September 18 2015 Edition

What happened in the previous two weeks:

• Inaugural World Mixed Curling Championship is underway in Berne, Switzerland, and USA qualified for the quarterfinals by winning the Group D round robin with a 7-1 record. USA’s team of Brady Clark, Cristin Clark, Sean Beighton and Jillian Walker, of the Seattle Granite CC, will face Norway in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. ET today (8 p.m. local in Berne).
• Coach/Team Leader applications are now being accepted for the 2016 Youth Olympic Games. See USCA web site for application. Due to an impending “long list” deadline for accreditation processing, all applications must be received by Sept. 25.
• Informational letter regarding USCA dues collection process sent to all GNCC member clubs, co-signed by Chairman Rich Lepping, GNCC Director Jeff Hannon and myself.
• Chairman Lepping and I, along with USCA Directors Nick Wellen and Doug Pottinger, attended the St. Paul CC Board meeting on Monday to talk about the benefits of USCA membership, and more importantly to listen and learn from the Board about concerns, ideas, and the needs of a long-established club. It was a very productive meeting, hosted by St. Paul CC President Linda Lokensgard.
• 2016 men’s and women’s World Team Qualification Process was finalized and published.
• USCA By-Laws amendments as proposed by the Nominating/Governance Committee were distributed to all USCA member clubs, and posed on the web site.
• USA’s John Shuster team (a High Performance Program team) finished third in the Grand Slam Paradise (Tier 1 event), and the HPP women’s team led by Jamie Sinclair finished third in the women’s Tier 2 event in the same Slam. Six USA teams (including four from the HPP) competed in the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard World Curling Tour event Sept. 3-6. The HPP team skipped by Nina Roth had the best results, finishing 4-3 and an extra end short of qualifying for the final eight.
• The USCA Aspiring Athlete Development Task Force met by teleconference Monday evening to discuss finalizing the USA Curling Development Planning Guide and next steps.
• USCA Operations Group meeting by teleconference, Tuesday.
• A Town Hall teleconference for USCA member states/regions and clubs was held Wednesday, with approximately 40 people participating.
• Our second-to-last call with the Hawaii Charity Curling Classic local organizers was held on Monday. (Event will take place Oct. 1).
• Call held with senior Dow leaders to continue to strategize ways to move partnership on water treatment solutions forward. Additional in-person meetings to be held next week at the Olympic Assembly.
• The Telluride Curling Club has been approved as a provisional member of the USCA.
• Terry Davis is finalizing the first U.S. Curling News print and digital edition of the 2015-16 season. It is expected to start showing up in subscriber mailboxes on about Oct. 8.
• Derek Brown and I participated in the 2018 PyeongChang Planning Summit Sept. 8-10 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs along with all of the other Winter Olympic sport National Governing Bodies (NGBs). It was a very worthwhile summit with a wealth of information and sharing of ideas aimed at benefiting all of the Winter Olympic NGBs to make Team USA as strong as possible in PyeongChang.
• The World Curling Federation (WCF) has approved the Development Assistance Program grant application submitted by Kim Nawyn, which will provide $12,000 in assistance to the USCA overall.
• Several rules changes were approved at the WCF Congress and Annual General Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia, including to the format of Mixed Doubles play. All changes have been forwarded to the Grassroots Competitions Committee for review and inclusion in the 2015-16 USCA Rules of Play.
• I secured $130,000 in funding from the WCF for production of the 2016 Curling Night in America series on NBCSN. Sincere thanks to our WCF representatives – Leland Rich, Jennifer Stannard, Mark Swandby and Beau Welling – for their efforts to help make this happen, as well as USA’s Andy Anderson, a member of the WCF Board of Directors.
• Preparation for the Members’ Assembly continues. Everyone attending the Members’ Assembly must complete the 2015 Members’ Assembly Registration Form, no later than Sept. 27, 2015.
• Clubs seeking USA Curling in-ice logos or brochures for upcoming open houses or learn-to-curl classes can request those items for free by calling the office or filling out the online request form.
• The Officiating Advisory Group met Sept. 9 to discuss finalizing edits to the Event Procedures Document for the upcoming season, along with other topics. They will meet again Sept. 24^th. Officiating courses are currently set for Coyotes Curling Club and Denver Curling Club, with more to be added to the schedule shortly.

 
What’s up next week:

• U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly, Sept. 23-25, Colorado Springs. This Assembly also includes meetings of the NGB Council and the Athletes’ Advisory Council.
• ESPN “Cheesehead Curling Classic,” in conjunction with Green Bay Curling Club, Sept. 26.

 
What’s coming two weeks from now (Sept. 27-Oct. 3)

• Third annual Hawaii Charity Curling Classic, Oct. 1, Honolulu. This event raises $25,000 for the USCA.