THE HACKS By Brian Reich, USA Curling’s Chief Fan Ambassador
fans, at both the local and national level, to help support the growth and success of curling across the country. A year into this experiment, we are well on our way to achieving this goal – but still have a lot of work ahead. I want to share some of what we have learned over the past year and
update you on our plans. WHAT WE LEARNED:
Most of my time over the last year has been spent asking questions, connecting with fans, analyzing data and re- search, and experimenting with diff erent ways to engage new audiences. Some obser- vations: • T e core audience for curling is almost en- tirely made up of ex- isting curlers (which also qualifi es them as die-hard curling fans).
• Americans who attend major curling events mostly have direct connections to the athletes who are competing – e.g., they are fam- ily and friends, members of the same local curling club – while in other countries, the balance between curlers and non-curlers in the audience is nearly equal. A much higher percentage of casual and new fans tune in to watch curling on television or online.
• At major events, as well as local curling clubs, Learn to Curl clinics attract sizable audiences of casual fans, but most report no interest in committing to be a regular curler.
• Casual and new fans report a desire to become more engaged – when attending events or watching on television/online – but are unsure what to do. Currently, curling audiences might slow clap or start a chant, especially if encouraged by the teams on the ice. T ere is also some resistance among longtime fans to the audience being more active and vocal while attending curling events.
NEXT STEPS: To expand the fan base for curling, and get more casual
fans to become engaged and support the sport in new ways, we need to think diff erently. Casual fans have diff erent expectations and need to be reached in diff erent ways. With that in mind, T e Hacks have set the follow- ing priorities for the next year: • A Fan Specifi c Model. T e Hacks are working to create new ways for casual fans to connect with the sport of curling. Besides encour- aging fans to join a local club or pick up a broom, we want to off er fan-only opportunities as well. We plan to publish a guide to watch- ing curling (including chants, cheers and fan customs), organize fan groups at major events, and off er tools and support so that fans watching on TV or online can come together as a fan community. • Go Local. T e fan culture around curling, not to mention the prac-
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usacurl.org )) // 2018 OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC GAMES
Moving our fan base forward T
he Hacks is the offi cial “unoffi cial” fan group for the sport of curling in the United States. When we launched, we set an am- bitious goal of building an organized, unifi ed group of curling
tical details of being a fan (where to watch, fi nding out who else are fans nearby), will be diff erent from city to city. We hope to build chap- ters across the country that can serve as a home to every fan – to provide a structure that unites fans in a particu- lar area and to power new outreach to fans in non-traditional curling communities.
• Expand the Base. We are committed to expanding the fan base for curling, with a particular emphasis on getting younger and more diverse people to connect with the sport. We will work to reach out- side the existing community of active curling fans, as well as look for partners in other sports where we can build relationships with diff erent potential audiences.
We all know that curling is accessible, fun, competitive, and absolutely
in demand. T ere are active curling clubs in 43 of 50 states – and the num- ber of participants has grown steadily over the past decade. Curling also is more available on TV and online than ever before, with the interest and momentum only expected to grow heading toward the 2018 Olympic Win- ter Games. Curling is really just emerging in the United States, so new and casual
fans have an open invitation to help shape the future of the sport and to take part in building the fan culture in ways that refl ect their interests and leave their mark on it. T e Hacks is committed to this eff ort, and I hope you will join us as we move forward. To learn more about T e Hacks, reach out to me at
brian@littlemmedia.com. ■
Soohorang, a white tiger, and Bandabi, an Asiatic black bear, have been selected as the offi cial mascots for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, respectively.
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