Royal Curling Meckelnburgh: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 02:23, 27 July 2021

Royal Meckelnburgh Curling Association
Meckelnburgh curling wordmark.png
Formerly Curling League of Meckelnburgh
Sport Curling pictogram.png Curling
Ice stock sport pictogram.png Icestock sport
Founded 1566 AN
Headquarters Alexandretta
Fríða
Director Dame Anne Marlow
No. of teams 261 clubs
42 icestock clubs
29 collegiate teams
Nation(s) Meckelnburgh Meckelnburgh
Venue(s) Percy National Curling Center
Prince Valoro Curling & Icestock Center
TV partner(s) MB-TV, RMBC, TV Lunden
Sponsor(s) Ministry of Culture & Sport
Related competitions Meckelnburgh national curling team
Domestic cup(s) Mixed Superspiel
Mixed Doubles Superspiel
Collegiate Superspiel
U-18 Superspiel
Wheelchair Superspiel
Icestock Superspiel
Official website curling.mb

The Royal Meckelnburgh Curling Association (RMCA; Aspiranto: Reĝa Mekelnburga Glitŝtonludo-Asocio; Alexandrian: Association Meckelmbourgeois royale de curling), branded as Royal Curling Meckelnburgh (CurlingMB), is the sanctioning body for the sports of curling and icestock in the Kingdom of Meckelnburgh. The goal of the RMCA is to grow the popularity and sportsmanship of the curling sports in Meckelnburgh, and win medals in international competitions through its Team Meckelnburgh. All curling events in Meckelnburgh are mixed curling; the positions on a team must alternate between members of different genders.

History

Curling is the most popular sport in Meckelnburgh, and Royal Curling Meckelnburgh is the oldest sports body in the kingdom. Its direct predecessor, the Curling League of Meckelnburgh, was founded in 1566 AN to organize the first bonspiels. In 1615 AN, the league established the Superspiels, the Meckelnburgh national championships. The following year, King Georgo V bestowed the title "royal" on the league, acknowledging its half-century of dedication to the sport.

Royal Curling Meckelnbrugh continued to expand in the 1600s. In 1631 AN, the RMCA incorporated the collegiate intermural leagues of curling, taking the sport at colleges and universities under its wing. Cashspiels were prohibited within the league in 1652 AN, over fears of the growing commercialization of the sport. Icestock, a variation of curling popular in the province of Hergilsey, was added to the league in 1699 AN, making the RMCA the first sanctioning body for icestock on Micras.

In 2021 CE, Royal Curling Meckelnburgh entered the Micras world stage, forming the first Team Meckelnburgh for participation in the 2021 CE Curling World Championship.

Association administration

Management and funding

Royal Curling Meckelnburgh is home to 261 curling clubs and 29 collegiate teams throughout Meckelnburgh, totaling over 10,700 curlers. It is headquartered in Alexandretta, with regional offices in Fríða. The RMCA is directed by a seven-person commission, appointed by the Ministry of Culture & Sport. A director is then hired to manage the day-to-day operations. The current director of the RMCA is Dame Anne Marlow, since 1695 AN.

Curling in Meckelnburgh is heavily subsidized by the national government, through the Ministry of Culture & Sport. Grants are available to establish new clubs, and existing clubs receive an annual per capita grant to afford facilities, equipment and outreach. Most clubs rent space in larger ice sports arenas, but a significant minority own their independent curling clubhouses. Dedicated sheets are common even within rented arenas.

Rules of the game

Design of the house in Meckelnburghish curling.

In absence of a Micras-wide governing body for the curling sports, Royal Curling Meckelnburgh follows its own rules of the game, including:

Area and tools of play. The sheet must be 44.5 to 45.5 m long and 4.35 to 4.75 m wide. The house is drawn from three circles of 3.66 m, 2.44 m and 1.22 m in diameter, with a button 0.30 m in diameter. The stones must weigh 17.5 to 20.0 kg, be at least 11 cm high, and be circular, with a circumference of no more than 91 cm. Delivery sticks are not allowed in regular play, except for the elderly or for whom equity requires.

Five rock rule. Within the free-guard zone, any stationary stones belonging to the opposing team may not be removed by the delivering team prior to the delivery of the sixth stone of the end. If removed from play, the the opposition's stone must be replaced, and the delivered stone removed.

Wheelchair curling. Stones may be released from the hand or a delivery stick; the wheels of the chair must contact the ice, but not the delivering player's feet. Delivery must occur between two lines 45.7 cm on each side of the center line. A stone that does not reach the opposing hog line may be redelivered.

Media partners

Curling events are aired on the public Royal Meckelnburgh Broadcasting Corporation (RMBC) channels 3, 7 (Meckelnish) and 9 (Alexandrian). The kingdom's largest private station, MB-TV, carries curling on its sports broadcasts and online streams. TV Lunden also carries curling, airing the sport for sportsbetters in Mecklenburgh, especially in Lunden. As well, the RMBC carries Royal Curling Meckelnburgh on all public radio nationwide.

Regional associations

Alexandretta (red), Heartlands (green), Biddell Sea (blue),
Far-East – Coastal (orange), Far-East – Mountain (yellow)

The RMCA is made up of four regional associations, of which each club is a member. The regional associations help organize clubs at the local level, and manage travel between club facilities (especially in the Far-East region). They also host regional bonspiels year-round for competition, allowing teams to earn points to attend the Superspiels.

