canadian dominance at the world championship level was restored in the 1980s with seven victories: Rick Folk (1980); Al Hackner (1982, 1985); Ed Werenich (1983); Ed Lukowich (1986); Russ Howard (1987); and Pat Ryan (1989).

Canada would continue to dominate the World Men’s Curling Championships over the next two decades: Ed Werenich (1990); Russ Howard (1993); Rick Folk (1994); Kerry Burtnyk (1995); Jeff Stoughton (1996); Wayne Middaugh (1998); Greg McAulay (2000); Randy Ferbey (2002, 2003, 2005); Glenn Howard (2007, 2012); Kevin Martin (2008); and Kevin Koe (2010). Since 1995, the world curling championship has been sponsored by Ford Canada and is known as the Ford World Curling Championship when played in Canada. Women’s Curling The copious quantities of whisky said to be consumed at bonspiels apparently delayed the participation of women in curling, but in 1894, the first ladies' curling club was formed in Montréal . Before 1900 there were several women's clubs in Eastern and Western Canada, and curling was soon established as a sport for both sexes and almost all ages.

National Women’s Championship However, it would take over half a century for women to have their own national curling championship. The first Canadian National Women’s Curling Championship was played in 1960 in Oshawa , ON. The event took place 33 years after the first Canadian National Men’s Curling Championship in Toronto . For the first year, the Western Canadian champion was flown to Oshawa to play the Eastern Canadian champion. The event, known as the Dominion Diamond D Championship, was won by Joyce McKee of Saskatoon , SK. A year later, tournament organizers used a similar round-robin format as the Brier with McKee defending her title. Dominion continued sponsoring the event until 1967. Notable champions in the 1960s included Mabel DeWare of Moncton , NB (1963), who went on to become a cabinet minister in the New Brunswick legislature and a senator in the Canadian government, and Betty Duguid of Winnipeg , MB (1967), sister of two-time world men’s curling champion Don Duguid.

The province of Saskatchewan dominated the women’s national championship from 1969 to 1974, winning six straight national titles. From 1971 to 1973, Vera Pezer won three consecutive titles as a skip, a record until Nova Scotia ’s Colleen Jones won four straight titles from 2001 to 2004. In 1972, Macdonald Tobacco Company became the primary sponsor of the National Women’s Curling Championship and the tournament was renamed the Macdonald Lassies Championship. However, despite giving the event strong promotional and public relations support, they were pressured by the Canadian government to end their sponsorship in 1979 because of the government’s anti-tobacco thrust. Scotties Tournament of Hearts In 1982, a new era in women’s curling began when Scott Paper became the primary sponsor of the national women’s curling championship. The new event was initially known as the Scott Tournament of Hearts before a name change was made in 2007 to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

According to curling historian Doug Maxwell, “the Scott Tournament of Hearts is Canada’s longest-running, sponsored national event.” The other significant change to the Canadian women’s curling championship in the 1980s was the adoption of the Team Canada concept. In essence, this meant the reigning champions did not have to participate in provincial playdowns to qualify for the national championships; instead, they received an automatic berth and were known as Team Canada. (The Team Canada concept was instituted at the Brier for the first time in 2015.) The most successful Canadian curler in the history of the Scott Tournament of Hearts is Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones, who won six titles. The Halifax native won the first Scott Tournament of Hearts in 1982, followed by victories in 1999 and 2001–04. When Jones was not curling, she could be seen regularly on CBC as a sports broadcaster. After the Colleen Jones dynasty, Winnipeg ’s Jennifer Jones went on a notable run starting in 2005, when she won four Scotties in six years.

Another repeat national champion is Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, who won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2013 and 2014. Women’s World Championship The first Women’s World Curling Championship took place in 1979 with Gaby Casanova of Switzerland capturing the title. Marj Mitchell’s rink from Saskatchewan became the first Canadian team to win the Women’s World Curling Championship in 1980. Just three years later, Mitchell died of cancer at age 35. (Since 1998, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Sponsorship Award has been named in Mitchell’s honour.) The first Women’s World Curling Championship on Canadian soil took place in 1983 in Moose Jaw , SK with Switzerland hammering Norway 18–3 in the gold medal game. Canada’s Penny LaRocque of Nova Scotia lost 6–3 to Norway in the semifinal.

From 1984 to 1987, Canadian teams won four consecutive World Women’s Curling Championships, solidifying Canada as a superpower in women’s as well as men’s curling: three-time Scotties champion Connie Laliberte won in 1984; Linda Moore won in 1985; Marilyn Darte (later Bodogh) won in 1986; and Pat Sanders won in 1987. In 1989, the Women’s World Curling Championship took place in the same location (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) as the Men’s World Curling Championship for the first time. Heather Houston defeated Norway’s Trine Trulsen in the gold medal game to join men’s champion Pat Ryan as Canadian world champions. The Women’s World Curling Championship would remain in the same location as the Men’s World Curling Championship until 2004. Since 2005, a World Championship has taken place in Canada every year, with the Women’s World Curling Championship in Canada in even years and the Men’s World Curling Championship in Canada in odd years.

