This policy serves several purposes:
- Sets the expectation for teams and individual curlers as to their competition responsibilities in a league
- Gives everyone a fair opportunity to play
- Promotes league and club growth
- Minimizes the number of games that are not played
- Promotes the Spirit of Curling
- Facilitates consistent guidelines across our various leagues
Formation of Teams
Curlers are encouraged to form their own teams. Teams can be formed with more than 4 players if the team wants to rotate or share a spot. If more than 4 players are listed for a team all players listed are part of that team in regards to the subbing policy.
LSCC will pair players together when they have signed up as less than a full team. LSCC reserves the right to add players to any team that does not consist of 4 full team members.
When forming teams, LSCC will take into account, as provided by curlers during registration, pairing preferences, throw order preferences, experience, personalities, known absences, and to some extent balancing the talent amongst the teams that are being put together by LSCC.
The first priority of LSCC in putting teams together is ensuring that games are played by maximizing the chance that teams will have at least 3 people for any given game. Competition level is a secondary consideration.
For doubles, while mixed gender is not strictly enforced, it should be a general principle to have as many mixed teams as registration allows for.
Playoffs
For leagues that have playoffs, team record will determine seeding. In case of ties, head to head amongst the tied teams will determine seeding. If that does not break the tie, the seeding will be determined randomly. Seeding is only used for determining the playoff matchups.
Playoff games, for leagues that have them, will have the team with the better record from the regular season have the choice of hammer or color as if they won the coin flip. In case the teams have the same winning percentage, a coin flip will occur as usual. Note that seeding is not used, just the team records.
Specialty Leagues
Some leagues may have competitive restrictions (beginners only league, women’s leagues, etc.).
Subbing
Subbing is a key element of making sure games are not forfeited and that league members can be confident of having a game when they show up. Ensuring that a team has at least 3 members curling is each team’s responsibility. Teams are responsible for finding subs for their team but can ask LSCC for assistance in finding subs if they cannot secure a sub for a game. A sub list for each league is available consisting of those with availability to sub.
Subs must be a club member or member of another curling club.
Subs can throw in any position on the team and may skip/vice as determined by the team itself.
There is no limit to the number of subs a team can have. Forfeits will not be awarded simply on the number of subs playing.
All teams should always try to field a 4 person team for each game. This includes a team that knows a curler will not be playing or a team that only has 3 members. This is critical to ensure games are played in case there is a last minute absence. Teams with relatives/partners should be particularly careful to make sure games are played with at least 3 players.
Subs should not be used from within the league (teams on a bye week) unless no other sub can be found.
In the case where LSCC assigns subs because teams have not secured their own subs and subs are available, LSCC will honor the subs secured by teams and only use “free subs”. The first priority will be ensuring that as many games as possible can be played. The second priority will be assigning subs to teams that requested assistance ahead of time because they could not secure subs themselves after, at a minimum, sending a request to the league sub list. Priority should also be given to 3 person teams missing a team member over 4 person teams missing 2 members. Competitive balance should be the last consideration given, and should be restricted to the situation that week (substation assignments from previous games should be given no weight). LSCC should consider who is missing and try to make equitable substitutions to keep games competitive. For example, a team left with no skip experience should be given preference with a sub of someone with skip experience.
Playoff Subs
Subbing during the playoffs is just like regular subbing, with the exception that if a league has teams that are not involved in the playoff, those league members should have sub priority for the playoff games. As much as possible, subs should make as minimal an impact on games determining a league championship.
Late Curlers
All curlers are expected to be on the ice and ready to curl at the posted draw time.
There is no penalty if a team can be fielded within 5 minutes of the draw time, but if the game is delayed by any team after 5 minutes, then the non-offending team receives one point and will have the choice of first or second stone. After 15 minutes it’s an additional point for the non-offending team and the choice of first or second stone. After 30 minutes the game will be forfeit and the win will go to the non-offending team.
As long as you have at least 2 players, the game can begin, when the late teammate arrives they will join in if their team has not thrown their third stone (unless that player is throwing lead). Otherwise that late player will have to wait until the start of the new end.
The other team may waive any penalties or allow the late player to curl earlier at their discretion and within the Spirit of Curling.
