Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Banner year for Canadian curling governance























Exactly one year ago today, we posted this story on the first Canadian Curling Association NCC (National Curling Congress) helmed by new CEO Greg Stremlaw.

Another Congress has now come and gone, and today’s news release reveals that another $880,000 surplus has been committed to the long-term reserve fund.

“Financial performance is the item that stands out,” said Stremlaw, in an interview with The Curling News.

“This puts us at $1.7 million in accumulated surplus.”

Indeed, as the CCA newser mentions, a Senior Program Officer with Sport Canada noted that the CCA’s financial performance has been particularly outstanding and that some of the results are hard to believe, given where the organization was only a few short years ago.

There were tons of interesting presentations, workshops, breakout sessions, discussions and notices of motion throughout the week. Items catching our keen TCN eye include:

• a new “Curling For Life” document, which closely examines the “paradigm shift” between curling as a lifetime recreational sport and curling as a high-performance athletic endeavour;

• an embracing of new social marketing efforts, from Facebook to Blogger to Twitter and whatever techno-stuff is still to come;

• plans to “Leverage 2010” and thus ensure that curling clubs are prepared for an expected avalanche of phone calls, walk-ins and other outreach from the general public during February’s Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games;

• an “investigation of the possibility of establishing” a Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship;

• implementation of a single competitor’s fee, starting in 2010-11, that will allow competitors to enter all disciplines which require the payment of a fee;

• a Member Association code of conduct, that will be developed for presentation and approval at the 2010 National Curling Congress.

In terms of elections, 2008-09 volunteer boss Fran Todd of Ontario (CCA photo above) has been replaced by her former Vice-Chair, Graham Prouse of Grande Prairie, Alberta, who now serves as Chair of the Board of Governors. Jack Bowman (Victoria, B.C.) is the new Vice-Chair.

CCA Governors Lew Andrews (St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador) and Beth Sullivan (Bathurst, New Brunswick) have retired from the Board, while three newcomers are on board: Elaine de Ryk of Greenfield Park, Quebec, Ron Hutton of Saint John, New Brunswick and Georgina Granchelli of Sydney, Nova Scotia.

For his part, Stremlaw seems pumped about just how smoothly the curling landscape is rolling out before him.

“I am personally witnessing a collaborative spirit with the stakeholders,” said Stremlaw.

“Truth be told, it hasn’t always been this way. At times the sport can become political.

“We’ve got 14 member associations and they’re all diverse, all different, but there seems to be a genuine interest in working together, getting ourselves to where we want to go.”


Anything else, you ask?

• CCA Governor and longtime curling leader Bernadette McIntyre does have other interests besides the Roaring Game... such as her very cool job ...

• Monsanto Canada has renewed its sponsorship agreements with CCA through to 2013. The news release indicates that the Continental Cup, which will not be contested in the upcoming Olympic season, will return for another run of events from 2011, 2012 and 2013 ...

• Monsanto, of course, also supports western-based curling clubs through the “A Better House” grant program, which disbursed some $80,000 in funding directly to prairie clubs this past season ...

• Another curling mover and shaker has taken a step back from the sport. Fast Eddie Lukowich, the former Brier and world champion skip, has resigned his position with the United States Curling Association after nearly 10 years, and just eight months prior to Vancouver 2010. Canwest has the story here ...

• Winnipeg’s Jill Officer made a recent appearance in Thunder Bay, Ont. on behalf of Olympic sponsor RBC ...

• World Senior men’s champion skip Eugene Hritzuk is on the air via The Curling Show ...

• And finally, this brief YouTube video asks the question “What’s curling all about?”
Well, gee, didn’t you know the answer...?

Friday, July 04, 2008

Olympic Curling 2018

















Curling fans are slowly going bonkers over the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games – don’t forget, tickets are on sale in early October – and of course we then have Sochi, Russia in 2014.

In fact, it was one year ago today that Sochi got the nod from the International Olympic Committee, shocking many observers (including us).

What comes next, in 2018?

Well, PyeongChang, South Korea is bidding again, having lost to both Vancouver and Sochi. In fact, it says here the Koreans will bid over and over and over until they win it. Simple as that.

Munich, Germany will be bidding, and despite the proximity of Sochi to Europe, the Germans are a major threat to win.

Tromso, Norway, is going to bid and 2002 Olympic curling champion skip Pal Trulsen has thrown his support behind the bid. They are first out of the hack with a website; a Facebook page, located here (you must be a Facebook member to view it)... and here’s a cool promotional video... love the big rings located on the mountain facing the main stadium!

And in a clear acknowledgment that a bid will go forward, there is even an official opposition group already online. But of course.

The Americans are interested, but if Chicago wins the race to host the 2014 Summer Games, any Yankee winter hopes – probably centered on Denver, Colorado – are gone.

Meanwhile, the Bulgarians and Serbians are reportedly combining on a joint bid; the French are infighting over bidding on summer or winter; the Swiss (in Geneva) need a referendum to proceed, the Swedes are exploring their options, and even some southern hemisphere locales (like New Zealand) are thinking about it. But not Durban, South Africa, as some had recently believed.

All formal bids are due in January, 2009.


