CONNECTConnect With Curling
Curling is an 8 to 80 sport that fosters social connections, social mixing, competitive outlets, and activity that is eminently adaptable for athletes and participants of all skills and abilities. The program aims to bring together various community groups to share the tenants of curling (sportsmanship, teamwork, practice, camaraderie) through team building and fundraising activities for the organizations. These sessions will occur throughout the year and culminate in a tournament where they come together to compete and mix with each other.
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA
East LA
South LA
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Pilot project or new program
Please list the organizations collaborating on this proposal.
Hollywood Curling
Triumph Foundation
Angel City Sports
Scotweek
We are working on a number of other organizations as well.
If you are submitting a collaborative proposal, please describe the specific role of partner organizations in the project.
Hollywood Curling is our primary partner, assisting in curling instruction and equipment.
Triumph Foundation and Angel City Sports are our wheelchair/adaptive sports partners. We’ve worked with them for a number of years, including on ice wheelchair clinics with Triumph Foundation.
LA84 has been a supporter of curling for a number of years and we plan to expand our youth offerings with their assistance.
Scotweek is a celebration of Scottish culture which will assist in our marketing.
We are working on other partners to add to the programming, including organizations that work with veterans, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and the LGBTQ+ community.
What is the need you’re responding to?
There’s a constant refrain in cities that it's difficult to make friends and connect with people as adults. Friendships made through school, work, and physical proximity can be limiting in scope and create bubbles. Sports is a proven outlet for folks of all ages to connect with each other. Teamwork and competition can create intense bonds. Curling is a particularly unique sport in that it is available to anyone who wants to play. There are very few limitations as the game isn’t about pure strength, size isn’t a determining factor, and folks can participate from wheelchairs, deaf, or even blind. Women can compete with men and families can play together. It is through this lens that curling can help connect disparate groups who otherwise would have no reason to meet in a collaborative setting. Lawyers and artists, bureaucrats and scientists, children and retirees. If you’re new to a city, you can go to a curling club and instantly find a welcoming group of folks to make you feel at home.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
Southern California Curling Center is the only facility dedicated to the sport of curling in Southern California. Currently, Hollywood Curling runs curling activities at local ice rinks, but primarily at the Ice Station in Valencia. Unfortunately, that ice rink is shutting down, severely cutting down on the region’s capacity to host all ice sports, and particularly curling. With access to curling ice 24/7, we have the unique opportunity to put on all sorts of specialty events of all sizes for different groups.
By bringing these groups together, we can broaden our participation and create a base of players that reflect Los Angeles in the 21st century.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 400
Indirect Impact: 500
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
The broader impact of this proposal is to highlight the value of sports, competition, and physical activity in a highly urbanized world. It is very difficult to create new park space, so we have an opportunity to create recreation opportunities indoors for a sport that has a very low barrier to access. The fact that the sport is open to all means participants represent such a broad spectrum of Angelenos and bringing different groups together for a common activity is a first step to bridging many of the social gaps we find ourselves with. While total number of people we reach will be in the hundreds, not thousands, the effect will be more impactful for those we do reach.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
We will measure success with a few metrics. First, the sheer number of participants from each participating organization. These events will bring staff, volunteers, participants, and general supporters of the organization together for team building and fundraising activities. These are opportunities for support volunteers and mix with current curling members.
Next, we’ll measure fundraising. Each event is simultaneously a team building event for staff and volunteers as well as an opportunity to raise funds through general participation for the organization. We want to turn these dollars back into the community we serve.
Last, we’ll measure in converted curlers. Most participants will simply enjoy their time out and be one and done, but some will continue on and we want to foster their participation and grow the diverse base of players who convene every week
Which of the CONNECT metrics will your submission impact?
Social and emotional support
Volunteerism
Disability access and inclusion
Are there any other LA2050 goal categories that your proposal will impact?
LA is the best place to PLAY
LA is the healthiest place to LIVE
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Host public events or gatherings
Communications support
Strategy assistance and implementation