Bonspiel Rules

TEAM MEMBERS AND COACHES

Welcome to the 2025 Sun Life Junior Challenge. Included in this package is information pertaining to this bonspiel. We are striving to have this bonspiel run as close to a provincial play down format as possible. Please read carefully to fully understand these rules.

TEAM REGISTRATION

·   Your team package will include your team members and coach’s accreditation lanyards**.

·   Players and coaches banquet tickets will be in behind your accreditation. Extra banquet tickets pre ordered for the banquet will be included in this package. These tickets can be paid for at that time.

·   Players’ gift package will be provided at registration.

**As participants in this event, you’re expected to be wearing your accreditation lanyards at all times, except when you are playing on the ice. Volunteers, spectators, officials, committee members, and the press need to be able to tell the difference between the athletes and everyone else at all times. We appreciate your co-operation in this matter.

FIRST GAME SCHEDULE  

·   Please be ready 45 minutes before your first scheduled start.

·   Committee members will say a few words.

·   The event official, Derek Papegnies will review rules with teams and coaches. Anyone having questions can have them answered at that time.

RULES

·   Games will be eight (8) ends using the five (5) rock free guard zone rule. Teams must play a minimum of five (5) ends before the completion of the game.

·   Teams will flip a coin 30 minutes prior to the game. Winner of the coin toss will choose first or second practice. Rock color will be indicated on the draw.

·   Practice will be a time exercised format. Please be ready for practice 25 minutes prior to scheduled game time. The bell will ring to start practice, and 5 minutes later, the bell will ring and the team practicing will then place all rocks back at the home end.   A short bell will ring when there is 1 minute remaining in practice.

·   Immediately after your practice, have two members of your team throw a draw to the button at the home end. Sweeping is allowed. Each player must throw at least once during the round robin.  The total of all 6 throws during the round robin will count as skilled based rankings. Closest to the pin will be awarded hammer in the first end after both teams have thrown their draw to button. Do not remove your rock until it has been measured.  Both teams will throw their first rock with a clockwise rotation and their second rock with a counterclockwise rotation.

o If both team members record a total distance of 0.00 or 399.2 cms, the team will leave the ice. If the second team matches the first team’s distance with both of their stones, another player from the first team will alternate with another player from the second team until the hammer is decided.  

·   Coaches are permitted to be on the back boards and away from the ice surface and must not engage team members during the draws to the button.

TIMEOUTS

·   Each team has 2 90 second time outs per 8 end game, with each additional extra end played being awarded 1 time out per team.

·   After the 4th end has been completed, a 5 minute break will occur. The team meeting must be held out near the ice surface and not inside the waiting room.

·   Should your game go into an extra end, a 2 minute break will occur between 8th and extra end.               

·   When time outs are called, coaches will go to their designated areas to consult with the players.

BELL USAGE

·       A bell will ring at 1 hour and 50 minutes, which indicates to finish the end and play one more.  A second bell if necessary will ring at 2 hours and 10 minutes, which indicates to finish the end and the game is deemed complete. 

BROOMS AND BRUSH HEADS

·   The bonspiel will follow the WCF and CCA compliance broom and brush head regulations. All teams should make themselves aware of these regulations.

Electronic Communication Devices

·   1 way and/or 2 way communication devices between the coach and Players will not be allowed during games

NO-TICK SHOT

·       If, prior to the delivery of the sixth stone of an end, a delivered stone causes, either directly or indirectly, an opposition stone in the Free Guard Zone (FGZ) which is touching the centre line to be moved to an off-centre line position, the non-offending team has the option to:

§  remove the delivered stone from play, and replace all stones that were displaced to their positions prior to the violation taking place; or

§  leave all stones where they came to rest.

WARM UPS AND STRETCHING

·   All warm ups and stretching are to be done inside the curling club. The best place would be in the upstairs lounge or in the change rooms.  No warm ups or stretching are allowed in the main Keystone Concourse. Too much dirt and debris can be dragged in from there onto the ice surface.

ADVANCEMENT TO PLAYOFFS

·   After the round-robin, Playoff positioning will be determined first by the win/loss record (who beat who), and then by team ranking from the total of your 6 draws to the button in the round robin. If 2 teams are tied for 2nd after the round robin has been completed, these teams will play a tie breaker game. The winner will get 2nd place while the loser will be placed into 3rd. If 3 teams are tied for 1st in their pool, the team with the highest skills ranking will automatically be given 1st place. The remaining 2 teams will play an 8 end tie-breaker game. The winner will be placed into 2nd spot, while the loser will be placed into 3rd. If 3 teams are tied for last in their pool, the team with the lowest skills ranking will be placed into 4th spot. The other 2 teams will play an 8 end tie-breaker game. The winner will get 2nd spot, while the loser will get 3rd. 

·   Once the 4 teams per pool have been placed, the 4 winners of the pools will cross over and play the 2nd place teams in the play-off round.

·   All teams, both Junior Men and Junior Women finishing in 3rd and 4th places in their pools will all play in the consolation event.

CONSOLATION EVENT

·   This event will have 16 teams. The 8 Junior Men’s teams will be on ½ of the draw and the 8 Junior Women’s teams will be on the other ½ of the draw. This will guarantee a Junior Men’s Team vs. a Junior Women’s Team final.

·   Teams are encouraged to play in this event.