A busy curling season can inevitably create conflicts with personal and professional schedules. To help manage these pressures and keep games running smoothly, the league offers several options for team flexibility.
Roster Requirements: A minimum of three players is required to play a game, at least two of whom must be on your original team roster (e.g., two original players and one spare).
Early in the Season
Review the full season calendar with your team as early as possible to identify any dates where you may struggle to field a lineup. Act promptly to address any anticipated gaps.
- Spares & Alternate Players: Contact potential spares early, even for games later on in the season. The league spares list includes 20+ players. You may also recruit players from other teams—note that 25 teams have registered a fifth player this season.
- Bye Requests: If you cannot field a team, submit a bye request via the online form on the league website (now open for all 4 rounds). Please note:
- Limited Availability: Each round consists of 120 games and 120 time slots. With minimal flexibility, only 4–6 bye slots are available on any given weekend, and demand often exceeds supply.
- Priority: Priority is given to teams missing 3 or 4 players. Teams missing only 1 or 2 players are strongly encouraged to use spares or play with three players.
Before Each Round
Re-examine the upcoming round’s schedule with your team and address any new conflicts before the final draw is set.
- Missing 1–2 Players: Look for replacement players on the spares list, reach out to players on other teams (including fifths), or plan to play with a three-person lineup.
- Missing 3–4 Players: Submit a bye request through the website. The Drawmaster will prioritize these requests, but remember that weekend capacity remains capped at 4–6 byes.
- Bye Requests: If you cannot field a team, submit a bye request via the online form on the league website (now open for all 4 rounds). Please note:
- Limited Availability: Each round consists of 120 games and 120 time slots. With minimal flexibility, only 4–6 bye slots are available on any given weekend, and demand often exceeds supply.
- Priority: Priority is given to teams missing 3 or 4 players. Teams missing only 1 or 2 players are strongly encouraged to use spares or play with three players.
During a Round
Once specific game times and dates are published, confirm availability with your team immediately.
- Sourcing Spares Quickly: Continue reaching out to the spares list or other teams. To speed up communication, the online spares list now includes both email addresses and cell phone numbers (where provided).
- Rescheduling: Rescheduling is a limited option and depends heavily on ice availability and mutual agreement:
- Skips could coordinate potential changes with the opposing team and contact the Drawmaster with the suggested change that both teams have agreed on. The Drawmaster will need to confirm.
- The Drawmaster will continue to work with teams who have a date/time conflict and will attempt to propose alternative slots. These may come available on short notice when sheets are not going to be used for player development clinics, for example.
- Forfeiting: Forfeiting should be considered a last resort. If you must forfeit after exhausting all other options, notify the Drawmaster immediately so the ice slot can potentially be reassigned to help another team.