Instituted March 1, 2009
Revised March 26, 2026
Throughout this document “the deadline” refers to the date by which returning members must register to guarantee their spots in the league(s) that they played in in the prior season.
1.0 Objective
This policy deals with inconsistencies in team registration among the different leagues at the Granite Curling Club. Its implementation allows potential new members to the Granite to know early in the spring/summer if space is available for their team. It is designed to prevent the situation where a new team has been granted space in the league only to be told later that their space has been revoked in favour of a returning team.
2.0 Field of Application
The policy deals with full team registration, partial team registration, league waiting lists, league space holding, and team splitting. It applies to all fixed teams registering for league play at the club.
3.0 The Policy
3.1 All existing teams are assumed to be returning for the following year. Teams must confirm this by the same deadline as returning players.
3.2 It is the League Representative’s responsibility to contact the skip or team owner of any existing teams that haven’t registered by the end of the current curling season or to ensure that this is done. This is to verify if the team is returning and to get the players registered by the deadline.
3.3 IMPORTANT: it should be made clear to them that if the skips do not respond and reserve their team space by the deadline it will AUTOMATICALLY go to the first team on the waiting list and they will go to the bottom of the waiting list when they notify the league rep that they wish to join the league again.
3.3.1 If a league has a pre-defined plan for a competition / play-downs to populate the league, the teams failing to notify the league of their return MUST then use the competition process to try to re-enter the league (at the bottom level), as their space will have already been opened up for competition with the teams on the waiting list.
3.4 It is the team owner’s responsibility to register in the appropriate fixed league(s) electronically by the deadline. It is the responsibility of at least one other player to register also by
the deadline to qualify as a returning team.
3.5 The club strongly recommends that the team owner is also the skip. However, in some cases, teams may need to make another team member responsible for team registration (e.g., skip has not been identified at time of registration).
3.6 Every league must have a waiting list published on the league’s information page on the members’ section of the website by the League Representative. Waitlists need to be kept current by League Representatives, so all interested parties (e.g., potential teams) have easy access to the latest information.
3.7 Waiting list will be divided into 3 sections with teams being moved from the waiting list into the league from the top of the list. The 3 sections are:
1. Club members wishing to join a league that they did not participate in during the prior season.
2. Rookies Rock participants from the prior season.
3. Prospective club members with no previous club associations.
3.8 Any new team can contact the club manager or the League Representative at any time. These teams will be put directly onto the waiting list in the order that their registration is received in
the appropriate section.
3.9 Teams on the waiting list that have submitted registration in the spring will be contacted in May or June by the League Representative to let them know if there is space for them in that league for the coming season or not.
3.10 Teams / people on waiting lists must confirm that they wish to stay on the list before the deadline every year. Failure to do so will result in them being removed from the list.
3.11 Empty spaces in the leagues will be filled from the waiting list from the top down. It is general policy that teams enter a league through the lowest division. This should correspond to the order of the waiting list. Some special consideration should be given by the League Representative when the skill level of the team members is well above the others in the lowest division. A new team will not be allowed to enter the highest division under any circumstance.
4.0 Implementation
4.1 The Membership Director will circulate the policy to all League Representatives in timely fashion for registration to be completed on time.
4.2 Team registration must be done electronically by the skip/team owner. The other players on the team register individually for the league/event.
4.3 The League Representatives, Club Manager and Membership Director will stay well-connected during this process to ensure that teams do not slip through the cracks and that everyone has followed the process and has paid the minimum amount to secure a spot in the league. This will be done through the month of April through early May. Following this verification, an official waiting list will be maintained by League Representatives. League Representatives will then be sent a membership list by the Membership Director.
4.4 League Representatives are free to delegate tasks described here to other members of their league. (e.g., Day Ladies has a Rink Committee)
5.0 Returning Teams and Splitting Teams
5.1 A team will be considered an acceptable returning team, or new split team, if 2 or more team members were members of the same team in the prior season. In the case of doubles curling, a single league player can start a new split team. This is meant to allow for movement of players between teams from one season to the next without penalty.
6.0 Registering a team
6.1 A team should not be pressured with the idea that if they do not have a full team, it could lose its spot in the league. This is not required.
6.2 A team with 3 players can register and look for a fourth player.
6.3 A team with 2 players can also register but it should be discussed with the League Representative and the Membership Director and the skip or team owner, should have some idea of who the other members of the team will be.
6.4 It is not possible for a team to hold a spot in the league with only one member (except in doubles curling) unless there are extenuating circumstances decided upon by the Membership Director and the League Representative. The decision must be documented in writing and maintained by the League Representative to avoid confusion.
6.5 If a registered team (with fewer than 4 players) is not able to find the extra players by September 15 th . The Granite expects the team to follow one of the three options:
6.5.1 withdraw from the league
6.5.2 ask for members who have registered individually to be placed on the team
6.5.3 keep looking for players with the proviso that if, at the start of the curling season there are not 4 players, individually registered members may be placed on their team by the League Representative.
6.6 Changes to team ownership or skips can occur throughout the year or after registration if the above rules are followed and that at least 2 existing members remain (or 1 existing member in the case of doubles curling). The League Representative should be informed of changes on a timely basis to ensure that they adhere to the policy.
7.0 Team Splitting
7.1 This is where an existing team has split up and will fill two teams with different members. Frequently they both will stay in the same league. In some cases, one part of the split has no desire to continue play in the league.
7.2 To be considered eligible as part of a split team players must be from the core 4 members of the original team. Additional team members (5 th / 6 th ) are not eligible to be the new core of a split team.
7.3 In conjunction with the Team Registration Policy, the team owner will retain the existing space in the league. The split-off portion of the team will be added to the waiting list. By registering their team by the deadline, they will be added to the waiting list in such an order as to not lose their space to a new team, but to also not overtake another split-off team that had registered sooner. If the team owner is the one that does not want to return to the league, team ownership will be transferred to a returning team member and the split-off portion should be given the assured spot in the league.
7.4 The split-off portion will be considered new and will have to work its way back up to the top of the league.
