A Women in Curling summit being held at the Port Moody Curling Club Saturday, Sept. 21, will help foster ideas to broaden the sport’s appeal, says its chair.
Tracey Crawford-Smith says the day-long event brings together more than 70 female curlers, coaches and administrators from across B.C.
They’ll talk about challenges curling faces attracting women and younger players as well as brainstorm solutions like adjusting the schedules for ice availability to better accommodate working moms, short learn-to-curl sessions to give curious players more opportunities to sample the sport and a greater emphasis on “fun-spiels.”
Crawford-Smith said shifting curling’s demographic is necessary if it’s to thrive.
“Curling has always been male-dominated,” she said. “Men always get the best ice times and set the rules. But that’s changing now.”
Crawford-Smith said the social nature of curling makes it a natural fit for young adults looking for something active to do with their friends or to expand their friend group. But getting them into the rink when there’s so many other options available isn’t easy.
“We have to get them excited about curling,” Crawford-Smith said. “There’s a lot of innovation to be done.”
Some ideas that have been tried by clubs include shorter games to give players more time to socialize in the lounge, five-week introductory seasons and opening up more prime-time evening time slots for casual curlers.
As well, the rules for most mixed leagues have been relaxed to allow for a more diverse ratio of male and female curlers on teams.
Crawford-Smith said curling’s growth has also been adversely affected by the demise of many school programs coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Once it shuts down, you have to work really hard to get it back,” she said of the public health regulations that kept students at home and shuttered clubs for months.
But, said Crawford-Smith, there are some encouraging signs.
Membership at the Port Moody club has grown to 600 after an infusion of new players when Coquitlam lost is curling facility at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Club. But retaining those numbers as older members become less active is an ongoing challenge, Crawford-Smith said.
“We have to be welcoming to newcomers to the sport.”
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