ANNUAL REPORT 2014/15 THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN CURLING CLUB. The National Governing Body for Curling in Scotland. RCCC Annual Report v1.

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1 ANNUAL REPORT 2014/15 THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN CURLING CLUB The National Governing Body for Curling in Scotland RCCC Annual Report v1.0 1

2 CONTENTS RCCC Officials & Headquarters Staff... 3 In Memoriam... 5 Membership of the RCCC... 6 Current Membership... 6 New Clubs... 6 Resigned Clubs... 6 Clubs that have completed 150 years continuous affiliation... 7 Members who have been awarded 50 year medals... 7 Teams who have been awarded Eight-Ender Awards... 7 Reports... 9 Board... 9 Areas Standing Committee... 9 Ladies Standing Committee Club and Member Development Coaching & Workforce Competitions Finance International Relations Marketing & Communications Performance Results of National & RCCC Competitions Roll of Honour Photo credit on the front cover: WCF / Patrick Fulgencio RCCC Annual Report v1.0 2

3 RCCC Officials & Headquarters Staff A Company Limited by Guarantee and not having a share capital Registered in Scotland under Company Number SC FOUNDED 1838 Patron HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN Honorary Members HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH G ROY SINCLAIR (St Martins) President DAVID HENDERSON (New Abbey) Vice President BILLY HOWAT (Cumnock and District) Board of Directors DAVID HENDERSON (New Abbey) ALASTAIR MACNISH (Gourock) BRUCE CRAWFORD (Abbotsford Curling Society) KAY GIBB (Northern Lights) TREVOR DODDS (Oxenfoord) ROBERT KELLY (Reform) CATHERINE MCLEAN (Aberlady) DAVID HARDIE (Crocketford) President Chairman Chief Executive Officer Director Director Director Director Director Honorary Vice Presidents L McINESS (Canadian Branch RCCC) G KRAILO (Grand National Curling Club of America) Past President ALAN DURNO (Fochabers) Chaplain REV WILLIAM HOLLAND (New Abbey) RCCC Annual Report v1.0 3

4 Headquarter Staff Chief Executive Officer BRUCE CRAWFORD Head of Development JUDITH MCCLEARY Development Manager (Adults, Competitions & Disability) SHEILA SWAN High Performance Coach NANCY SMITH² Performance Development Coach BARBARA MCFARLANE Coaching & Workforce Development Manager GILES LOMAX Marketing Officer STUART MCLEAN Marketing Assistant JONATHAN STRANDBERG Office Manager SUZY WAKEFIELD Finance Officer ALASTAIR HIBBERT¹ Administrators NICOLA GLENCROSS SARA TURNER JOAN YOUNG¹ ¹ Part-time ² Also based at sportscotland institute of sport Other Officials & Advisors Legal Advisers J & H Mitchell WS, Harper Macleod LLP Independent Accountants Thomson Cooper RCCC Annual Report v1.0 4

5 In Memoriam (Names as supplied at the time of issuing) Club Abdie Aberdeen Angus Glens Angus Glens Applegarth and Sibbaldbie Ayr & Alloway Ayton Castle Bearsden Bellshill Benmore & Kilmun Boswall Breadalbane Killin Brookfield Cambo Ladies Cambusnethan Cupar Drystanes Dumfries Dunfermline Ladies Dunfermline Ladies Dunfermline Ladies Dunfermline Ladies Duntocher East Kilbride & Haremyres Edinburgh Ladies Edinburgh Medical Elgin Erskine Falkland Fochabers Garnock Academy George Watson's College Giffnock Glasgow XX Glasgow XX Glenfarg Glenrothes Heart of the Highlands Heart of the Highlands Helensburgh Inverness Ice Rink Ladies Kilsyth Ladies Kinross Wheelchair Kirkoswald Kirkoswald Kirriemuir Lanark Name Bob Howie Charles Pressley Anne Stewart Ian Smith Hugh Sloan Dorothy Brown James Robertson Colin Scott James McCoull Cathy Stirling Ian Munns E.M.Macoll Betty Hutcheson Kitty Smith Dr Alexander M Mathewson Sandy Croal Norman Cathcart James Gibson Ella Gallanders Aileen Thomson Helen Anderson Dora Wardlaw James Paul Margaret Lambie Maureen Murray Paul Allan Robin Stuart Isobel Woodrow Marianne Scobie William McKay Alex Jack Iain Brown Cameron Hislop T.M Nicol Finlay Lochhead Doug Buchan Tim Connell J McPherson Blair McNaughton Eric Young Fiona Campbell Marion Johnston Donald Kinloch Mary Henry Jean Pollock David Torrie Mattie Darroch RCCC Annual Report v1.0 5

6 Monifieth Musselburgh Nairn Ladies Newport Pitlochry Pollock Port Glasgow Raith and Abbotshall Ross-shire Ladies Ross-shire Ladies St Andrews St Andrews St Andrews & Cambo St Boswells Stratheden Ladies Stratheden Ladies Strathkinness Stra'ven Ladies Thornton Turriff Wishaw Dr James Anderson Tom Miller Maggie Carr William Wright Ian Robb Grant MacGregor Emilio Pieri Myra Muncey Cherry Kennet Vivian Macpherson Allan Milne Roy Robertson Bill Brown Helen Lawson Lynn Kennedy Jean Ritson Robert Graham Edna Taylor William McKendrick Bruce Ferguson John Dunlay Membership of the RCCC Current Membership 634 Affiliated Local Clubs 12,708 Registered Members New Clubs Ayr St. Columba Dalmellington Craigengillan Darvel Dumfries "Hub" Wheelchair Dumfries Ice Bowl Virtual Club Dundee Dragons Harlequins Lothian Wheelchair Moray Virtual Virtually Curlers Resigned Clubs Auchencairn Balerno High School Clydesdale Bank (Perth) Cummertrees Dundee Ice Arena Galleon Girvan Inverness Teachers Kirkcudbright Academy RCCC Annual Report v1.0 6

