The Royal Caledonian Club

Annual Report 2011-2012 Contents

Office Bearers and Officials...... 3 In Memoriam...... 4 Membership of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club...... 5 New Clubs...... 5 Resigned Clubs...... 5 Clubs that have completed 100 years continuous affiliation...... 5 Clubs that have completed 150 years continuous affiliation...... 5 Members who have been awarded 50 year medals...... 5 Teams who have been awarded Eight-Ender Awards...... 6 Reports...... 7 Board...... 7 Finance...... 8 Areas Standing Committee...... 9 Ladies Standing Committee...... 9 Club and Member Development...... 10 Coaching...... 12 Competitions...... 13 Performance...... 14 Marketing...... 16 Communications...... 17 International Relations...... 17 Results of Royal Club Competitions...... 19 Performance of Scottish Teams in International Competitions...... 24

2 Office Bearers and Officials A Company Limited by Guarantee with a share capital Registered in Scotland under Company Number SC232571

FOUNDED 1838

Patron HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

Honorary Members HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH G ROY SINCLAIR

President Vice-President Past-President PATRICK EDINGTON WILLIAM DUNCAN ROBERT SCOTT (Boswall) (Bank of Scotland - Perth & District) (Dunkeld)

Board of Directors

PATRICK EDINGTON (Boswall) President WILLIAM NICOLL (Bank of Scotland Fife) Chairman BRUCE CRAWFORD (Abbotsford Curling Society) Chief Executive Officer ANNE MALCOLM (Hercules Ladies) KAY GIBB (Northern Lights) TREVOR DODDS Oxenfoord) (Reform)

Honorary Vice-Presidents L McINESS (Canadian Branch RCCC) G KRAILO (Grand Curling Club of America)

Chief Executive Office Finance & Admin Manager Chaplain BRUCE CRAWFORD ALASTAIR HIBBERT REV. BILL HOLLAND Cairnie House, Ingliston Showground Cairnie House, Ingliston Showground (New Abbey) Midlothian EH28 8NB Midlothian EH28 8NB

Independent Financial Advisors Registered Office THOMSON COOPER ACCOUNTANTS J & H MITCHELL W.S. Chartered Accountants 51 Atholl Road Dunfermline KY11 8PB Pitlochry PH16 5B

3 In Memoriam (Names as supplied at the time of issuing)

Club Name Aberdeen Ladies Lorraine Hay Aberdeen Ladies Annabel Hogg Bearsden Donald Baird-Taylor Bearsden Robert Wright Bonnybridge Bill Millar Bridge of Weir Eileen Arthur Callander & Trossachs Elizabeth Youngson Cumnock & District Willie Mair Dalgety Bay Robin McComb Donalds Alan Johnston (Hon. Member Royal Club) Donalds Jim Scott Edinburgh Ladies Helen Noble Edinburgh Ladies Helena Stevenson Falkland William Balfour Falkland Donald Andrews Fifteen Club Judith Spenceley Forfar Ladies Helen Dandie Forfar Ladies Elsie Robertson Forret David Coutts Glenrothes Roma Thomson Gourock Neil MacDonald Gourock Ladies Moira Mccrone Haddo House Myrtle Buchan Hercules Eric Smith Inverkeithing Ian McLeod Largo John Jack Leven Jean Stuart Leven Margaret Stuart Lothian Ladies Jean Hunter Nithsdale Rosemary Maxwell Orwell Sandy Braid Past President Allan Cameron Pitlessie Tom Jack Raith & Abbotshall Ladies Jean Kemp Raith & Abbotshall Ladies Jean Shedden Raith & Abbotshall Harry Gray Stirling Wheelchair Bill Bissett Strathkinness Jim Wallace Strathpeffer Spa Sandy Mackenzie Thornton Willie Wylie Uphall David Arkley Wishaw Ian Martin

4 Membership of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club

New Clubs Balerno High School KCS After School Club St Johns Academy Castle Douglas High School Lossiemouth High School St Josephs College Dumfries Academy Maxwelltown High School Stewarton Academy Dundee Ice Arena Mechiston Castle School Stirling High School Dumfries High School Monifieth High School Stranraer Academy Edinburgh New Stone Virtual Morrison’s Academy The Stray Dogs Hamilton Grammar School On the Button Tywnholm Inverness Royal Academy Perth Academy

Resigned Clubs Blantyre Darvel Pitlochry High School Currie Community High School Dundee Juniors Prestwick Academy Dalbeattie & District Ladies Greenacres Wheelchair Royal High School

Clubs that have completed 100 years continuous affiliation Monifieth

Clubs that have completed 150 years continuous affiliation Blairdrummond Cadder

Members who have been awarded 50 year medals CRAWFORD EDIE Balcaskie SANDY INVERARITY Dundee (62-79), Balruddery (79-current) WILLIAM NICOLL Aberlemno ROBERT R NIVEN Delvine JIM PATERSON Kinross ROY ROBERTSON St Andrews HENRY WATSON Balcaskie ANGUS WILSON Aberlemno ELSPETH YOUNG Corstorphine Ladies

5 Teams who have been awarded Eight-Ender Awards

Team Club Played at Competition David Owen Waterbreck Dumfries Dumfries Lions Claire Sloan Johnstone & District Ice Bowl Tom Owen Waterbreck Derek Purdie Dumfries Ice Bowl Curling Ass.