In the 1990s, Canadian women won four World Women’s Curling Championships. Sandra Schmirler ’s curling team from Saskatchewan won three titles (1993, 1994, 1997). Marilyn Bodogh also won the second Women’s World Curling Championship of her career in 1996 in front of an appreciative crowd at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton . In the 2000s, Canadian women won five World Women’s Curling Championships: Kelley Law (2000); Colleen Jones (2001, 2004); Kelly Scott (2007); and Jennifer Jones (2008). Canadian Mixed Championship Another important national curling competition, the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, began in 1964. Over the years, many Canadian mixed curling champions have also won the Brier or Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The list includes Rick Folk, Barry Fry, Jan Betker, Jeff Stoughton, Colleen Jones, Kevin Koe, Jean-Michel Ménard, Mark Dacey and Kim Kelly.

In 2004 in Timmins , ON, Shannon Kleibrink of Alberta (who went on to skip Canada to a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin) became the first female curler to win the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship as a skip. Other National Championships Other curling competitions held in Canada include championships for Canadian Schoolboys (first held in 1950); National Seniors (since 1965); Canadian Junior Girls (1971); the Canadian Senior Ladies (55 and over; established 1973); the Canadian Masters (60 and over; established 2000) and the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship (established 2004). Olympic Success There has been some debate about when curling became an Olympic sport. In 2006, the International Olympic Committee determined that curling had debuted at the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924. Thus, the British are now considered the first Olympic curling champions because of their 1924 win.

After the 1924 Games, curling was a demonstration sport at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, and then returned as a demonstration sport to the 1988 games. In 1998 at Nagano, Japan, the sport was for the first time an official Olympic event. Though the Canadian men's team led by Mike Harris settled for silver, Sandra Schmirler 's team from Regina captured the first women's Olympic gold medal in curling. Sadly, Schmirler died of cancer at age 36 just two years later in 2000. The men's competition at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City was a battle between Canada, Norway and Switzerland. These well-matched teams played intense and close games, resulting in Norway taking the gold medal after a hard-fought game against Canada. The Canadians, skipped by Kevin Martin, won the silver medal and the Swiss the bronze. The Canadian women, skipped by Kelley Law, won the bronze medal.

At the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, the Canadian men's curling team won the gold, and the women's team, skipped by Shannon Kleibrink, again won the bronze. The Canadian men’s team that won the 2006 Olympic Winter Games was skipped by Brad Gushue of St. John’s , Newfoundland . In the semifinal, the Canadian team scored five points in the ninth end on the way to an 11–5 win over the United States and then in the final scored a remarkable six points in the sixth end en route to a 10–4 win over Finland. Canadian curlers enjoyed success once again at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver . The Canadian men, led this time by Kevin Martin, won a second consecutive Olympic gold. The team, undefeated in round-robin play, proceeded to the final match where they defeated Norway 6–3. The women's team, led by Cheryl Bernard, were edged out by Sweden (6–7) and won silver. At the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Canada won the gold medal in men’s and women’s curling at the same Olympics for the first time.

The men’s team, led by skip Brad Jacobs, finished with a record of 7–2 in the round robin, beat China 10–6 in the semifinal, and Great Britain 9–3 in the gold medal game. The women’s team, led by skip Jennifer Jones, enjoyed unprecedented Olympic success. They became the first Canadian women’s team at an Olympic Winter Games or World Women’s Curling Championship to go undefeated throughout the entire tournament. Jones’ team beat Great Britain 6–4 in the semifinal and Sweden 6–3 in the final to win Olympic gold. In recent years, the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials has arguably passed the Brier and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the most important national curling event on Canadian soil. Canada’s elite curling teams have made the Olympic Winter Games a top priority and regularly form their teams in four-year cycles to maximize their preparation. In fact, winning the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials can be just as prestigious for Canadian curlers as winning an Olympic medal because of how difficult it is to beat the other elite teams throughout Canada. Suggested Reading W.A.

Creelman, Curling: Past and Present (1950); Perry Lefko, Shannon England, The Queen of Curling: The Sandra Schmirler Story (2000); Gerald Redmond, The Sporting Scots of Nineteenth-Century Canada (1982); D.B. Smith, Curling: An Illustrated History (1981). Links to other sites World Curling Federation - History of Curling >> Home > Programmes & Resources > Learn more about Curling History of Curling Curling has been described as the “Roarin’ Game”, with the “roar” coming from the noise of a granite stone as it travels over the ice. The exact origins of the game, however, are unclear, but curling is widely believed to be one of the world’s oldest team sports. Paintings by a 16th century Flemish artist, Pieter Bruegel (1530-1569) portrayed an activity similar to curling being played on frozen ponds.

The first written evidence appeared in Latin, when in 1540, John McQuhin, a notary in Paisley, Scotland, recorded in his protocol book a challenge between John Sclater, a monk in Paisley Abbey and Gavin Hamilton, a representative of the Abbot. The report indicated that Sclater threw a stone along the ice three times and asserted that he was ready for the agreed contest. What is clear, however, is that what may have started as an enjoyable pastime of throwing stones over ice during a harsh Northern European winter, has evolved into a popular modern sport with its own world championships, which attract fans and large television audiences. Curling in its early days was played on frozen lochs and ponds. A pastime still enjoyed in some countries when weather permits, but all national and international competitive curling competitions now take place in indoor rinks with the condition of the ice carefully temperature-controlled. It is also clear that the first recognised Curling Clubs were formed in Scotland, and during the 19th century the game was exported wherever Scots settled around the world in cold climates, most notably at that time in Canada, USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand.

