Operating Guidelines

Download PDF version

Table of Contents

Document Purpose

This document was created to record the operating procedures for the TESAC curling league. The league is run by volunteers with years of collective experience and memory; the organizing committee feels it is an appropriate time to document the administration and rules as a succession planning measure.

Back to Top

League History & Objective

The league was originally started as the “Telephone Employees Social Activity Club” and was comprised of employees from B.C. Tel, later Telus. The TESAC annual bonspiel trophy (still in use) was first awarded in 1977, so the league has been in operation at least since that year if not longer. Over the years the league has expanded, and membership has changed to no longer reflect its roots in the telephone industry.

Due to the change in league demographics, the acronym has been revised to stand for “Thursday Evening Social & Athletic Club”. The fact that “social” is stated before “athletic” reflects the fun-spirited nature of the league.

TESAC is an adult (age 16+), mixed league that endeavours to be a welcoming environment for curlers of all abilities. The league prioritizes sportsmanship and fun over serious competition. The league plays at the Marpole Curling Club (MCC) on Thursday evenings, typically with alternating early and late draws.

Back to Top

Governance

TESAC rents ice time from the curling club and is not a “club” league managed by Marpole. The league is administered by a group of volunteers.

  • The league must have a volunteer member designated as the League Representative. This individual is the key contact with the Marpole Curling Club and handles most registration and communication activities.
  • The league must have a designated Treasurer, responsible for club finances, banking (cheques require two signatories) and remittances.
  • The remaining committee volunteers are “members at large” who perform a variety of activities including team selection, draw sheets, scoring, spare schedule, 50/50 draws, social activities, etc.

Back to Top

League Fees

As noted under the Governance section, TESAC rents ice from the Marpole Curling Club, and is not a “club” league. The league sets its own fees, independent from the Club. The league fees are assessed each season, taking into consideration costs for ice rental, social activities, meals, and prizes.

Each half consists of 11-13 weeks of play depending on the available ice schedule. Fees are supplemented by 50/50 draws, typically held on early draw nights.

In addition to the TESAC league fees, curlers must register and pay the Curl BC, Marpole Curling Club membership, and facility fees.

Back to Top

Team Structure

To facilitate the fun nature of the league, TESAC teams are drawn each half season so that participants get to meet more people and learn skills from other curlers. This structure also encourages new curlers, as they can join as individuals.

Team structure is administered by one of the organizing committee volunteers with the following guidelines:

  • As TESAC is primarily a social league, the principal criterion is to place people with teammates with whom they have not previously played.
    • Team membership has been tracked since the return from the COVID interruption. Going forward, it is likely that only the three most recent years can be considered; this depends on the amount of curler turnover, which has decreased the last few years.
  • Teams are created to be balanced, with a mix of new, average, and experienced curlers; it is of prime importance to attempt to obtain parity among the teams.
  • At the start of each half-season, curlers are asked to indicate their preferred positions, which the team coordinator tries to accomodate.
  • Teams should not be composed of curlers of all one gender; there are no restrictions on who plays which position.
  • There is a tradition that spouses/partners do not play on the same team; this rule is often waived for new members until they are comfortable.
  • Another criterion is to consider teams outside TESAC where possible and avoid placing members of permanent teams together.
  • The mechanics of selecting the teams will vary depending on who is doing it.

Depending on the number of registered curlers, the league generally allows 12 or 13 teams. WHen there are 13 teams, each team has a “BYE” week; those curlers are included in the spare list for that week.

Back to Top

Rules of Play

TESAC follows the standard curling rules and etiquette, with a strong focus on sportsmanship-like conduct.

General

  • Regular curlers may play any position during the season, but only one position during a game, except in cases of illness or injury.
  • Curlers may use the standard delivery method, or the stick delivery method, but only one method during a game, except in cases of injury.
  • In the event there are only three curlers, the Lead and the Second must throw three rocks each.
  • In the event a Skip is injured and wishes to call the game without throwing any rocks, the situation will be accommodated on a temporary basis. The Lead and Second must throw three rocks each.

Use of Spares

  • A team must have at least two registered team members plus one spare to constitute a legal team. If a team is not legal, the game is forfeited.
  • If a team requires a spare, any BYE Team members should be contacted first; if they are unavailable, the regular spares list may be used.
  • If a team is using a spare, they must advise their opponent before the start of the game.
  • Spares can throw Lead or Second rocks only.
  • If the Skip is away, the regular team members may decide as a group who will call the game and which positions they wish to play. Spares may call the game if needed (while throwing Lead or Second rocks), however, priority should be given to the existing team players to fill Third and Skip positions for the experience.
  • If a team violates the spare rules, they automatically forfeit the game and the points, no matter how much time has passed since the game was played.

