! Words from the President

ISSUE 1 (OCTOBER 2014)
HK CURLING NEWS
Curling News
curling.org.hk
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名譽會長 Hon. President
艾丁頓 Christopher R Edginton, PhD
名譽副會長 Hon. Vice-Presidents
易洪陶 Yi HongTao
鄒振先 Zou ZhenXian
會長 President
李石樁 John SC Li, MA
副會長 Vice-Presidents
陳振權 C.K. Chan, MSW
伍建新 Ng Kin Sun, Drhc
譚建共 Brad JG Tan, EdD
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Words from the President
The establishment of the Hong Kong Curling Association (HKCuA) was
sparked by the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games and our “Dream Chasing”
追夢 officially began on 20 February 2014.
started from ground zero. Our only experience was watching the game on
TV. None of our friends around us play curling, not to mention that there are
no curling sheets in Hong Kong or curling equipment in local sports shops.
The past few months have been very exciting and productive.
名譽秘書 Hon. Secretary
吳家豪 Andy KH Ng, BSc
Since February 2014, the number
of curlers whom we know in Hong
Kong has grown from zero to an
auspicious number of nine.
Statistically speaking, the average
rate of increase is one curler per
month. But, we anticipate that
there will be an exponential
growth as it is a sport for Hong
Kong.
名譽司庫 Hon. Treasurer
周振光 Kelvin CK Chow, CPA
公共關係總監 Public Relations Director
譚家寶 AlvinTam, BEd, MEd
某體及製作總監 Media and Production
Director
溫耀驥 James G Wan, PMSM
香港冰壼學院總監 HK Curling Academy
Director
李石樁 John SC Li, MA
輪椅冰壼發展總監 Wheelchair Curling
Development Director
王瑞麟 Alan SL Wong, BA
社區冰壼發展總監 Community Curling
Development Director
李智豪 PsyHo Lee, BBA
企業冰壼發展總監 Corporate Curling
Development Director
梁紹強 Daniel SK Leung, MA
北美聯絡總監 Coordinator (US)
劉永強 Jason WK Lau, PhD
教育统籌主任 Education Coordinator
温天雄 Justin J Wan, MA
Like all other new sports, we
The vision of HKCuA in the initial stage is to develop curling in Hong Kong as
a social sport instead of an elite sport. Through this approach, we trust
people will very soon take up curling as a competitive sport and strive for
medals in the international arena. We are fully aware of the limited facilities
in this early stage of development. So, before curling becomes a full-swing
sport in Hong Kong, the Association is introducing floor curling, through
which players can learn about the basic rules of the game. Through
international network, support from local ice rinks, and the organisation of
overseas training, curling will gain momentum in Hong Kong. Curling will be
a sport-for-all.
HIGHLIGHTS
會員事務主任 Membership Affairs
Coordinator
魏安娜 Anna ON Ngai
冰壺裝備主任 Curling Pro Coordinator
曾梓俊 Nick TC Tsang
體適能顧問 Fitness & Wellness Advisor
伍中鈞 Patrick CK Ng, BSc
WCF training camp
(Prague)
3rd World Curling Congress in Reno, USA.
Posing in the picture are the Asia-Pacific
Zonal representatives.
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ISSUE 1 (OCTOBER 2014)
Scotland Curling
Exploration Trip (5 to 14 March 2014)
HK CURLING NEWS
Get Ready for
Curling
John and Antonia embarked on a 10-day curling exploration to Scotland,
which has been an eye-opening experience. It began with the courtesy visit
to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC) in Edinburgh, with Bruce
Crawford (CEO) and Judith McFarlane (Development Manager) giving an
overview of the curling environment in Scotland. They also visited the World
Curling Federation (WCF) in Perth where they met Mr Colin Grahamslaw
(Secretary General).
Kays of Scotland, the curling stone factory, was an interesting highlight. Mr
Bill Hunter, Factory Manager, walked them through the process from stone
cutting to polishing and finishing. Two curling stones were subsequently
procured as the foundation stones for HKCuA. Visits to various curling clubs
with different business models were also arranged. The clubs include
Braehead, Dewars, Inverness, Kinross, Murrayfield, The Peak.
John and Antonia also took their first curling lessons with Judith McFarlane
and Claire Milne from RCCC. The training revealed that curling demands
not only physique but also collective intelligence and teamwork. The curling
exploration has indeed been a journey filled with useful information and new
friendships. HKCuA is more confident that curling is a sport for Hong Kong
people and will actively promote it to the community.
2014 Beijing World Men’s
Curling Championship (21 March to 4 April 2014)
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A pair of curling shoes
From right to left: The non-slider shoe is for the
hack foot. The slider shoe has a
teflon sole. The slip-on gripper
renders the slider shoe nonslippery when player is not
delivering a stone.
John continued his curling study journey at the World Men’s Curling
Championship in Beijing one week after the Scotland trip. In his first week,
he witnessed how the two professional ice technicians from Canada, Mr
Hans R. Wuthrich and Mr Greg Ewasko, transformed the Beijing Capital
Stadium to a state-of-the-art curling arena.
What followed was the
competition amongst the eight national teams, which again was a first-time
experience for John.