The first Rules were drawn up in Scotland, and they were formally adopted as the “Rules in Curling” by the Grand Caledonian Curling Club, which was formed in Edinburgh in 1838 and became the sport’s governing body. Four years later, following a demonstration of curling on the ballroom floor of Scone Palace near Perth by the Earl of Mansfield during a visit by Queen Victoria, the Queen was so fascinated by the game that in 1843 she gave permission for the Club’s name to be changed to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC) – by which it is still known today. It is recorded that international curling events were staged in the 19th century in Europe and North America, but it was not until the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924, in Chamonix, France that any form of official international competition took place for men’s teams. Great Britain defeated Sweden and France in what was retroactively accepted in 2006 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as curling’s Olympic debut, with medals awarded.

In 1932 at Lake Placid, USA, curling again was listed but this time as a demonstration sport at the Winter Olympics. Canada was the winner over the United States in a two-country competition where each nation entered four Men’s teams. Another 25 years passed before a meeting was held in Edinburgh in 1957 to consider the formation of an international organisation which would be required in order to apply for Olympic medal status. No progress was documented, but two years later, in 1959, Scotland and Canada reached a major milestone by launching the Scotch Cup series between their national men's curling champions. Interest in other countries was generated, and USA (1961), Sweden (1962), Norway and Switzerland (1964), France (1966) and Germany (1967) expanded the Scotch Cup entry. The 1959-1967 results now are recognised in the curling history of the men's world championship. The success of the Scotch Cup series led to another attempt, in March 1965, to create a global administration.

The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (Scotland) convened a meeting in Perth, Scotland, and six countries – Scotland, Canada, USA, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland – agreed to a proposal to form an international committee of the Royal Club, to be called the International Curling Federation (ICF). The following year, in March, 1966, in Vancouver, Canada, a draft constitution for the ICF was considered by seven countries – France was added to the original six – and the Federation was declared to be established as of April 1, 1966. Though in attendance at these meeting, USA opted to be there in an observational capacity only and therefore didn’t become a member of the ICF until 1967. The constitution was approved in March 1967, at Perth, and a set of rules for international competition was proposed. At the Federation's annual meeting in 1968 in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, these rules were adopted, but are subject to amendment and revision each year. Also in 1968, the Air Canada Silver Broom replaced the Scotch Cup, and it was sanctioned as the World Curling Championship.

In 1975, the Federation endorsed the World Junior Men's Curling Championship; in 1979 the Ladies’ Curling Championship; and in 1988, the World Junior Ladies’ Curling Championship. The four events were combined into two in 1989 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Markham, Ontario, and became known as the World Curling Championships (WCC) and the World Junior Curling Championships (WJCC). The Constitution had a significant adjustment in 1982, when the Federation was declared an independent entity and approved as the governing body for curling in the world, while the Royal Caledonian Curling Club was acknowledged as the ‘Mother Club of Curling’. In 1990, the name of the Federation was changed to the World Curling Federation (WCF). Curling was a demonstration sport for a second and third time at the Olympic Winter Games of 1988 (Calgary) and 1992 (Albertville) for teams of men and women.

On 21 July 1992, at its session in Barcelona, Spain, the International Olympic Committee granted official medal status to men’s and women’s curling, to take effect no later than the Olympic Winter Games of 2002, with an option for inclusion in 1998 at Nagano, Japan. During the meeting of the IOC Executive Board held June 22-23, 1993 in Lausanne, the Organising Committee of the Nagano Olympic Winter Games (NAOC) officially agreed to include curling in the programme of the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in 1998. Eight teams for men and women participated in Nagano, and this was increased to ten from the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games of 2002 onwards. At the Semi-Annual General Assembly of the Federation in Leukerbad, Switzerland, in December 1993, a revised Constitution was adopted. This included changes to the Management Structure. The revised structure became operational following the election of the Executive Board at the Annual General Assembly in Oberstdorf, Germany, in April 1994.

From 1966 to 1994, the administration of the ICF and WCF was the responsibility of employees of the RCCC. Following the adoption of the revised Constitution, the WCF set up its own Head Office and Secretariat in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1994. At the Semi-Annual General Assembly of the Federation in Grindelwald, Switzerland in December 1995, a completely re-written Constitution was adopted in order to comply with Swiss law following the Federation’s registration in that country. In May 2000, the WCF Secretariat moved from Edinburgh to Perth, Scotland. The first World Wheelchair Curling Championship was held in January 2002 and in March that year, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granted official medal status to wheelchair curling for mixed gender teams. The Organising Committee of the Torino Paralympic Winter Games 2006 agreed to include wheelchair curling in its programme. Other international events introduced in 2002 included World Senior Championships for men and women. In 2003, curling was featured on the programmes of the World University Winter Games and the Asian Winter Games for the first time.