7 Clubs that have completed 150 years continuous affiliation Bute Corstorphine Strathspey Thornton Members who have been awarded 50 year medals Name Club John Arbuckle Abdie R.M Munro Caberfeidh G. Fergus Wilson Campsie Glen David L. Miller Catterthun Iain Baxter Corstorphine Irene Campbell Falkirk Ladies Marjory McLachlan Falkirk Ladies, Falkirk Ice Rink Ladies R. Jackson Robb Forteviot Murray Melville Glendoick Ian Dykes Greenlaw Lorna Gray Lanark Ladies James Muir Oxenfoord Roy Meikle Oxenfoord, Greenlaw, Chirnside Sheriff David B Smith Symington Teams who have been awarded Eight-Ender Awards Team Club Played At Competition Alan J Stuart Leven CC Kirkcaldy Old Bulls Philippe Chue Hong Raith & Abbotshall Ice Rink Iceberg Trophy Tom Jobson Raith & Abbotshall Jim Hutt Markinch Andrew McAughtrie Keir The Peak Keir Jug Lisa Davie Stirling Young Curlers Stirling Iona Paterson Stirling Virtual Elizabeth Forsyth Keir Charles Watt Forres Moray Leisure Centre Forres Curling Club Linda Hardie Forres Elgin Opening Bonspiel Carol Bennett Forres Morag James Forres Colin Campbell Inverkeithing Kinross St Margaret's Jim Barton Inverkeithing Curling League Michael Low Inverkeithing Phillip Slater Inverkeithing Hector Snoddy Orwell Kinross Kinross Mixed Sheila Harley Aberdour Curling League Stuart McCulloch Orwell Maureen Aitken Aberdour RCCC Annual Report v1.0 7

8 Steve McGingle Ballindalloch Moray Leisure Centre 6th Moray International Eilidh Yeats Ballindalloch Elgin Bonspiel 2014 Amy MacDonald Moray Junior Brian Yates Ballindalloch Alistair Crichton Pitkerro Forfar Indoor Sports Pitkerro Pairs Ian Hunter Pitkerro Competition Donald McIntosh Comrie Dewars Centre Comrie Domestic Hazel Wylie Comrie Perth League Margaret McPhater Comrie Alexander Muir Comrie David Kelly AWW Curl Aberdeen The President's Alan Fyfe AWW Trophy Isabel Morrison AWW Karen Morrison AWW William Ralston Kilsyth Greenacres Seniors Day William Beattie Kilsyth Competition Duncan Hamilton Kilsyth John Gillespie Denny RCCC Annual Report v1.0 8

9 Reports Board Alastair MacNish (Chair) and Bruce Crawford (CEO) After the last AGM in 2014, the board of directors met and appointed Alastair MacNish as chairman. The board have continued to serve the interests of the members by providing the strategic direction for the RCCC and have overseen the governance of the game. In September 2014, an external audit of the governance, systems, policies and procedures of the RCCC was completed by KPMG and a clean bill of health was achieved with future improvement identified by implementing a planned schedule of updates for company policies. This was followed in January 2015 by an HR audit, conducted by GravitateHR, an independent HR consultancy firm. They produced a positive report with an action plan for improvement focussed on goal setting and communications. The board has worked with staff and members to create the next strategic plan for the RCCC for the period This was completed in draft form in November 2014 and formed part of a presentation to sportscotland for their consideration of funding for the next four years. Following the positive investment decision (17% increase) from sportscotland, the new Strategy has now been finalised and is published on the website for all to see. The board has continued to monitor potential risks to the organisation and made steps to mitigate risk through the risk register and action plan. The Chief Executive is responsible for operational matters and is charged with managing and reporting risks to the board. There have been a number of changes in the staffing line up as we said farewell to Margaret Mackay, Brad Askew, Rhona Howie, Lynne Mackenzie and Rachael Lee. Thanks to them all for being valued members of our organisation and we wish them well in their future adventures. We were joined by Nicola Glencross and Sara Turner as Administrators into the office team, Barbara McFarlane joined as Performance Development Coach, Giles Lomax as Workforce Development Manager, Susan Murrin as Event Manager and Judith McCleary was promoted to a newly created role as Head of Development. With increased pressure on an already cramped office at Ingliston, the RCCC Headquarters are relocating to Ochil House, Springkerse, Stirling in summer This will provide a more spacious open plan office with meeting rooms and although not a permanent move it will hopefully lead onto a longer term solution. Thanks are recorded here for all of the volunteers and staff who have continued to be valued contributors to the organisation and help to serve our members in the best interest of the sport of curling. Areas Standing Committee David Henderson (President ) The Areas Standing Committee (ASC) met in August, October, December, January and April, and additionally met jointly with the Ladies Standing Committee and the Board of Directors in November and February. Attendance at the ASC meetings averaged 79%. Following the AGM in June 2014 the ASC was charged with organising an Indoor Grand Match (IGM) in An IGM committee was formed and it was agreed that the committee should be led by Bob Smith (Area 7). The date of Saturday 24th October 2015 was agreed and to date over 560 entries have been received. The IGM has proved in the past to be a very popular event and it is anticipated that the fourth IGM will again catch the imagination of club curlers throughout the land. RCCC Annual Report v1.0 9

