Registered: Sep 2011
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I quote from their press release:

"The United States Curling Association is committed to sustained growth of the sport through competitive excellence."

So, say goodbye support for recreational clubs and growing the game at the grassroots....the USOC has spoken and declared that if you're not on the path to The Olympics, you don't matter.

(and yes, I do mean USOC...their carrot is the cause of this)

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Alan, in all seriousness, enough is enough. Everyone here is fully aware of your utter disdain for everything USCA and USOC related. We get it. We do not need it continually ramrodded down our throats.

I'll point out one time, and one time only - that exact sentence has been present in USCA Strategic Plans for close to a decade now. It appears as one of several high priority objectives related to growing the sport of curling, along with:
- Increasing total revenue
- Supporting club/curler programs
- Maximizing stakeholder satisfaction
- Enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of governance and management

Trying to proclaim that this being their new "vision statement" means that all other facets of curling are being completely forsaken is foolish, and if you actually believe that's the intent then I don't really know what to tell you. You are not directly involved in any way with governance, administration, or policy at the USCA level nor is it likely that you have any contacts at that level. So unless you can back up your wild statements with some proof, give it a rest.

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Here's your problem, Sean.

I posted the Mission Statement (just adopted this past weekend, btw...according to http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/...ision-statement ) *in it's entirety*

Notice what's missing?

- Supporting Club/Curler programs
- Enhancing the effeciency and effectiveness of governance and management

I'll give them "Maximizing stakeholder satisfaction", since it's apparent their only "stakeholder" is the USOC.

IF they really care, they should at least bother to pay lip service.

Best of luck cracking the clique, Sean, I'm still rooting to see you in Red White and Blue someday.

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Curious how you assume that growth of the sport ignores the the clubs as growth of the sport is at the entry level to the sport?

Hard to make growth of a sport a target without doing so through the grassroots elements of the sport.

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I didn't write the statement that put all of the eggs in the "through competitive excellence" basket....ask the USCA how they intend to do it, Gerry.

a simple "and support for the clubs, the base of the game" would have been quite possible...but they didn't do it.

The USCA's vision is, essentially, "Major League Curling" (witness this "international televised series" they are announcing). They don't care where team USA 2038 is coming from, they would be just as happy following the Chinese model, where they pick four athletes in their teens and turn them into World Class curlers, without any concern for having anybody over the age of 30 pushing granite....well...except maybe a team of former Olympians to represent USA in Senior Worlds.

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Okay, I have to respond. First, this is a Vision statement, the mission statement has been in place for years. Since I am a director, I was in the room when WE (BOD) developed this vision statement. The USOC was NOT in the room and did NOT have any input. If you think this was easy, I would strongly urge you to get involved. Start at the club board level, same as me 10 years ago. Then you can volunteer at the GNCC or USCA level. Perhaps you would get a better understanding of the need to have a wide view of the world of US curling.

USCA staff has a lot of balls in the air right now. The new bylaws passed in May added a lot of stuff to their plate. They also lost some valuable staff as well.

I also take personal offense to some of the things you say Alan. I spend my time and money as a volunteer to the USCA board. No one pays me to travel to Denver for 3 days. I do it because I believe in the organization. That might seem unusual since I have been a critic in the past. I have not "drunk the koolaid" but I do believe the USCA will lead us into the future.

I respect your right to have an opinion but when you are accusing the board of shenanigans, I take that as an insult.

As always
Jeff Hannon
USCA director from GNCC
you can find my email in the media guide on the USCA site if you would like to talk in private

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The USOC pays the USCA's bills...to believe they don't have input and aren't controlling the "Mission" and "Vision" is to deny reality.

Who forced through the recent ByLaws changes that reduce Member and Club and Regional Input and Increase USOC Input, over vociferous objection from the local level (until it was pointed out that we *will* make these changes or lose "Governing Body Status")? Hint, it wasn't anyone at my level.

Who has consistently taken away support for teams that aren't Olympian possibilities over the past several years? Hint, it wasn't me.

Who decided that we aren't sending our National Champions to World's, instead stacking the deck in favor of PreMade, Closed Combine Selected, Vetted USOC Approved curlers? Sure as heck wasn't anyone at the local level.