Ian Copland Currie & Balerno Braehead Trades House of Michael Burton Reform Glasgow Knockout Catriona Fergus Bellshill Charles Scott Drystanes

Alex Torrance Hamilton & Thornyhill Greenacres Reform League Div. 3 John Torrance Hamilton & Thornyhill Curling Rink Hamilton & Thornyhill Karen Torrance Hamilton & Thornyhill

Alan Prentice Borestone & Stirling The Peak Borestone & Stirling John Mott Borestone & Stirling Stirling Autumn League Janice Young Borestone & Stirling Edmond Cameron Borestone & Stirling

David Anderson Old Fellows The Peak Old Fellows Curling Boyd Houston Old Fellows Stirling Club Spring League Wilson Brown Old Fellows Alexander Shearlaw Old Fellows

Helen Smith Glasserton Stranraer Stranraer Ice Rink Gillian Campbell Minnigaff Ice Rink Curling Club Lyburn Joyce Maitland Minnigaff Trophy Isabell Mclelland Minnigaff

Roddy Watson Duddingston Murrayfield Construction Curling Andrew Barr Barbarians Curling (East) Kenny Young Duddingston Diane McNally Duddingston

Ros Murray Pentland Ladies Murrayfield Pentland Salver Susan Munro Pentland Ladies Curling Jennifer Dunlop Pentland Ladies Isobel Robertson Pentland Ladies

6 Reports

Board By Willie Nicoll and Bruce Crawford

The Board is responsible for the governance and strategy of the Royal Club and takes these responsibilities seriously. With support from the staff, the Board implements policies and plans that help the organisation and the game move forward. In November 2011, the Royal Club was audited by independent consultants under Sportscotland’s Fit For Purpose initiative. Two days of inspection, investigation, analysis and interviews produced a report giving a clean bill of health with a few minor items to maintain the positive result.

Over the last year, the Board has been concentrating on the work identified in the four year Strategic Plan that was launched in 2011. One of the key components has been the communication, providing services and engagement with member curlers. The website was re- launched and provides better navigation and information. Some delays and disruption were experienced by clubs and members, with hindsight, we should have allowed more time before the start of the season and are now confident that the site is working well and the statistics support that fact. We now have 116 Clubs with websites of their own or embedded in our website, compared to 39 with the previous provider. This year also saw the launch of the Your Curler online magazine for our members, which has received good reviews, and we hope to build on its success in future.

We have maintained and developed our plans and procedures to hold a Grand Match on outdoor ice. The ice depth did not get established and extended mild weather prevented most clubs from doing any outdoor curling. We continue to work closely with the authorities and emergency services and hope to have a second venue approved by the start of next winter.

Despite the efforts of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club and the Kinross Curling Trust, it was disappointing that it was not possible to raise the necessary funds to be able to build a new and dedicated National Curling Centre. This is a project that had been running since October 2008 and a huge amount of time, effort and resources had been given to turn the concept into reality.

The main activities of the RCCC Charitable Trust have been the fundraising for the restoration of the “Grand Match at Linlithgow Loch” painting by Charles Lees and advancing the disability curling work that we have been delivering to great effect.

Three staff left the organisation this last year, Stewart Sutherland and Gordon Macintyre from the Development Team and from the Communications & Web Content Officer position, we appreciate their individual contributions to the Royal Club and the immense work that they have each achieved for curling in Scotland. We have welcomed Stuart McLean into the organisation in a new Marketing position, in which he is proving to be a real asset.

The Board continues to work effectively with our valued members, committees, partners and sponsors in pursuit of our vision “that curling is a game that is played and enjoyed in communities across Scotland, renowned for its proud history, traditions and great friendships.”

7 Finance By Alastair Hibbert & Bruce Crawford

The Royal Club continues to operate within tight budget pressures by succeeding to control costs and diversify income streams. The past year has presented many uncertainties and a small surplus at the end of the year is a credit to all those involved in keeping to budget.

All of our staff responsible for budgets made sterling efforts to keep costs within budget and raise just a little more revenue wherever possible. The introduction of management charges against each department also helped to focus attention on actual overheads. The management charges applied relate approximately to irrecoverable VAT which coincidentally was down on the previous year. The Royal Club is able to recover only a tiny proportion of VAT paid on goods and services because most of our funding is out of the scope of VAT. This cost was previously borne solely by management & administration so the new charge better reflects costs in other areas.

The cost of international competitions is quite unpredictable and we never know the final costs of the World Championships until very late in our financial year. In anticipation of a repeat of our high costs in the year to 2011 we set a more aggressive budget this year. We budgeted for a slight deficit but at the end of the day we produced a modest surplus.

We will continue to drive down administration costs wherever possible. In the coming year a substantial amount will be saved by a reorganisation of our administration staff. Our finance manager, Alastair Hibbert will step down from his administration role and Suzy Wakefield will become the office manager. Alastair will continue to manage our finances but on greatly reduced hours.

On the whole it has been a very satisfactory year and members will be able to benefit from the freeze in membership subscriptions until 31 October 2012.

Income 2011-2012 2010-11 300000 Income 2011-12 & 2010-11 Subs 223723 221154 250000 Competitions 102736 145563 200000

Coaching 56761 81209 £ 150000 Development 220370 220197 2011-12 100000 Performance 246920 233125 2010-11 50000 Operations 96796 57096 0 Grants 104600 100200 t s s g n e s ts b n n e c n n u io hi n o a S t c m a ti r ti a p m a G 1051906 1058544 e o lo r r p C e fo pe m v r o e e O C D P

300000 Expenditure 2011-2012 2010-11 Expenditure 2011-12 & 2010-11 250000 Member services 17840 21386 Competitions 221512 219066 200000 Coaching 43232 43267 £ 150000 Development 230414 229717 100000 2011-12 2010-11 Performance 185259 231147 50000

Operations 87770 63194 0

s s g t e s s Overheads 251290 246913 e n n en c n d ic io i n o a v t ch m a ti e r ti a p m a h se e o lo r r er r p C e fo pe v 1037317 1054690 e m v r O b o e e O m C D P e M

8 Areas Standing Committee By Patrick Edington (President)

This committee is the main avenue of communication between the members and those charged with the governance of the Royal Club. Each of the 10 Areas of the Royal Club is normally represented by two of its members serving for a four-year term – two years as Junior Representative and two years as Senior Representative. Regrettably, for a second year, Area 6 had only a single representative.

