Leagues

The following leagues are available at the Thornhill Club.

Team Entry > Enter Own Team
Wednesday evenings at 6:40 pm (9:00 pm if necessary)
• Team entry (we make every effort to place individuals on a team)
• 3 series of round-robin play – 2 divisions
• Graduated points awarded for win/tie/loss in each division – movement of teams up and down each series
• Playoffs > all teams qualify – playoff divisions based on total aggregate points accumulated from the 3 series played – straight knockout format – 2 finalists in each division play Championship Weekend

THE THORNHILL CLUB

CURLING REGULATIONS-LOCAL CLUB RULES

BW COMPETITIVE LEAGUE CURLING (Wednesday Night)

GENERAL CURLING RULES

OCA rules will prevail in all decisions except where they are amended by the local Club curling rules. The spirit of the rules must be maintained.

GAMES
All games will be eight (8) ends unless otherwise specified.
1. All Club/league games will be played under the 5-Rock Free Guard Zone.
2. The opponent’s rock cannot be removed from play in the Free Guard Zone until the 6th shot of that end.
Either team can remove their own stones from the Free Guard Zone at any time.

Results of all games must be posted and attested to by the vice skips

Scoring:
A Division: Win 12 Points, Tie 9 Points, Loss 6 Points
B Division: Win 10 Points, Tie 7.5 points, Loss 5 Points

C Division (if applicable): Win 8 Points, Tie 6 Points, Loss 4 Points

Defaulted games:
- Defaulting team: receives ½ of the loss points in the division team is playing in,
- Non-defaulting team: assigned win points for the division the team is playing in.
Byes: Division Tie points applied
In each series played, it is mandatory that all teams do a throw-off and post the score.

LENGTH OF GAME:

A time clock – buzzer system is in place. The purpose and intentions of time limit rules are to encourage play to begin promptly at the scheduled draw time as well as to encourage that 8 end games are played within the scheduled two-hour draw time. They also are designed as a courtesy to the late draws, so that they can begin their game without excessive delay. All league games will be governed by the following rules as they apply to the sound of the buzzer.

Play to begin promptly at the scheduled draw time for each draw. To facilitate this, players should be on the ice 5 minutes prior to game time. The bell in the lounge may be rung to remind players that it is 5 minutes to game time.
All draws (except 9:00 PM draws) will be governed by a buzzer that will sound 1 hour and 40 minutes after the scheduled start time. For 9 PM draws, the buzzer does not sound. Therefore, the buzzer will be considered to have gone off at the 1 hour and 40-minute mark i.e. 10:40 PM. If the 9 PM game starts before or after 9 PM due to ice maintenance delays (for teams not present, see Game Delay section), skips are encouraged, at the commencement of their game, to calculate the 1 hour 40-minute time limit and to agree on this buzzer time.

When the buzzer sounds, finish the current end and play one more end. An end is considered complete when the final rock of that end has come to a complete stop.

Rescheduled games (non-draw times); the buzzer will not sound for rescheduled games. Play to 1 hour and 40 minutes after the start time. Then, finish the end you are in and play one more end.

3. GAME DELAY:

If at least 3 players are not present to play at scheduled game time, the following applies:

At 10 minutes past – present team takes 1 end and 1 point
At 20 minutes past – present team takes 2 ends and 2 points

Play shall commence from the end of play that reflects the number of ends that are considered to have been played. In the first end being played, the non-offending team shall be given the choice of last rock or rock colour (i.e. The non-offending team is automatically considered to have won the coin toss).

At 30 minutes past – Game is Defaulted (see Games section above for scoring of a defaulted game)

4. GAME INTERRUPTION

Options to consider should a game be interrupted while in progress

Given that points matter in competitive play & a single point can make the difference of finishing first or second and/or moving to a higher or lower division, please reschedule the game before the end of the current session.
In keeping with OCA rules for regular play, continue the game from the last completed end.

If it is proving too difficult to reschedule the game, declare the game a tie.

If the score is such that one team is significantly trailing, that team may consider conceding the game to the other team.

5. SCHEDULE:

Depending on # teams signed up to play in the Competitive BW League, the league structure will be set up as follows:
1. 16 teams: 2 divisions: 8 Teams in A, 8 Teams in B
2. 17 teams: 2 divisions: 8 Teams in A, 9 Teams in B
3. 18+ Teams: 3 divisions: 6 Teams in A, 6 Teams in B and 6+ teams in C
4. Less than 16 teams: 2 divisions: 8 Teams in A, Balance of teams in B. (This allows for a full round robin in A Division).
Full team entries must be 4 players (maximum of 5 registered players per team) – single entries may be accommodated in teams made up by the Curling Manager

The competitive league is considered a Skip’s entry:
1. New teams being formed will remain in the division they played in (the final series of the previous season) provided the listed skip remains on the team. If not the entry is considered a new team and placed either in the lowest division or wherever a spot may be available due to the cancellation of a team.
2. Existing teams maintaining their skip from the previous season will remain in their division – subject to movement results.
3. In all placements, the results (movement up and down) from the final series in the previous season is factored into the decision making. All placements are at the discretion of the Draw Convener and/or BW Committee.
4. Note: Championship Day and series movement are independent of each other

In the Competitive schedules, in the event of a tie in the final standings, whether it be to decide the winner of a series and/or divisions in a series, or any other positions relating to the movement of teams for a subsequent series, the tie to be broken by:
The Olympic Rule (providing a complete round-robin was played)
The team throw-off score

6. RESCHEDULING OF GAMES:

In cases where 3 or more members are unable to play (for whatever reasons), the game may be rescheduled.
If rescheduled, the game must be played before the start of your last scheduled game.

If not played, the game must be defaulted by the team requesting the re-scheduling. Notice request of rescheduling must be given to the opposing skip at least 48 hours before the scheduled time.

When two or more members of the team are playing in an OCA or TCA event, the teams must attempt in good faith to reschedule the game with the assistance of the Curling Manager. The skip who seeks to reschedule must immediately inform the league opponent skip of the conflict. The Curling Manager will supply dates when ice is available to play. Immediately after a date is agreed on, the Curling Manager must be notified by the Skip who has requested the rescheduling. If the teams cannot agree on a date for the rescheduled game, the BW Committee will rule on the points (if any) to be awarded to each team for the purpose of the standings. When rendering a decision, the BW committee will take into consideration the effort by either team to acquire spares to play the make-up game.
For rescheduling, ice time must be arranged with the Sports Office
If a game is defaulted, the Sport Office must be notified on the default and the available ice time.

In unavoidable circumstances, it is possible that both teams default (i.e. snowstorms where the teams do not arrive, but the Club has not cancelled the scheduled games). The game may be rescheduled prior to the last game of the schedule. If the game is not rescheduled, no points are awarded to either team.

7. SUBSTITUTION:

When a substitute is required, every effort should be made to find a player of similar or lower playing ability to that of the absent player.
A team must have 2 of its regular players present and ice a minimum of 3 players to play the game or the team defaults, and the outcome of the game is recorded as an automatic win for the opposing team. Each team is responsible for obtaining their own spares if needed. Every effort should be made to play the games as scheduled, using spares, rather than postponing games for the convenience of one or more members of your team.

The absent player must obtain her own substitute and notify the skip, keeping in mind, the rules of substitution

Ladies from any section can substitute for Business Women but preference should be given to Business Women's Spare List, followed by any registered members of the Business Women section.
Juniors (ages 16-21) are permitted to spare in this league
If a team is using one spare player, then that player must play lead. If a team is using two spare players, then those players must play lead and second.

For championship weekend please refer to that section for additional substitution requirements

8. PLAYOFFS:

Aggregate (overall points) standings from all series will determine the 2 or 3 (if applicable) divisions for play-offs. Ties in aggregate standings to be broken by
1. the Olympic Rule (games played through the season between the tied teams, then
2. the team throw-off totals from all series played.
If there are 17 teams, the teams in 16th and 17th places will have a play-off game prior to start of playoffs. The winner of this game goes to Round 1 of B playoffs, losing team is out.

Format for 3 divisions of 6 teams (if applicable):
1. Round # 1 - The top 2 teams in each of the divisions have a bye and the other 4 teams in each division play a knockout game. Winners advance to Round #2, losing team is out.
2. Round #2 – the teams with a BYE in round #1 play the Round #1 winners. – The winners of Round 2 play in their respective division championship on Championship Day, losing team is out.

In Playoffs and Championship games, the team players and substitutes must be declared seven (7) days prior to the game or within 24 hours of completion of the semi-final game, whichever comes later. This notice must be given to the Curling Manager, draw convener and the opposing skip.

9. CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND:

Any curler who is already participating in Championship weekend is eligible to spare in the final or playoff game.
When a substitute is required, every effort should be made to find a player of similar or lower playing ability and position to that of the absent player

Substitutes for Championship weekend are to be drawn from the registered members of the BW league. If this is not possible, potential substitutions must be pre-approved by the BW Curling Committee.

A team must have 2 regular members playing and ice a full team or default the game.
For all competitive teams, they must ice 4 players
Should a five member team be eligible for playoffs and/or Championship weekend, it is the responsibility of the skip to determine which players will play.

All final games must be played on Championship weekend
Games played on Championship weekend will be for the Club Championship in the designated section.

On Championship weekend, the final game for Wednesday night Competitive Leagues championship games could be scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon. It is at the discretion of the Curling Manager to set the schedule with the primary objective of limiting the number of spares that play that weekend. The championship game must be played at the scheduled time.
In Playoffs and Championship games, the team players and substitutes must be declared seven (7) days prior to the game or within 24 hours of completion of the semi-final game, whichever comes later. This notice must be given to the Curling Manager, the draw convener and the opposing skip.

10. THE CURLING CLUB CHAMPSIONSHIP (CurlON Competition)

A Women’s club champion will represent Thornhill Club at the first round of the CurlON event in the fall of the following season. Curling Club competition leads to the Canadian championships. The Thornhill Club women’s representative will be decided in a playoff game between Day Ladies and Business Women’s. The team & participants must meet the CurlOn Eligibility, Rules & Regulations for both the Club Playoff game as well as the CurlON event.. The team must notify the Business Women's Committee Chair In the event participants and the team do not meet the criteria a week prior to the Club playoff game against Day Ladies.

The team representing Business Women's will be as follows:

Winner of the Business Women's "A" Champion Playoff Game
Runner-up of Business Womens's "A" Champion Playoff game if the "A" champion does not meet the CurlON Eligibility, Rules and Regulations.

Day Women - Thursday - 9:45am - Series 1 (Oct 20 - Dec 15)