Coaching Kids Curling Glenn Gabriel

No matter which club or facility you curl at, the start of the season is an exciting time. Chances are it’s been a few months since you last saw the kids in your program, not to mention the volunteers and parents. And with your first practice approaching quickly, you’re thinking about what you need to do to prepare for “Day One."

In this episode, I have a conversation with two youth program organizers from Ontario: Abbie Darnley from the Stroud Curling Club and Maggie Dame from the Ilderton Curling Club. The three of us share what we do to get ready for the new season and what to expect on that first day.

Some of the topics we discuss:
* Background information about our clubs, youth programs and start dates (2:20)
* Question #1: What's one thing you do to prepare for your youth program in advance of "Day One"? (7:05)
* Question #2: What's one thing that a new youth coach can expect on Day One? (18:59)
* Maggie's first-ever "Day One" last season (24:11)
* Do we check equipment prior to Day One? (29:41)
* Snacks! (32:02)
* Where do we get our volunteers? (35:46)
* How will we know that Day One is a success? (39:51)
* The 2023 is in London, Ontario, which is near the Ilderton CC (42:34)

Links to the resources mentioned in this episode:

Ilderton (Ont.) Curling Club
https://ildertoncurlingclub.com/

Ilderton (ON) Junior Program e-mail address: juniors@ildertoncurlingclub.com

Stroud Curling Club (Innisfil, ON)
https://stroudcc.com/

Brier 2023
https://www.curling.ca/2023brier/

Follow our podcast on Twitter: @kidscurling

Glenn Gabriel is an NCCP-certified curling coach who lives in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been the coordinator of the Little Rocks (U12) program at East York Curling Club in Toronto since 2011. If you have a question or feedback on the podcast, send us an e-mail at coachingkidscurling@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is "Golden Sunrise (Instrumental Version)"
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/The_Wake_1790/JoshWoodward-TheWake-NoVox-10-GoldenSunrise

By Josh Woodward
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward

Licensed under CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

What’s happening with Coach Glenn and his Little Rocks program this season? In this episode, he tells you about his club's recent Open House as well as his curling plans this fall, including an update about the podcast!

Links to the resources mentioned in this episode:

East York Curling Club (Toronto, ON) Web site:
East York Curling Club - Home

Follow our podcast on Twitter: @kidscurling

Glenn Gabriel is an NCCP-certified curling coach who lives in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been the coordinator of the Little Rocks (U12) program at East York Curling Club in Toronto since 2011. If you have a question or feedback on the podcast, send us an e-mail at coachingkidscurling@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is "Golden Sunrise (Instrumental Version)"
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/The_Wake_1790/JoshWoodward-TheWake-NoVox-10-GoldenSunrise

By Josh Woodward
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward

Licensed under CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This podcast episode uses: "buttonchime02up.wav"
By JustinBW of Freesound.org (http://Freesound.org)

What does youth curling look like in Scotland? In this episode, I have a conversation with Scott Dakers, from Livingston, Scotland, just outside of Edinburgh. We talk about his experience working with the Gogar Park Young Curlers at Curl Edinburgh, the competitive pathway, as well as how success in Beijing affected their junior program.

Some of the topics we discuss:
* An introduction to the junior curling program at Curl Edinburgh (2:59)
* Who coaches the kids on the ice? (8:48)
* How do new kids join their program? (13:27)
* Three fun drills ("Your Side," "Short Curling" & "Box") for kids (19:18)
* Advice for coaches who want to use video with kids (21:52)
* The "Performance Pathway" for competitive curlers (24:51)
* Young curlers play with many other curlers at different competitions (28:03)
* Importance of having coaches on the ice during youth competitions (31:31)
* Scott's "It's My Call" Drill where they visualize the shot they're making (32:47)
* Effect of Scottish success at the Beijing 2022 Olympics on Scott's junior program (35:53)

Links to the resources mentioned in this episode:

Curl Edinburgh Web site
https://www.edinburghcurling.co.uk/

Gogar Park Young Curlers FB Web site
https://www.facebook.com/Gogar-Park-Young-Curlers-163371907682343/

"Ice Diamond Award" citation for Jenny Barr ( 2022 Scottish Curling Awards)
https://www.scottishcurling.org/2022-scottish-curling-awards-make-your-vote-count/

Scottish Curling Skill Awards
https://www.scottishcurling.org/development/junior-curling/skill-awards/

"Drills & Coaching Aids" Resource Page (Scottish Curling Web site)
https://www.scottishcurling.org/resources/coaching-resources/drills-coaching-aids/

British Curling Performance Pathway
https://www.britishcurling.org.uk/about/performance-pathway/

Scott's E-mail Address: scottdakers@aol.com

Follow our podcast on Twitter: @kidscurling

Glenn Gabriel is an NCCP-certified curling coach who lives in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been the coordinator of the Little Rocks (U12) program at East York Curling Club in Toronto since 2011. If you have a question or feedback on the podcast, send us an e-mail at coachingkidscurling@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is "Golden Sunrise (Instrumental Version)"
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/The_Wake_1790/JoshWoodward-TheWake-NoVox-10-GoldenSunrise

By Josh Woodward
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward

Licensed under CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In the Spring of 2022, Curling Canada introduced the “All Heart Junior Curler Award.” Young people are encouraged to create curling programs that focus on diversity and inclusivity. The 8 winners will receive a monetary award that is split between themselves and their club.