Apart from regular ASC meetings, there are two occasions each season when ASC, LSC and Board meet together to compare and discuss their visions for the sport.

The several working committees all contain a quota of ASC members appointed in line with the member’s particular interests and skills. The majority of these committees have an ASC member as Chair.

ASC members were involved in a playing situation in the three matches traditionally played each season against the Ladies Branch for the Priestfield Trophy, against Area 10 for the Tamnavulin Trophy and against the Royal Company of Archers. In the past season, all three matches were won by the ASC. In the past, the ASC was also charged, along with the LSC, with the recruitment of players to represent Scotland in the Four Nations competition. After the problems of the previous season it was determined that there would be an open application system for any Royal Club member to put forward his or her name for selection. This system appeared to work well, with all applicants playing at least one game over the weekend in January and the majority playing twice. It is intended to continue to invite applications in this way for the future.

At the end of January the team of 20 men from the United States of America arrived for its 3-week tour of Scotland, competing all round the country for the Herries Maxwell Trophy. Such tours take a vast amount of organisation. ASC members play a vital part in all the local organising committees and we must thank them and the many other local volunteers who worked so hard to make our visitors’ experience truly memorable. Particular thanks go to ASC member Alan Sloan who lived this tour for over a year as Convenor of the Tour Committee. His commitment was outstanding.

At this time, David Henderson, Richard Gray, Bill Arnot and Alan Durno have completed their terms of office on the ASC and we thank them for their time and effort put in for the betterment of the sport which we hold so dearly.

We have been extremely fortunate in having the support of excellent staff at our headquarters in Cairnie House. The support offered to all ASC members is most appreciated. In his first complete season as CEO, Bruce Crawford has been an enormous asset as we strive to develop our sport in the best interests of all our members.

Ladies Standing Committee By Claire McLaren (Ladies Branch President)

Ladies Branch continued to represent lady curlers of the Royal Club through their regular Ladies Standing Committee (LSC) meetings and representation on Royal Club committees. Taking information to and from both LSC and local centres continues to be an effective way to communicate with Royal Club members.

9 Ladies competitions throughout Scotland were well supported by Ladies’ Branch representatives. The Unders and Overs competition, which attracted 12 entries, was moved from April to October this year after being cancelled last season due to a lack of entries. The Morton Trophy sections were played for throughout the season with little disruption, unlike last season, and concluded with the final in March. Northern County Ladies hosted our Henderson Bishop final, with players and spectators enjoying their hospitality and organisational skills. In January, Ladies participated in the Four Nations hosted by Wales at Greenacres, and regained the Connie Miller Trophy from England.

Two Joint Meetings with the Board and Areas Standing Committee (ASC) were held. The meetings created positive discussions between all participants for the future benefit of the Royal Club. The ASC narrowly beat the LSC to win the Priestfield Quaich following the first meeting.

As Ladies Branch President, I attended many home competitions and had the pleasure of presenting our Scottish Juniors, Women and Senior’s with their trophies and medals. In December I attended the European Curling Championships in Moscow, where Scotland won gold. I also attended the World Women’s Curling Championship in Alberta, Canada, and presented the Frances Brodie Award to for sportsmanship.

The Swedish Curling Association has extended an invitation to 16 female curlers to tour Sweden in November 2013. Applications will open in late August 2012. This kind invitation strengthens Scottish lady curlers links with other curling nations.

Ladies Branch continue to support the Young Curler of the Year Award, Unders and Overs prizes, gold medallist gifts and Scottish championship brooches. This support would not be possible without the selling of our merchandise around centres. The time and energies given by all the centre representatives to Ladies Branch is vital to its strength, success and positive future. The volunteers at all levels are the heart of Ladies Branch that has continued to beat strongly this season.

Club and Member Development By Judith McFarlane & Sheila Swan (Development Managers)

Curling Development Officer Network 11 Curling Development Officers currently cover 13 rinks providing opportunities for people to participate in curling, and develop to their optimum level. The RCCC also has partnership agreements to develop curling in an additional 2 facilities.

Junior Development · 5994 children participated in the Curling’s Cool Programme this season, surpassing our target. · 577 Skills Awards have been awarded, double the number awarded last season, with an increasing number at metallic levels. The Skills Awards have been implemented in a further 2 rinks this season and are an integral part of Junior Club structure. 10 teams competed in Skills Awards Challenge Trophy at Dumfries and we hope to build on this in future seasons. · The number of affiliated junior curlers has seen a rise of 11.5% and currently stands at 1126. · Two annual Royal Club Summer Camps were fully subscribed (13-17 age group), both being met with positive feedback. · The U13 and U15 Funspiel Regional Qualifiers were organised via the Curling Development Officer Network with the winners representing their region at the National Finals in Dumfries. · The RCCC successfully introduced the Asham U14 Slam, which is a step in the pathway prior to the popular U17 Slam. 3 events were scheduled however due to various issues the

10 first event was cancelled. A total of 20 teams competed in the 2 remaining events; feedback has been excellent and this initiative will be further developed next season. · The Newcomers Trophy attracted the maximum entry of 72 junior curlers U16. With entries on an individual basis, The Newcomers encourages junior curlers to mix with curlers from other areas and is positively received. · Scottish Universities Curling has continued with 9 teams competing in the League and 10 Teams at the Universities Championships.

