Registered: Feb 2012
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Noticed on page 6 of the WCF 2017 annual report something about a US "National Amateur" championship and coodinated multi-city road trip leading to a Park City, Utah event. I guess that means the regular US nationals or do we have a new "professional" and also an "amateur" nationals now?

USCA and USOC have partnered with a sports marketing agency, Wasserman, to provide street curling gear for the road trip. Wasserman is all about monetizing sports and athletes. (Mr. Casey Wasserman just won the 2028 Summer Olympic bid for Los Angeles.) Not sure what sort if any coordination it does with local curling clubs to get local media coverage. We're probably considered small fry not worth talking to. FWIW, in my media market, we just have to invite media to a learn-to-curl or quick on-ice "demo" (preferably outdoors where media hook-ups are much easier than indoor ice) and we never lack for tons of ***free*** local news coverage in an Olympic winter.

What cities is this going to? What dates?

Based on Wasserman's Road to Rio trip, I'd expect a dozen cities and a bunch of elite curlers paid a pittance to demo street curling starting with NYC Times Square 100 days from the Olympics. Crossing my fingers for real ice at Rockefeller Center instead of street curling on pavement.

Last edited by Alice on 09-17-17 at 08:55PM

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Registered: Sep 2011
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I wonder if they are rebranding "Club Nationals", perhaps?

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Registered: Feb 2012
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Alan,

That wouldn't surprise me at all. Curling being on TV every day of the Olympics means we will go the route of golf with ever more lucrative TV broadcasting deals with ever more TV tournament cash prizes for a small number of marketable winning players.

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