In this episode, I have a conversation with Karsten Sturmay of Edmonton, Alberta. We talk about how he got involved with the creation of this award, how it differs from the "For The Love of Curling" scholarships, and what his curling plans are for next season.

Some of the topics we discuss:
* A Diversity & Inclusivity Program Plan is part of the application for this award (2:51)
* What type of "diversity" are they seeking? (8:17)
* How it differs from the "For The Love Of Curling" Scholarships (12:30)
* What can applicants to do increase their odds? (16:01)
* Why are the awards called the "All Heart" awards? (18:24)
* Karsten's involvement with Kidsport Alberta (24:07)
* Curling programs are eligible for Kidsport funding! (27:27)
* What Team Karsten Sturmay will look like in 2022-23 (28:40)
* What Karsten likes to do in the curling off-season (31:42)

Links to the resources mentioned in this episode:

All Heart Junior Curlers Awards (Curling Canada Web site)
https://www.curling.ca/foundation/youth-scholarships/

Kidsport Canada
https://kidsportcanada.ca/

Karsten's Social Media
TW & IG: @k_sturmay

Team Karsten Sturmay
FB: @TeamKarstenSturmay
TW & IG: @ Team_Sturmay

Follow our podcast on Twitter: @kidscurling

Glenn Gabriel is an NCCP-certified curling coach who lives in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been the coordinator of the Little Rocks (U12) program at East York Curling Club in Toronto since 2011. If you have a question or feedback on the podcast, send us an e-mail at coachingkidscurling@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is "Golden Sunrise (Instrumental Version)"
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/The_Wake_1790/JoshWoodward-TheWake-NoVox-10-GoldenSunrise

By Josh Woodward
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward

Licensed under CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In October of 2020, the Coaches Association of Ontario launched a Web site called "Safe Sport 101." This month, the CAO has launched an 8-part e-learning series as a follow-up to that Web site. In this episode, I welcome back Eric McLoughlin to learn more about this series.

Some of the topics we discuss:
* What is "Safe Sport" and why is it important for coaches? (1:52)
* What is the "Safe Sport 101 Playbook"? (5:27)
* A deeper dive into one of the modules, "Punishment & Discipline" (10:32)
* An example from the TV show "Ted Lasso" (12:15)
* An example from Eric's own curling experience! (14:55)
* The essence of coaching (18:03)
* A practical exercise for fostering positive team dynamics (22:00)
* What is the CAO and its mandate? (27:37)
* What part of Eric's curling game does he want to improve next season? (31:02)

Links to the resources mentioned in this episode:

"Safe Sport 101 Playbook" Web site:
https://safesport101.coachesontario.ca/playbook/

"Safe Sport 101: A New Resource For Coaches With CAO's Eric McLoughlin" - Ep. 28 of Coaching Kids Curling (Oct 25/20)
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1048435/6045700

"Lessons From 'Ted Lasso' With Kim Tuck & Sean Stevinson" - Ep. 82 of Coaching Kids Curling (Apr 17/22)
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1048435/10455818

Eric's E-mail Address: ericm@coachesontario.ca

CAO Phone Number: (416) 426-7086

Follow our podcast on Twitter: @kidscurling

Glenn Gabriel is an NCCP-certified curling coach who lives in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been the coordinator of the Little Rocks (U12) program at East York Curling Club in Toronto since 2011. If you have a question or feedback on the podcast, send us an e-mail at coachingkidscurling@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is "Golden Sunrise (Instrumental Version)"
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/The_Wake_1790/JoshWoodward-TheWake-NoVox-10-GoldenSunrise

By Josh Woodward
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward

Licensed under CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

May is #AsianHeritageMonth in Canada.  What's it like being a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person Of Colour) coach in a predominantly white sport? In this episode, Coach Glenn shares a personal story after reading a Facebook comment about diversity in curling.

Links to the resources mentioned in this episode:

"How We Can Make Curling A Truly Diverse Game/A Donnovan Bennett Essay" video from Sportsnet (May 6/22)
https://youtu.be/HiQ6ORC40Gk

Curling Canada Diversity & Inclusivity Web Page
https://www.curling.ca/diversity-inclusivity/

USA Curling Diversity & Inclusion Web Page
https://www.usacurling.org/diversity-inclusion

Black Rock Initiative Web Site
https://bricurling.ca/

Global Initiative For DEI In Curling Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/GlobalCurlingDEI/

Goldline Curling #UnitedWeCurl
https://blog.goldlinecurling.com/category/unitedwecurl/

"Changing The Face Of Curling" Symposium, Niagara Falls (May 26-28/22)
https://www.curling.ca/about-curling/business-of-curling/

Follow our podcast on Twitter: @kidscurling

Glenn Gabriel is an NCCP-certified curling coach who lives in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been the coordinator of the Little Rocks (U12) program at East York Curling Club in Toronto since 2011. If you have a question or feedback on the podcast, send us an e-mail at coachingkidscurling@gmail.com

The intro and outro music is "Golden Sunrise (Instrumental Version)"
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/The_Wake_1790/JoshWoodward-TheWake-NoVox-10-GoldenSunrise

By Josh Woodward
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward

Licensed under CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This podcast episode uses: "buttonchime02up.wav"
By JustinBW of Freesound.org (http://Freesound.org)