// REPORTS FROM THE WARM ROOM Taking a breath
By Kim Nawyn, USCA Director of Growth & Development,
kim.nawyn@
usacurl.org
people attended his club’s learn-to-curl classes, which were designed to capitalize on attention brought to the sport by the 2014 Olympic Win- ter Games. (For more information on Olympic recruiting events, see “Trow Enough Gumbo at the Wall,” by Guy Scholz in the bonus pages of the digital edition.) Our conversation reflected discussions I had with a number of other clubs that experienced large crowds. Aſter dedicating so much time and effort to run well-attended events, club members were leſt feeling the need to take a breath before gearing up for the next curl- ing season or summer curling leagues. While few U.S. clubs curl year-round, running
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a curling club oſten requires year-round efforts. In addition to routine maintenance on dedicated ice facilities and annual housekeeping items, clubs will likely be dealing with questions of tran- sitioning potentially large groups of new curlers into leagues and scheduling “refresher” or other training sessions at the start of the next curling season (for those curling during the summer, such challenges are currently at hand). Similar to our member clubs, USA Curling is transitioning from the wave of activity that occurred leading up to and during the Olympic Winter Games to focus on new programs for the upcoming season. To support recruiting efforts in our member
clubs, USA Curling staff spent many hours pre- paring for the “Olympic rush.” Trough collabo- ration with NBC and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the Gold Map initiative was designed to drive members of the public to the USA Curling website. NBC used commercials during the Olympic broadcast to direct viewers to their Gold Map site (http://www.nbcolympics. com/gold-map) and ultimately connect with the various winter sport national governing bodies. Te USA Curling homepage for this program, (
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Gold- Map), featured four main navigational options: Try It, Support It, Watch It, and Learn More. In each area, content was tailored to meet the needs of members of the public who wanted to find out
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usacurl.org
ecently, I spoke with a curler from the Dallas/Fort Worth Curling Club (DF- WCC). He mentioned that nearly 900
more about the sport. During the month of February, the “Clubs”
section of the USA Curling website received more than 138,000 page views. Te USA Curl- ing Gold Map page had more than 40,000 page views. A total of 25,701 people were referred directly from the
NBCOlmypics.com website. Tere were more than 46,000 searches for curl- ing clubs on the “Find a Club” area of the website. In addition to searching for local clubs, members of the public learned more about the sport and Olympic athletes, accessed information on how to start a curling club, entered the 12 Days of Curling Giveaway (winners listed in the box on this page), and even downloaded materials devel- oped to introduce curling in classrooms. Tese resources, which are geared toward elementary/ middle school students, can be found under the Sport Education/Youth Curling section of the website. Youth curling pins also were made avail- able to teachers for distribution in their class- rooms for students engaged in learning about the sport of curling. As we anticipate that the summer/fall recruit-
ing season will be strong for member clubs, USA Curling will continue collecting open house, learn-to-curl and other recruiting event infor- mation for inclusion on the “Find a Club” pages of the website under Clubs/Member Programs/ Gold Map. Similar to this season, brochures will be available for clubs to request free of charge to support these events. We are also working to complete the revisions of the Level II instructor program and coursework for the youth and ju- nior coaching certifications. Te organization’s first national Members’ Assembly is scheduled to take place in October. Specific dates and loca- tions will be announced by the end of May. Te Members’ Assembly will conduct the business of the members. Additionally, the program will in- clude seminars, educational opportunities, and a chance to network with other United States Curl- ing Association (USCA) members. Seminars for the 2014 Assembly will focus on the business of curling. Te organization also announced collabora-
tion with the USOC to continue support of club growth this April. We are encouraging member clubs to participate in Olympic Day. Olympic Day is celebrated annually on June 23 by hundreds of
thousands of people in 160 countries. In addi- tion to recognizing the modern Olympic Games, Olympic Day promotes fitness and healthy life- styles by introducing members of the public to various Olympic sports. Tere are number of ways in which clubs can participate including off-ice events using gym (rolling) stones. More information is available on the website or by contacting Christy Hering at USA Curling with any questions or information requests at christy.
hering@usacurl.org or 715-344-1199, Ext 209. Applications for the Darwin Curtis Grant Fund Program (due June 13, 2014) and the Volunteer of the year Award (due July 18, 2014) are also avail- able on the website. n
Results from the 12 Days of Curling Giveaway: Day #1 (2/10/14): Pair of Go USA mittens and long-
sleeve USA Curling logo shirt Winner: Janelle Marling, Norwich, Ohio Day #2 (2/11/14): Curling Olympic pin collection Winner: Melanie Sampson, Bridgewater, N.J. Day #3 (2/12/14): USA Curling stuffed moose and
kid's gear Winner: Mandy Kenoyer, Salem, Ore. Day #4 (2/13/14): USA Curling logo glasses Winner: Kirsten Collins, Midlothian, Va. Day #5 (2/14/14): USA Curling blanket Winner: Pat Toups, Metairie, La. Day #6 (2/15/14): USA Curling Nike jacket Winner: Deb Iwanow, Dehli, N.Y. Day #7 (2/16/14): USA Curling sweatshirts Winner: Justin Stachnik, Glendale, Calif. Day #8 (2/17/14): Brooms Up biſt certificate Winner: Bo Martinez, College Station, Texas Day #9 (2/18/14): USA Curling water bottle, T-shirt,
and pins Winner: Cristi Conway, Huntington Beach, Calif. Day #10 (2/19/14): Sponsor package (RAM, Ameri-
can Savings Bank Hawaii) Winner: Lisa Gingerella, Andover, N.J. Day #11 (2/20/14): Autographed curling broom Winner: Devon Jones, Richmond, Va. Day #12 (2/21/14): 2014 National Championships
gear Winner: Charles Smith, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
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