2021-2022 MCA President’s Letter

/in /by

Midwest Curling Association Member Clubs and Members:

Like many of you, I am keen to get back on to the ice…and the curling season is right around the corner! As the new MCA President, I’m excited to build upon the great work done by Jeff Wright and continue to expand the MCA and help our member clubs. To improve MCA transparency, I wanted to highlight some of  the MCA’s recent goals:

Return to Safe Curling and Increased Number of Events: Improving upon lessons learned from last year, all of our member clubs are excited to return to a more ‘normal’ curling and events. Clubs are working collaboratively to share best COVID safety practices, and the Midwest Curling Association continues to provide support and resources to our regional clubs during this time. Our goal is to ensure all curlers feel comfortable and to see an increase in participation in member club and MCA-sponsored events. For a list of member club and MCA events, please visit the 2021-2022 MCA Calendar.

Improve Member Club Support: While the Midwest region faired better than other regions, we understand that most of our clubs were hit hard by the 2020-2021 season. Our goal is to support our clubs and help them capitalize on the upcoming Olympic year.

As a first step, the Board of the MCA approved the continuation of the MCA Grant Program at a pre-COVID membership rate. Available to all MCA clubs, the grant money determined by each club’s annual membership can be used to enhance or promote the sport of curling. Secondly, the MCA is committed to promoting member club events and sharing best practices so each club can return to levels of pre-COVID success. Examples of these initiatives include:

If you haven’t already, we highly recommend following the MCA’s Facebook Page to receive the latest news and the MCA’s Facebook Warm Room to share your club’s and member’s curling success stories. Reach out to your MCA Representative with any ideas to improve curling in our region.

Finally, the MCA Board established a sub-committee to examine future opportunities to give back to member clubs. The committee will look into what can be funded (e.g., money for dedicated ice or capital improvements), how much can be funded, and so forth.

Strengthen Our Region’s Curling Potential: The Midwest is filled with dedicated and passionate curlers.  We want to harness that commitment and build towards a better Midwest curling community. The MCA is currently looking into:

  • Hosting USCA Level I/II Instructor Clinics within the region to increase the number of certified instructors and, as a result, improve the Learn2Curl experience for juniors and new curlers.
  • Hosting USCA Level I/II Officiating Clinics within the region and grow our network of officials. Without these certified volunteers, our regional playdown events would not be possible.
  • Providing resources and in-person timing instruction for upcoming competitions. We need timers for multiple competitive regional events this season, including all MCA Playdowns, USCA Men’s & Women’s National Championships, and USCA Senior Men’s National Championships.
  • Improving ice conditions at our clubs. We want all of our clubs to make great ice and for all curlers to enjoy it. The MCA Board approved a sub-committee to examine regional ice technicians’ opportunities and develop resources for them to learn best practices. We hope improved conditions will increase opportunities for all our member clubs.

We look forward to a successful curling season, and we hope you and your families stay safe during this time! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your MCA Representative or myself. We are glad to help!

Good Curling,

Sara Gaum

President, Midwest Curling Association

midwestcurlingassociation@gmail.com