PACIFIC COAST MASTERS CURLING ASSOCIATION
HISTORY, STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE of the
PACIFIC COAST MASTERS CURLING ASSOCIATION
Guy Philp curled at the Chilliwack Curling Club and became the President of the club in 1961. His vision was a competition to involve curlers at the senior level. A meeting was arranged with senior curlers in Victoria in January of 1963. A slate of officers was elected with Guy as the first Secretary/Treasurer. Guy donated a trophy and the four zones of the new organization were established to compete for the trophy. The main rule for entry was that all members of the team had to be from the same club; a rule that exists to this day.
In 1970, the first competition between the interior seniors and the coast seniors took place in Kelowna. This soon became known as the McAllister Trophy to honour another curler promoting senior curling and was awarded to the winning team at the Combined Competition.
In 1984, the interior curlers established the Walter Hobbs Trophy, which was awarded to the interior champion. These three trophies were combined into one event which was alternated between the coast and the interior.
In 1987, the PCCA and the BCICA initiated an open Masters competition which has now become the CurlBC Masters competition, with the winner going on to the Canadian Masters competition. The main difference between the two competitions is that all members of the team must come from the same club in the PCMCA/BCIMCA competition; whereas the CurlBC competition is open to all CurlBC male members over 60 years of age.
As more curlers reached the age of 70, interest developed in a new competition. By 2007 at Tunnel Town, at full competition had developed involving four teams from the BCIMCA and four teams from the PCMCA. Three plaques are awarded; one for the interior; the Graham Donaldson for the coast; and one for the over-all winner.
At the present time, the B.C. Interior Masters Curling Association and the Pacific Coast Masters Curling Association, collect fees and set up bonspiels and playdowns for male daytime curlers who have joined their organization. Each organization has a group of directors made up of representatives from each zone to run their organization.
The PCMCA has four zones;
Zone One – South Island;
Zone Two – Fraser Valley;
Zone Three – Lower Mainland; and
Zone Four – North Island.
The BCIMCA also has four zones;
Zone One – West Kootenays;
Zone Two – East Kootenays;
Zone Three – South Okanagan; and
Zone Four – North Okanagan.
The PCMCA presently has 2100 members in its four zones. Each zone has two directors and the AGM elects a President and Vice-President each year and appoints a Secretary/Treasurer for a two-year term. It also sets the policy, budget and fee for the organization.
Individual clubs that are members of the PCMCA have the opportunity to participate in leagues and bonspiels at their own club, as well as participating in bonspiels at other member clubs. Members may also form teams from their own club and enter the playdowns in the two categories (60+ and 70+) at the club level, with the club winner moving on to the zone playdowns.
Each zone winner becomes the zone representative in the Combined Playdowns which take place in early March of each year, continuing to alternate between the coast and the interior. The two organizations are now working to establish a mixed competition to take place at the same time as the men’s competition and at a location near by.
Each Zone is organized by either a zone executive or the PCMCA directors for the zone and has established policy for the operation of the zone and the rules for bonspiels and playdowns in their zone. Each club has the authority to determine how their league and bonspiels will be organized and carried out. All of the bonspiels consist of three days of play involving five games for each team and a lunch. Prizes are awarded for games won and overall position after the five games.
At the present time, CurlBC provides the PCMCA each year with a grant of $3500 to assist in the carrying out of the Combined Playdowns. The BCIMCA grant is $1500 as their membership is smaller than the PCMCA and the PCMCA had a financial agreement with the PCCA which was continued with CurlBC. The PCMCA and the BCIMCA are presently meeting with CurlBC officials to review our membership status and financial arrangements.
The success of our organizations centers around the involvement of members and having a vote at both the club level and at the AGM of the organization. At the 2011 AGM just over forty members attended, but they represented 19 of our 29 clubs. Members feel it is their organization and they have a say in how it will be run.