Rouge Valley Curling Club Playbook

1.1 Scope of Authority

The Executive Committee manages daily league operations, interprets club regulations, and ensures overall alignment with standard national and provincial curling rules.

1.2 Committee Structure

The governing board acts directly on behalf of Full-Time club members and is structured as follows:

• The Board Composition: Includes the President, Past President, and Treasurer. Officers are elected by a majority vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to serve consecutive two-year terms.

• The Past President Role: Following the conclusion of their leadership term, the President transitions to Past President for one year to ensure administrative continuity.

1.3 Executive Roles and Responsibilities

• President: Leads volunteer efforts, oversees the seasonal budget, acts as primary facility liaison, and enforces club policies.

• Treasurer: Directs long-term financial planning, projects operating overhead (such as ice rentals, event insurance, and prizes), collects member fees, and presents the master General Ledger report at the AGM.

• Appointed Support Staff: Operational volunteers—including the Drawmaster, Spares Master, Webmaster, and Coordinator roles—are recruited annually to run league infrastructure.

2.1 Fee Timelines & Delinquencies

To ensure the club remains in good standing with our host facility, all operational dues must be paid promptly:

• Pre-Draft Deadline: The Treasurer establishes seasonal fees before the schedule begins. Full payments or deposits must be cleared prior to the annual Skip Draft.

• Non-Payment Penalties: Members who fail to clear dues within a three-week grace period are subject to immediate administrative suspension unless an exception is granted by the Executive.

2.2 Refunds and Spare Fees

• Refund Requests: Refund requests must be submitted in writing via email to the Executive. Refunds are calculated pro-rata based on remaining schedule dates minus committed administrative costs.

• Spare Billing: Per-game spare fees are evaluated annually and must be paid at the ice level prior to match kickoff. Regular non-paying spares may be asked to contribute a baseline fee toward end-of-season banquet overhead.

3.1 Club Mission (Subheading / H3)

The primary directive of RVCC is to foster a safe, non-competitive, respectful, and inclusive curling environment for players of all backgrounds and skill levels.

3.2 On-Ice Conduct (Subheading / H3)

• Skip Mentorship: Team Skips bear the responsibility of guiding developing curlers, encouraging strategy development, and modeling top-tier sportsmanship.

• Conduct Violations: All members are expected to exhibit gentlemanly and lady-like etiquette on and off the ice. Unsportsmanlike conduct or actions that compromise club safety may result in immediate expulsion at the discretion of the Executive.

4.1 Spares Master

Coordinates weekly player alignments to ensure matches remain viable when regular members are absent.

• Absence Notification: Members must notify the Spares Master via email by the designated weekly deadline (typically Friday evening) if they require a substitute.

• Priority Assignment: Spares are distributed based on roster urgency (e.g., a team missing multiple regular players receives priority). Substitutes default to throwing Lead stones unless positional adjustments are cleared beforehand.

• Extended Absences: Manages long-term injury substitutions or new entries looking to fill empty full-time slots.

4.2 Drawmaster

Manages the competitive architecture of the seasonal schedule.

• Schedule Building: Drafts the multi-week round-robin draw rotation, builds playoff brackets, and builds calendar adjustments around host facility holiday closures (such as Christmas and Family Day).

• Standings Tracking: Distributes scorecards, collects completed draw metrics, tracks the league table, and handles tie-breaking scenarios.

4.3 Webmaster

Maintains the club's modern digital infrastructure.

• Digital Upkeep: Oversees the continuous operation of the interactive scoreboard web app, calendars, and league announcements.

• System Performance: Ensures the digital portal remains fully mobile-optimized, fast, and secure for multi-device member access.

5.1 Skip Eligibility & Requirements

The Executive determines total Skip requirements based on returning member capacity and candidate interest surveys.

• Minimum Pedigree: Candidates must hold active Full-Time status or have completed a set minimum of matches during the previous curling cycle.

