Fran Todd All Hearts Award winner creates a curling environment for everyone

Rebecca Doherty, 2023 FTAHA Winner, hosted an inclusive curling event for students at her school to experience curling for the first time

By: Jillian Kent

Since its inauguration a few years ago, the Fran Todd All Hearts Award (FTAHA) has seen many amazing and inclusive programs that truly highlight the passion young curlers have for positively changing the future of our sport.

Among the 2023 recipients, a program of note was run by Rebecca Doherty in Ottawa.

A leader in her school community at Hillcrest High School, Rebecca has been a member of her student council since Grade 9, making her one of the youngest members and among a small number of females at the time. Already noting things at her school that could work better at a student level, Rebecca successfully ran to be student senate for Grade 10, a role that would allow her to address these issues and others with both staff and the board. Having succeeded in this space, she will continue in this role for Grades 11 and 12. Not only does this position give Rebecca the ability to speak for the needs of her fellow students, but it also provides her a platform to share her own passions and experiences as well.

“Hillcrest is a very diverse community, and not a lot of people know what curling is,” Rebecca shared. “As a competitive curler and a member on student council I’m happy that I get to introduce my school to the sport.”

This, in large part, was Rebecca’s motivation to apply for the FTAHA and begin organizing her program. She knew she wanted to give everyone at her school an opportunity to experience curling. The end goal was always to have an inclusive on-ice event. However, Rebecca wanted to give her school a chance to familiarize themselves with the sport first, resulting in a final format that started with an Egg Farmers Rocks & Rings Presented by Curling Canada, floor curling experience at Hillcrest in the school gym. This provided a great introduction to the sport with 75 students learning about curling and getting an idea of what to expect ahead of time. One week later a diverse group of 45 hand-picked students were invited to try curling at the RA Centre, which included new Canadians, those from lower-income households, students from the developmentally delayed program (DDP) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) students.   

Rebecca has been involved with the DDP students at her school outside of this curling program and personally advocated for them to be involved in the program, taking the necessary steps to create an inclusive space on the ice.

Fatemah Khudair, DDP Lead Teacher at Hillcrest, spoke on behalf of all of the school’s staff, “We, as educators, are very proud of Rebecca and her brave move making an amazing programmed event, especially when a lot of general stream students find dealing with our students awkward or tricky. Our students were super happy to be involved and to be part of a sports game as a group. It was such an endearing day; I was tearing up with happiness when I saw their smiles and how proud they were of themselves for trying something new.”

Fatemah went on to express the time and commitment that Rebecca took to ensure that the event would be obstacle-free and all students would be comfortable with being involved.

“All students should have a chance to try something new. Curling is a sport that can be very accommodating and inclusive for everyone. In this program specifically, Rebecca was able to bring in accommodations for our students, such as having their own ice to have some individual time that’s not crowded. On our sheet, she had set up a chair for students who were not comfortable bending down or able to stand on ice for long. This sheet idea took a lot of planning and research from Rebecca connecting to see if there were wheelchairs available to how we could accommodate our physical needs without ruining the ice, giving our students the ability to try new things.”

With Curling Canada’s support, the program plan also included reaching out to Ausome Ottawa, a charitable organization founded in Ottawa that believes every child and youth with autism deserves the opportunity to participate in sports and recreation free of barriers, to offer training for any interested curling instructors to better enable them to run the program in an inclusive way.

“It’s important,” says Alix Alldrige, Ausome Ottawa Program Director, “to understand that autistic athletes want to learn new skills and try new activities, but they may need to learn those skills in different ways. Various sensory stimuli in the environment could make it challenging for them to process the information and what is expected of them. If coaches and administration can support the individual needs of each participant, they will automatically create a more welcoming environment. There can be a fear of judgment towards the athlete and family that stems from years of feeling left out and on the sidelines. Small adjustments could be made to the curling or sporting environment to be more inclusive of their sensory challenges: bright lights, loud noises, and crowds can be overwhelming.”

Alix went on to explain, “In the sports world, many talented autistic athletes aren’t being supported properly. They feel left out and eventually quit when they have the potential to be high-performance athletes. Many are left with a negative experience, whether it was a coach who wasn’t willing to learn how to support and communicate with them or peers who made them feel less than because of their differences.

It’s important for the community at large to understand that many people, whether they are autistic or not, are still learning strategies to cope with anxiety and feeling overwhelmed in certain environments. We need to be more understanding in those moments and offer help instead of judgment or ridicule.”

Ausome Ottawa’s offices are also in the RA Centre, allowing Alix to step into the curling program as it was being hosted, and she was so pleased to see the coaches using the skills they’d talked about, taking the time to learn each participant’s interests, incorporating them into the activates and making it fun for everyone. 

For Rebecca, this is likely just her start in sharing curling with all she can. She made a point to share that, “[she] appreciate[s] that Curling Canada is reaching out to youth, the next generation of curlers, and involving them in these important next steps.” 

With programs such as Rebecca’s being created by this younger generation, it can be said that it looks like curling’s future is being left in good hands.