The event also provided networking opportunities. New acquaintances
include Mr David Li (Secretary General, Chinese Curling Association), Ms
Kate Caithness (President, WCF), other WCF officials, coaches and athletes
from different national teams. Besides, John also visited the first curling
centre in China, the I-Sweep Curling Club in HuaiRou, where he met Mr
Justin Wei, Chairman of the Club and also the first investor of curling in
China. A group of media students from the Beijing University of Posts and
Telecommunications also conducted an interview with him as their study
project. Overall, the two-week visit has been a fruitful and productive trip.
HKCuA is the official local supplier of curling equipment
Curling broom or brush
The brush is to sweep the ice
surface to change the direction
and speed of the stone, and to
remove any dirt along the way of
delivery.
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ISSUE 1 (OCTOBER 2014)
HK CURLING NEWS
WCF Adult Curling Training Camp, Prague
(24 to 28 August 2014)
A total of 60 participants joined the WCF Adult Curling Training Camp in Prague,
Czech Republic in August. In the same group with the seven HKCuA members
(Andy, Anna, Daniel, John, Marry, Nick, and Sissy) were participants from other
countries including Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Switzerland.
Under the WCF coach, Mr Allen Coliban (Romania) and his assistant coach, Mr
Sergio Vez (Spain), members experienced a steep learning curve. Challenges
include slippery ice surface which begs for good body balance; the delivery posture
which requires flexibility and coordination; and the brush sweeping action which
demands for high intensity physique.
Andy balancing with the broom
ready to slide from the hack
Although members were novices, they all
managed to master the basic skills of
delivering the curling stone to the other end
of the house. The Hong Kong delegates even
participated in an in-house competition with
other more experienced teams. Although
they did not win the game, John earned the
“Best Spirit” prize in the group and was
awarded a new curling brush.
The happy graduates of the 4-day training in Allen’s Group
Four days of intensive training has not been
an easy task. But, despite the challenges and
sore muscles, all members enjoyed the camp
and developed friendship with curlers around
the world. Many members are planning to
join the Prague Adult Training Camp in 2015
again to improve their curling skills. For
those who would like to try curling, stay
tuned with our news!
3rd Reno World Curling Congress (4 to 8 September 2014)
John attended the 3rd World Curling Congress in Reno, Nevada, USA in
September. The Congress offered an opportunity to meet the representatives
from around the world and let Member Associations know about the latest
development of WCF. Conditional membership for HKCuA and Qatar were discussed and
considered by the Board of Directors, an important milestone for HKCuA
given that the Association has only been established for just half a year. At
the Congress, John invited the President of WCF, Ms Kate Caithness, OBE to
officiate the inauguration of HKCuA in October, and she has kindly accepted
the invitation.
Official sponsor for fitness training
Ms Kate Caithness (President of
WCF) and John at the Congress
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ISSUE 1 (OCTOBER 2014)
HK CURLING NEWS
Chuncheon International Wheelchair
Curling Bonspiel (26 to 28 September 2014)
Four members (Alan, Antonia, John and Mary) went to the Republic of
Korea to support the Chuncheon International Wheelchair Curling
Bonspiel. The Russian team won the championship and the two
Korean teams won the 1st and the 2nd runners up. Members also
attended the Wheelchair Curling Workshop offered by the two coaches
from the USA Curling Association.
This would definitely lay a
foundation for HKCuA to develop wheelchair curling in Hong Kong.
The four members also took time to practice curling. Alan, a first-time
curler, has quickly managed to master the basic skills. With the
assistance from the coaches and former national athletes in Korea, they
further improved their curling skills and made some new friends as
well.
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The skip of the Russian team indicating
where to aim for the next stone
Itinerary of 2014-15 Season
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Oct 2014
13 to 15
Visit of WCF President and Inauguration Ceremony of HKCuA
Nov 2014
1 to 6
World Wheelchair Curling Qualification (Lillehammer, Norway)
8 to 16
Asia-Pacific Curling Championships (Men’s and Women)
Karuizawa, Japan
20 to 30
Sports Media Trainee Programme (Champery, Switzerland)
24 to 27
Curling Training Camp (Shanghai, China) by HKCuA
28 to 8
World Junior Championships (Tallinn, Estonia)
7 to 14
World Wheelchair Curling Championship (Lohja, Finland)
19 to 22
Visit to Swiss Curling Association; practice indoor/outdoor curling
14 to 22
World Women’s Curling Championship (Sapporo, Japan)
28 to 5
Ford World Men’s Curling Championship (Halifax, Canada)
TBC
WCF Training: Curling Ice Technician, Umpire, Business
TBC
WCF Youth Curling Training Camp
23 to 27
WCF Adult Curling Training Camp (Prague, Czech Republic)
Dec - Jan 2014
Feb 2015
Mar - Apr 2015
Jul 2015
Aug 2015
Curling has a history of
over 470 years.
It can be traced back to
Scotland.
Curling is an official
medal sport in the Winter Olympic
Games
since 1992 and in other
major games.
Curling is an
inclusive sport
for people of all ages and
on wheelchair.
Editor: Antonia Yiu
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