Getting Started in Curling - play Your First End!
(brought to you by the CCA with the assistance of Tim Hortons and the National Coaching Certification Program)

YOUNG PEOPLE CURL for all kinds of reasons.  They enjoy learning new skills, testing these skills against others.  They like the challenge and excitement.  Winning and pleasing others are part of it too, but they are not nearly as important as the simple pleasure kids get from being active, being with friends - being part of a team!

Your approach to curling leadership should reflect these desires.  You're on the right track if you concentrate on fun, fitness and fundamentals: Fun - Make it a great experience for the whole family - for participants, instructors, officials and fans!Fitness - Aim for active participation for every player.  This will contribute to the mental and physical development of all participants: Fundamentals - Focus on the basics.  As players develop their skills, their enjoyment of the sport will grow.

The Getting Started in Curling is a new, multi-facted introduction to curling program, offering a wide variety of resources to assist instructors/teachers and program organizers in getting young people into the sport.  The program has been designed for curling clubs, schools and community groups.  Getting Started in Curling: A Teaching Manual provides a brief introduction to the basics of the sport, and is intended to assist firs-time instructors starting out in a junior curling league or program.

Getting Started in Curling: A Teaching Manual covers
- the basics of curling instruction
- hints on recruiting volunteers and on keeping everyone involved
- fair play, rules, safety and emergency concerns
- tips for teaching skills
- sample practice plans
- a checklist to help you assess and improve your skills as an instructor

If you are planning to get involved in a junior curling program, you might consider reading the guide from cover to cover to give you an idea of the various issues that are important when you are instruction young curlers.  Then as you begin to work with young curlers, keep Getting Started in Curling: A Teaching Manual nearby as a handy reference. To further develop your skills as an instructor coach, you are encouraged to consult other coaching references and to take part in the National Coaching Certification Program courses. 

The first portion of this guide stresses the importance of equal opportunity for all young people, and of keeping sport in a healthy perspective.  It provides a preliminary checklist and tips for recruiting volunteers.  It also offers some thoughts to help you reflect on your role as a leader.  The rest of the guide will provide you with the tools to succeed in your role as an instructor and assist with your efforts in introducing teenagers to curling.

Introduction to Getting Started

CURLING IS FOR EVERYONE.  It's for girls and boys, for teenagers and young adults, for men and women, for every age group and all abilities. Some teenage boys and girls are similar in their skills and abilities while others may vary greatly in height, weight and coordination.  The sport of curling allows for these differences and mixed groupings are a natural way to organize participants.  It also ensures that they all have an equal opportunity to participate.  But equal opportunity is about more than just gender.  Many youngsters with disabilities also want to play sports.  As an instructor, you play a critical role in encouraging their participation.

Sport for one and all is the only way to play!

PURCHASE (available February 1st, 2006)