10 For more than twelve months members of the ASC were involved with the planning and delivery of a very successful visit by members of the Swiss Curling Association who toured Scotland in November. The cumulative result of all of the games played was in Scotland s favour but the real winners were all those who participated in this international exchange when many acquaintances were renewed and new friendships made. My thanks go to all involved and particularly to Ali Asher and his organising committee. In January 2014 an ASC Review Group was formed to review the Remit and Responsibilities of the ASC. The group s report was presented to and approved by the ASC in August and submitted to and approved by the Board in October. The report had recommended certain changes to the Remit and Responsibilities of the ASC and the updated document may be read on the website here: The group noted that the remits and responsibilities were not being put into practice in all Areas and recommended that a review of the Areas structure should take place to determine how best to serve the membership. The Review Group has been asked by the ASC and the Board to undertake this task. The group has sought feedback through a questionnaire from Provinces and Areas. It is anticipated that the group s initial report will be made to the ASC/Board in October. Thanks go to Clive Thomson for leading the Review Group. The ASC discussed the AGM voting procedure at length and suggested some improvements which it hopes will be adopted for the benefit of all members. The ASC discussed the draft RCCC Strategy which was being developed for the period There was unanimous agreement that curling facilities were rightly recognised as a priority over the coming years. The ASC has been well represented on all of the RCCC s committees and those involved have reported back to the ASC to keep members up to date. As usual the ASC had three most enjoyable curling matches during the year. In November the Priestfield Cup was contested in Perth with the Ladies Standing Committee emerging as runners-up to the ASC. In December the annual match took place at Murrayfield against the Royal Company of Archers CC. The Archers over recent years have fielded two teams but this year their side was complemented by a rink of RCCC Past Presidents. The ASC managed to win the match despite the contribution made by the Past Presidents. The match against Area 10 for the Tamnavulin Trophy took place in Perth in January and as always it was keenly contested with the ASC claiming the spoils by 35 shots to 22 shots. The trophy was presented to Billy Howat as skip of the highest up rink within the ASC. A number of members of the ASC made their way as part of the Scottish team to Fenton s Ice Rink in Tunbridge Wells for the annual Four Nations competition in January. Although Scottish success on the ice was limited to the ladies winning the Connie Miller Trophy all those who attended very much enjoyed a weekend of curling fun and fellowship ably organised by the English Curling Association. During this year I have enjoyed enormous support from all members of the ASC, the LSC and the Board for which I am most grateful. Vice-President Billy Howat, Ladies Branch President Mary Anne McWilliam and many others have helped me in many ways including attending curling competitions and social functions when I have been unavailable. Throughout my year as your President I have received great support from the hard working staff at Cairnie House - thank you very much. RCCC Annual Report v1.0 10

11 Ladies Standing Committee Mary Anne McWilliam (Ladies Branch President ) Over the past year the Ladies Standing Committee (LSC) members have continued to represent the lady curlers of Scotland at our regular meetings. The LSC comprises of 18 Centre Representatives and the Executive Committee made up of Junior Vice President, Vice President, Honorary Treasurer and President. This year we have held 6 meetings and 2 joint meetings with RCCC Board and Areas Standing Committee (ASC). We have also had Ladies Branch representation on RCCC Sub- Committees and this for the first I have been invited to attend RCCC Board meetings as President of LSC. Within RCCC there is an ongoing structure review and we in the LSC are keen to be actively involved. At the beginning of the season we held our Annual Ladies Branch Bonspiel where 8 rinks enjoyed lunch and an afternoon of curling. Our annual competitions were well organised and successful. On the 11th November we played against the ASC at Perth for the Priestfield Quaich, despite being ahead for most of the afternoon we fell at the final end and were defeated. From 23rd to 26th February the Henderson Bishop Trophy was played at Kelso. It was won by Murrayfield 1 who beat Kelso 2 in the final. The Cherrystone Trophy was won by Dumfries who beat Lanarkshire 1 in the final. On 10th March the Morton Trophy final was played at Kirkcaldy in Fife Ice Arena. Ayr won the Morton for the third year in succession. In January, Ladies participated in the Four Nations hosted by England at Fenton s Rink in Kent. We were successful in winning the Connie Miller Trophy against the English Ladies. In September a sub-committee met and selected 24 Ladies to tour Canada in November The Tour group has met several times and plans are well in place for this trip. As President, I have had the honour of representing Ladies Branch both at home and abroad. I attended the Scottish Senior Mixed Championship in Stranraer, The Double Rink Championship in Stranraer, The Scottish Junior Curling Championships at Aberdeen, The Scottish Senior Curling Championships at Lanarkshire Ice Rink, The Scottish Curling Championships in Perth, The Henderson Bishop Finals at Kelso, The Morton Trophy Final at Kirkcaldy and the Scottish Mixed Curling Championship at Aberdeen. I represented the RCCC by attending the World Junior Curling Championships in Tallinn, Estonia and the World Women s Curling Championship in Sapporo, Japan. In Tallinn Gina Aitken and her rink of Naomi Brown, Rowena Kerr and Rachel Hannen with alternate Karina Aitken won the Silver Medal coached by David Aitken and Bruce Mouat and his rink of Duncan Menzies, Derrick Sloan and Angus Dowell with alternate Bobby Lammie won the Bronze Medal coached by Colin Morrison. I was delighted and honoured to present the teams with their medals at the medal ceremony. Ladies Branch continues to sell merchandise to raise money to go towards funding incoming tours, competition prizes and gifts for medallists and we are grateful to everyone who has supported us by buying goods and/or allowing us to sell items at their centre or event over the past year. Ladies competitions throughout Scotland continue to be well supported and I would like to thank the volunteers on our LSC who willingly give their time to support our events. Ladies Branch has issued an invitation for 20 Ladies from the United States Women s Curling Association to tour Scotland in November During my year it has been an honour and a privilege to represent the RCCC and to support all the RCCC Annual Report v1.0 11