In 2005, the World Men’s and Women’s Championships were separated once again, and held in different parts of the world. Also that year, the European Youth Olympic Festival introduced a curling competition for junior men and women between 15 and 18 years of age. Curling also became part of the inaugural Youth Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012. The growth of the sport in Asia was recognised with the first World Women’s Curling Championship being held in Aomori, Japan, in 2007 and the first World Men’s Curling Championship to be held in Asia taking place in Beijing, China, in 2014. In 2008, the first World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship was staged in Vierumäki, Finland. Mixed Doubles Curling marks a break from traditional curling, as teams are comprised of two players – one male and one female. In 2015, the discipline was accepted as an additional event for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, in PyeongChang, Korea.

In 2015, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) also confirmed that the wheelchair curling event in PyeongChang in 2018 would be expanded from 10 to 12 teams. At the 2014 WCF Annual General Assembly, the decision was taken to expand the European Mixed Curling Championship to a worldwide event. The inaugural World Mixed Curling Championship was staged in Berne, Switzerland in September 2015. Also in season 2014-2015, ‘Curling: Pure Emotion’, a sculpture by curler Bjorn Zyrd was unveiled, by President Kate Caithness, at the Olympic Museum Park in Lausanne, Switzerland. This was the first Olympic Winter sport to have such an artefact at the museum. In 2016, the World Curling Federation celebrated its 50th anniversary. That year a Sweeping Summit was arranged near Ottawa, Canada to address the rules of sweeping. This resulted in one of the sport’s most significant set of rule changes to date, following a season that challenged the conventions of how stones should be swept and what types of fabrics should be used on brushes.

FISU Curling - winter sport Curling FISU Regulations The curling competitions have their own FISU regulations which follow the most recent technical rules of the World Curling Federation (WCF). The FISU regulations are always set up on the recommendation of the FISU Technical Chair and the WCF Technical Delegate in close cooperation with the Committee for Sports Regulations (CRS), and they are approved by the FISU Executive Committee. The programme and duration of the competitions are fixed by the Executive Committee in agreement with the Organising Committee and the CTI. Duration of the competition: 9 days maximum. Curling Competitions Today’s curling competitions are organised with a maximum of twenty (20) teams - ten (10) women’s and ten (10) men’s. Each team may enter five (5) players. The running of competitions is always supervised by the FISU Technical Chair for curling and the WCF Technical Delegate, who chair all technical meetings concerned. All sport facilities must be provided with the necessary equipment by the Organising Committee of the host country.

The student competitions in curling have become much more interesting in terms of coverage thanks to the cooperation with TV sports magazines, highlights and live broadcasting, where big progress has been achieved. The 2011 WU curling competitions in Erzurum attracted an enormous number of spectators. The History of Curling in FISU Curling entered the Winter Universiade sports programme as an optional sport at the 21st edition of the WU in Tarvisio, Italy in 2003. The World Curling Federation (WCF), together with the National Federation, played a primary role in the organisation of the competitions, which turned out to be extremely interesting for the participants and the numerous spectators. Six men’s teams (NOR, KOR, RUS, SUI, GBR, USA) and five women’s teams (NOR, KOR, RUS, SUI, USA) entered the competition, resulting in an exciting battle between Russia and Canada in the women’s category (1. Russia, 2. Canada, 3. Norway). In the men’s category the ranking was as follows: 1.Canada, 2.Switzerland, 3. Korea.

The curling tournament for men and women has already been held four times at the WU and each time it was an enormous success. Now that curling is a compulsory sport of the Winter Universiade sports programme, the future of international university curling is assured. Thanks to the excellent cooperation between the World Curling Federation (WCF) and FISU, we closely follow the evolution of this sport to develop our competition programme. The level of play at the 2007 Winter Universiade in Torino was world-class, particularly for the mixed junior male and female competitors, who provided an excellent competition. As an example, three members of the Russian women’s team played at the ECH afterwards and won the bronze medal. Les Harrison (CAN), the WCF President, was the first FISU Technical Chair for curling. Jeanette JOHNSTON (GBR) replaced him in the fall of 2007. World Curling Championships World Curling Championships Times Colonist - ‎5 hours ago‎ There's no doubt who stole the show in Draw 1 of the 2017 Canadian Junior Men's and Women's Curling Championship at the Archie Browning Sports Centre and Esquimalt Curling Club.

One would swear the fans were humming, “Oh my darling, Lenentine” ... Times Colonist - ‎Jan 19, 2017‎ Team B.C. skips Corryn Brown (with Nanaimo's Marka Van Osch at third) and Tyler Tardi should also battle for the top prizes and the right to advance to the 2017 World Junior Curling Championships in Gangneung, South Korea. Brown is the 2013 Canadian ... Related TheChronicleHerald.ca - ‎Jan 19, 2017‎ Last season, Kristin Clarke and her teammates emerged as provincial, national and world junior curling champions. With the first step in repeating all three complete, the team out of Chester will look to defend as national champions this week in ... Times Colonist - ‎Jan 11, 2017‎ The field at the 2017 Canadian Junior Men's and Women's Curling Championships proves that, as sons and daughters of former national, world and Olympic champions and medallists will be in competition at the Esquimalt Curling Club and Archie Browning ...

