“Shuffle board on ice” is how Harry McDougall described stick curling to people who had never heard of the game, and, it must have resonated with them. Today, Harry is trying to figure out how to add a fourth shift to the Friday night Stick Curling League since all eight sheets are full on all three of their current shifts and demand continues to grow.
Believe it or not, three years ago the Thistle St. Andrew curling club in Saint John, New Brunswick didn’t even have a stick league. So, enquiring minds wanted to know how did you manage to pull off such a feat? How did you grow your sport so quickly? Where did the demand come from? How did you market the new league?
Harry explained that the idea began with a curling schedule that had nothing planned for Friday nights. The challenge was to find something that would attract new members of all ages, something that was fun and social and community-oriented. That’s when the idea of starting a stick league was formed.
Word of mouth was the most common method of spreading the work, posting to Facebook and asking people to share, and communicating with a couple of local businesses whose employees might want something different to do on a Friday night.
One night in early October, the club allocated two sheets of ice to Harry so that he could hold an open house for stick curling. No one can fathom how he managed to introduce stick curling to the 70 people who showed up to learn on just two sheets of ice but Harry is tenacious. Despite the odds of working under those conditions, Harry managed to create excitement and enthusiasm for stick curling and his stick curling league was born.
The enthusiasm of the new curlers carried over from the ice shed to the common area. Soon, a kitchen party immerged. A new Canadian from the Ukraine asked if she could cater to the Friday night crowd and soon the tantalizing food became an integral feature of the Friday night stick league. Shortly thereafter the instruments began appearing and good old Maritime kitchen party took on a life of its own.
The Friday night stick curling league continued to grow exponentially as its reputation for being a great way to spend a Friday night became more widely known. People from 19 to 90 signed up for the new league, wheelchair curlers signed up for the new league, with Harry adding new shifts to accommodate the growing demand. One, two, three shifts, with the fourth being added this year at 5:00 p.m. Friday evening.
Harry’s efforts have had a major impact at the Thistle St. Andrew club by bringing in many, many new members who support the club and not just through their membership fees. It goes without saying that Friday night’s bar is the biggest of the week.
Harry’s efforts have been great for Thistle St. Andrew but have also had a significant spillover effect in the province. This year’s provincial stick curling championships, held at the Thistle St. Andrew curling club, were the largest ever held in New Brunswick. Some of the new participants were former competitive players who thought their competitive days were behind them until they discovered the opportunities afforded by stick curling. Other participants were playing in their very first tournament and discovering how much fun it is to play with people from across the province. Giving hope to the future, a group of fervent new stick curlers decided to rent a bus a take a big group to next year’s provincial championships.
Stick curling has taken a strong foothold at Thistle St. Andrews and is being rejuvenated in New Brunswick. Best of all, it’s not just those of us who can no longer get into the hack that are switching to the stick, it’s young people looking for something different to do on a Friday night.
Who knew that shuffle board on ice would take off in such a big way and have so many positive outcomes for stick curling. So, what’s next for Harry? Well, it just so happens that Harry has turned his sights to hosting a national stick curling championship! Good luck with that Harry, and thank you for all that you have already accomplished.