Stirling Curling Club

Return to Curling 2020-2021 Season

President’s Message

Hello fellow Stirling Club members: We would like to keep you informed of the changes we are making and the work we are doing in light of the Return to Curling Guidelines recently released by Curling Canada and along with our members' Return to curling survey responses. In this document you’ll find a list of changes followed by an example of how curling will look this season and a list of references. Please read all of this document carefully as there is a lot of information that will be critical to you participation for the 2020-2021 season.

We realize that these measures are strict and will make curling very different from what we are accustomed to. While sweeping with a mask is not ideal, I think it is an important necessity to keep each other healthy. This season may not be the best year to hone our competitive skills. If you have to stop sweeping because the mask is bothering you, then stop. We might have to take a little more ice, or throw a bit harder to allow for less sweeping. And maybe we win less often, but we are still able to curl safely, and that is the focus for us at this time. Our members are our priority. We have been fortunate in our area to have low COVID-19 case numbers. We hope that this will continue into the fall, which will make curling in our community less risky than in much of the country. Because our number of cases are low, we WILL be able to open our bar, using all health guidelines provided by Public Health for indoor socializing (see more info attached regarding the bar). If the situation were to change significantly at any time we would need to reconsider and adjust our decisions.

As you can appreciate, due to the COVID-19 shutdown, we were unable to host any fundraising events this summer, so therefore, no revenue generated! We have had to cash in a GIC in order to pay the utility bills for the summer and to provide a small amount of start-up funds for the 2020/21 season. We will need most of our members to return in order to have sufficient funds to open the club for the season. The start-up costs are significant and without membership’s funds available, we simply will not be able to open the doors. To this end, we have instituted a ONE-TIME $100 COVID FEE (approx. $5.00 per week), to be applied to each membership, hopefully for this season only!! When you consider the number of weeks we curl, curling remains a very inexpensive sport.

See the 2020 membership form on this site for the rates for the 2020/21 season. We appreciate your support and look forward to an interesting season with all of you.

_{^{What to Expect at Stirling Club This Season}}

The Stirling Curling Club Board of Directors have thoroughly reviewed the Curling Canada Return to Play Guidelines, the Curl On Return to Curling Guidelines, Province of Ontario, ONTARIO REGULATION 364/20 made under the RULES FOR AREAS IN STAGE 3 and been in contact with the Hastings Prince Edward local health Unit to inform a plan for a return to curling at for the 2020- 2021 season.

Since the coronavirus situation is fluid, these guidelines are subject to change at any time. Changes will be communicated to our membership as they occur. Sincerely, John Parker President, Stirling Curling Club

STAY HOME IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL

If you are not feeling well in any way, STAY HOME. This is not a request; it is a requirement. Do not risk getting other members of SCC sick because you wanted to curl or didn’t want to let your team down. It is imperative that everyone make all efforts to prevent coronavirus from entering our building. If someone on the ice is clearly not feeling well, we request that members of that person’s team ask the sick person to go home.

Registration

Registration will take place on Sept 15 & 16 at 7:00 m, at ice level at Stirling Curling Club. A maximum of 50 people are allowed in the building at any one time, and face masks/coverings are required. Please plan to use the registration form provided via mail communications to fill out ahead of time. Sending in the application via email is also acceptable, you can also email your registration to Rick Barnard at: [email protected] and send payment to our treasurer Debbie Holmes at: [email protected], and you can also e-transfer funds to her as well. You can call Debbie with your credit card number at 613- 398-8471 or send a cheque to Stirling Curling Club, Box 237, Frankford Ont, K0K 2C0. Please pay no later than Sept 16/2020.

As mentioned in the president’s note, expect a $100.00 (Covid) surcharge for this year. Please refer to the registration form for this year’s fees. This is based on reduced capacity, reduced demand, reduced user groups, and extra cost due to coronavirus precautions and supplies. Expect to sign a waiver of liability or assumption of risk form and of Compliance upon registration.

After we finalize our registration numbers, we will look at total membership and determine if we can fiscally operate this year with a reduced membership, if we cannot re-open, a refund will be provided. I am sure you are aware that we have some fixed costs that are out of our control, hydro, ice making etc. If cancellations or closures are necessary due to a coronavirus outbreak either within SCC or in the greater Quinte community, refunds will not be provided. We would encourage you to think of any fund raising activities that could be utilized in order to generate more income for the upcoming year. The club is committing to you, our members, by committing the funds necessary to put the ice in and get the club up and running for the season. In return, we ask that you commit to SCC and understand that we are a non-profit organization and will be unable to provide refunds if closures or cancellations occur. DO NOT register if you do not accept this risk.

