Juniors

The St. Vital Curling Club (SVCC) Junior Program is one of the finest programs available to young curlers in the Winnipeg area. Founded on the principles of fun and fundamentals, coupled with a strong belief in parents approval and participation, the SVCC Junior Program has provided junior curlers with an atmosphere of excellence and appreciation for more than 40 years.

The goal of the program is to provide a fun and safe environment in which to develop sound fundamental curling skills, appreciate curling etiquette, and to develop new friendships.

In providing for this, the SVCC Junior Program also caters to young curlers who wish to develop their skills and focus on more competitive junior play, with many of the teams in the program participating in the Manitoba junior bonspiel circuit.

2024 - 2025 Highlights

• Return to Competition: Participated in the Hit Draw Tap club competition with follow-up training in preparation for regionals.
• Strong Regional Performance: Over 15 curlers qualified from St. Vital, sweeping all three age categories and advancing to provincials during the Viterra.
• Program Expansion: Successfully introduced the Curl To Win Program, offering voluntary sessions focused on strategy and competitive play, featuring guest speakers from the curling community.
• Bonspiel Success: Multiple junior teams competed in U13 and U15 bonspiels with notable success, including a team that consistently placed or won in U15 events and debuted in an MJCT U18 event.
• Provincial Representation: Several teams competed in U18 provincials, showcasing the depth of talent in the program.
• Rockfest Achievements: Strong showing at the U15 Rockfest Prairies with both first and second place finishes coming from Sunday competitive league curlers. Strong participation from SVCC also noted in Rockfest Provincials.
• Youth Recognition: A Sunday evening competitive curler received the WCCA youth award, including a plaque, registration reimbursement, and a feature in a Manitoba Stick Curling article.
• Season Spirit: Most important part of the season was that it was filled with fun, laughter, and countless smiles as curlers built friendships, grew their skills, and enjoyed every moment on the ice.

We currently have 3 different leagues available for young curlers.

Saturday 3 PM Program

For Beginners and Novices aged 5-12

This league runs for 20 weeks from mid-October until the end of March. This program focuses on skill development and teaching the game by utilizing repetitive drills and other games and lessons so the young curlers can acquire a good grasp of the ice markings, curling terms, balance, basic skills as well as learn the etiquette of the game. We work in an increasing amount of scrimmage play starting in week 2 for the Saturday kids, and after the first 6 weeks the players begin scheduled games.

• We use full sized rocks and play either half, ¾ sheet or full sheet curling depending on the size, age and ability of the curlers. We use ghost rings drawn on the ice for the shorter playing surfaces. We do this to promote proper delivery mechanics and to avoid the younger athletes desire to push the regulation sized curling rocks, as when little curlers have to push the rock, it removes the proper mechanics that we are trying to teach. We try to find a sheet length that suits them best.
• As there are a lot of kids on the ice, we need a lot of people involved to ensure quality instruction. We have several certified coaches plus our team of experienced on-ice parents who come out to enjoy time with their kids and help to reinforce what we are trying to accomplish. Typically, there are 2 or 3 coaches/parents per sheet on the ice with the kids.

Sunday 3 PM-5 PM Program

For Curlers aged 10-14.

This program is designed for both novice and experienced junior curlers and runs similar in format to the Saturday 3 PM to 5 PM program, with the exception that the full length of the ice sheet is used.

Curlers work on drills and skill development during the first 6 weeks. Typically the players pick their own teams and play different positions within the first 6 weeks of play. Program coordinators will assist individual players in finding a team to play with.

Sunday 5:10-7:20 PM Program

For Curlers aged 11-21 yrs old.

This league is run just like a normal adult league. Team entries are preferred but individual entries will also be accepted.

• The program has 3 round robins with the last round being the group prize round.
• Another feature of this league is “ON ICE TIMEOUTS”. This rule is to help ensure continued learning and strategy growth. Each team will be allowed a maximum of two - two minute timeouts per game, where an adult/coach can come help you with any required strategy decisions. EITHER the players OR the coach can call the time out.
• The SVCC provides a supervisor every week to ensure everyone is observing appropriate behaviour and to give strategy assistance as required.