Adult and Club Development · Another successful Adult Curling Camp was held at Kinross with 35 participants. The Camp again attracted curlers from out-with Scotland this year with a number of participants from England attending. · In response to depleting numbers at the Masterclasses, the RCCC has rolled out seminars on a variety of topics dependant on demand from local rinks. This has proved to be very successful with 4 seminars taking place throughout the season. These included Delivery Analysis, Strategy and Tactics and a session tailored specifically for Lady Curlers. · This season saw an increase in affiliated Virtual Curling Clubs and a hugely successful National Virtual Bonspiel hosted by Kinross and Fife. 20 teams, all from affiliated clubs, took part in the Virtual Curling Bonspiel.

Try Curling The RCCC again promoted the Try Curling Programme with participating rinks provided with ice fees and promotional material. 18 curling rinks took the opportunity to link with the RCCC Try Curling programme providing 52 sessions catering for over 700 participants.

Disability Curling · The number of affiliated Disability Curling Clubs has remained steady with 10 affiliated clubs (9 x Wheelchair Clubs and 1 x Vision Impaired). Membership of these clubs has risen by over 5%. · The “Introduction to Wheelchair Curling Coaching” has continued to be a popular module in the Coaching Pathway. This season the module was held at Greenock. · Following the introduction of the Wheelchair Skill Awards last season there have been 26 awards achieved. · Specific disability Try Curling sessions were introduced this season. All affiliated Disability Clubs were given the opportunity to take advantage of this offer. 5 Clubs ran Try Curling sessions with mixed results. · Vision Impaired sessions have taken place at The Peak this season and it is hoped to introduce regular sessions next season. · The RCCC introduced the iCURL Bonspiel this season to encourage integration within the sport. The Bonspiel took place at Kinross with 32 participants representing all adaptive programmes, stick curlers and able bodied curlers. Feedback from the day has been extremely positive and has highlighted inclusion within curling. · Many Ice Rinks have provided sessions for people and groups with additional support needs.

11 Coaching By Lynne MacKenzie (National Coaching Officer)

A full detailed report is available to download, from the Royal Club Coaching Committee webpage – meeting 22nd March 2012.

Highlights · All courses were open for registration through the Royal Club website in June, prior to the season and the new online payment system offered. · We currently have 1056 coaches registered on the RCCC database. · 676 coaches are actively qualified. · 267 were upgraded / trained this season. · 8 Assistant Coach courses were delivered. · 4 Technical Coach courses were delivered. · 3 CPD modules delivered, included Skill Award Assessor and Wheelchair Curling. · 3 Curling specific Safeguarding & Protecting Children courses · RCPO training session – further training for new & existing, summer 2012. · The annual coach’s gathering was a repeated success.

Coaching Committee The Royal Club Coaching Committee has met regularly throughout the season with minutes available via the Royal Club website.

The Coaches Gathering The Royal Club Coaching Committee decided to repeat the Coaches Gathering, a free social event for coaches held during the Scottish Championships, on the 18th February in Perth. A less formal approach was adopted. Over 55 coaches from all areas, did manager to attend and positive feedback was received.

Anti-doping The Royal Club Anti-doping Education Strategy, submitted to UKAD, endorsed in August, was implemented throughout the season. In addition, 10 Scottish athletes required support to ensure that they were ADAMS system compliant.

Child Protection · Policy: The review and update of the RCCC Child Protection Policy is ongoing to ensure that the RCCC is complaint with Childrens 1st MORs. · Rink Child Protection Officers (RCPOs): Recruitment and training of RCPOs is ongoing. · Disclosure checking of coaches: The PVG scheme launched in February, replaced the old Disclosure Checking system for all new and upgrading coaches. The date for the launch of retrospective checking has been delayed. · Communications: Communication is improving between coaches and the Royal Club. Positive feedback has been received for the RCCC Coaches Newsletter, which is distributed electronically bi-annually and for the new improvements to the coaching page of the website, particularly the “latest news” section.

Acknowledgements Finally I would like to thank all the coaches, the members of the Royal Club Coaching Committee, staff at Cairnie House in particular Joan Young and Margaret MacKay, and all who have assisted throughout this very busy and productive season.

12 Competitions By (Competitions Manager)

Results from this season’s competitions:

The first competition for season 2011/12 was the Scottish Mixed Senior Championship at Stranraer. Congratulations go to Archie Craig and his team on retaining the trophy. They defeated Sandy Nelson’s team in the final. We thank McMillan Hotels for their continued sponsorship of the event.

The Women’s tour winners were and her team.

The National Province Championship was played at Greenacres. Stirlingshire (Kilsyth) defeated Midlothian (Gogar Park) in the final which was played on good ice. The Low road was won by Upper Strathearn (Auchterarder).

The Mixed Doubles was a great event and the winners were Lee McCleary and Judith McFarlane.

The under 17’s Slam. James Carswell and his team won the under 17’s slam. In the Girls section, Katie Murray and her team were top. These two teams received an entry to the WCF summer training camp in Fussen. This competition was supported by 31 teams and we already have 29 teams entered for next season. We are also looking at Perth being the last slam not the first as it is at the moment.

Junior Challenge. D1 & D2 played at Murrayfield Curling and was won by Stranraer on the back of this they went to the Bill Ross Trophy in Sweden. D2 was won by Greenacres Juniors. D3 was played at Dumfries and was won by Forfar 2 Juniors. Both ice rinks produced very good ice.

