The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Major split in curling after controversial team decision
Sport at a crossroads as Scot goes to war with establishment over Worlds
Fraser Kingan isn’t the most high profile curler in the country.
Far from it.
But, as a Scottish mixed doubles champion of three years ago, he is a very capable one who can genuinely claim to have spent time at the elite end of the sport.
It isn’t that 2017 achievement that has thrust him front and centre in recent weeks, though. It’s the battle he is fighting against curling’s establishment.
The passage into the World Championships for national champions has long been a cherished cornerstone of the game in Scotland.
Next year that link will be broken. The Scottish rinks won’t qualify, they’ll be picked and there is no realistic expectation that the teams competing in the World men’s, women’s and mixed will come from beyond the British Curling centralised programme.
Kingan, though, has tapped into grassroots dismay, even anger, that is bubbling over. The New Abbey Club in Dumfries has got behind his motion to overturn the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (Scottish Curling) decision.
For Kingan and those on his side of the argument, the consultation process was as flawed as the rationale.
British Curling have brought out the big guns to try and avert an embarrassing defeat in the vote that has been put to RCCC members (of which there are over 10,000) ahead of the organisation’s online AGM next Saturday, with the chairperson and executive performance director of British Curling putting out a statement outlining their reasons to reject Kingan’s motion.
Head coach and former Olympian David Murdoch has similarly staked his authority and reputation on winning. In a lengthy online post this week, Murdoch framed the debate as nostalgia versus the cold, hard realities of professionalism.
But Kingan isn’t having any of it. “British Curling only deal with the elite athletes,” he told Courier Sport.
“They do not have any direct involvement with grassroots or club level curling, and so understandably their priorities are very much based around that.
“Based on the response I’ve seen, their priorities don’t seem to match with those of a large number of Scottish Curling members. My curling club have been very supportive, as well as many other members who have messaged me personally thanking me for acting on such a significant decision and expressing their support for the motion.”
Kingan believes his own curling story perfectly encapsulates the flaws and ramifications of the agenda he is challenging.
He explained: “I have curled for around 14 years now and in my final year as a junior I decided to give mixed doubles a go and really enjoyed the format and ended up winning the Scottish Mixed Doubles Championship in 2017, earning the right to represent Scotland at the World Mixed Doubles 2018 later that same season.
“My team was far from being favouritesinthescottishchampionships and had the selection policy been in place at that time, I would have been denied the opportunity to represent my country.
“Winning this championship has led to me getting more involved in mixed doubles and I’ve gone on to win multiple World Curling Tour events and been in the top 20 of the world rankings for the past three seasons. This success might not have been achieved without the opportunity to represent Scotland at the World Championships.
“I would hate for someone to have this opportunity taken away from them in future just because they haven’t been previously identified as an athlete with medal potential, or part of the performance pathway.
“The Scottish Championships will soon be, in my opinion, only entered by British Curling supported teams, and will effectively just be a play-off for British Curling supported teams for the spot at World Championships.
“For me, if the prize of going to the World Championships was not on offer, I would have to consider whether or not to enter the Scottish Championships.”
He wouldn’t be alone. In the men’s game, the members of Team Muirhead, who competed at the last Olympics, are already going through that same thought process after being cut from the funded programme.
And Kingan hasn’t got any faith in the door being left ajar for leftfield selections.
“British Curling can pretty much call the shots regarding who gets to represent Scotland at World Championships for men’s, women’s and mixed doubles as the selection panel consists of one member from Scottish Curling, and two from British Curling,” he pointed out.
“The selection policy that has been released, which is not objective in the slightest, can be interpreted by British Curling to suit their teams.”
Murdoch has insisted that funding support from UK Sport and sportscotland is under threat from “some of the traditions of our sport” and selecting teams for the World Championships will reduce that risk.
The fact that getting Britain into the 2022 Olympics comes down to one season’s curling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic is also being used to back up his case. Not being in Beijing doesn’t bear contemplation.
“My insight and head tells me change is necessary and vital for the future of our sport, despite my heart loving the traditions,” he said in his statement.
“Like all Olympic sports, curling is an increasingly competitive environment and a fast changing landscape and to keep pace with that and compete with the very best, we need to safeguard the funding that keeps our sport on the world stage.
“We cannot return to bygone days and nostalgia and looking back will not keep us at the forefront of the game. Change is difficult and I fully understand the resistance to it, but we have to be realistic about where the sport is going and how we can achieve the best outcomes and ultimately how we can support and fund that.
“The national championships have and always will be the highlight of our domestic calendar. The new selection process ensures that it is a key factor
in determining our best players to represent us at future World Championships, supported by consistent performances against key world opponents as demonstrated on the world tour.
“It has been a difficult decision to make, but without the necessary reform we jeopardise not only our funding but also qualification at the next and future Olympics Games and the huge profile and potential new supporters and curlers to be gained from that.
“Scotland is rightly seen as having pioneered the global game and the future of our sport, which all club curlers have a responsibility to protect, is now in our hands.”
It wouldn’t be a controversial vote without some procedural confusion.
“Voting is all done online prior to the AGM, as the AGM is being held virtually this year due to Covid-19,” said Kingan.
“This has been submitted by Scottish Curling as a ‘special resolution’, requiring 75% of votes for the motion (as opposed to over 50%) for it to be passed. I was not made aware of this when it was submitted and only found out when I went to vote myself. If I had been informed of this when submitting the motion, I would have submitted two separate motions.”
Curling has arguably been heading towards a vote of this nature and significance for a generation as, much like Scottish rugby, it has struggled with its identity and priorities.
Though the debate is far more nuanced than old against new (it doesn’t take much digging beneath the surface to find sub-plots of power, control and personality clashes) a sliding doors decision has arrived for a sliding game.