This episode takes us near the Arctic Circle, but not quite North of it. We talk to Peter Van Strien from Iqaluit Curling Club, who volunteers there and has represented Nunavut nationally. Peter tells us about living in Nunavut, the unique obstacles his club faces for regular ice time and the progress they’ve made growing the sport with the territory’s youth.
Nunavut Curling Association
Iqaluit Curling Club
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The 22 year-old GM of Rose City Curling Club in Camrose, AB, Kiren Scorah, tells us how their club has attracted new members, grown their Little Rocks program and fostered community among their membership.
Rose City Curling Club
Follow RCCC on Facebook
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Recently, USA Curling’s board of directors voted to remove the regional association representing clubs in the Eastern United States, the Grand National Curling Club. We dive into why this happened, what this means, possible resolutions and the next steps for the two organizations. Joining us are Kristen Conrad, vice chair of the GNCC board of directors, and Dean Gemmell, USA Curling’s director of curling development.
Grand National Curling Club
GNCC FAQ
USA Curling Open Letter
The Whole Spiel
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Lots of excited news from around the curling news to discuss. We start in the US where the Southern California Curling Center hosted Team USA and the Late Late Show with James Corden. We also have news from curling center that either just opened or will soon across the US in San Francisco, Austin, Nashville and suburban Denver. Internationally, we talk about the Pre-Olympic Qualification Event and the team that will be noticeably absent from the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships. We also take time to answer some of your questions and even spend some time talking about some of the world’s best curlers and the upcoming Grand Slam of Curling Events.
US Curling Team vs. Late Late Show All-Stars
Cultivating Curling Computations w/ Gerry Geurts
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Some of us might be getting access to practice ice for the first time in 18 months. So how do we make the most of this time before the curling season starts? Our own Professor of Peel, Jonathan Havercroft, is here to let us club curlers know how to organize an efficient curling practice that makes an impact on our game. Among the topics we cover: What drills translate to in-game success? How can teams practice sweeping and communicating? If you’re coaching juniors, how do you keep them from getting bored?
Curling Fitness for Everyone w/ Stephanie Thompson
Stephanie’s Empowered Performance for Curlers Podcast
Coach Glenn Gabriel’s Coaching Kids Curling Podcast
Colin Hodgson on the Brooms and Hacks Podcast
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It wasn’t long ago that Shamrock Curling Club in Edmonton looked like it might close. Now, the club is thriving and has attracted a younger generation to curling. One of the people behind this revival is general manager Chris McTavish. In this episode, Chris tells us the story of how the Shamrock took a different approach to its leagues in order to earn a reputation as the “fun” club. We also learn about the new challenges the club is facing and how they are dealing with curling during the pandemic.
Shamrock Curling Club
Shamrock Curling on Facebook
Shamrock Curling on Twitter
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How do you build a country’s curling culture from scratch? Find out during our interview with Fred Randver of Estonia’s Curling Tallinn. Fred tells the history of curling in Estonia and how they were able to get a world-class facility built in Tallinn. Thanks to this facility, the country is quickly developing quality grassroots and high performance programs.
Curling Tallinn
Curling Tallinn on Facebook
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The future of curling will rely on our ability to grow the game with younger demographics. But how do we get the next generation to play the sport and watch it on TV? John Allgood, Assistant Professor and Academic Director of the Executive Masters of Sports Business at Temple University, joins us to discuss this and many more topics related to sports marketing. John made a career out of selling sports like minor league baseball, pro bull riding and soccer and now he teaches the next generation of front office staff how to do the same. Join us as we find out how an emerging sport like curling can stand out in a crowded market.
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Bobby Torres from the Curling Club at Penn State joins us to discuss his recent Growth of Curling Survey. It’s a fascinating look at how real curlers feel curling clubs can improve. We talk about learn-to-curl opportunities, marketing to the next generation and the unorthodox ways his club is attracting new members. Also, Jonathan and Ryan settle-up on their bad beer bet with the Game of Stones podcast.
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