12 teams and supporters at national and international level and I am very pleased to be able to report that all of the athletes representing Scotland were wonderful ambassadors for our sport of curling. Club and Member Development Judith McCleary (Head of Development) Sheila Swan (Development Manager (Adult, Competitions & Disability)) Development of Junior Curlers Over 4500 children participated in the Curling s Cool programme, supported by the A.M.Ross Foundation. The Curling s Cool programme provides primary 6 & 7 pupils with an introduction to curling basics. 310 Skill Awards were achieved in season and the new Skill Award resources produced in 2013 are now being well utilised within junior club programmes. The RCCC annual junior summer camp was once again highly demanded with the maximum 48 participants. We were grateful to have the support of 12 Performance Programme curlers who committed an evening to curl with the youngsters and provided lots of inspirational advice. Junior membership has yet again increased from 1178 to 1240 (as at 31 st March 2015) The following junior development competitions took place in :- Competition Venue(s) No. of teams Winners Skill Award Challenge intu Braehead 16 Forfar - James Craik, Angus Redford, Ross Craik, Katy Kirk) Funspiel Finals intu Braehead 12 x Under x Under 15 Under 13 - Dumfries Under 15 - Hamilton Asham Under 14 Slam Curl Aberdeen Stranraer James Craik, Angus Bryce, Matthew McKenzie & Campbell Asham Under 17 Slam Asham Under 21 Slam Dewars Centre (Perth) Lockerbie Ice Rink Greenacres Curling Rink Lanarkshire Ice Rink Forfar Indoor Sports Dewars Centre (Perth) Kinross Curling Inverness Ice Centre Lockerbie Curling Rink Greenacres Curling Rink F & 16M 5F & 12M 6F & 12M 8F & 11M Newcomers Greenacres Curling Rink 18 (72 entries individually) White Overall; Ross Whyte, Kerr Sands, Callum Kinnear & Euan Kyle Female Winners; Mairi MacDonald, Lucy Morton, Leeanne McKenzie & Nicola Joiner Male Winners; Ross Whyte, James Baird, Gavin Barr & Euan Kyle Female Winners; Katie Murray, Sophie Jackson, Hailey Duff & Ellie Fraser Tim Hof (Waterfront), Eva Welsh (Stirling), Callum McLain (Borders) and Stuart Robson (Lockerbie) Local Partnerships Local partnerships are in place at 17 facilities which either part fund a local Curling Development Officer or support a local Curling Development Group to meet objectives within the RCCC s Strategic Plan. Try Curling Following the success of Try Curling in , some of this season s focus was on retention of participant interest. Of the 3994 participants who attended Try Curling sessions in Feb / Mar 2014, 207 affiliated to the RCCC by 31 st December RCCC Annual Report v1.0 12

13 Feedback was sought from the Olympic Try Curling participants on the following areas; ease of booking, welcome at facility, quality of instruction, enjoyment, follow-up information, likely to recommend and consideration for Beginner Courses. All areas were rated highly with enjoyment showing an average of 97.43%, likely to recommend 95.36% and consideration of beginner courses at 91.58%. TryCurling Sessions Beginner / Follow Up Classes RCCC Virtual Club RCCC Affiliated Club Throughout the season the RCCC advertised 171 Try Curling sessions, across 15 curling facilities on At the present time we have data from 9 of the facilities totalling 420 participants. In order to track Try Curling participants and seek participant feedback to help us to further develop programmes, we must receive completed participant details from participating facilities. Seminars and Camps RCCC staff offer support to Development Groups / Ice Rinks / Areas / Ladies Centres to host coaching sessions and events. Topics can be discussed and the RCCC will arrange coaching staff and equipment for agreed events. The events below were hosted in :- Seminar Venue No. of participants Ladies Day The Peak (Stirling) 28 Ladies Day Kinross 25 Ladies Day Colinton Ladies 16 Ladies Day Corstorphine Ladies 16 Ladies Day Pentland Ladies 16 Ladies Day Ayr 39 Strategy & Tactics Dundee 10 Masterclass Aberdeen 22 Adult Camp Stranraer Club Development The number of Virtual Clubs has increased from 12 to 17 in season with Virtual Clubs providing new curlers with an opportunity to receive coaching and game time on a regular basis. The National Virtual Club Challenge this year saw 28 teams compete for the trophy donated by Kays of Scotland. The day was a great success with many competing away from their home ice rink for the first time. Disability Disability Clubs - The number of affiliated Disability Curling Clubs has increased to 13 this season with the addition of Dumfries Hub and Lothian Wheelchair Curling Clubs. Membership of disability curling clubs totals 175. RCCC Annual Report v1.0 13

14 Coaching & Workforce Giles Lomax (Coaching & Workforce Development Manager) Bruce Crawford (CEO) The season has seen continued provision of coach education for new and existing curling coaches. As a result of the development of the new Strategic Plan for RCCC, some changes have been made to bring coaches, umpires and volunteers into one area. This has been designed to ensure that we have the whole workforce in place with the capacity to grow and develop the sport across the country. Along with a change in focus, we saw a change in personnel as Lynne Mackenzie left after nine years with RCCC. Lynne made a great contribution over the years and we wish her every success as she moves on. We welcomed Giles Lomax in March and he has really got stuck into the new role covering the whole workforce. Giles brings with him a wealth of experience and previously worked for Edinburgh Leisure where he was involved in developing clubs, coaches and volunteers. He holds UKCC Level 1 & Level 2 as a Rugby League Coach, he is a Grade 5 Rugby Referee and is a Tutor for Safeguarding Children, Positive Coaching Scotland and holds the Professional Development Award SCQF Level 7 as a Sports Tutor Educator. Over the season 197 participants attended Coach training courses, nine Level 1 courses, as follows: Aberdeen (17 candidates), Braehead (21 candidates), Dumfries (18 candidates), Dundee (18 candidates), Dundee (13 candidates), Kirkcaldy (9 candidates), Lockerbie (11 candidates), Murrayfield (18 candidates), Waterfront (15 candidates), Four coaches attended the Level 2 course held in Perth and six attended a Wheelchair workshop held in Murrayfield. Across all of the courses, candidate feedback indicated high standards have been maintained with satisfaction score of 90.4%. In addition to people attending courses we have seen 29 coaches completing their portfolios for attaining Assistant Coaches Qualifications. Six coaches have successfully completed the Technical Coaching qualification. A further nine Technical Coaches have had their logbooks assessed and cleared to arrange the final day observed assessment. This is scheduled for July Our Umpire training continues to be respected as 26 RCCC members were appointed at international competitions last season. Twenty people attended the Introductory Course for Umpires, held in January in Perth. Nine existing Umpires attended the Advanced Course in February in Hamilton. Some training has been given in a few ice rinks to help coaches with assessing the new Skill Awards and for next season, training will up-skill existing coaches to deliver the red, white and blue syllabus of the Skill Awards. Initial work has been scoped for the creation of a volunteering framework, particularly around the recruitment of the future events workforce that will build on and formalise some great work at recent events. The success of the season has been down to a lot of hard work from people involved in all aspects of developing the workforce for coaches, officials and volunteers. We truly appreciate everybody s commitment to improvement and we appreciate that this has at times been challenging but will deliver great results in the coming years. Thank you to all those who contributed. RCCC Annual Report v1.0 14