Draws

  • All draws will play a maximum of 8 ends or to the bell, and no ties will be broken.
  • The Bell will ring at 1 hour and 35 minutes after the Draw’s start time. When it rings, teams complete the end they are in and play one more.
  • An end is considered over when the last rock thrown, or any rocks set in motion during the shot, have stopped moving or have gone out of play (over the back line or touching the sideboards).

Forfeiture

  • Start times are based on the Club clock at the far end of the ice.
  • If a team does not have a legal team after 5 minutes from the start time, their opponent is awarded 1 point and the hammer starting the second end. After 15 minutes another point and end is forfeited and the opponent still has the hammer. After 25 minutes the game is forfeited.
  • Only one team can receive points on a forfeit or no show. The team calling to cancel will receive a loss and the other team will receive a win. No splitting of points (i.e., a tie is not permitted).
  • If both teams cannot make the scheduled game or decide not to play it, then it is recorded as a loss to both teams and no points are awarded.

Scoring

  • TESAC teams play a simple round robin in each half of the season.
  • Each team plays every other team depending on the number of teams and weeks available to curl. Points are awarded for wins, ties or losses; 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie.
  • The final standings are simply in order of the points won during the season.
    • Depending on the number of weeks of curling, not all teams will have played an equal number of games. In such case, the team with the highest percentage of wins will finish first.
  • In the case of a tie, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head result, the second tiebreaker is result against common teams, the final tiebreaker is a coin flip.

Back to Top

Club Championship League Entry

The Marpole Club Championship is usually held at the end of February or early March. The winning TESAC team from the first half of the season (September – December) will be offered the opportunity to represent the league. If any players from that team are unavailable, another TESAC member may fill the vacancy. If most of the winning team is unavailable, the spot will be offered to the second-place team (and on down the standings until a representative team is found).

Back to Top

Annual TESAC Funspiel

TESAC organizes and hosts an annual one-day Funspiel, typically in early February. The following guidelines govern the event:

  • Teams should not be composed of curlers of all one gender.
  • Regular curling rules apply, and spares may only be used as lead or second.
  • Each 4-end game should be completed within 60 minutes. If the game is not completed in the 60 minutes, the teams have 5 minutes (maximum) to throw the next 1-3 rocks as agreed by the Skips. The rocks must be thrown in the normal order by position. The team with hammer should still throw the last rock. The end will be scored “as is” after those final rocks are thrown even if there are rocks remaining.
  • Results of Draws 1 – 4 determine which box teams are in (A, B, C, or D). Ties are broken in the first four draws by having each team throw one rock (any player can throw and sweeping is allowed). Team closest to the button wins. A rock moving past the T-line cannot be swept by the opposing team. In draws 5 to 10, ties are the final result.
  • The Thirds for each team are responsible for the proper completion of the scoresheet and its delivery to the “COMPLETED SCORESHEET” envelope by the draw sheet.
  • The spiel’s final standings are determined by the points earned in a team’s final 3 games. 2 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a tie, and none for a loss. In addition, 1 point is awarded for each end won in the game. In the event of a standings tie, the 1st tiebreaker is the head-to-head result if the tied teams played each other in the box. Next tiebreaker is the total of the scores the team made in its final three games. If it’s still a tie, all 5 of the team’s games points (wins + ends) will be totaled and finally the total scores of all 5 games.
  • The winning team members will have their names inscribed on the TESAC trophy.

Back to Top

Gain Ho Memorial Award

To celebrate TESAC’s commitment to sportsmanship, the league presents the Gain Ho Award to one curler annually, at the end of the curling season in March. Gain Ho was an original member of the TESAC league; the award is in his memory.

TESAC members are asked to vote on their choice for the curler who most exhibits sportsmanship and enthusiasm throughout the season. Each member can vote for up to three curlers with no weighting applied to the votes. The winner is simply the curler who receives the most votes. Curlers from both half seasons are eligible to win. The winner is announced at the season wrap up event. The winner’s name will be inscribed on the Gain Ho Memorial plaque.

Back to Top

Version 1.0 – Current as of March 27, 2026.