Association Headquarters Clubs
Alexandretta Regional
Association
Alexandretta
  • Alexandretta (48)
  • Norman (24)
  • Battleferd Territory (3)
Heartlands Regional
Association
St. Cloud
  • Cumberland (44)
  • Ashland (18)
  • Highgrew (1)
  • Siyon Territory (1)
Biddell Sea Regional
Association
Victoria
  • Hurboldt (35)
  • Savalim (15)
  • Lunden (2)
Far-East
Regional
Association
Coastal
Division
Fríða
  • Brittnay (20)
  • Hergilsey (14)
  • Mondsee (1)
Mountain
Division
Sanktago
  • Regina (14)
  • Visby (10)
  • Redwarn (6)
  • Scarborau (5)

Specialty associations

Local icestock bonspiel held on a frozen pond in western Hergilsey.

One specialty association in Royal Curling Meckelnburgh serves the sport at colleges and universities. These teams, unlike the amateur association overall, receive nominal compensation for serving their institutions. Collegiate teams are the only ones that follow a set season, held throughout the academic year.

The second association serves icestock sporting throughout Meckelnburgh. Most icestock clubs are also standard curling clubs in the RMCA, though there are much fewer. The association serves the same functions as the regional associations, but nationwide, also hosting icestock bonspiels year-round for competition.

Association Headquarters Clubs
Collegiate
Association
Alexandretta
  • University of Meckelnburgh (14)
  • Royal specialty colleges (6)
  • Royal military academies (5)
  • Alexandretta University (4)
Icestock
Association
Fríða
  • Hergilsey (13)
  • Brittnay (8)
  • Alexandretta (6)
  • Regina (4)
  • Scarborau (3)
  • Visby (3)
  • Cumberland (2)
  • Redwarn (2)
  • Norman (1)

Major facilities

Percy National Curling Center during a 2020 regional Alexandretta bonspiel.

Percy National Curling Center

The Percy National Curling Center is the premier curling arena in Meckelnburgh, and one of the largest dedicated curling venues in Micras. The center is located just northeast of downtown Alexandretta, near Thomas Memorial Field and other key sports venues. It was built in 1674 AN and named after Sir Clyde Percy, Bt., the first president of the Curling League of Meckelnburgh. It hosts most events in the annual Superspiel series, as well as regional bonspiels for the Alexandretta region.

In Superspiel mode, the Percy National Curling Center has an attendance capacity of 5,850, with four sheets on the main floor. Up to eight sheets can be set on the main floor when placed into smaller capacity modes. In 1697 AN, the center underwent a retrofit, expanding its seating capacity, to make hosting bids for future world championships.

Prince Valoro Curling & Icestock Center

The Prince Valoro Curling & Icestock Center is the second largest curling arena in Meckelnburgh, and the largest for icestock. The center is located in downtown Fríða. It has a capacity of up to 3,150, allowing six to four sheets at a time on the main floor. The center hosts some rounds of the Superspiel series, including the Icestock Superspiel, as well as regional bonspiels for the Far-East region.

Notable clubhouses

Exterior of the Prince Valoro Curling & Icestock Center.

For clubs that do own their own facilities, many sizable clubhouses are able to host hundreds of attendees, often serving as venues for local and regional bonspiels.

Club Location Association Capacity
River Skallefei CC Alexandretta Alexandretta 1,250
Victoria City CC Victoria Biddell Sea 1,050
Lunden CC Lunden Biddell Sea 1,000
Lake Benton CC St. Cloud Heartlands 850
West Sanktago CC Sanktago Far-East 700
Iceberg Bay CC Tuft Heartlands 650
Petra CC Petra Alexandretta 550
Highgrew CC Highgrew Heartlands 500
St. Elmo Point CC Tatara Biddell Sea 500
East Boulonne C&EC Boulonne Far-East 500
Truckie CC Truckie Far-East 500

Superspiel championships

Winners of the 1952 CE Mixed Superspiel receive their trophies.

The Superspiels are the national curling championships in Meckelnburgh, held in October. The winners represent Meckelnburgh at the World Curling Championships. Any club formally organized in Meckelnburgh is eligible to play for the Superspiels. Many clubs also front teams for multiple formats.

The mixed and mixed doubles Superspiels are contested by eight clubs, two clubs from each regional association. One club from each region, four clubs in all, participate in the U-18, and wheelchair competitions. Four clubs nationwide are selected for the Icestock Superspiel.

In the Collegiate Superspiel, six teams play: one from each region, and the two strongest wildcard teams nationwide

Qualification

Because clubs in Royal Curling Meckelnburgh are amateur, the year is decentralized for accessibility; no single regional championship qualifies a club to the Superspiels. Instead, clubs are awarded points throughout the playing year (January through September) for placements in local and regional bonspiels. Points are weighed on size of event.

In the Collegiate Superspiel, qualifying is determined by the teams' comparative performances throughout the regular season.

Top finishers table

Victories since 1615 AN
Association Mixed Mixed
Doubles
U-18 Wheelchair
Alexandretta Region 23 19 28 37
Heartlands Region 25 20 15 10
Biddell Sea Region 6 10 17 21
Far-East Region 31 36 25 17

See also