NZ Curling

Ten teams contested the New Zealand Secondary School Curling Champs in Auckland on 3rd and 4th October 2009.  The level of playing skills and strategies seen throughout the competition was very high which is a direct reflection on the Auckland Curling Club's coaching program and on their very successful schools competition.

On and off-ice, the players' camaraderie was matched with enthusiasm and commitment, making for a fun weekend for both contestants and spectators alike. From a selectors' perspective, all this augers well for the development of our game as we focus on the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Congratulations to the overall winners of the championship, Epsom Girls Team Farley, who won with a measured play in the extra end to take the title by a single shot from Kelston Boys Team Sargon. Their win was a clear demonstration that curling is as much about emotional capability as it is about well-developed skills and strategies.

For the secondary schools championships, we congratulate the winning skips and teams on your wins, and all athletes for your participation: Team Farley won the Girls Championship for the second year running; Team Sargon won the Boys Championship; and Long Bay Team Bauer won the Mixed Championship.

For 2010, whether going on to University, employment, or remaining at school, we hope that you choose to seek national representation - each of you has the potential to contest a place in a New Zealand Curling team and so become our future representative athletes.

2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games

The inaugural Winter Youth Olympic games are scheduled to be held at Innsbruck in Austria from January 13th to 22nd, 2012. For curlers, 64 athletes (32 of each gender) from 16 countries will compete in a mixed teams competition. Teams will come from Austria (as host), two from North America, one from South America, three from Asia, one from Oceania (that's us!) and eight from Europe.

For the Oceania team, a qualification system based on results at the World Juniors and the Pacific Junior Championships in 2010 and 2011, will determine which country sends a team. So now is the time to be developing those athletes who have the potential to represent New Zealand at these World competitions.

To be eligible, athletes must have been born between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 1995.