SYDNEY, N.S. — With several simmering issues steadily moving to the front burner, the Canadian curling scene appears headed for a crossroads at the elite level.
Pick the subject.
Residency. Merchandise. Sponsorship. Championship setups. An overloaded calendar. Pro versus amateur.
There are no easy answers with curling stuck in a grey area as an Olympic generation that has helped foster international growth is dragged by the sport’s determination to hold on to traditional roots.
Making things more challenging is no formal players’ association and several prominent stakeholders at a variety of levels have markedly different agendas.
The World Curling Federation is the sport’s governing body and a World Curling Tour is in place. But there is also a new international World Cup circuit, a seven-stop Grand Slam series and a slate of Season of Champions events.
Curling is crying out to be streamlined. Getting everyone in the same room to figure out the next steps would be a start.
“Is it time to have that conversation? Yes,” said Curling Canada high-performance director Gerry Peckham. “And do you need everybody in the room? Absolutely.”
It remains unclear if or when that might happen.
The sport appears primed to go to the next level, with the potential seemingly there for a professional tour, commissioner and everything that goes with it.
But there are no plans for the power brokers to discuss such a concept, with a WCF spokesman saying in an email that such a meeting is not being considered.
“To get all of those interest groups in the same room at the same time and to turn over all the cards, would be the best thing to happen to the sport globally because that gathering has not occurred,” Peckham told The Canadian Press from outside Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. “And it doesn’t even really occur in smaller forums.
“So there is a significant, lengthy list of agenda items without question, including the current schedule that these players are forced to engage in, that has now become longer and involves more travel and there’s more demands on their time.”
Domestic concerns appear more pressing at the moment.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is running this week at Centre 200, triggering the usual talking points of residency rules and provincial/territorial representation.
The current setup requires teams to have a maximum of one ‘import’ player on the roster. That rule is not expected to change any time soon despite myriad concerns and improvement suggestions.
Also, all provinces and territories get an entry at nationals whether they’re at the elite level or not. That means several top teams are left out of the mix due to geography.
“I love the Brier and the Scotties and the history of it, and the provinces are all really cool, but I just don’t know if it’s in the best interests of what we’re supposed to be doing here,” said Brent Laing, who plays second on Team John Epping.
Many curling observers have floated the idea of having Canada Cup winners represent the country at the world championships.
But that would be a significant blow to the Tim Hortons Brier and the Scotties. Both are still very popular events, at least on television if not at the gate.
And Canada, as a curling powerhouse, is always assured of sending a strong team to the worlds no matter who emerges from nationals.
Another hurdle is the playdown process to get to the Brier or Scotties can take as long as eight weeks in some cases. That can be challenging for players who already have packed calendars, especially if they’re juggling full- or part-time jobs on the side.
International competition is getting stronger too.
Other countries are catching up with Canada, with international curlers often benefiting from different funding models and fewer hurdles to get to the top.
Only a handful of Canadian curlers make decent money from the sport but there is real potential for future merchandising opportunities. For now though, the reality remains that a fan cannot buy a team jersey at the Scotties merchandise booth.
If seismic changes do come to the sport they will need to happen relatively soon.
Going too deep in the Olympic quadrennial could present challenges and TSN’s contract for the Season of Champions events — which includes the Brier, Scotties and world championships — is up next year.
“There could be a lot of changes in curling over the next 18 months, there could be very few,” Laing said in Sydney. “But there’s a lot of hot topics for sure and that’s because curling is doing so well and growing.
“It’s an Olympic sport and on the big stage and TV numbers are still so great. So there’s a lot of good things going on.”
The potential appears to be there and the curling appetite is growing throughout the world.
Getting that seemingly overdue meeting organized could be a good first step.
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Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