• Oversubscription Rule: If more qualified skips apply than ice lanes permit, selection parameters (such as historical aggregate points or external experience) will be deployed, and the lowest-ranked candidate may be moved to a regular sweeping slot.

5.2 The Draft Structure

To ensure equal team balancing across the entire league, players are selected using a strict round-robin draft framework:

• Round 1: Initiated by brand-new skips, followed by returning skips picking in order from lowest to highest aggregate point standing from the previous season.

• Round 2: Executed in direct reverse order (Snaking Draft format) to ensure balanced lower-bracket selections.

• Round 3: Reverts to the original Round 1 draft order until regular team rosters are completely filled.

6.1 Match Rules (Subheading / H3)

• Positional Alignment: Skips must lock in their throwing order before the first stone is delivered. Late-arriving regular players may join the ice mid-match but can only sweep until the current end concludes.

• Short-Handed Play: If a team is reduced to three players, the throwing rotation must be adjusted to match standard short-handed guidelines (e.g., the first two curlers deliver three stones each).

• Free Guard Zone: Matches strictly enforce standard Free Guard Zone regulations on lead guard placements.

6.2 ⚡ Directive: Accelerating the Pace of Play (Subheading / H3)

To comply with host facility directives and ensure matches reach a full 8-end completion, members must actively practice time management:

• Rotational Readiness: Always be standing ready to deliver or sweep. Leads and Seconds should position themselves cleanly between the hog lines when not actively throwing to keep the ice clear.

• House Efficiency: Skips and Vices must call strategies decisively. Skips should let the Vice call their skip shots rather than constantly walking down the full length of the sheet.

• Stone Preparation: Teammates should bring the Skip's delivery stick down the ice ahead of time or line up rocks behind the hack while the house strategy is wrapping up.

• The 30-Minute Bell: When the facility warning bell sounds, players must finish the immediate end in progress plus exactly one additional end. The Skip bears ultimate responsibility for tracking team pace.

7.1 Regular Season Scoring

League standings points are compiled via scorecards using a standard point-tally framework:

• Match Outcomes: 10 points are awarded for an outright Win, 5 points for a Tie, and 0 points for a Loss.

• Performance Modifiers: Teams receive an additional 1 point per end won, and a fractional 0.5 point for blank ends.

• Default Forfeits: If a team defaults due to missing a critical mass of regular players, the non-defaulting team is automatically awarded a standard win package (10 standing points, a set ends-won allocation, and a positive rock differential).

7.2 Bonspiel & Playoff Adjustments

During special club spiels and bracket playoffs, the scoring structure is enhanced to include fractional stone tracking:

• Tie Breakers: In the event of a dead-tie during playoff or bonspiel brackets, winners are determined by a live Skip draw to the button.

• Roster Restrictions: Playoff matches require a full complement of four players. Spares must be vetted and assigned an equivalent position ranking to preserve competitive balance.

7.3 Page Playoff Championship & Legacy Awards

At the conclusion of the regular round-robin schedule, the top four aggregate teams qualify for the championship grid:

• Seeding Ties: Standing ties are resolved systematically via rocks for/against ratios, total wins, head-to-head records, and a coin toss if required.

• The Page Playoff Format: The top seeds battle in a 1 vs. 2 match (winner advances directly to the final), while lower seeds face off in an elimination 3 vs. 4 match. The winner of the semi-final fills the remaining championship slot.

• Historical Trophies: Perpetual club trophies awarded at the annual banquet include:

  • Founders Trophy (Page Playoff Champion)

  • Len Wills Trophy (High Aggregate)

  • Gord Lougheed Trophy (Closing Spiel)

  • Pete Clark Trophy (Christmas Spiel)

  • Honey Pot Trophy (Low Aggregate)

  • Bobby Stiles "Sure Shot" Trophy (Playoff MVP)

  • Ivan McDonald Trophy (Open Bonspiel Champion)