15 Competitions Shelia Swan (Development Manager (Adults, Competitions & Disability)) The RCCC is responsible for the management and/or organisation of 29 competitions, comprising of Scottish/National Championships, Junior Slams and various other competitions formats. These competitions are run for our members and we aim to provide a range of different competitions for all ages and abilities. Please see breakdown of entry numbers and venues for Season Competition Venue(s) Entry No's Asham Under 14 Slam Asham Under 17 Slam Asham Under 21 Slam Curl Aberdeen, Stranraer & Dewars (Perth) Lockerbie, Lanarkshire, Greenacres, Forfar & Dewars (Perth) Greenacres, Kinross, Inverness, & Lockerbie District Medal Local Double Rink Championship Stranraer 8 European Playdowns (entry by invitation) Funspiel Dewars (Perth) Intu Braehead 4 (M) 3 (W) 12 (U13) 14 (U15) Henderson Bishop Trophy Local Qualifiers & Border 111 National Master Men s Curling Championship National Master Women s Curling Championship Greenacres 29 Greenacres 11 National Virtual Club Challenge Intu Braehead 28 Newcomers Scottish Curling Junior Men s Championship Scottish Curling Junior Women s Championship Scottish Curling Men s Championship Scottish Curling Mixed Championship Scottish Curling Mixed Doubles Championship Scottish Curling Pairs Championship Scottish Curling Senior Men s Championship Greenacres 72 individuals Dewars (Perth) & Curl Aberdeen 18 Curl Aberdeen 10 Dumfries & Dewars (Perth) 14 Curl Aberdeen 9 Dewars (Perth) 10 Stranraer 24 Ayr, Forfar & Lanarkshire 30 RCCC Annual Report v1.0 15

16 Scottish Curling Senior Mixed Championship Scottish Curling Senior Women s Championship Scottish Curling Women s Championship Scottish Junior Curling Club Challenge (Div 1, 2 & 3) Scottish Province Championship Scottish Schools Curling Championship Stranraer 12 Lanarkshire 14 Dewars Centre (Perth) 6 Murrayfield (Div 1&2) Dumfries (Div 3) 18 Greenacres 30 Local Qualifiers & Murrayfield 44 Skill Awards Challenge Perth 16 The Maxwell Trophy Local & Lanarkshire 8 The Morton Trophy Local & Kirkcaldy 17 The Rink Championship Local Qualifiers & Forfar 92 Wheelchair Competitions (delivered by SWCA) National Wheelchair Curling Pairs Championship SWCA British Wheelchair Curling Open Scottish Wheelchair Curling Championship intu Braehead 16 Lanarkshire 12 The Peak 12 It would be impossible to run these extremely successful competitions without the support of our volunteer umpires and timekeepers and it is essential that we continue to develop new and existing umpires. Alan Stanfield and Colin Melrose delivered an extremely successful Introductory Course to 17 new recruits in January. An Advanced Umpiring Course, which is designed to prepare Level 2 Umpires for working as a Chief Umpire at RCCC competitions, was also held in January. Nine umpires attended the course, delivered by Alan Stanfield and Anne Malcolm. The RCCC have been awarded a prestigious series of international events following the submission of an ambitious and unique multi-event package to the World Curling Federation. The series will include 2016 European Championships in Braehead, 2018 World Junior Curling Championships in Aberdeen, 2019 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Stirling and the 2020 World Men s Curling Championship in Glasgow s Hydro. Significant partner funding has been secured across all four championships and this collaborative approach aims to take the sport to the next level in Scotland. Thank you to the many people and organisations who contribute to the success of RCCC Competitions; various RCCC Committees (Competitions, Umpires and Rules), numerous Local Organising Committees, facilities and their staff, sponsors and the very many volunteers who support our competitions. Your continued help and support is very much appreciated. RCCC Annual Report v1.0 16

