GOVERNANCE
Why the USCA needs to complete its governance reform
By Dave Carlson, Vice President of Operations & Marketing
theatre company with “smart new buildings” and a stature and permanence recognized nationally. A recent quote from David Frank, producing artistic director, struck me as being applicable to the transitions that the United States Curling Association (USCA) is undertaking aſt er their existence in excess of 50 years. Mr. Frank stated: “Careful, disciplined strategic thinking frees us to be fl exible in the face
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of an ever-changing world. By defi ning that which is unchangeably impor- tant – our core aesthetic and mission, our culture and our critical disci- plines – we open ourselves to the possibility of challenging everything else. ... T ese essential creative freedoms only reliably occur in the context of a healthy institution: humane, disciplined, strategic and confi dent in the knowledge that it is the authentic outcome of the community that called it into existence 34 years ago . . .” In the context of the pending governance reform, a foundational concept
for all curlers, their clubs and states and regions to understand is what are the strategic goals of the USCA as an Olympic sport National Governing Body (NGB). If the curling community does not agree upon the strategic goals as an NGB, then there is no foundation upon which to build the gover- nance of the USCA. To defi ne these strategic goals, the curling community need not become distracted by the myriad of operational details. One of the goals is to become a staff -driven, volunteer-supported organi-
zation. T is means, in its most basic sense, a reversal of how the USCA has conducted its business in the past. A consequence of this goal is that the au- thority to make operational decisions necessarily is vested in the staff . T is is a staff led by a board selected and evaluated chief executive offi er (CEO). T us, it is the CEO, not the Board, who has the decision-making author- ity on operational matters. In delegating that authority to the CEO, there must be a foundation of trust between the CEO and the Board; a trust that is respectful of the expertise and the experience of the CEO. Without that trust, the organization reverts to the structure of the past, volunteer-driven, staff -supported. With that trust, the CEO can and will have the authority to be an eff ective leader, collaborating with all of the curling constituencies. Another goal, symbiotic with the one above, is for the Board to become
purposefully focused on the strategic thinking needed to keep the USCA healthy and progressing. T e Board, freed from operational matters, may concentrate on defi ning what is unchangeably important, setting policies to recognize the same. Complementing the inspiration of strategic thinking and the discipline of policy setting, the Board may become the leaders in fundraising for the USCA both within and outside the curling community. T ere is the challenge to be both the Olympic NGB for curling and the
national organization for recreational curling. T is dual-track purpose is structurally recognized in the proposed governance reform. Graphically it is demonstrated on the organization chart published in the last digital edi- tion of T e Curling News. A substantive change is needed to be made in the context of being the Olympic NGB for curling. T e change is required because the international
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he American Players T eatre is a Southern Wisconsin theatrical group that has been in existence for 34 years. T ey started with a “ramshackle stage and rickety farm buildings” to evolve into a
competitive environment for curling has evolved. T e reality is that inter- national competitive curling is no longer populated by players who curl only in the winter, a couple days a week at their clubs and bonspiel occasion- ally, taking six months off in the summer and who are basically self-taught, infrequently practicing with any technological aids much less a coach. T e competitive curlers today and into the future have given curling their full attention and eff ort throughout the year. In addition, a slot in the Olympics no longer is guaranteed to the USA
just because of our nation’s stature. Soon, a slot in the Worlds may also be open to challenge and have to be earned by consistently being success- ful. To address these demands requires that a professional staff be engaged to oversee the international competitive programs; requires that the ath- letes competing take tangible steps and make a priority commitment to the sport of curling. T e reality is that the stakes are much higher today and the commitment demanded is substantially more, much more than having the dream to be a champion. To adapt to this change in competitive curling and yet retain room for
and recognize the strength recreational curling gives to the sport is what the governance reform is seeking to achieve. Maintaining this dual rela- tionship, each part creating a greater whole is a characteristic which makes curling the sport it is and what the governance reform seeks to maintain. ■
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