The Scottish Junior Championships were a great success. The ice at Aberdeen was very good indeed and this made for great curling. Hannah Fleming and her team won the Women’s final defeating Hazel Smith’s team. and his team won the Men’s final against Jay McWilliam’s team. The only game that Jay lost was the final, they had already beaten Kyle twice during the competition.

The Scottish Senior Finals were a great success. The ice at Lanarkshire had a bit more draw this season. The Final Keith Prentice and his team defeated Gary MacFarlane and his team. This was a tight final with Keith stealing a three on end seven. Barbara Watt and her team won the Women’s event they defeated Enid Brown in a one sided final.

The Co-operative Funeralcare Scottish Men’s Championship. The Final was played between the teams of and . Congratulations go to Tom on retaining the title. David (Warwick) had a difficult shot for an extra but just failed.

The Co-operative Funeralcare Scottish Women’s Championship. Nine teams played a round robin. Eve Muirhead and her team defeated Gail Munro in the final. It was nice to see the young teams holding their own against the more experienced teams.

A player’s dinner took place on the Friday and was well received by the players.

This event was very well supported, with well over 500 people watching the finals on Sunday. BBC also showed both Finals live on the WEB. The BBC showed the games at 7.00pm and 100,000 watched the Women’s & 77,000 watched the Men’s.

13 The ice was very good thanks go to Paul Martin and his Perth icemen for working hard to make this happen.

The National Masters finals were played at and sponsored by Greenacres Curling Rink. Congratulations go to Lois Brown and her team on winning the Women’s competition; they defeated last season’s winners Annette MacDonald’s team. In the Men’s Final Sandy Nelson and his team defeated Bill Linton. Both games went down to the last stone. The ice conditions were very good.

The Scottish Schools were played at Murrayfield Curling Rink and were won by George Heriot’s School skipped by . They defeated Arbroath High School skipped by Robert Fawns, last season’s winners. The ice conditions were good for this competition. The standard of play was very encouraging for the future. Heriot’s got a three at the last for a one shot victory.

Forfar Rink Championship. Congratulations go to Kenny Kinnear and his Airleywight Club team on winning the Forfar Rink Championship. They defeated Martin Sutherland and his K2 Club team. This is the first time that Forfar have run this competition and the feedback has been very good. McMillan Hotels Scottish Pairs Finals were played at Stranraer. Neil Kennedy and Richard Goldie the 2010 past champions defeated Fraser Erskine and Andrew Campbell.

The Scottish Mixed at Aberdeen was a great success. The ice at Aberdeen was very keen, with a small draw. The curling was of a very high standard. Congratulations go to Ewan MacDonald and his team on their win. They defeated Duncan Fernie’s team who were undefeated until the final.

Rules Changes: No major changes are being proposed for this coming season.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has helped in any way: Office staff, umpires, helpers, ice staff, bar staff.

Performance By Nancy Smith (High Performance Coach)

This season, which is the start of a new Olympic Cycle, saw a restructure in staffing and the performance pathway.

World Class Performance Squad This support programme appointed a new Performance Director Dave Crosbee, National Coaches Rhona Martin (Women), Soren Gran (Men) and Tony Zummack (Wheelchair), along with High Performance Coaches Cate Brewster (Women) and Nancy Smith (Men).

20 Men and 16 Women along with 8 Wheelchair athletes were supported. Selecting athletes for inclusion into the World Class Performance Programmes was on the basis of their prospect of winning Olympic/Paralympic medals in Sochi 2014 and 2018 by gauging key performance factors on an ongoing basis.

As such, inclusion on the programme should be seen as an ‘investment decision’ in future performances at the identified events, not as a reward for past performances.

The training and preparation programmes focused on ice training both in the summer and winter months.

14 Performance Athlete Results · European Playdowns - Teams Muirhead & Murdoch won the European Play-downs to represented Scotland at the European Championships in Moscow 2-10th December. · European Championships – Results - Women won Gold, Men finished 5th. Results ensured Scotland have qualified for the 2012 World Championships · World Wheelchair Selected Team; Aileen Neilson; Angela Malone; Gregor Ewan; Jim Gault; Tom Killin · WYOG Innsbruck – The team finished in 10th place with a win/ loss record of 3/ 4 in their group. In the Mixed Pairs event, , paired with (USA) reached the quarter finals. · Scottish Men’s Qualifiers – All four supported men’s teams qualified for the Finals. , playing in Team Smith also qualified for the Finals. · Scottish Junior Finals – Team Fleming won the ladies event, in the Men’s event, Team Smith beat Team McWilliam in the final to represent Scotland at the Junior Worlds. · Scottish Wheelchair Finals – Gregor Ewan skipped the winning team · World Wheelchair Championships – Team finished 7th overall. This competition was the 2nd year of Paralympic qualifying points for Sochi 2014. · World Junior Championships – Women won Gold, Men won bronze – Best collective results since 1996 · World Women’s Championships – Women finished 6th overall. This competition was the start of Olympic qualifying points for Sochi 2014. · World Men’s Championships –Men won a Silver medal. This competition was the start of Olympic qualifying points for Sochi 2014.

Royal Club Academy 24 Men and 16 Women were supported across 10 Academy Areas. Programme delivery and monitoring focused on fortnightly on ice training which was complimented by the mentoring of the Development Performance Coach Brad Askew.

Over the next cycle 2011-2014 the Royal Club intends to build a strong pathway which delivers and aligns with the World Class Programme and which identifies and develops athletes. The programme aspires to a maximum number of 80 athletes to be selected to the programme in each year subject to Royal Club selection criteria and capacity numbers for each Academy.

The Gold ranked teams received overseas training/competition support as well as Focus programme data gathering software.

Talent Programme 80 Athletes were supported across 15 Ice rink programmes with fortnightly on ice coaching expertise.