TSN - ‎Jan 11, 2017‎ The men's draw features an all-star field of 2016 World Men's Curling Championships and 2016 Brier champions Team Koe, 2016 Canada Cup champions Team Carruthers, and 2015 United States Men's Curling Championship bronze medallists Team ... Related Globalnews.ca - ‎Jan 19, 2017‎ But learning isn't the only thing Team Kleiter is interested in; they want to wear the Maple Leaf as Canada's representative at the world championships, and Dean Kleiter thinks they have what it takes. “They're very strong young boys, they're good ... Manitoulin Expositor - ‎Jan 19, 2017‎ BARRIE—Heather Heggestad, originally from Gore Bay, will be taking part in the upcoming provincial Ontario Scotties ladies' curling championships. Ms. Heggestad and her ... She currently skips with her team on the World Curling Tour. On the World ...

Daily Sabah - ‎Jan 11, 2017‎ Turkey made history as its men and women's team both claimed silver medals at the World Junior-B Curling Championships 2017 held in Sweden's Oestersund. Although, both teams came close to winning the tournament, the Turkish men's team lead by ... Insidethegames.biz - ‎Jan 9, 2017‎ Competition is open to junior teams from all World Curling Federation (WCF) Member Associations that have not already qualified for the 2017 World Junior Curling Championships in South Korean city Gangneung. The top three men's and women's teams ... Insidethegames.biz (blog) - ‎Jan 13, 2017‎ The local Organising Committee of the World Curling Federation (WCF) 2017 World Women's Curling Championship has unveiled the event logo and title sponsor at a press conference today. The tournament is due to be held between March 18 and 26 at the ...

Times Colonist - ‎Jan 20, 2017‎ That might just be the refrain shouted out at Archie Browning Sports Centre and Esquimalt Curling Club over the next nine days as Mike Merklinger looks after both surfaces at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships as head icemaker. Son of legendary ... The Globe and Mail - ‎Jan 20, 2017‎ In addition to Hart's sons and Schmirler's daughter, the national championships will also feature Manitoba skip Laura Burtnyk, the daughter of Kerry Burtnyk, a two-time Brier champion and the 1995 world champion. Manitoba's third is Hailey Ryan ... World Men's Curling Championship 2014: Final Results and Top Performers | Bleacher Report World Men's Curling Championship 2014: Final Results and Top Performers Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories Andy Wong Norway took home the gold at the WMCC this year. 5.7K 0 Comments The 2014 World Men's Curling Championship wrapped up on Sunday after a week-long competition in Beijing, China.

The final day of competition pitted Canada against Switzerland for the bronze medal and Scandinavian rivals Norway and Sweden for the gold. Below are the full results of the last day of action: World Men's Curling Championship Medal Results Game NOR, 8-3 WMCC2014.com For those who were unable to catch the curling live, here's your one-stop shop for the recap of the two matches, as well as the top performers from each contest. Gold-Medal Game Alexander F. Yuan Norway not only returned to the podium for the first time since 2010, when they finished second to Canada, but they defeated their biggest rivals to claim gold and thwart Sweden's quest for back-to-back championships. Norway raced out to an early 5-0 lead en route to a dominating 8-3 win. Skip Thomas Ulsrud set the tone with by taking the first point on the first end, then turned the game in the third end with a double take-out on his last stone, allowing Norway to steal to points for a decisive 4-0 lead.

Ulsrud also sealed the game with a nose-hit on his last stone in the eighth end to earn the final two points, bringing the score to its final tally. After the win, Ulsrud told Emily Goddard of InsidetheGames.com that his team's experience allowed them to break through after years of heartbreak: We've been training so hard for this for so many years, for so many Worlds. I've been close a couple of times but to be called world champion, that sounds amazing. We've been in a lot of championship finals and we've been here before, so experience made the difference I think. Meanwhile, Swedish skip Oskar Eriksson earned his fourth medal in five years, though not the gold he desired. Eriksson also earned a bronze medal at the Sochi Olympics, where he was an alternate on the team that defeated China to reach the Olympic podium. Tweet Norway's victory marks their country's first world title since 1988, when skip Eigil Ramsfjell won the world championships in Switzerland. Ramsfjell was actually in attendance to witness his country's breakthrough, as he was inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame during the closing ceremonies.

Thus, his presence served as a fitting symbolic succession, as Ulsrud and the rest of the Norwegian team have finally erased over two decades of frustration to forge their own place in Norway's curling history. Bronze-Medal Game Andy Wong It was a stunning fall for Canada, traditionally the world's most dominant curling powerhouse. The Canadians failed to reach the gold-medal game for the first time since 2004, and compounded their disappointing showing by failing to reach the podium for the first time since 2001. Swiss fourth player Benoit Schwarz came up with a clutch performance. In the first end, Schwarz cleared out two Canadian stones to steal a point for his country. Later on, Schwarz retook a 5-3 lead on the sixth end after his teammates set up a simple draw for him on his second stone. Most critically, Schwarz hit Canadian skip Kevin Koe's stone out of the button on the ninth end, and Switzerland was able to force Canada out of stones during the 10th end. Per the World Curling Federation , Swiss skip Peter de Cruz expressed elation at the stunning upset: It feels really awesome. We came into the week thinking we had a chance if we played good.