17 Finance Alastair Hibbert (Finance Manager) and Bruce Crawford (CEO) The RCCC accounts cover the twelve months ending on 30th April 2015, a year on since the accounting period moved from the end of March to end of April. As a result the comparisons within the Annual Accounts are for the last twelve months against the previous 13 months. The rationale behind the change was to be able to close the books when a full season s activity had concluded and this has proved to have been successful. After some fluctuations in financial out-turn in recent years a cautious approach was applied to budget setting. Two years ago the board adopted a policy position whereby any surplus should be transferred to our charitable arm, the Scottish Curling Trust in restricted fund, ring-fenced for curling offices and curling development. Income for the year was down by 1.3% from the previous 13 month year but on a pro rata mothly basis it was up by 7% and exceeded our budget expectations. This was due to an increase in sponsorship and advertising income which was 19% higher than budget and grant funding which was 16% higher than budget. Expenditure for the year was 9% lower than the previous year. The most significant variations were in the lower than planned costs of international competitions, due to the provision for costs in sending teams to Tallin (Estonia), Sapporo (Japan) and Halifax (Canada) being less than budgeted for. This is because we budget costs of flights a year in advance and then can t buy the flights until the Scottish Championship has been completed, sometimes as little as 3 weeks before the start of the event. The Performance costs were also lower due to the change in programme costs associated with running the Talent Programme that ceased to operate from June The RCCC has a partial exemption for VAT due to being a membership organisation and so VAT is not charged to members for services. Consequently, VAT cannot be reclaimed on related purchases, except where VAT input is made through income from sponsorship and advertising. Just prior to the end of the financial year, the draft accounts predicted a surplus of 22,000, so on 30 April a transfer of 20,000 was made to our charitable arm, the Scottish Curling Trust. Consequently the net surplus for the year was a prudent 2,273. A full analysis of the income and expenditure for the year will be provided in a visual format on the website. International Relations Bruce Crawford (CEO) The RCCC has continued to provide meaningful contributions to the development of curling across the world, through our representatives and commission members. Last summer the RCCC representatives reviewed proposals regarding changes to World Curling Federation (WCF) rules and surveyed RCCC members and committees to gauge opinion from across the country, to inform the discussions and decisions for future rules. At the WCF s third annual Congress in September 2014, Kate Caithness (Edzell) was re-elected to be President of the WCF for the next four years and Hew Chalmers (Stranraer) was elected as a director of the WCF for the next three years. In November 2014 the European Curling Federation held its final meeting and has been replaced by the European Zonal Commission of the WCF. The process of winding up the ECF was initiated and all assets will be transferred to WCF for use in future European projects. By joining the WCF board, Hew Chalmers became ineligible for being a rep for RCCC and Edith Hazard moved to the USA, so two new reps were recruited to represent our members. A selection process saw nine excellent RCCC Annual Report v1.0 17

18 candidates putting their names forward and the new reps were announced as Bill Duncan (Bank of Scotland, Perth) and Susan Kesley (Currie and Balerno). Michael McCreadie (Braehead Wheelchair) continued to be an active member of the WCF Athletes Commission and Willie Nicoll (Bank of Scotland, Fife) continued to play a key role on the WCF Governance Commission. Bruce Crawford (Abbotsford Curling Society) was appointed to chair a European Zonal group for wheelchair curling and Bob Kelly (Reform) continues as a rep. This work is supported by UK Sport through the international relations department and particular thanks are due to Chris Harvey for support and advice. Marketing & Communications Stuart McLean (Marketing Officer) The marketing focus this season was on utilising and refining the systems and processes which were developed in time for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games including the Try Curling and Scottish Curling Trust websites, competition line scoring system and range of promotional and development resources. A new marketing plan will be drawn up in line with the RCCC Strategic Plan to inform initiatives and direction going forward. Marketing continued to support all departments of the RCCC with resources and strategic help, a highlight being the launch of the new Curling s Cool logo which was applied to certificates, product giveaways and promotions across the programme. The inclusion of a new title sponsor for the Scottish Curling Senior Championships (see Fundraising), provided an opportunity to draw on our in-house graphic design expertise in the production of a creative new range of promotional materials. This was a useful exercise in trialling new products and ideas which could be rolled out across other events. The Marketing and Communications Committee met on a regular basis and minutes are available on the RCCC website. The Marketing Officer also attended committee meetings for the 2015 Indoor Grand Match to offer support and ensure the requirements of its new title sponsorship deal (see Fundraising) are delivered. Marketing was involved in the creation of the WCF bid document, which resulted in Scotland being awarded four international curling championships from , sourcing much of the photography and providing design input, proof reading and copy writing services. We were then involved in organising the press launch at the Hydro in Glasgow which resulted in significant media coverage. Communications Coverage of over 110 competitions was achieved through weekly previews, live line scoring, session by session updates, reporting and features on the RCCC website, social media outlets, member ezine, and/or local and national press. We are very grateful to the volunteers across the country that provide reports, photography and live scores to help us deliver this comprehensive coverage. For our national and international championships we continue to invest in additional support from journalists and photographers to ensure reportage can be delivered in a timely and professional manner. A two year extension was confirmed by BBC Sport Scotland for coverage of the Scottish Curling Championships ( ). In 2015 this comprised live online coverage of the finals followed by two one hour highlights programmes on BBC 2 Scotland the following week which were then available on BBC iplayer for one month. A design refresh was carried out on the member ezine Your Curler which this year featured more interactivity with links to additional content on the RCCC website, particularly useful for in depth RCCC Annual Report v1.0 18

19 competition reporting. The structure was reformatted to bring Clubs & Rinks to the forefront of the ezine and a new online form was created to make it easy for clubs and members to submit articles online. Subscription continues to rise, 8% up this year, to just under 10,000. Significant content updates were made to the RCCC website to ensure it remains current and up to date. A website/network restructure was arranged to separate the main RCCC website from the microsite network which addressed some performance and security issues. A photo gallery function was added to the news section of the website to allow us to share the event photos we commission or have access to. Some improvements were made to the administration of the Try Curling website to save time when adding sessions making it more dynamic in both front and back end and a new club search filter added. Fundraising We were delighted to continue our long standing partnerships with Tullis Russell, Scotland s Official Team Sponsors for European and World Championships and Official Paper Supplier and Asham, title sponsors of the Under 14, Under 17 and Under 21 Slams which continue to grow from strength to strength. The William Grant and Sons owned brand, O.V.D. Dark Rum, was introduced as title sponsor of the 2015 Scottish Curling Senior Championships. This was a one year agreement but it is hoped that this partnership will continue going forward following a review of what was widely acclaimed as a successful event. Alan Steel Asset Management was welcomed as title sponsors of the 2015 Indoor Grand Match and work has already begun on delivering the benefits of the contract and engaging the curling community. Holiday Inn Express Perth became Official Accommodation Providers for the 2015 Scottish Curling Championships and provided all accommodation for RCCC staff and officials for the duration of the event and a discount offer to RCCC members. Following a productive three year partnership as title sponsors of the Scottish Curling Championships, The Co-operative Funeralcare chose not to renew their agreement and we were unable to secure a new sponsor in time for the 2015 event. We also thank A.M. Ross Family Foundation for their generous support after concluding their sponsorship of the Curling s Cool programme after three years. A revised rate card was published online for season and we continue to attract advertising revenues through the RCCC websites and member ezine. A reprint of the Scottish Curling Trust s Legacy Leaflet was issued and distributed in the annual membership postal mailing for the second year running. This is a long term fundraising initiative which we hope will benefit the sport in years to come. Performance Barbara McFarlane (Performance Development Coach) The Performance Foundation and Royal Club Academy are Scottish Development Programmes supported by The Royal Caledonian Curling Club and British Curling Performance Programme. We aim to direct support to athletes/teams who are fully committed to a Development Programme with the prospect and ultimate outcome of being able to medal at World level. RCCC Annual Report v1.0 19

