How two grassroots events are bringing curling to the forefront in Canadian schools

It’s a Friday evening in late winter and laughter is bouncing off the walls of the Crapaud Curling Club. Six educational staff, none of whom had ever seen a curling game in their lives, stepped onto the ice as a team.

The spectators, many of them fellow educators and staff from schools across Prince Edward Island, cheered them on as they received instruction on how to curl and throw their first rocks of the weekend.

Later, over nacho dip and live music, they watched a slideshow of their time on the ice on a television hanging near the bar, grinning at the action shots rolling across the screen like highlight reels from a major championship.

It’s called the Educators Cup, and it is part curling bonspiel, part social gathering, and part strategic investment in the future of the sport.

Organizer Nadine Walsh launched the event two years ago, inspired by a retired teacher who fondly recalled a teachers’ league at the Silver Fox Curling Club in Summerside. What began as a modest experiment has flourished into a high-energy weekend drawing teams from 10 schools, all with one common goal: trying something new and fostering a community.

“Over half the people playing have never curled before,” said Walsh. “That’s the beauty of it. We don’t expect them to be experts. We want them to leave saying, ‘That was really fun. I think I like curling.'”

But behind the snacks and music is a serious purpose: build curling literacy among educators so they can pass it on to their students.

“We can’t teach our students things we don’t know and understand,” Walsh said. “It helps us have personal experiences to speak on when teaching it as well. By making educators more comfortable with the sport, we increase the chances that they may introduce the sport to their students.”

Since the first Educators Cup, all three junior high schools in Walsh’s area have introduced curling lessons during gym classes, giving students four to six sessions of on-ice experience.

It’s the type of event Curling Canada is taking notice of and is quick to offer its support to.

“On-ice school programming and events such as the Educators Cup play an impactful role in building school curling systems,” said Dustin Mikush, Curling Canada’s Manager of Youth Development & Programming. “Elementary and high school on-ice programs are not possible without educators who want to coach and instruct youth in our game. Creating environments that strengthen the community of school curling leaders who instruct youth initiatives both now and in the future is key.”

A similar movement is unfolding halfway across the country in Yorkton, Sask., where longtime coach and organizer David Baron had a simple motivation for creating Curling Day in Yorkton: a fun curling day for students from schools across the province.

“I wanted to deepen the pool of curlers who could join my high school team,” he said. “The original invitations went out to schools that fed into my school, and it bore immediate results. I was able to identify potential curlers and talk to them personally, which greatly improved the chances they would try out for my team the following year.”

Other coaches in the area took notice and wanted in on the concept. Baron had access to a curling facility that could accommodate a larger event, so he expanded the idea so everyone could benefit.

By year two, 28 teams from 13 schools and two provinces participated at the Yorkton Curling Club for a full-day bonspiel. Now, schools that had dropped curling from their curriculum entirely are planning to rejoin the fold.

“Curling Day in Yorkton has done wonders in terms of attracting and retaining students in the sport,” Baron said. “Keeping all levels of competition fun is key.”

With middle schoolers (Grades 5–8) as the target audience, Baron believes in reaching kids before the allure of football, volleyball, and basketball starts to dominate high school sports and make curling a viable option.

Next season, the plan is even bigger: offer introductory clinics in every participating community, then hold multiple Curling Days across the region. Having numerous venues across the province makes the sport more accessible for all students and increases the chances they’ll stay involved in the sport.

If Walsh’s event is about equipping educators with the confidence and resources to introduce students to curling, Baron’s program is about how to grow student participation and keep young athletes engaged with the sport year after year.

“Both programs are blueprints to deliver a powerful combination that helps curling thrive in school systems across Canada,” Mikush said. “Curling Canada has worked closely with both organizers to develop guides on how any school or community can implement these programs in their region.”

Those program templates and resources are now available. Organizers can contact their local Member Association’s Youth Development Council representative to get started.

These programs help build the sport not from the top down, but from the ice up.

“Everyone leaves the Educators Cup smiling, saying they’ll be back,” Walsh said. “That’s how you grow a sport. You start by making it something people want to come back to.”

Support from the Canada-wide curling community, through Curling Canada’s For the Love of Curling program and Curling Development Fee, helps make advances in Youth Curling possible. To learn more about Curling Canada’s investments in youth programs, events, and initiatives, please visit youthcurling.ca.