Anything else?

• Once again, the glorious sport of curling was included in many a news outlet’s annual Canada Day Quiz... such as this one here. However, the answer featured a horrendous inaccuracy – can you spot it?

• It was, of course, Canada Day on July 1... and today, on this fourth of July, we say Happy Birthday to our American friends. There is, by the way, lots of curling action going on down south these days:

Texas Dan recently celebrated 50 years of Frisco curling and also illustrates another 50-year anniversary, in Green Bay, Wisconsin – and you’re telling us curling is located right across the street from this iconic shrine? Are you kidding?!

– San Jose has not one but two open house days scheduled for next week, and at two different locations to boot;

– curling maniac Richard Maskel won a new summer spiel in Port Huron, Michigan... with extra photos located here. The photographer was Keith, by the way;

– New York’s Coach Heidt, a hockey and lacrosse buff, was recently intrigued with curling;

– there are curling stones rarin’ to be tossed at the new Chaparral Ice rink in Austin, Texas;

– how about Indianapolis? Yep, here’s the story (plus video);

– Team Debbie McCormick second Nicole Joraanstad – a 2007 calendar girl – was recently voted Madison Sportswoman of the Year for 2008;

– the Pittsburgh Tropical is going on, like, right now;

– and those loveable tinseltowners in Los Angeles are making news, again... first they were somehow part of a Dodger Stadium pre-game award presentation to pro baseball player Russell Martin; and now CurlTV has finally drawn a bead on them. Their latest funspiel goes tomorrow ...

This silly hockey story caught our eye: specifically the reference to past disputes between Canada’s CBC-TV Sports and the world of curling. We simply love the line “... sparked hundreds of thousands of angry curling fans to threaten a march on CBC headquarters with lit brooms and pitchforks” ...

• Here’s an odd little curling cartoon, from Italy:

• Here’s a curling league software package for $79.95; someone tell us if it’s any good ...

Peter dropped by Naseby, New Zealand, and checked out the only dedicated curling facility located in the southern hemisphere of planet Earth. Soon to come is a luge ride (just scroll down a bit) ...

• The Winnipeg Brier has raked in a half-million dollars in profit ...

• And finally, the Canadian Curling Association was in Prince George, site of the 2000 STOH, for a venue inspection for the 2009 Pre-Trials Qualifier. Story plus photo here, and video here ...

Thursday, November 01, 2007

The Curling News: November issue























The November 2007 issue of The Curling News is out, and you can either take your chances on grabbing one at your local club – we don’t send many club copies out, BTW – or you can subscribe.

If you subscribe, you get it at least a week before the clubs, and via first-class mail in a polybag, so there you go. Whichever option you choose, enjoy.

FYI, this here blog complements the print edition: there is stuff in each issue that you won’t find us covering online. So again, there you go.

Inside this month:

Larry Wood on the burned rock, Slam questions, eight ends becoming nine, and why is the CCA not in Calgary?

Jill Officer on the new Colleen Jones

• The Dominion Club Corner: the Howards honour a special club volunteer

• Facebook: a look at 1,000 curling groups online at once (this story is also available on our website, as a “web special”)

Teri Lake provides a five-step curling survival program

• A full spring, summer and fall calendar wrap-up

Doug Maxwell, RIP and revisited: Corn brooms, blisters, raw hands and long nights

• TCN Newsdesk on the Casino Rama Skins, the Swiss Curling Tour, the Toronto 2009 mega-event and The Weakerthans speak

Rodger Schmidt would have stolen a towel in Edmonton, but would never commit theft in Aomori

• The JVC Curling TV Guide (but of course!)

Al Cameron has some free advice for CCA gunslinger Greg Stremlaw

• And more!


Speaking of “and more” ...

• And speaking of Facebook, have you checked out The Curling News Facebook Group? Lots of special stuff there, too. You need to be a Facebook user, and you’ll want to go here to find us. We’ve got almost 500 members so far; are you in, or what?

• Regina’s Leader-Post has a great headline piece today, and they also like our support of the burgeoning Movember movement. Kudos and thanks, Murray ...

Here’s a peek at the Strongest new women’s team on The Rock ...

• Aussie Aussie Aussie! Curl Curl Curl! ...

• Here’s yet another Korbel news story ...

• Some Québec stuff today, located here and also here ...

• Finally, we continue to marvel at how things can change. Just six years ago years ago, curling was nearly torn apart by the athlete/CCA strife. Finger-pointing and media jabbering abounded and a wedge was also driven between the new “Grand Slammers” – led by Kevin Martin – and a distinct minority, led by Randy Ferbey.

Guy Hemmings, you may or may not recall, was caught in the middle, with both “sides” lobbying furiously for his support. He eventually chose the CCA side of things – and his “Rockin’ The House Tour” was born.

Now, everybody – and we mean everybody – is celebrating his imminent reception of the Asham World Curling Tour Ambassador Award, which will take place during “Guy Hemmings Day” at the BDO Canadian Open in Quebec City on December 1.

And, lo and behold, the CCA itself has posted the WCT news release. With the WCF president offering comment, no less.

That sound you hear? It’s the winds of (positive) change, continuing to sweep on by...