20 Performance Foundation 10 men (2 teams; Mouat and Taylor) and 8 women (2 teams; G. Aitken and H. Smith) were supported through Performance Foundation. Delivery of the programme was through weekly on-ice individual and team training. Athletes received additional support services through sportscotland by individualised Strength and Conditioning programmes, nutrition, sports psychology and performance lifestyle advice. Bruce Mouat and Gina Aitken s Performance Foundation teams were successful at the Scottish Curling Junior Championships. Team Aitken went on to gain a silver medal and Team Mouat winning bronze at the World Junior Curling Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. Team Hazel Smith represented Great Britain at the Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain. Royal Club Academy (RCA) 8 men (2 teams; Bryce and Brydone) and 8 women (2 teams; K. Aitken and Murray) were supported by RCA. A successful training day was held at The Peak in Stirling at the start of the season and weekly on-ice sessions have been held at 6 ice rinks being delivered by local RCCC qualified coaches. All four teams had an identified team coach or coaches for the full season who analysed each game using the icurl video and stat computer program and assisted with their game debriefs. Regular contact was maintained between the Performance Development Coach, Technical Coach and Team Coach. This ensured each athlete received the correct support and developed their skills on the following key elements:- Technical delivery and shot making Tactics Sweeping Team Dynamics All four RCA teams competed in the European Junior Curling Tour events in Braehead and Oslo, Norway. Brydone and Murray also competed in Thun, Switzerland. It was the first time some of the athletes had competed abroad and they gained a lot of experience and knowledge. Thank You It is important that we thank those individuals who commit so much of their time as we continuously try to improve the Scottish Curling Development programmes. In particular I would like to thank all the coaches, committee members, support providers, and ice rinks; we greatly appreciate your dedication and assistance in the delivery of our programme. RCCC Annual Report v1.0 20

21 Results of National & RCCC Competitions 2014/2015 SCOTTISH CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS Men (Inverness) (Lockerbie) Winners: Ewan MacDonald Runners-up: David Murdoch Duncan Fernie Greg Drummond Ruairidh Greenwood Scott Andrews Euan Byers Michael Goodfellow Women (Perth) (Lockerbie) Winners: Eve Muirhead Runners-up: Hannah Fleming Anna Sloan Lorna Vevers Vicki Adams Alice Spence Sarah Reid Abigail Brown SCOTTISH CURLING JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Men (Murrayfield) (Hamilton) Winners: Bruce Mouat Runners-up: Kyle Waddell Duncan Menzies Callum Kinnear Derrick Sloan Cameron Smith Angus Dowell Craig Waddell Women (Murrayfield) (Elgin) Winners: Gina Aitken Runners-up: Lesley Young Naomi Brown Amy MacDonald Rowena Kerr Louise Joiner Rachel Hannen Beth Dandie O.V. D. SCOTTISH CURLING SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Men (Perth) (Border) Winners: David Hay Runners-up: Keith Prentice Norman Brown Lockhart Steele Gordon Muirhead Robert Anderson Hugh Aitken Tommy Fleming Mike Hay Women (Aberdeen) (Stranraer) Winners: Kay Gibb Runners-up: Christine Cannon Carol Scott Margaret Richardson Elinor Ritchie Isobel Hannen Margaret Archer Janet Lindsay SCOTTISH CURLING WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONSHIP Delivered by SWCA Winners: Gregor Ewan Runners-up: Rosemary Lenton Jim Gault Hugh Nibloe Tom Killin Daniel Cowan Jim Sellar Gill Keith RCCC Annual Report v1.0 21

22 SCOTTISH CURLING MIXED CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: (Border) Runners-up: (Hamilton) Cameron Bryce Craig Waddell Katie Murray Heather Morton Bobby Lammie Cameron Smith Sophie Jackson Jodie Milroy SCOTTISH CURLING MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: Lee McCleary Runners-up: Logan Gray Judith McCleary Lauren Gray SCOTTISH CURLING PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: (Ayr) Runners-up: (Galleon) Robert Clark David Mundell Murray Stevenson Douglas Reid SCOTTISH CURLING SENIOR MIXED CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: (East Kilbride) Runners-up: (Stranraer) Archie Craig Jim Cannon Marion Craig Christine Cannon Robin Aitken Peter Wilson Yvonne Aitken Anne Wilson David Hardie SCOTTISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: (Stranraer Academy 1) Runners-up: (Forfar Academy) Euan Kyle Hailey Duff Stewart Kyle Craig Paterson Brendan Todd Bruce Keillor Katie McMillan Euan Maguire NATIONAL MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS Men (Kinross) (Ayr) Winners: Sandy Nelson Runners-up: Gavin Hamilton Willie Patterson Allan Forrest Alan Barr Donnie Smith George McNaughton Robert Wilson Euan Lawrence Women (Border) (Lanarkshire) Winners: Margaret A Robertson Runners-up: Margaret Robertson Venetia Scott Christine Hamilton Gillian Smith Christine Smellie Liz Cullen Teresa Hill ASHAM UNDER 21 SLAM Men Women Winners: Ross Whyte Winners: Katie Murray James Baird Sophie Jackson Gavin Barr Hailey Duff Euan Kyle Ellie Fraser RCCC Annual Report v1.0 22