We didn’t start off so well and then we started getting better as we got used to the ice. My guys played an awesome game today. We were really ready for the game and I think that we probably wanted it more than them – that made the difference. Tweet The bronze medal for De Cruz's team marks the continuation of a successful season for his country. Sven Michel led a European title-winning team, while Yannick Schwaller won the men's junior title. It's not an entirely unsuccessful season for Canada, as both the men and women came away with gold at the Sochi Olympics. However, in an event they have traditionally dominated, failing to reach the podium is simply a failure. Curling season still rolling with the Players Championship | Curling Canada All Posts / Our News / Curling season still rolling with the Players Championship Curling season still rolling with the Players Championship April 12, 2016 Tweet There was a time when the Men’s World Championship signalled the end of the curling season. Once a winner was crowned, clubs would pull the plug on their compressors, and curlers would go outside to find something called “sunshine” and anxiously polish golf clubs until the ground thawed enough to play.

Times have changed. First of all, most of the country hasn’t had a sniff of spring weather yet as cold temperatures and snow linger well beyond their welcome. But also, there’s a lot more curling left to play. This week, the World Curling Tour arrives in Toronto for the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling’s Player’s Championship. For the third time in four years, this event is being held at Ryerson University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, more famously known as the old Maple Leaf Gardens. The top 12 men’s and women’s teams will compete for a share of $100,000 (for each gender) and valuable points on the Canadian Team Ranking System, World Curling Tour Order of Merit, and the Rogers Grand Slam Cup standings. 2014 Home Hardware Canada Cup of Curling, Camrose, Rachel Homan, Joanne Courtney, Lisa Weagle, Jennifer Jones, CCA/michael burns photo First the CTRS implications: When Calgary’s Chelsea Carey failed to earn a medal at the Ford World Women’s Curling Championship, she also failed to earn a direct berth to the 2017 Roar of the Rings in Ottawa.

Instead, that berth will go to the highest non-qualified team on the 2015-2016 CTRS. While Ottawa’s Rachel Homan has a huge lead on the CTRS, she also previously qualified for the trials by winning the Home Hardware Canada Cup. That means we have to look at the next names on the list: Jennifer Jones (365.784), Val Sweeting (338.565), and Carey (307.013). Winning a Grand Slam event will likely earn you more than 80 points, while just qualifying for the quarterfinals is usually in the neighbourhood of 35 points. That being said, it’s plausible that Jones or Sweeting seem poised to take a step closer to locking down that berth. Of course, there is yet another Slam on the schedule with the Champions Cup, meaning that ticket won’t be officially punched until May 1st. Now the Rogers Grand Slam Cup: Homan has won three Slams so far this year, which means she’s all but a lock for the women’s $75,000 bonus.

If her team even wins a game this week in Toronto, it should be enough to claim the top prize. The men’s race, on the other hand, is definitely up for grabs. Brad Gushue (St. John’s) currently leads the field with 35 points, but Calgary’s Kevin Koe is not far behind with 31. A win is worth 25 points, a runner-up finish is 19, a semi-final is 15, and quarter is 11. Again, there are too many combinations to count, but it’s fairly safe to say that Gushue and Koe will be keeping a close eye on each other, and should they meet in the final, a lot more than the championship would be on the line. Ottawa Ont.Mar 5, 2016.Tim Hortons Brier.NL skip Brad Gushue reacts after defeating Manitoba’s Mike McEwen in an extra end 5-4 in draw 1 of the Brier. michael burns photo The Grand Slam series will continue experimenting with new rules this week.

Aside from the 5-rock free guard zone (which has become standard for the GSOC), they are now limiting which brushes are used, and more specifically on which side of the stone. While most of the complaints lately have been in regards to “sharp” brush heads promoting extra curl, this rule won’t allow for switching brushes to suit the shot. The Players Championship begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST. 2016 Canadian junior curling championships to be hosted by Stratford, Ont. » Curling Canada: 2016 Canadian Junior Curling Championships News Articles 2016 Canadian junior curling championships to be hosted by Stratford, Ont. The country’s best junior curlers will play for a national title in Stratford, Ont., when the city plays host to the 2016 Canadian Junior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships, it was announced today by the Canadian Curling Association. Molson Arena, part of the Stratford Rotary Complex, which will host the 2016 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. The championships will be staged Jan.

23-31 at the Stratford Rotary Complex, a facility that features two ice surfaces — RBC Arena and Molson Arena — meaning that every game at the 2016 junior nationals will be played on arena ice for the first time in the event’s history. “Hosting Canada’s best young curlers and their families is an amazing opportunity for Stratford,” said host committee vice-chair David St. Louis. “We have an amazing and committed group of volunteers and a host committee that is aiming to make this a first-class show, and we hope to send everyone home with some wonderful memories.” The Stratford Rotary Complex. Since the Canadian Junior Men’s and Women’s Championships were combined into a single event in 1987, it has been played in Ontario seven times — the most recent in 2012 at Napanee, Ont., where Alberta teams skipped by Brendan Bottcher (who would go on to win the world junior gold medal) and Jocelyn Peterman claimed gold medals. “The City of Stratford is excited and proud to be hosting the 2016 Canadian Junior Curling Championships,” said Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson.

