The 2020 RCCC AGM Motion Submitted By New Abbey Club

Member Club: New Abbey Curling Club

Motion: To overturn the Board decision to use selection to determine teams to represent Scotland at World Championships, and for future decisions on this matter to be reserved for General Meetings.

Supporting Statements:

Insufficient Member Consultation

Members were given the opportunity to discuss and share their opinions on this matter during the Scottish Curling Road shows held on weekday evenings during November and December 2019. Members from one ice rink needed to make a round trip of over 200 miles from their local rink to the closest meeting, with members from four other rinks facing a journey of over 100 miles for meetings starting as early as 6pm. Based on this, it was inappropriate for the Roadshows to be used as the sole method of member consultation. Insufficient Transparency Around Decision Making Process. At the time of the announcement of the Board’s decision (8th May 2020), the most recent Board Meeting minutes that were published were from the meeting held on 15th June 2019. This left members in the dark about the discussions on the topic and the rationale behind this extremely significant decision.

Devaluation of National Championship.

With the low likelihood of a non-funded team being selected as Scotland’s representatives, the motivation for such teams to enter the National Championships is significantly decreased. In addition to potentially lower entry numbers, there would also be a detrimental impact on the spectator appeal of the affected events. Scottish Curling has cited that the change in policy would ensure that the teams with the greatest potential to succeed are selected, but what better way to demonstrate the ability to succeed than by rising to the top of a highly competitive field at our National Championships.