Who has decided that the organization's budget should spend more on National Team Coaches than on assisting local clubs with physical plantissues? Certainly wasn't anyone at my level.

I'm not accusing anyone of "shenanigans", they've done everything they've done in the open. What I am accusing them of is shortsightedness, and abandoning the roots of the game in favor of reaching for Olympic Gold and NBC airtime.

The future ain't bright. It may be sparkly as hell for those who can achieve at the Olympic Level, but it ain't bright for the average curler who has any desire to be any better than Beer and Pizza League Champion at their local club.

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quote:

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Originally posted by AlanMacNeill

Who has decided that the organization's budget should spend more on National Team Coaches than on assisting local clubs with physical plant issues? Certainly wasn't anyone at my level.

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quote:

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The future ain't bright. It may be sparkly as hell for those who can achieve at the Olympic Level, but it ain't bright for the average curler who has any desire to be any better than Beer and Pizza League Champion at their local club.

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so I can sort of understand all of the anti-Alan vitriol. If he's been giving the same message for a long time, and you are tired of it, fine, go ahead and complain about him. It's your forum as much as it is his.

However, his original point resonates with me. That is, the new vision statement omits everything other than competitive excellence.

Here is the entire vision statement again: "The United States Curling Association is committed to sustained growth of the sport through competitive excellence."

That's all there is, there is no more.

I'm all for "competitive excellence", but I don't think that we are well-served by focusing solely on that. I think there are some other goals such as "health", "community", "recreation", "children", "families", "friendship", "senior citizens", "fun", "disabled" and so on that also important. It bothers me that 100% of my dues will be focused on the vision of "competitive excellence" with no mention of anything else.

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quote:

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Originally posted by rbi
so I can sort of understand all of the anti-Alan vitriol. If he's been giving the same message for a long time, and you are tired of it, fine, go ahead and complain about him. It's your forum as much as it is his.

However, his original point resonates with me. That is, the new vision statement omits everything other than competitive excellence.

Here is the entire vision statement again: "The United States Curling Association is committed to sustained growth of the sport through competitive excellence."

That's all there is, there is no more.

I'm all for "competitive excellence", but I don't think that we are well-served by focusing solely on that. I think there are some other goals such as "health", "community", "recreation", "children", "families", "friendship", "senior citizens", "fun", "disabled" and so on that also important. It bothers me that 100% of my dues will be focused on the vision of "competitive excellence" with no mention of anything else.

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To be extra clear, this is a Vision statement. The Mission statement is:

The missions of the USCA will be to enable United States athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence in Olympic, Pan American or Paralympic competition and to promote
and grow the sport of curling in the United States. As the National Governing Body for the sport of curling, the USCA strives to grow the sport and to win medals in world championships and Olympic Games.

Which does talk about growing the sport. These two statements will be used to drive the strategic plan that is being created by a task force appointed by the board chair. The task force will contain directors and curlers but NOT the USOC.

The strategic plan will focus on five primary goals, only one of those is high performance, the other 4 are about growth.

JH
The USOC is not wagging this dog's tail

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quote:

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Originally posted by rbi
so I can sort of understand all of the anti-Alan vitriol. If he's been giving the same message for a long time, and you are tired of it, fine, go ahead and complain about him. It's your forum as much as it is his.

However, his original point resonates with me. That is, the new vision statement omits everything other than competitive excellence.

Here is the entire vision statement again: "The United States Curling Association is committed to sustained growth of the sport through competitive excellence."

That's all there is, there is no more.

I'm all for "competitive excellence", but I don't think that we are well-served by focusing solely on that. I think there are some other goals such as "health", "community", "recreation", "children", "families", "friendship", "senior citizens", "fun", "disabled" and so on that also important. It bothers me that 100% of my dues will be focused on the vision of "competitive excellence" with no mention of anything else.

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Item the First:

The press release that Alan links to notes that the USCA's "journey toward sustained international success to assist in growing the sport nationally was integrated into a vision statement."

It's pretty clear English: The purpose of sustained international success is to grow the sport nationally. Competitive excellence gets USA curling to the Olympics. The Olympics gets USA curling on the TV. USA curling on the TV is what drives grassroots growth, as in people showing the hell up and joining clubs.