The programme aspires to build over 2012-2014 to a maximum number of 8 athletes per Ice Rink and 160 athletes nationally each year. This is subject to the selection criteria and capacity numbers. This is an evolving programme and as Skills Awards become more firmly and broadly established the intention is a minimum of Bronze Skills Award alongside participation in U14, U17 or U21 Slam events depending on the age of the applying athlete. This is intended to mirror the progressively higher standards that will be required to be accepted into the Royal Club Academy to which all Talent Programme athletes should be aspiring.

In the first season of this new programme being implemented we seen a dramatic uptake on Skills awards – over double and now embarking on the top levels of proficiency. Summer Camp numbers increased.

15

Under 17 Gland Slam Season 2011-2012 seen the most entries to-date. The performance programme resource continues to support the winners of the U17 Slam to attend the WCF Summer Camp in July – winners this season skipped by James Carswell and the girls winners skipped by Katie Murray.

Technical and Team Coaches Season 2011-12 seen an increase in team coaches supporting the above programmes from 12 – 20+. Also an increase in technical coaches from 19 to 30 were identified to deliver the programme as ice rink level.

A huge thank you to them all for their expertise and dedication to allow the Athletes to concentrate on Performance

Thanks to all partnerships, support provision and the coaching network who commit and assist in the delivery of these performance programmes to provide opportunities for athletes to excel on the World Stage.

Marketing By Stuart McLean (Marketing Officer)

In October 2011, the RCCC advertised the position of Marketing Officer to supersede the post of Communications & Web Content Officer which was vacated by Kay Adams. In December 2011 Stuart McLean was appointed to the role which has expanded to incorporate a fundraising element into the core marketing and communication functions. Priorities in the initial term were to maintain ongoing marketing actions mid season whilst assessing the needs and expectations of members and stakeholders and identifying areas for improvement. Strategic planning could then take place over the summer months in preparation for the following season and longer term.

Work continues to gather information about the RCCC membership but more research is required to build an accurate audience profile. Demographics are essential in our marketing efforts to shape our products and services and support sponsorship and advertising proposals. Information will be compiled from planned surveys and existing sources. ASC representatives are also encouraged to motivate clubs and members to participate in this drive for new data.

A three year sponsorship deal was agreed with The Co-operative Funeralcare for The Scottish Curling Championships from 2012 (inclusive). The event again benefited from loyal sponsor and advertiser support and was one of the best attended for years. BBC Sport Scotland provided live coverage online for the finals with two primetime (7pm) one hour highlights programmes on consecutive days the following week. Other RCCC competitions have been selected for their investment potential and work is currently underway to develop proposals and generate sponsorship leads for these.

Fundraising efforts are also continuing with grant applications for RCCC projects and programmes and a new 2012/13 season ratecard has been prepared to maximise advertising revenue from the member ezine, Your Curler, and the RCCC website (see Communications report for more detail on these). The ratecard will be distributed to existing partners and new businesses with the aim of presenting attractive commercial opportunities and generating advertising income.

Following a review of the 2011 Scottish Curling Awards the event will this year be trialled at the new time of 1pm on Saturday 26th May at the Glynhill Hotel, Renfrew. The format will be similar with

16 lunch followed by the awards ceremony but it will be more relaxed with a smart/casual dress code and a ticket price of £26.

Communications By Stuart McLean (Marketing Officer)

A new RCCC website was launched in October 2011 following the successful bid by Sugar Rush Creative to design and host the new site. The new website features improved functionality, navigation and design and offers the RCCC more opportunity to develop its online resources for RCCC members, athletes, clubs, coaches, curlers, associated sporting bodies and curling fans worldwide. It is the number one authority for curling in Scotland online and is achieving over 35,000 visits and 270,000 page views per month (source: Google Analytics Nov ’11 – April ’12). The site is being updated on a daily basis with news, information, live scores, documents and more, providing our visitors with even more reasons to return regularly. It also still offers ‘micro site’ capability for clubs, provinces and areas who do not have a presence online yet or who would like to link to the site. Requests are steady however it is our aim to create an easy guide and promote the benefits and usability to members to increase numbers significantly. Website performance will be reviewed after year one to allow for refinements and optimisation.

A new member e-magazine, ‘Your Curler’ was launched in October 2011. The ezine is available free to all members by email once a month (Oct-May inclusive) and features curling news and events from around the clubs and rinks, competition previews and reports, feature articles, regular columns, prize draws and more. Its current circulation is approx. 7000 but further work is being done to capture more email addresses from members to increase this. The ezine will be continued next season for another 8 issues. Back issues will shortly be available to the public online one month after the publication of each issue. The RCCC relies on the contributions of its members for the continued success of Your Curler and calls for more input from readers in shaping the content of future issues.

We continue to collect email addresses of members as this is our main form of communication and members can input or change an email address via our www.rccc.members.org website. You can even phone the office and give your nominated email address over the phone.

Mike Haggerty provided comprehensive reporting of major events in Scotland and internationally. Reports were accompanied on the RCCC website by photographs from WCF and Richard Gray on most occasions which provided visual appeal. Mike also secured major press in titles such as the Herald and Scotsman, TV coverage on local news and his words along with Richard’s photos provided the basis of the RCCC’s own regional press releases which gained widespread coverage around Scotland.

The RCCC has added social media to its channels of communication with a Facebook and Twitter page, Flickr Group and YouTube Channel. It is our aim to grow these outlets alongside current communication methods to deliver targeted messages to each audience.