23 ASHAM UNDER 17 SLAM Slam Women Winners: Ross Whyte Winners: Mairi MacDonald Kerr Sands Lucy Morton Callum Kinnear Leeanne McKenzie Euan Kyle Nicola Joiner ASHAM UNDER 14 SLAM Slam Winners: James Craik Angus Bryce Matthew McKenzie Campbell White HENDERSON BISHOP TROPHY Winners: (Murrayfield 1) Runners-up: (Border 2) Jenny Barr Fiona Hodge Susan Kesley Helen Forbes Fran Stretton Anne McAulay Morna Aitken Maggie Wright Cherrystone Trophy Low Road Winners: (Dumfries) Runners-up: (Lanarkshire 1) Naomi Whyte Marion MacDonald Fiona Telfer Mhairi Baird Caroline Donaldson Jackie Craig Sarah Wood Caroline Morrison DOUBLE RINK CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: Reform Runners-up: Musketeers MAXWELL TROPHY Winners: Ayr Runners-up: Lockerbie MORTON TROPHY Winners: Ayr Runners-up: Kinross RINK CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: Dewars 1 Runners-up: The Peak (Dunning) (Keir) Ian Watt Lee McCleary Paul Martin Judith McCleary David Hay Gavin Fleming Mark Watt Andrew McAughtrie Greig Marshall SCOTTISH JUNIOR CURLING CLUB CHALLENGE JUNIOR CHALLENGE DIVISION 1 Winners: Dumfries Runners-up: Forfar A JUNIOR CHALLENGE DIVISION 2 Winner: Kinross Runners-up: Hamilton A JUNIOR CHALLENGE DIVISION 3 Winners: Ayr Runners-up: Kinross B RCCC Annual Report v1.0 23

24 SCOTTISH PROVINCE CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: Strathmore Runners-up: Scottish Central (St Martins) (Keir) Peter Smith Lee McCleary Graham Cormack Judith McCleary Alan Chalmers Barbara McFarlane Robin Niven Andrew McAughtrie Low Road Winners: Stirlingshire 2 Runners-up: Moray (Kilsyth) (Ardclach) John Davie Neil MacArthur Neil Murray Ally Fraser Billy Johnston Ruairidh Greenwood Billy Beattie Neil Campbell SIR RICHARD WALDIE-GRIFFITH INTER-PROVINCE CUP Winners: Renfrewshire (Twelfth) Province NEWCOMERS TROPHY Winners: (Waterfront) Tim Hof Eva Welsh Callum McLain Stuart Robson FUNSPIEL UNDER 13 Winners: (Dumfries) Hamish Gallacher Isla Black Andrew Murray Mollie Milligan FUNSPIEL UNDER 15 Winners: (Hamilton 2) James Hair Ross Muir Dan Marsh Ross Owen NATIONAL VIRTUAL CLUB CHALLENGE Winners: (Braehead) Runners-up: (Edinburgh 2) George Elliott Kirsteen Higgins Sandra Goldie Barbara Gillespie George Barron Helen Maxwell Alison Brunger Alisdair Dawson SKILL AWARDS CHALLENGE Winners: (Forfar 2) Runners-up: (Hamilton 2) James Craik James Hair Angus Redford Kerr Waddell Ross Craik Daniel Marsh Katy Kirk Michael Barr RCCC Annual Report v1.0 24

25 Roll of Honour Players who represented Scotland and GB during the 2014/2015 season 11th Ewan MacDonald Duncan Fernie Ruairidh Greenwood Euan Byers David Murdoch WORLDS 4th Eve Muirhead Anna Sloan Vicki Adams Sarah Reid Lauren Gray BRONZE Bruce Mouat Duncan Menzies Derrick Sloan Angus Dowell Bobby Lammie WORLD JUNIORS SILVER Gina Aitken Naomi Brown Rowena Kerr Rachel Hannen Karina Aitken 5th Gordon Muirhead Norman Brown David Hay Hugh Aitken Michael Hay WORLD SENIORS 7th Kay Gibb Carol Scott Elinor Ritchie Margaret Archer Judith Carr WORLD WHEELCHAIR 8th Aileen Neilson Gregor Ewan Jim Gault Angie Malone Hugh Nibloe WORLD MIXED DOUBLES 19th Judith McCleary Lee McCleary MEN BRONZE Kyle Smith Stuart Taylor Thomas Muirhead Grant Hardie Alasdair Schreiber WORLD UNIVERSIADE WOMEN 7th Heather Morton Hazel Smith Rachel Halliday Laura Ritchie Angharad Ward (ENG) RCCC Annual Report v1.0 25

26 7th David Edwards John Penny Scott Macleod Billy Morton Tom Brewster EUROPEANS BRONZE Eve Muirhead Anna Sloan Vicki Adams Sarah Reid Lauren Gray EUROPEAN MIXED 4th Kyle Smith Hannah Fleming Billy Morton Alice Spence RCCC Annual Report v1.0 26

27 The Royal Caledonian Curling Club Cairnie House, Ingliston Showground Newbridge, Midlothian EH28 8NB Tel: Fax: A company Limited by Guarantee without a share capital Registered in Scotland under company number SC Registered Office: J&H Mitchell WS. 51 Atholl Road, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5BY RCCC Annual Report v1.0 27