“The Rotary complex is an excellent facility and when combined with our community hospitality, I am sure this event will be a huge success. We look forward to hosting in 2016.” TSN, the official broadcaster of the CCA’s Season of Champions, will provide live and exclusive coverage across Canada of the women’s and men’s semifinals and finals. With 14 teams in each gender (representing each of the 10 provinces in addition to Northern Ontario, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut), the field will be split into two seven-team pools, with seeding based on win-loss records at the 2015 Canadian Juniors in Corner Brook, N.L. Teams will play a round robin within their pool, leading to a championship pool beginning on Wednesday, which will then lead to the weekend playoffs. Teams that don’t qualify for the championship pool will play a seeding pool to determine rankings for the 2017 Canadian Juniors (host site TBD). Meantime, non-playoff teams will participate in a mixed doubles competition. The 2016 Canadian Juniors will also see the debut of a new eligibility age.

At the 2014 Canadian Curling Association annual meeting, governors and Member Associations approved a new age-eligible date for junior competition, essentially adding six months — a move made to fall in line with World Curling Federation rules. Previously, Canadian juniors had to be 20 and under as of Dec. 31 of the year prior to a Canadian championship; now they have to be 20 and under as of June 30 of the previous year. Prior to this change, non-Canadian players at the World Junior Championships could be up to six months older than the eldest Canadian player. The Canadian Junior Men’s Championship has been contested annually since its inception in 1950 in Quebec City. The first Canadian Junior Women’s Championship was played in 1971 at Vancouver. Teams representing the Ontario Curling Association have won the Canadian Junior Men’s championship on nine occasions — the most recent when Jake Walker’s team from Kitchener prevailed in 2010 at Sorel-Tracy, Que. Ontario teams also have won three Canadian Junior Women’s titles, with Ottawa’s Rachel Homan completing the Ontario sweep in 2010 at Sorel-Tracy.

The men’s and women’s champions in Stratford will wear the Maple Leaf at the 2016 World Junior Cham pionships (site and date TBA by the World Curling Federation. Canada has won a leading 18 world junior men’s titles since 1975 and nine women’s crowns (tied with Scotland leads with nine) since 1988. The last Canadian teams to win world junior titles were skipped by Alberta’s Kelsey Rocque last year in Flims, Switzerland, and by Bottcher in 2012 in Östersund, Sweden. The 2015 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors are scheduled for Jan. 24 to Feb. 1 in Corner Brook, N.L., with the winners advancing to the World Juniors , beginning Feb. 28 in Tallinn, Estonia. Share Post: The Royal Caledonian Curling Club The Royal Caledonian Curling Club The Royal Caledonian Curling Club National Governing Body for Curling in Scotland 2016 Scottish Curling Awards – Make Your Vote Count!

Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 11:00am The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC) is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Scottish Curling Awards. They are:- YOUNG CURLER OF THE YEAR Bobby Lammie (19) At the beginning of the season Bobby represented Scotland at the World Mixed Championship as a member of Team Bryce after winning the Scottish Curling Mixed Championship in April 2015. Bobby, as a member of Team Mouat, then went on to win the Scottish Junior Curling Championship and GOLD at the World Junior Curling Championships in Tårnby, Denmark. Bobby also came fourth in the Scottish Men’s Curling Championships, won the Goldline Scottish Curling Tour, and the OVCA Super Spiel Championship in Canada, and came third in the 2015 Challenge Chateau Cartier du Gatineau in Canada.

Bobby rounded off the season by winning a second Scottish Curling Mixed Championship title with Team Bryce, and will represent Scotland at the World Mixed Curling Championship in Russia in October 2016 Bruce Mouat (21) Bruce claimed his second consecutive Scottish Junior title as skip, and went on to win GOLD at the World Junior Curing Championships in Tårnby, Denmark. He also won the Scottish Mixed Doubles title for a third time with Gina Aitken, and represented Scotland at the World Mixed Doubles in Karlstad, Sweden in which he finished fourth, gaining valuable Olympic qualifying points for Team GB. Bruce skipped his junior team to fourth in the Scottish Men’s Curling Championships, won the Goldline Scottish Curling Tour, and the OVCA Super Spiel Championship in Canada, and came third in the 2015 Challenge Chateau Cartier du Gatineau in Canada. Ross Whyte (17) Ross was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2nd Winter Youth Olympic Games 2016 in Lillehammer, Norway.

Having never played with the three other curlers, Ross, through his great leadership qualities skipped the mixed team (2 males, 2 females) to fifth place in the Mixed competition, only dropping one game in the group section, and narrowly losing to Russia in the quarter-finals. In the Mixed Doubles event, where curlers were matched with someone from a different country, Ross was paired with the youngest Chinese player, Yu Han, who had played lead in the mixed competition. Despite a language barrier they reached the Final and won the SILVER medal. Back home, Ross claimed his second consecutive Asham U21 Slam title as skip, and finished third in the Scottish Curling Junior Championships. GRASSROOTS COACH OF THE YEAR Brian Park Brian, an RCCC Level 2 qualified coach, has been a long serving coach, who in 2010 directed his coaching skills toward wheelchair curling. Brian visits groups for the disabled and shows videos of wheelchair curling and discusses the sport to encourage interest within the groups. He organises Come and Try sessions and evaluates the various disabilities to find an individual’s comfort zone when delivering the curling stone.

