Instituted March 1, 2009
Revised Jan 2023
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prevent the situation where a new team has been granted space in the league only to be told later that their space has been revoked in favour of a returning team.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. The deadline for teams to confirm this is April 30.
3.2 It is the team owner’s responsibility to register in the appropriate fixed league(s) electronically by the deadline of April 30th. It is the responsibility of at least one other player to register also by April 30 to qualify as a returning team.
3.3 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).
3.4 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 April 30 deadline.
3.5 If a waiting list for a given league has been created before the end of the season, it must be uploaded to the league’s information page on the members’ section of the website by the League Representative by April 30th or shortly thereafter and the Club Manager and Membership Director informed. Waitlists need to be kept current by League Representatives, so all interested parties (e.g., potential teams) have easy access to the latest information.
3.6 An email to skips/team owners will be sent by the end of May to all teams officially registered by the League Representative or designate.
3.7 Any new team can contact the club manager or the League Representative at any time before the start of the new curling season (October 1). These teams will be put directly onto the waiting list in the order that their registration is received. The new teams 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 at the Granite.
3.8 IMPORTANT: it should be made clear to them that if the skips do not respond and reserve their team space (by April 30) it will AUTOMATICALLY go to the first team on the waiting list and they will go to the bottom of the waiting list.
3.8.1 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.
3.9 Empty spaces in the leagues will be filled on a first-come, first-served principle. 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 league that the team is registering for, even if they were on another 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 Director of Membership 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 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 fall registration night, 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. 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 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 April 30 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, the split-off portion should be given the assured spot in the league.
7.3 The split-off portion will be considered new and will have to work its way back up to the top of the league.