Triangle Curling Club was founded in 1995. Charlotte Curling Club was founded in 2010. Both are completing dedicated ice facilities. Why did it take Triangle 20 years and Charlotte only 4? Because Olympic curling and NBC drove the local, grassroots growth that made the initial and ongoing financial costs of a giant meatlocker a fiscally sane act. Triangle had to wait for it. Charlotte didn't. And without continuing TV coverage of elite curlers, nobody else is going to be able to do what they did in the future.

Item the Second:

A mission, a vision, and a strategic plan are three different things that appear similar -- much the same way a layperson with little financial acumen will use the terms "revenue" and "profit" indiscriminately.

VISION: The goal; ideal future state that will exist if the organization fulfills the mission.
MISSION: The purpose of the organization; usually expressed in who (you're doing it for), what and how terms.
STRATEGIC PLAN: The actions required to fulfill the mission and ultimately the vision.

A lot of times a mission statement will have aspects of a vision statement, and vice-versa. For the USCA, there is a two-pronged mission/vision: to serve the grassroots, i.e. regular curlers *and* to strive for competitive excellence. This is a normal combo for an NGB to have, by the way, as shown by the mission statements below:

USCA:
To enable United States athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence in [various international] competitions and to promote AND grow the sport of curling in the United States.

USEF:
To provide leadership and vision for equestrian sport by regulating competitions and promoting the safety and welfare of horses and riders WHILE encouraging interest, participation, and excellence at every competitive level.

In my opinion the USEF has a more well-written mission than the USCA...

To provide leadership and vision for equestrian sport [PURPOSE] by regulating competitions and promoting the safety and welfare [WHAT] of horses and riders [WHO] while encouraging interest, participation, and excellence at every competitive level [HOW].

...but that doesn't mean the mission and vision of the USCA is invalid. Unless of course you don't like the means (competitive excellence, medals, Bob Costas' bad dye job) justifying the ends (sustained growth of the sport, e.g.going from zero to three dedicated ice sheds south of the Mason-Dixon line in a little over ten years).

nom de broom

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quote:

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Originally posted by nom de broom
.

Item the Second:

A mission, a vision, and a strategic plan are three different things that appear similar -- much the same way a layperson with little financial acumen will use the terms "revenue" and "profit" indiscriminately.

VISION: The goal; ideal future state that will exist if the organization fulfills the mission.
MISSION: The purpose of the organization; usually expressed in who (you're doing it for), what and how terms.
STRATEGIC PLAN: The actions required to fulfill the mission and ultimately the vision.
...

nom de broom

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Last edited by Alice on 10-16-14 at 11:55PM

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Sorry but this discussion is getting pretty tiresome. Mission and vision are nice terms but unfortunately are mostly window dressing and corporate speak. They may foster more discussion and disagreement, as seen above, but really do little else. Comparing USA curling to US equestrian is ridiculous - how many equestrian clubs are there in the US and do they have any impact on who rides for the US in the Olympics? And is seeing those horses with their riders in formal dress generating national interest in the sport? Some of us old codgers still miss the old days of open playdowns when competitive curling did not have to be like a second job, but it seems pretty clear that that system is not producing medals. And while we may not like the idea of the USOC calling signals for USA Curling, can anybody deny that the incredible recent growth of curling is largely a result of the sport's Olympic exposure? So if the USOC demands medals, do you really expect USA Curling to say that it not their top priority? Money talks. So why not just forget about these differences and watch for the results of this new system. Cheer for the "outsiders" to win if you will, but cannot these CZ discussions focus on something more interesting?

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quote:

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Originally posted by dbsdbs
Sorry but this discussion is getting pretty tiresome. Mission and vision are nice terms but unfortunately are mostly window dressing and corporate speak. They may foster more discussion and disagreement, as seen above, but really do little else. Comparing USA curling to US equestrian is ridiculous - how many equestrian clubs are there in the US and do they have any impact on who rides for the US in the Olympics? And is seeing those horses with their riders in formal dress generating national interest in the sport?

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quote:

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[B}
system. Cheer for the "outsiders" to win if you will, but cannot these CZ discussions focus on something more interesting? [/B]

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"Such as" anything but the reorganization of USA Curling and its selection process for funded teams. We are kicking a dead horse there. Time to move on.