International Relations By Bruce Crawford (CEO)

We have been actively involved in a change process with our International Curling Federations at European and World level. The WCF formed a governance commission to review the constitution, to ensure it remains relevant in the present time, having not been updated for many years. Willie

17 Nicoll was appointed to the commission and was able to share some of his experience from his work with us.

The commission had carried out a detailed and thorough review of the existing constitution, produced benchmarking information on other sports federations and sought the views of members’ representatives. The role, functions and membership of the WCF have changed considerably since the organisation was formed and the proposed changes better reflect a modern association with members in 49 nations on five continents and an Olympic sport. The key changes that were presented as the basis for the new constitution were: · No Member Association will have a guaranteed seat on the board (rather a skills based selection process will ensure the individuals with the right skills are recruited) · Zonal Commissions will be formed for Europe, Americas and Asia/Pacific. · There will be three vice presidents that come from the three zones · An athletes commission will be formed to ensure the athletes voices are heard · A weighted voting system will be developed to ensure fair decision making (members of four nations comprise 96% of the worlds curlers)

The Royal Club will be hosting the first WCF Congress in October 2012 to be held in Turnberry, Scotland within sight of Ailsa Craig a fitting location for members of all the curling nations to come to the home of the sport and debate its future.

The ECF is in the process of reviewing its purpose and functions because the WCF will take over running the European Championships as a qualifying event for the Worlds and Olympics. In addition, the WCF’s proposed European Commission would provide a suitable forum to continue discussion and dialogue among European National Governing Bodies. The general view across Europe is that the ECF should be dissolved or made dormant. Further work in this area will be prepared for the ECF meeting in Karlstad in December 2012.

Royal Club members continue to contribute internationally with Kate Caithness (Edzell) re-elected as President of WCF in April 2012 for a second term of office and Colin Grahamslaw (Corstorphine) remains Secretary General of the WCF. Hew Chalmers (Stranraer) and Jeanette Johnston (Gogar Park) active on the ECF board. They are joined by our other International Representatives, Edith Loudon (Airleywight Ladies), Mike Ferguson (Edzell) and Bruce Crawford (Abbotsford).

18 Results of Royal Club Competitions

SCOTTISH MIXED SENIORS, STRANRAER, 7-9 OCTOBER 2011 Winners: (Lanarkshire) Runners-up: (Kinross) Archie Craig Sandy Nelson Marion Craig Edna Nelson Robin Aitken Jim Brownlie Yvonne Aitken Wilma Brownlie

Winners: (Murrayfield) Runners-up: (Kinross) Low Road Gary MacFarlane David Clydesdale Kate Adams Susan Scougal Billy Johnston Robin Kay Fiona MacFarlane Sue Cameron

WOMEN’S TOUR - FORFAR Winners: (Lockerbie) Runners-up: (Lanarkshire) Hannah Fleming Hazel Smith Naomi Whyte Louise Mansion Abigail Brown Eilidh Templeton

WOMEN’S TOUR - ABERDEEN Winners: (Murrayfield) Runners-up: (Lockerbie) Hannah Fleming Rebecca Kesley Lauren Gray Mhairi Baird Alice Spence Abigail Brown

NATIONAL PROVINCE CHAMPIONSHIPS, GREENACRES, 18-20 NOVEMBER 2011 Winners: (Stirlingshire) Runners-up: (Midlothian) Kilsyth CC Gogar Park CC John Davie Niall Gunn Billy Johnston Philip Garden Michael Goodfellow Stuart Dodds Neil Murray Sean Murphy

Low Road (Upper Strathearn) Low Road (North-Eastern) Winners: Auchterarder CC Runners-up: Meldrum & Daviot CC Gary Rutherford Duncan Allan Stuart Nicol Andrew Allan Helen Christie William Allan James Davidson Sarah Anderson

19 DOUBLE RINK, STRANRAER, 2-4 DECEMBER 2011 Winners: (Musketeers) Runners-up: (Stranraer) Johnnie Munro Jim Cannon Angus Allan Philip Wilson Paul Baughan Ian Kirkpatrick Calum Macnee John Parker Alan Chalmers John Munro Graham Cormack Gordon Addison Iain Cormack

SCOTTISH MIXED DOUBLES, MURRAYFIELD, 9-11 DECEMBER 2011 Winners: Judith McFarlane Runners-up Adrian White Lee McCleary Jill Donald

JUNIOR CHALLENGE DIV 1, (MURRAYFIELD), 7-8 JANUARY 2012 Winners: Stranraer Runners-up Hamilton A

JUNIOR CHALLENGE DIV 2, (MURRAYFIELD), 7-8 JANUARY 2012 Winners: Greenacres Runners-up Gogar Park B

JUNIOR CHALLENGE DIV 3, (DUMFRIES), 25-26 February 2012 Winners: Forfar B Runners-up Kinross

FOUR NATIONS, (GREENACRES), 21-22 JANUARY 2012 Marshall Millenium Trophy Scotland Connie Miller Trophy Scotland Tom Ballantyne Trophy Scotland The Welsh Stone Wales Hugh Meikle Trophy Ireland Turnbull Trophy Ireland Kay Trophy England

SCOTTISH JUNIOR FINALS, CURL ABERDEEN, 25-29 JANUARY 2012 Men: (Perth) Runners-up: (Stranraer) Winners: Kyle Smith Jay McWilliam Colin Dick Kerr Drummond Billy Morton

Women: (Lockerbie) Runners-up: (Lanarkshire) Winners: Hannah Fleming Hazel Smith Lauren Gray Naomi Whyte Alice Spence Louise Mansion Abi Brown Eilidh Templeton

20 SENIOR FINALS, PERTH, 13-19 FEBRUARY 2012 Men: (Border) Runners-up: (Braehead) Winners: Keith Prentice Gary MacFarlane Lockhart Steele Douglas Ratcliffe Robin Aitken Don Rutherford Tommy Fleming Stewart Philp