He gives 6 to 8 hours a week to on-ice coaching on a one-to-one basis for new curlers until they gain confidence and overcome their initial caution. His efforts have been successful over the last five years with the formation of Stranraer Wheelchair Curling Club which now has 10 regular wheelchair curlers of both genders. All have become competent curlers. Brian is described as being patient, understanding and a fantastic coach on and off the ice, who is dedicated to promoting wheelchair curling within the community. Lorraine Campbell Lorraine has developed a fantastic Coaching system at Forfar Ice Rink. Working to develop new coaches through a pathway programme while taking a mentoring role to assist others, has provided the facility with a legacy that she should be proud of. In addition to her qualifying as an RCCC Level 2 Coach this year, she has embarked on taking additional tutoring responsibilities with the RCCC and other on ice activities. This stems from junior club coaching to Curling’s Cool and Skill Awards sessions. She has also made sure that all the coaches in the facility have up to date PVG’s, and that all children that are coached are in a safe and enjoyable environment.

Kenny Findlay Kenny, an RCCC Level 1 qualified coach, has dedicated a massive amount of time and effort organising the Gremlins Coaching sessions at Murrayfield Curling Rink. He and his team of coaches, provide coaching for around 100 junior curlers (ranging in experience) every Sunday morning during the season. In addition, Kenny helps junior curlers through their Skill Awards, and co-ordinates and runs Try Curling sessions, which at times can result in all seven sheets being full. His enthusiasm for the sport doesn’t end there; he has been instrumental in establishing a league in Uphall Curling Club where experienced members provide competition for less experienced curlers so that they can improve their game. TEAM OF THE YEAR Team Lockhart Jackie Lockhart (skip), Christine Cannon, Isobel Hannen, Margaret Richardson and Margaret Robertson (alternate for World Seniors) Team Lockhart won the Scottish Curling Senior Championship in February and went on to win GOLD at the World Senior Curling Championships in Karlstad, Sweden. This is the second GOLD medal this team has won, the first coming in 2014 when the team was skipped by Christine Cannon.

Team Mouat Bruce Mouat (skip), Bobby Lammie, Gregor Cannon, Angus Dowell, Robin Brydone (alternate for the World Juniors) and Alan Hannah (coach) Team Mouat won the Scottish Junior title in January for the second year running, and went on to win GOLD at the World Junior Curling Championships in Tårnby, Denmark. Team Muirhead Eve Muirhead (skip), Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams, Sarah Reid, Rachel Hannen (alternate for Europeans and World Women’s) and David Hay (coach) Team Muirhead won the European Playdowns to win the right to represent Scotland at the European Curling Championships in Esbjerg, Denmark. This was the seventh time Eve has skipped Scotland (attended 8 in total), while Anna has represented Scotland 6 times, and Vicki five times. They went on to win SILVER. ICE DIAMOND AWARD The RCCC are pleased to award the 2016 Ice Diamond Award to Alan Stephen for his outstanding contribution to curling. Alan has been an umpire at local, national and international level for around 25 years.

Not only has he been involved in able bodied curling but he has also umpired wheelchair curling from its very early stages, dating back to a time when a Swedish skip had a piece of carpet which was placed on the ice beneath his chair for delivery. Alan was also an umpire for the 2002 World Wheelchair Curling Championship at Braehead when Princess Anne visited the event. He has umpired many other World Championships, European Championships, World Wheelchair qualifying and World Wheelchair Championships, and also at Paralympic events in Italy and Vancouver. His knowledge of the scoring and ranking systems has been invaluable, particularly to any Chief Umpire. Alan is als o the developer of “Drawmaster”, the software used to make draws, and which has been used for at least a decade by the RCCC for its competitions. Most recently Alan has developed an App for Chief Umpires to use that records scores, LSD results and produces clear tables of results and rankings. The App has been used at WCF Championships and RCCC competitions. Overall, without Alan’s IT knowledge and hours of work behind the scenes, the technical elements of umpiring and scoring competitions would be much harder to administer.

Alan has contributed immeasurably to the development of curling in Scotland at all levels, and the RCCC is immensely grateful for his dedication to the sport over the years. MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT! The winner of each category (with exception to the Ice Diamond Award) will be decided upon by the RCCC membership. To vote you must be a member of the RCCC. You can vote online through our membership database if we hold a valid email address for you in our system. Simply click Membership Database to log in. Once you have logged in you will be presented with your voting options. Please note that if you share an email address only one of you will be able to cast a vote. We suggest you register a new one. If you need assistance please contact the RCCC office on 0131 333 3003. Alternatively you can download, complete and sign a paper voting form and email it to the RCCC office or post it to: Royal Caledonian Curling Club, 2a Ochil House, Springkerese Business Park, Stirling FK7 7XE. Voting opens at 12noon on Wednesday, 27th April 2016.

Online voting closes at midnight on Sunday, 15th May 2016, while paper voting forms will be accepted at the RCCC office until 12 noon on Monday, 16th May 2016. Note: This article has been emailed to all members we hold email addresses for.

Question: The International Curling Championships have been won the most times by which country?
Answer: Canada