Changes to leagues

Curlers at the moment will be restricted to ONE LEAGUE per health guidelines. We are going to stagger the start time for 2 sheets of ice by 10 minutes to allow for physical distancing. While entering and exiting the ice surface, ice 1&2 will enter and exit the ice from the east door, and ice 3&4 will enter and exit via the west door (by Kitchen). Sheets 2 and 4 will start their games at the scheduled league start time, while the 4 teams playing on sheets 1&3 will delay by 10 mins, or once the first 4 teams have finished their first end. This will allow for teams entering the ice, and changing into curling shoes to maintain physical distancing with the other teams

Changes to Bonspiels

Our bonspiels will be open for SCC members only. We will not accept entries from non-members. This decision may change as we work with local health authorities, however based on Ontario Regulation 364/20 Section 8.6 we are not able to accept curlers from outside of our leagues. Meals will be limited or not provided and the Kitchen will be closed and posted as no Entry. This year’s bonspiel schedule is not yet set.

Moving around the building

Physical distancing must be maintained at all times. A traffic pattern will be established in the building, the west stairs will be utilized for entering the upstairs bar area, the east stairs will be used to exit the upstairs area, this will provide Physical distancing when entering and exiting the upstairs area. Visual markers will be provided for spots to change shoes in the downstairs area. We encourage people to change your shoes after your game, take your equipment to your car, then return to go upstairs for some social time, this helps to ensure your personal equipment does not get contaminated. The locker room will be closed and unavailable for any use. Curlers will need to arrive at the rink dressed to play. Washrooms will be open, however will be limited to only 2 people in the washroom at any one time. While entering or exiting the washrooms please be respectful of others that may be coming or going to the washrooms as this is narrow hallway and a challenge to maintain physical distancing. A sign-in book will be provided and upon entry everyone is expected to sign in with all contact information.

Masks/Face Coverings

Masks/Face Coverings must be worn at all times in the Stirling Curling Club unless you are sitting down at your table in the upstairs bar area. This includes all times while out on the ice, even while sweeping. While this is not required by Curling Canada, local health unit requires masks/face coverings be worn at all times while indoors unless seated in the bar area (bar area may also include downstairs area after the game, if physical distancing cannot be maintained in the upstairs area). The Board of Directors is doing everything we can to reduce the risk of having our members get sick and having to close the club. We ask you to do the same. We want all members to feel confident coming to the club, knowing that we are doing everything possible to protect their health. It’s also imperative that we take steps to avoid closure and protect the financial health of our club. Any disposable or cloth mask or resemblance (such as a bandana), or face shield is acceptable. If you forget your mask, some will be available from the club. If you refuse to wear a mask, you will be denied entry to SCC. Don’t sign up to curl if you refuse to wear a mask.

Building sanitation

A strict and thorough regime of building sanitation will occur after every draw. This will occur on the main floor, in the ice arena, washrooms and upstairs bar area. As a result, you will be limited on where you can be in the building at certain times. Leagues will not be permitted to start early to allow time for sanitation. Please adhere to these restrictions. They are a necessary part of our Safety Plan and we cannot reopen without these plans being put into action.

Washrooms

As mentioned earlier washrooms will remain open, but occupancy will be limited. Please ALWAYS wash your hands thoroughly.

Ice Surface/Playing the Game.

Water stations will be removed. If you must have water, bring your own full water bottle, labelled with your name. Markings will be added to maintain physical distancing as per Curling Canada guidelines for player positioning. Hand sanitizer will be placed at the end of each sheet of ice. Please maintain physical distancing at all times on the ice. Do not touch anybody else’s property, or their rocks. We will adhere to Curling Canada guidelines and Curl ON Guidelines. Please review these at undefined No alcoholic beverages will be allowed on the ice surface or prior to any games. Some highlights of these guidelines are mentioned below.

1. Do not shake hands or touch in any way! Wish your opponents “good curling” from an appropriate distance.

2. At the start of games, we ask you not use the spinning wheels, instead use another method of deciding last rock, an example, rock paper, and scissors.

3. Club equipment such as brooms and stabilizers will be removed from the ice arena and will NOT be available for borrowing.

4. Line up all rocks in order, based on ice marking s( L shape ) Do not touch other people’s rocks Do not touch other people’s rocks!

5. Only one sweeper will be allowed at a time, and the other sweeper is not allowed to take over at any time during a rock’s travel. No sweeping will be allowed behind the tee line by either skip. The active sweeper may sweep their own team’s rock behind the tee line.

6. When a skip’s team is not throwing, the skip must move behind the hacks to make room for the throwing team’s skip.

7. Try to avoid measuring, but if it’s necessary, one player should sanitize their hands, retrieve the measuring device, use it, and return it, and then re-sanitize their hands. Don’t touch the measuring device with gloved hands since gloves cannot be easily sanitized.

8. Scoreboards will not be utilized this year to reduce the risk of contamination, all score markers will be removed. Pads of paper and a pen will be provided to keep score.

9. Between ends, the team that has hammer in the next end should vacate the playing area by moving past the hog line, and the team that will throw first in the next end will put away the rocks, while maintaining distancing. Consider having two players push the stones from the playing area to the corners, and one player arranging the rocks in single file. Use your broom or your shoes to move the rocks.

