GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT // REPORTS FROM THE WARM ROOM


Your club’s direct link to Olympic coverage


By Kim Nawyn, Director of Growth & Development


country. An exciting component of the efforts of the United States Curl- ing Association (USCA) to raise awareness about the sport during the 2014 broadcast is our participation in the NBC Gold Map program. NBC will direct viewers interested in trying the sport to the USA Curling website and, in turn, we will direct viewers to visit our member clubs! An online form is now available for clubs to provide USA Curling with


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information about recruiting events during and/or following the Games. All member clubs interested in participating must provide information through use of this form, which can be found on our website (www.usacurl. org/clubs/memberprograms/goldmap). Details about club events (e.g., open houses, learn-to-curl classes) must be submitted by Jan. 25. It is important to give as many details as possible, including dates, times, cost (if appli- cable), and the best method for contacting your club with questions. Te USCA wants to make sure that anyone who wishes to try curling in your area can connect with your club! While the Gold Map program will likely be a key way in which the public


finds opportunities to try curling during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, it will not be the only way. Te USCA Growth & Development Survey (2012) shows that clubs responding to the questionnaire already advertise in di- verse ways (See Table 1: Methods Used to Reach Out to Future Curlers). Clubs most commonly use websites, word of mouth and social networks such as Facebook. Te Fall 2013 online issue of the Curling News addressed


Table 1: Methods Used to Reach Out to Future Curlers Method


Club website Word of mouth Social networks (e.g., Facebook, Twitter)


Flyers posted in community (e.g., stores, restaurants, libraries)


Booths or tables (e.g., fairs, malls or sporting events)


Newspaper ads


Adult continuing education classes Radio


Presentations to community groups Member Get-A-Member Campaign Television


School presentations


Group discount/coupon websites (e.g., Groupon, LivingSocial)


6 )) usacurl.org


Percent of clubs 90.5% 79.8% 56%


51.2% 35.7%


35.7% 23.8% 23.8% 19%


15.5% 13.1% 9.5% 2.4%


elevision coverage of curling during recent Olympic Winter Games has boosted visibility of the sport in the United States, resulting in increased membership for many clubs around the


optimizing use of online efforts in an article by Lon Peper titled, “Is Your Club Technologically Ready for the Olympic Bump?” A link to this article can also be found in this edition’s online version. Te second most commonly used form of advertising, word of mouth,


is being reinterpreted by some of our member clubs. As an example, the Mount Washington Valley Curling Club (MWVCC), an arena club in New Hampshire that was established in 2011, will be trying a unique approach. One of the club’s founders stumbled upon this idea while having dinner with his wife during the 2010 broadcast. He made a comment about a game when passing through the bar area where customers were watching a match and spent the next 40 minutes explaining the game to a willing audience. Te club is now making arrangements with owners of local sports bars to talk about the game and answer questions during the broadcast. Business cards detailing opportunities for anyone interested in trying the sport will be distributed. “Te sports bar owners we talked to think it’s a great idea. It will keep people in the bar watching curling longer, which in turn will help them sell more beer,” said Peter Ellis, MWVCC Training and Education chairman. Hopefully, it will also result in more members for this growing arena club. Quite a few clubs use television, radio, and/or newspapers to get the word


out. Many clubs will benefit from stories produced by reporters seeking out local groups involved in winter Olympic sports. In addition, some clubs take advantage of reduced price or no cost listings some of these organiza- tions offer to nonprofits. Other businesses offering discounts to nonprofit groups include many outdoor (billboard) advertising companies. While specific locations for signs or billboards cannot always be guaranteed to groups paying reduced rates, reduced pricing makes this a viable alternative for some curling clubs. Regardless of the method for getting the word out about club recruitment


events, it is important to make sure details, including a contact email or phone number, are easy to find. It is recommended that a club member be available to respond to email inquiries or phone messages on a daily basis during the peak Olympic period to ensure those interested in trying the sport promptly receive a response. Member benefits update


More than 1,600 stones and counting: Over the past seven years, more


than 1,600 new and high-quality refurbished stones (that’s more than 100 sheets!) have been delivered to curling clubs in the United States as part of the World Curling Federation's deferred payment stone program, facilitat- ed by the USCA. Tis program offers all member clubs the opportunity to purchase stones at-cost (no interest for on-time payments) over a five-year period. Te multi-year payment schedule is designed to help new clubs get off the ground as well as to help existing clubs upgrade their stones.


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