Association of Curling Professionals Making an Impact in our sport

The pilot year for Curling Canada’s new Association of Curling Professionals (ACP) has been a productive one with 46 candidates earning their Associate Pro accreditation. Of these newly accredited Associate Pros, 42 are currently working on their advanced training to become either a Teaching Pro or a Club Pro.

After completing a series of online courses, the ACP’s Teaching Pro candidates will gather at either the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton this coming weekend or the Leaside Curling Club in Toronto from April 18 to 20.

Teaching Pro candidate, and two-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts competitor, Danielle Schmiemann feels that the ACP is well positioned to make an impact on our sport.

“This level of training and education is the first of its kind in the curling world, and it’s great to see a group of like-minded individuals come together for the betterment of our sport,” said Schmiemann. “Getting instructors on the same page and making sure we’re delivering quality content feels like something that’s been long overdue. I am really thankful to be a part of it.”

ACP Executive Director, Rob Krepps, is looking forward to working closely with all Teaching Pro candidates over the next two weekends.

“Each candidate will receive more than 25 hours of in-person training, between their on-ice and classroom sessions, and this will enhance and solidify what they’ve already learned from their online courses,” said Krepps. “Our goal is to give them all the tools that they will need to provide curlers of all ages and skill levels with first-class professional instruction, and to earn meaningful income in the process.”

In addition to the work that the ACP is doing to develop Teaching Pros, its first cohort of Club Pro candidates will also take part in in-person training this week. This training begins at the Saville Community Sports Centre, where candidates will benefit from classroom sessions focused on club management and ice sessions focused on novice to intermediate instruction. They will then head down the highway to the Red Deer Curling Club, where they will take part in a Curling Alberta Business of Curling Symposium called ‘The Brand of Curling’.

“This is not a new concept, but it is a concept that the curling community is now asking for given the real-world dynamics of operating a not-for-profit community sport organization in this day and age,” said Bobby Ray, Curling Canada’s Senior Manager, Club Development & Member Services. “Our Club Pro candidates are being trained, first and foremost, to add value to everything that they do – whether that be on or off the ice, in the office or the board room, or in the communities that they serve. I am confident that they will emerge from their training with not only new knowledge, but new energy, and a powerful network that they will use to develop clubs and club membership wherever they have the opportunity to practice their trade.”

Club Pro candidate, Blair Jarvis, who also serves as the Manager of the Kimberley (B.C.) Curling Club, has already started to apply some of the lessons from his online training.

“So far, the ACP training has been very beneficial. I’ve taken at least three elements out of our recent Club Finance course and applied it to our offseason capital planning and revenue generation opportunities for next season,” said Jarvis. “I came from a corporate background and knew we needed to improve our processes and structure. This training has helped fill in some gaps with a specific curling club context.”

The ACP has already begun its intake for the 2025-2026 season, with registrations open until May 15. To find out more, please visit CurlingPro.ca.