What to do after you are done with your game

Do not shake hands! Congratulate your opponents on a “good game” from an appropriate distance. After your game, please exit the ice arena using the designated door, change back into your street shoes in the designated shoe changing area, and leave the building. Please drop off your equipment in your car. Then, you may re-enter the building and proceed upstairs to socialize, respecting that outside shoes are not be worn past the front entrance. We ask that you respect fellow curlers who may not feel comfortable spending social time with the other team after your game.

Upstairs Bar Area

A dedicated bar tender/tenders will be assigned for each night of curling, we are not allowed to have multiple bar tenders tending bar. Bar tender must wear a face mask at all times. Members with Smart Serve will be able to volunteer for nightly bar tending, signup sheets will be posted. The bar tender will be responsible to ensure all areas of the bar are sanitized before and after each night of curling. Hand sanitizer and wipes will be provided at the bar, the debit machine needs to be sanitized after each use. Seating at each table will be limited to 4 people. You are encouraged to sit only with your own team, tables will be arranged to socialize with your opposing team maintaining social distancing. Do not move around from table to table, and respect social distancing guidelines while waiting for a refreshment from the bar. Electronic payment is strongly preferred over cash payment. After your social time, leave your glasses on the table, the bar tender will clean up at the end of the night. This will help to maintain social distancing .

Volunteer Hours

We are going to ask everyone to continue to support our club with volunteering, this year we will not be holding to a 6 hr of volunteer time, but any volunteer activity will be counted toward your commitment Although kitchen duty may be limited this year, we will still have numerous opportunities As you can imagine, this year will put a tremendous strain on our daily cleaning at the club, and really not fair to put this extra work on our cleaning staff. . We will be examining all sanitize activities and determine tasks that we will be asking for help

Some volunteer examples

1. Nightly Bar tending

2. Monthly bar stocking

3. Ensuring hand sanitizer bottles are replenishes

4. Sanitizing of tables and chairs

These are just a few examples, as we continue to make plans for opening, more tasks will be added. We will establish procedures for cleaning and sanitizing to ensure that tasks are completed on consistent basis. With the current environment we are in it is more important than ever all members continue to support the club with volunteering their time and expertise.

Selected References

The Board of Directors have studied many sources of information over the past few months. The following are a selection of items we have reviewed that have informed our decisions for the coming season.

Curling Canada Return to play guidelines

Curl On Return to curling guidelines

Province of Ontario order 36420 stage 3 reopening

Hastings Prince Edward Health Unit Guidelines

Return to Play Guidelines from various clubs.

Communication with various clubs within our area to understand their plans for upcoming season

The Board also completed an in-depth risk analysis to understand the risks and countermeasures required to provide the safest environment for our members.

If you have attended Stirling Curling Club and you suspect or know that you have COVID-19, please contact Public Health and any Board member as soon as possible.

Example of how we will curl this season

John curls in the Tuesday mixed league. The league start time is 7:00 pm or 7:15 pm. John changes into his curling clothes and does his warm-up at home before coming to the club. He also checks his game schedule so that he knows what ice he is playing on this week. He arrives at the club at 6:50 pm or 7:05pm depending on his game time. He puts on his mask before leaving his car. At the entrance door into the building, John encounters a volunteer who will log his name, he then uses a dispenser to apply hand sanitizer. Currently all shoe changing spots are taken, so John keeps his distance and waits until a spot becomes available. He moves to a spot, changes into his curling shoes, and follows directions given as to which door to use for his sheet. He then proceeds to his designated spot on the sheet and waits for his team and opponents. After the game is over, he leaves the ice arena through the designated door and finds a spot to change his shoes on, again if all spots are taken, he keeps his distance and waits for a spot. After changing into his indoor shoes or slippers, John then proceeds upstairs to the bar area using the west stairs by the washrooms. He sits at a table with his team. He gets the drink order for his opponent and if no one is at the bar currently, proceeds to the bar to retrieve the drinks. Back at his table, he can remove his mask and enjoy the beverage. One of John’s friend’s waves at him from another table but John knows that current health guidelines require him to stay at his table, so he waves back instead of moving tables. Once John finishes his beverage and is ready to head home, he puts his mask back on and leaves his glass on the designated area for u...

Note that access to the website is restricted to members which is determined by email address. If someone in your house has the same email address when registering for curling then only one person will be able to use the website. You can provide your unique email address to Alan at [email protected]

Curling Registration

Registration will be Sept 15/16 at 7pm to 9:00pm at the Stirling Curling Club next to the hockey arena. Free wine and cheese at the registration!!!

The Stirling Curling Club website: In order to access it and receive emails, you will need to have an email address that is unique to you, as each family member needs their own email address to sign on. So please ensure you provide us with your email address if you have not been receiving emails. 

The website is designed with a fresh new look and user-friendly navigation. The CurlingClubManager.com software will allow on-line league registration, event management, setting up spares, on-line scoring and much more. We hope to have all this functionality available this season, as our goal is to provide our members with an easier way to enjoy their curling experience.