Last updated: Sept. 6, 2008 Table Of Contents League Background Registration Teams Fees Payment Deadlines Spares Pools League Website Playoffs Awards Banquet Western Cup 25 Curling Clinic Equipment Needed League Rules Curling Etiquette League Organizers

League Background

Apollo Curling began in 1991. That's over fifteen great years of fun, sportsmanship, and good friends. If you haven't already, why don't you make plans to come out and play with us next season? With more than 120 members, it's a great opportunity to meet people in a great game that is easy to learn. Male or female, new player or veteran, young or old, it's one of the best sports that Apollo has to offer!

The 18th season of Apollo Curling will begin on October 18, 2008, with the same general format as last year. Games are at the North Hill Curling Club (1201 - 2 Street N.W.) with two draws on Saturdays: 2:20 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Registration

Registration will be open on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 at 12:01 am.

Click here for more information.

Individual registrants will be placed on teams where space is available. Priority will be given to team registrations.

Teams

Teams can be comprised of 4 or 5 regular players. In the event that a team wins prizes or medals, it will be based on a 4 member team.

Although the game is played with only 4 players, the advantage of having a 5th player is that there is a 'permanent spare' available who is able to play any position on that team. In contrast, a spare player taken from the spare list or from another team must always play in the lead position.

All regular players pay full fees, and as such they receive full benefits such as the Christmas party social, Awards Banquet and are eligible for prize money if his or her team qualifies.

Fees

Apollo League fees are estimated at $175.00 per person. An exact figure will be determined once registration is complete.

All regular curlers must be members of Apollo.

Annual Apollo dues ($15 per person) are in addition to the league fees.

The league fees include ice time, the Christmas social, and a subsidy towards the Awards Banquet meal. There is no concession for prize money in that amount. All prize money will be raised through fundraising throughout the season.

Payment Deadline

All players are expected to be fully paid-up by November 8, 2008. Any teams who have any players in arrears after this date, will be charged a late fee of $25 and not receive any points for games played until their dues are paid.

Spares

The League Organizers will maintain a spare list, however spares do not HAVE to be taken from that list. Each spare (who is not a fully paid regular player) must pay a fee of $10.00 per game. The team is required to submit the $10.00 at the end of the game. Any team using a spare player and not paying the fee will not receive points for their game.

Pools

At the beginning of the season, the teams will be seeded into pools based on their performance in the 2007/2008 season. If there is no history for the team, the seeding will be at the discretion of the organizers.

The point structure for each pool will be as follows:

After each round-robin set, the top two teams from the Princess, Prince and Queen pools will move up to the next higher pool, and the bottom two teams from the King, Queen, and Prince pools 1, 2, 3 and 4 will move down to the next lower pool. The middle three teams in all pools, as well as the top two teams in the King pool and bottom two teams in the Princess pool will stay in their current pool.

The points for each team are accumulated throughout the season and used to seed teams into the playoff, as well as determine the winner of the round-robin play.

League Website

All players will have access to a password protected website containing player contact information, game schedules, point totals, standing within the pools, and fundraising schedules. Players who do not have access to the internet can get this information from a team-mate, or can request the information from the League Organizers on an ad-hoc basis.

Playoffs

At the end of all the round-robin games, playoffs will be held. The teams will be ranked according to their cumulative round-robin point total for the season and seeded accordingly.

Awards Banquet and AGM

After the completion of the playoffs, an Awards Banquet and Annual General Meeting will be held. Depending on the level of fundraising achieved throughout the season, the top twelve teams in the league will receive prize money. It is also planned to award prize money to the team with the highest cumulative point total in the round-robin games.

Western Cup

Western Cup is an annual sporting competition that is held on the Easter Weekend. There are several sports represented which attract competitors from across Canada and parts of the USA. Registration for this bonspiel will begin in January 2009.

Curling Clinic

APOLLO CLINIC
A 'Learn to Curl' clinic will be offered on October 4, 2008. This clinic is open to anyone. There are two levels offered. Level 1 is for beginners who have little or no experience playing the game, and Level 2 is an intermediate course for players who would like some skills development. Pre-registration for the clinic is required. Cost is $5.00 per person. Contact the League Organizers for more details.

Equipment Required

There are two essential pieces of equipment required for curling: a curling broom and proper footwear. Curling shoes can be purchased from a pro-shop at a curling rink, however clean running shoes and a slip-on slider are usually adequate. Brooms and sliders can be rented from the curling rink, however it is recommended that you purchase your own. It is suggested that you wear comfortable (loose fitting) pants, and a warm top (sweatshirt, sweater or jacket).

Apollo Curling League Rules

1. League play is by the CCA rules - Free Guard Zone Rule: The first four stones cannot be removed if they are guards. They can be moved, but not taken out. If the opponent's stone takes out a guard in the first four plays then the opponent's rock is removed and the one taken out is replaced.
2. Only thirds and skips may sweep stones past the T-Line. A team can only sweep a stone of the opposing colour past the T-Line, and only one person (either third or skip) can sweep the opposing stone.
3. Stones that are touched or moved inadvertently during delivery are considered "burned". The stone should be removed before it reaches the house. A stone that has been inadvertently moved after play has ended should be returned to its original position to the agreement of both skips.
4. Stones may not be touched in any manner after delivery. Any touched stones must be removed. If a team throws a stone of the wrong colour, that stone is burned and must be removed.
5. If two stones are close to each other in scoring position, either skip or third may request that the stones be measured. If the two stones in question are EXACTLY the same distance from the button, they cancel each other out. The next closest stone is the shot stone. The total points scored in this case would not include the stones that have cancelled each other out.
6. Under the CCA Rule, a hog line violation occurs when a player has not fully released the stone before it touches the hog line. This violation must be called before the next stone is thrown and the stone is considered to be burned.
7. A stone must fully cross the hog line at the far end of the sheet to remain in play.
8. Brooms should be in good condition to avoid shedding. A request may be made to replace any broom that is shedding excessively.
9. Spares must curl the lead position (or the lead and second if there are two spares).
10. Two regular team members must be present to avoid forfeit of a game.
11. If a team is late by 10 minutes, the late team will relinquish hammer and lose one point; 10 - 20 minutes late will result in another point lost. Any game delayed by more than 20 minutes is deemed to be forfeit by the late team.
12. Skips are responsible for determining prior to game play if games played in an unconventional manner (ie. the loan of a player, started after fifteen minutes, etc) are to be recreational or count for league play.
13. Skips are responsible for advising their opposing skip and the League Organizers of a no-show at a reasonable time in advance.
14. A spare is allowed to play the lead or second position only.
15. All games are a maximum of eight ends. A buzzer will go off 25 minutes prior to the game finish time, at which point all teams may complete the end in progress and one additional end. An end is in progress once the first stone of the end has crossed the near T-line and ends when the last stone of the end has come to rest. If the buzzer sounds between ends, only one more end shall be played.
16. Only clean footwear is allowed on the ice. Smoking, food and alcohol are prohibited in the ice area.

Curling Etiquette

Only skips and thirds should stand at the end of the ice. Leads and seconds should remain between the two hog lines.

The third is responsible for judgement calls on scoring. This includes measuring questionable rocks, placing the score on the board, and agreeing on the points scored.

When the opposing team is throwing, brooms should be kept off the ice to avoid distraction.

After your shot has been thrown, please move off the centre of the ice so that the other team can prepare their shot.

Keep an eye on the time, ends should take roughly 15 minutes each.

Emphasizing the social nature of the sport, it is the custom that the winning team buys the losing team a round after the game.

League Organizers

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the following: