Below you will find the answers to some of the questions that Curl BC is often asked regarding coaching.

If you have a question about coaching, please email it to pcseke@curlbc.ca

1. How do I know which coach workshop to take?

First, think about the curlers that you intend to instruct or coach. Do they hope to compete in zones, playdowns, provincials and onwards? If yes, the Competition Coach workshop is for you. To further your skills set at this level, one may register for Curling Canada’s Competition Development workshop after completing the Competition Coach certification.

Are you instructing people new to curling or those focused on league and social play? Club Coach Youth or Club Coach workshops would fit your needs.

Use the Curling Canada and Coaching Association of Canada tool to find out more about the right course for you

2. I want to coach a team with competitive aspirations. How much time and money will it take me to get certified?

There are four steps to becoming certified and ongoing requirements to be deemed active.

Step 1 – Attend the Competition Coach workshop which takes 14 hours in total and is usually run over two consecutive days. There is no prerequisite for this workshop, although knowledge of the sport or being a curler/former curler is ideal. The cost for the workshop is $184.40 and includes resources material.

Step 2 – Complete Make Ethical Decisions (MED) training, you can do it in-person ($25 and three hours through Curl BC) or online ($65 and two – five hours through viaSPORT). You can find out more about MED here.

One may “challenge” or skip Step 2 if you want to. See Step 3 for details.

Step 3 – Complete and pass the MED online module/test. There is no cost to take the test if you have completed Step 2 but it will cost $85 if you are “challenging” Step 2.  If you do not achieve the required 75% to pass within two attempts, you must complete Step 2. The module takes 20 to 60 minutes. The MED module is found on The Locker via e-learning. IMPORTANT: There are multiple MED evaluations. the one required for this is: Make Ethical Decisions Online Evaluation – Introduction.

Step 4 – Successfully complete Competition Coach Evaluation. This is an on-ice one hour practice with a team of four competitive curlers in the presence of an evaluator (or on video). The on-ice evaluation includes preparatory work.

3. I’d like to coach a team through zones to playdowns. What qualifications are required?

In U18s and Juniors it is mandatory that every team has a certified Competition Coach with them. Women’s, Men’s, Mixed, Seniors teams can register without a coach. Any coach who registers with a team must be Competition Coach Certified

4. Can I get an exemption from coach certification?

Exemptions can be explored on a case-by-case basis. The Curl BC Education Coordinator and the Curl BC Competitions Manager must receive a written/email request. Visit the Contact Us page for information.

5. I now know which workshop to take. How and where do I register?

Curl BC runs coaching courses on several occasions throughout the year and we list all of them our website, you can view them in the Community Coach, Competition Coach and Competition Development sections above. (payment can be done online or a cheque can be mailed to the office)

If you want to stay up-to-date on all of our workshops dates then sign up to our newsletter The Curling Connection to receive regular updates.

You can also arrange for your curling centre/club to host a workshop.

6. How do I go from trained to certified?

A coach with an “in-training” status has completed the coach workshop component.

A coach with a “trained” status has one or more steps left to complete the certification process. For example, they have attended a Competition Coach workshop but the Make Ethical Decisions (MED) course and or online module/evaluation have yet to be completed. A coach with a “trained” status must also complete their evaluation (an $84 one hour on-ice practice with a team of four in presence of a Curl BC evaluator, having completed the correlating paperwork).

“Certified” indicates you have completed all the necessary steps required.

Please note: Club Coach and Club Coach Youth are trained coaches therefore certification is not required. In other words, taking the workshop is the sole step required.

7. Our curling centre/club would like to host a coaching workshop. How do we host?

If you would like to host a coaching workshop, please complete an online request form here. It is helpful to have a date or two in mind for when you would like the workshop to take place.

8. How do I check my coach certification status?

You can check your certification status by logging into Coaching Associations “The Locker”. Click here for a step by step guide. Email coach@coach.ca for assistance with technical issues

9. What is The Locker and how do I access it?

The Locker is the national coaching database set-up  by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC), the organization that manages the National Coach Certification Program (NCCP). Anyone who has completed a coach course/workshop can gain access to The Locker.

Visit the CAC website and click on The Locker in top right corner. Follow the steps to access the The Locker.

10. I became a coach under the Levels (Level 1 theory, practical, technical etc…) system. Where do I stand now that it is no longer offered?

On May 31, 2015 all coaches in the Levels system were transferred to the new system. All transferred coaches must complete the Make Ethical Decisions evaluation (an e-learning module) in The Locker by January 2019.  See question #7 to access basics about The Locker. [/toggle]

11. What is Maintenance of Certification or Professional Development (PD) Points and do I need to adhere to it?

All certified coaches must “maintain their certification” by way of collecting PD Points.

Certified Competition Coaches must collect 25 PD Points in a five-year cycle.

Certified Competition Development Coaches must collect 35 PD Points in a five-year cycle.

As Club Coach and Club Coach Youth are trained rather than certified courses the above system does not apply and you do not need to collect points.

Visit The Locker to find out what your five year cycle is? See question #9 to access basics about The Locker.

You can read more about PD Points on the Professional Development pages of our website.