Women: (Murrayfield) Runners-up: (Kinross) Winners: Barbara Watt Enid Brown Jean Hammond Irene Baillie Maggie Barry Morag Wellman Valerie Mahon Helen Gordon

SCOTTISH MENS, PERTH, 13-19 FEBRUARY 2012 Winners: (Aberdeen) Runners-up: (Perth) Tom Brewster Warwick Smith David Smith () Alan Smith Michael Goodfellow Ross Hepburn

SCOTTISH LADIES, PERTH, 13-19 FEBRUARY 2012 Winners: (Perth) Runners-up: (Stranraer) Eve Muirhead Gail Munro Lyndsay Cumming Vicki Adams Katie Wright Jodie Milroy

HENDERSON BISHOP, INVERNESS, 20-23 FEBRUARY 2012 Winners: (Stranraer) Runners-up: (Lanarkshire 2) Gail Munro Margaret Richardson Beryl Niven (skip) Marion Craig Fiona Hardie Alison Fraser Beth Aitken Margaret Brown

CHERRY STONE TROPHY Winners: (Braehead) Runners-up: (Greenacres) Liz Paul Elaine Semple Linda Stevenson Alison MacLennan Sheila Black Helen Burton Nanette Davidson Pat Ross

UNDERS & OVERS, STRANRAER, 1 – 2 OCTOBER 2011 Winners: (Stranraer) Runners-up: (Lanarkshire) Gail Munro Marion MacDonald Dorothy Bulloch Mhairi Strang Rachel Mills Heather MacDonald Willa Wilson Mary Strang

21 SCOTTISH MIXED, ABERDEEN, 30 MARCH – 1 APRIL 2012 Winners: (Inverness) Runners-up: (Perth Ewan MacDonald Duncan Fernie Eve Muirhead Lynn Cameron Euan Byers Colin Campbell Karen Strang Michelle Silvera

MAXWELL, LANARKSHIRE, 13 MARCH 2012 Winners: Hamilton Runners-up: Stranraer

MORTON, KIRKCALDY, 13 MARCH 2012 Winners: Lanarkshire Runners-up: Border

NATIONAL MASTERS, GREENACRES, 8-11 MARCH 2012 Men: (Kinross) Runners-up: (Kirkcaldy) Winners: Sandy Nelson Bill Linton Willie Paterson Willie Nicoll Alan Barr Ron Mathewson Donnie Scott Alistair McCabe.

Women: (Braehead) Runners-up: (Stirling) Winners: Lois Brown Annette MacDonald Jean McMaster Raye Rickard Sandra Walker Mary Paterson Sandie Byers Fiona Glass.

RINK CHAMPIONSHIP, FORFAR, 2-4 MARCH 2012 Winners: Perth Runner-up: Kinross (Airleywight) (K2) Kenny Kinnear Martin Sutherland David Brown John Jo Kenny Peter MacKay Andrew Penker Robin Brydone Douglas McKenzie

SCOTTISH SCHOOLS, MURRAYFIELD, 16-18 MARCH 2012 Winners: (George Heriot’s) Runners-up: (Arbroath High) Bruce Mouat Robert Fawns Andrew McGowan Thomas Halder Rachel Daker Ben Bremner Daneel Minev Craig Cameron Rowena Kerr

22 SCOTTISH PAIRS, STRANRAER, 16-18 MARCH 2012 Winners: (Ayr) Runners-up: (Harvies) Neil Kennedy Frazer Erskine Richard Goldie Andrew Campbell

WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONSHIPS, CURL ABERDEEN, 16-18 MARCH 2012 Winners: Gregor Ewan Runners-up: Aileen Neilson Jim Gault Michael McCreadie Mike McKenzie Seamus McArdle Jackie Cayton Mo Simpson

SIR RICHARD WALDIE GRIFFITHS Winners: East Lothian Province

U17 SLAM Winners: (Men) Winners: (Women) James Carswell Katie Murray George McConnell Sophie Jackson Ben Bremner Gayle Allan Peter Dagen Kirsty Morton

U14 SLAM Winners: (Kinross) Runners-up: (Forfar) Finlay Campbell Ewan MacDiarmid Kerr Sands Ewan Maguire Callum Kinnear Fraser Smith Drew Thomson James Craik

23 Performance of Scottish Teams in International Competitions

EUROPEAN 5th GOLD Eve Muirhead Anna Sloan Vicki Adams Richard Woods Claire Hamilton Kay Adams David Ramsay (coach) (coach)

WORLD JUNIORS BRONZE GOLD Kyle Smith Hannah Fleming Thomas Muirhead Lauren Gray Kyle Waddell Alice Spence Kerr Drummond Abigail Brown Hamilton McMillan Jennifer Martin Robin Halliday (coach) Debbie Knox (coach)

WORLDS SILVER 6th Tom Brewster Eve Muirhead Greg Drummond Anna Sloan Scott Andrews Vicki Adams Michael Goodfellow Claire Hamilton David Edwards Kelly Woods Ron Brewster (coach) Gordon Muirhead (coach)

WORLD SENIOR 8th SILVER Keith Prentice Barbara Watt Lockhart Steele Jean Hammond Robin Aitken Maggie Barry Tommy Fleming Valerie Mahon Archie Craig Judith Carr

WORLD WHEELCHAIR WORLD MIXED DOUBLES EUROPEAN MIXED 8th 5th 7th Aileen Neilson Lee McCleary David Edwards Tom Killin Judith McFarlane Gregor Ewan Scott Macleod Angie Malone Louise Edwards Jim Gault Tony Zummack (coach)

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