Registered: Apr 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 118

Lack of curling clubs, simple as that. I have to drive over an hour (hour and five minutes but, eh, still over an hour) to get t my club. People want to curl, but it isn't convenient for them

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Registered: Oct 2013
Location:
Posts: 11

quote:

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Originally posted by thejackhammer
Lack of curling clubs, simple as that. I have to drive over an hour (hour and five minutes but, eh, still over an hour) to get t my club. People want to curl, but it isn't convenient for them

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"To curl or not to curl, that is the
question" -William Shakespeare

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Registered: Nov 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 17

quote:

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Originally posted by CURLS4LYFE


Curling, although it is a fantastic sport, seems to have had a serious drop in the US. I feel like it just is not as accessible as it used to be. I have to drive over an hour and ten minutes (suck it thejackhammer) to get to my club. God bless America, and God bless curling.

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Saddam *Puff* Hussain

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Registered: Apr 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 118

quote:

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Originally posted by Curling_Dad
I hate to be a sob story topper but my drive lasts me about one hour and fifteen minutes before I arrive to my local Curling Club

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__________________
Basically Batman

Rock On Bruh.

"Curling is more than a fantastic and a physically challenging sport, it is how I live."
-Barack Obama (The King of Curl)

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Registered: Apr 2014
Location: In the House
Posts: 608

It's not due to a lack of money. People have money today - as is evidenced in the ever-increasing number of 'technological toys' that people buy.

That curling is not an easy thing to do is one element in its lack of popularity. I see interested people come to our club for Open House / Free Clinic days, but very, very few take a step further and join the club. Most are very surprised that the act of sliding and throwing a curling stone down a sheet of ice so that it will stop within a certain area is so difficult. That’s intimidating. "But it looks so easy on TV", they say. Indeed, it does. And so they are disappointed that it is not as easy as they thought it would be - so most cross it off the list, rather than try to master it to a degree. In this culture of infinite distractions and 'instant gratification', people simply don't want to invest the time and effort to improve at something as people once did.

Also, for the kids, curling is not considered one of the ‘cool’ sports or activities. And when one is young, the ‘cool’ factor is everything - it is how decisions are made. ‘Coolness’ overrides everything else. Case in point - consider that skateboarding is extremely popular, even though every skateboarding ‘stunt’ has an approximately 95% failure rate. Kids are falling and failing all over the place. But they persist - because it's 'cool'.
A nation-wide marketing program in schools promoting curling as a ‘cool’ sport certainly would not do any damage, and would likely attract more than a few kids. The tie-in is natural - game played on ice... therefore ‘cool’, etc..

Last edited by On The Nose on 05-11-14 at 06:18AM

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: BC, Ontario (and a few other places too...)
Posts: 268

You make a good point On The Nose.

A lot of folks are shocked by how difficult that curling really is for new curlers. They see it on TV and think that anyone can do it... and are rudely surprised that this isn't the case.

I've had the same experience at Open House and Novice Clinics with new curlers as you had.

We can find ways to make it a bit easier which may help, such as teaching using delivery aides like the Stabilizer (for those struggling with balance especially). And I really like the idea of novice leagues with instruction so people with a similar skill level can be grouped together for an entire season. As their skills progress, we can shift them into other leagues, instead of throwing them into the deep end from the get go.

As for the cool factor... yeah, that's a problem. But it's also something that can't be forced. We can bring to the kids (Rock & Rings at the elementary schools is a good idea), but you can't force something to be cool. What I do find interesting is that curling is considered cool for 20-somethings (the clubs that have good novice programs tend to better in this age group then with juniors) rather than teenagers. I think to find a way to make the sport "cool" we need to actually talk to kids and find out if and how we could do it.

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Registered: Sep 2002
Location: London, Ontario
Posts: 4002

Canadian Curling Association offers a great Learn to Curl program where new players are put all together into their own league where they get some training and play as well.

It's been executed very well in Ottawa, originated by Earle Morris, as well as another similarly designed program in Oakville, Ontario.

Here's another testimonial for the program being done at the McArthur Island Curling Club in Kamloops, BC:
http://www.curling.ca/blog/2014/02/...-learn-to-curl/

If you want more information on the program, here's the link:
http://www.curling.ca/start-curling...ing-for-adults/

It includes several videos that can be used for training, as well as a fully documented program to implement in your club.

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Registered: Apr 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 55

Thank you

Thanks for descending from your golden throne, Gerry. Glad to see you mingling with the groundlings.

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