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Canadian Curling Association Vision Statement:

"In the year 2014 and beyond, curling in Canada – from the grassroots to the highest levels of competitive play – will be strong and vibrant. Curling clubs and Associations in Canada will offer a wide variety of participation opportunities for all residents of their communities. Opportunities to participate will reflect the changing needs of the cultural mosaic and lifestyles of Canadians, and allow for a healthy cross section of recreational through competitive play. Furthermore, the management practices of clubs, member associations and the CCA will parallel those of successful businesses by always keeping the best interests of curlers in mind."

CurlBC:

"Curling in British Columbia, from recreational grassroots to the highest levels of competitive play, will be strong and vibrant. Curling facilities and organizations in British Columbia will offer a wide variety of participation opportunities for all residents of their communities. Opportunities to participate will reflect the changing needs of the cultural mosaic and lifestyles of Canadians and allow for a healthy cross section of recreational through competitive play. Furthermore, the management of curling centers, member facilities, member associations and Curl BC will parallel those of successful businesses by always keeping the best interests of curlers in mind."

CurlManitoba:

"We are inspired and led by a future where;

We are a recognized world leader in Manitoba’s and Canada’s premier and largest winter sport.

In twenty years:

Curling is Manitoba’s choice for their winter leisure activity.
CurlManitoba will be seen as a world leader in developing and implementing programs and services, admired by other organizations for its leadership, innovation and fiscal stability.
We are a model for other Provincial Sport Organizations.
Athletes, clubs and curling enthusiasts work collaboratively to ensure the success of our organization and sport
Our competitors are routinely considered amongst the best in the world achieving success at the highest levels.
Our sport is accessible to all and enjoyed by its’ participants at all levels to the best of their abilities"

New Brunswick Curling Association:

"The NBCA envisions to be a leading sports force within New Brunswick and throughout the Atlantic Provinces by providing growth, promotion and development opportunities to all curlers, regardless of age or physical ability, from the grassroots to the highest levels of competitive play."

Northern Ontario Curling Association:

"Recognized locally, provincially, nationally and internationally as the organizing body for the sport of curling for Northern Ontario. "

CurlSask:

"Saskatchewan people, families and communities benefit from the vibrant curling culture of our province; the sport of curling is a source of pride for all of Saskatchewan."

(couldn't find vision statements for Ontario, Newfoundland/Labrador, Quebec, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, PEI or Yukon)

All (except Northern Ontario's) are far better visions, and I think USA Curling easily could have done a much better job of crafting a vision statement.

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quote:

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Originally posted by dbsdbs
"Such as" anything but the reorganization of USA Curling and its selection process for funded teams. We are kicking a dead horse there. Time to move on.

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dbsdbs,
Well-written vision statements are useful tools, not just empty corporate speak. They (should) guide policy and decision making, and they provide a benchmark for measuring success. As a former board member of my club, I much appreciated having articulated goals. I'd no sooner want to be on (or be represented by) a board that would not or could not articulate a vision than take a multi-day road trip w/o a destination in mind.

While I don't think the USCA's vision is as detailed or elaborate as it might be, there's something to be said for concision and brevity. There's also something to be said for, well, actually saying something meaningful and measurable. Which the USCA's vision statement does far more than, say, curlsask's.

One more point, dbsdbs: ChiefIceMinion didn't start this thread, and I don't think he's the one kicking the (obviously) dead horse.

mf

Last edited by Frykenstein on 10-18-14 at 11:03AM

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Frykentstein - my point about beating a dead horse was not directed at ChiefIceMinion or anybody else for that matter. It was just a statement about this topic - this horse has been beaten to death many times and it is time to move on.

I have worked for years in the corporate America and do not share your opinion about mission and vision statements. Consultants love them, top brass buy in and lots of money is spent to make sure everybody in the corporation learns about these important documents. And then everything continues as usual. It does not take any fancy statements to know what goals are, just a little common sense and open communication -- something sorely lacking in corporate America.

If these work for USA Curling, then good for them. Just saying what my experience tells me about these things.

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quote:

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It's pretty clear English: The purpose of sustained international success is to grow the sport nationally. Competitive excellence gets USA curling to the Olympics. The Olympics gets USA curling on the TV. USA curling on the TV is what drives grassroots growth, as in people showing the hell up and joining clubs.

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