Planning a Bonspiel?
If you're hosting a curling bonspiel and need some pointers, you're in the
right place.
The following information is based on a weekend bonspiel which would typically start on
Friday afternoon/evening, and end on Sunday afternoon/evening.
Organizing a Curling Bonspiel
Points to consider
1.
Teamwork
You'll need a
team of people to help you. The following is a list of duties or
responsibilities that could be assigned to someone else. Some of these
duties may
already belong to another person in your club. Teamwork and reliable
helpers will help your bonspiel run smoothly.
2. The date
See what other bonspiels of the same type are happening in your area at the same time. Don’t compete with another club near you. Support each other in your scheduling.
3. Entry fee
Calculate what costs you must cover, and where you hope to make money in a bonspiel. You may make money at the bar, and break even with your bonspiel entry fee and costs.
4. Saturday dinner
Dinner must be scheduled between games, or in a two hour interval where all
curlers will have time to have dinner.
You must ensure that curlers coming off the ice have time for the customary
beverage with the other team, before being rushed for dinner.
You must also ensure that teams going on the ice after dinner have time to eat
and digest before having to go out on the ice.
5. Saturday evening dance
The dance is optional. For men's bonspiels, there is not usually a
dance unless spouses/partners are invited to join the men for the evening.
The Saturday evening dance is customary for mixed bonspiels. It may start
around 8 or 9 pm, and may actually begin while there are still some curling
games being played. It is very important to still reserve tables for those
teams coming off the ice, even though the hall may be filling up for the dance.
Usually a disc jockey is hired to take care of the music. A few prizes for
spot dances are always a welcome addition to the fun, and they encourage the crowd to
get up and dance.
6. Running the bar
During a bonspiel, the bar is a very important component of the overall
atmosphere of the bonspiel. Bar workers should be extremely friendly and
willing to serve. It is a good idea to have special drinks to go with any
theme of a bonspiel. For example, if a bonspiel has a Jamaican theme, you
may want to have tequila drinks advertised and all of the required ingredients
readily available. Again, it is important that bar workers are readily
willing to mix the required drinks.
Also, at the first sign of not having a curler's preferred drink or beer, it is
a good idea to go out of your way to have that drink or beer available the next
day. This is always a much appreciated move on your part.
Empty glasses and bottles should be cleaned off tables quickly. Patrons
appreciate a clean table.
The telephone number for a taxi company must be readily available to all
patrons, so that they are encouraged to take a cab home. You must
encourage all curlers to NOT drink and drive.
7. Cleaning the club
When curlers arrive Friday evening, Saturday morning and Sunday morning, the
club house and bathrooms must be very clean. No evidence of the good time
had the night before must be visible the next morning. Curlers appreciate
clean bathrooms, clean tables, and a clean floor.
The cleaning normally takes place after the closing of the bar in the evening,
or very early in the morning before the first games. It must not be done
while curlers are in the club house. It must appear to have been done magically,
while no one was looking. That makes the curling club that much more
inviting.
8. Theme
Choosing a bonspiel theme is usually reserved for ladies' bonspiels. If
a theme is chosen for other bonspiels, the guidelines are similar to those for
ladies' bonspiels.
When choosing a theme, you must consider many aspects: how the hall might be
decorated, how curlers might dress up, what drinks at the bar might go with the
theme, what "games" might be played, ...
a) decorating the hall: The hall must be decorated to reflect the
theme. Upon entering the club, curlers must recognize the theme, so it's
important to decorate the entrance too. The bathrooms should reflect the
theme as well, in some small way. You might have tablecloths and small
table decorations that reflect the theme as well.
b) dressing up: If you have a dress-up night, curlers are
much more likely to dress up if the theme is an easy one to dress up for.
Some themes require actual costumes, where other themes simply require a little
imagination. Make sure this is something you've considered before deciding
on a theme. Offering prizes for best costumes, funniest, most imaginative,
... also encourages curlers to dress up.
It is very important that, if you expect other teams to dress up, the bonspiel
organizers must be dressed up too. Encourage the bar workers to dress up
for the theme as well. This always makes for a really positive atmosphere.
c) drinks at the bar: When choosing a few drinks that go with
the theme, be inventive. They don't have to be new drinks. They can
be existing drinks that you give special names to, in order to reflect the
theme. This all adds to the fun. Make posters that promote these
drinks to go in or beside the bar.
d) games: You might start with some kind of puzzle or trivia
on the first night of the bonspiel. This sets the tone of the theme.
Make sure there is a copy of this puzzle or trivia for each team, either in the
envelope they receive upon arriving, or on their table after their first game.
Teams complete this puzzle and hand it in to the bonspiel chairperson (or
other), and a winning team is chosen or drawn and given some little prize.
You may have ongoing games throughout the weekend, or games reserved for one
night. Whatever games you play, they must include everyone, and ensure
that teams interact with other teams. You may have all leads play against
each other, for example.
Instead of games, some themes lend themselves well to skits. Invite each
team to prepare a skit and present it on the fun night. If most teams
participate, this usually makes for a great time and plenty of laughs.
9. Door prizes
Prizes and draws always make a bonspiel more interesting. Although
curlers may not be winning curlers, they still feel good when they win a prize,
no matter how small.
If you can get sponsors to donate prizes, you may draw these throughout the
weekend. Get a roll of double-sided tickets. Put four tickets in
each team envelope, and the matching tickets in a clean coffee can with lid.
Every once in a while, draw a ticket from the coffee can and attach it to a
prize. Display winning ticket numbers on a poster, with a brief
description of the matching prize. Curlers are encouraged to check their
tickets with the poster regularly to see if they are winners. If they find
their matching ticket on the poster, they can see the bonspiel chairperson or
designate to claim their prize.
If you do not get donations for prizes, you may purchase prizes and sell tickets
rather than give them away.
10. Raffle or 50/50 draw
In order to help pay for bonspiel expenses, you may want to have a 50/50 draw
or a raffle.
For a 50/50 draw, you need a roll of double-sided tickets.
You can sell your tickets $1 each or 3 for $2. You give the buyer one side
of the tickets and keep the other side in a basket or clean coffee can.
Make sure all curlers have been offered tickets, so go around the hall more than
once, and during different curling draws. Once you're done selling
tickets, count up all of the money made. Divide this amount by two.
You keep half of this amount and the other half will go to the winner.
Hence the name 50/50 draw, for 50% and 50%. Draw a ticket from the basket
or can. Announce the winning number. If no one claims the prize
immediately, post the winning number somewhere along with the amount of money
won, so that others may check their tickets later.
You may hold a similar type of draw if you have a larger
prize available to be won. The ticket sales is similar to the 50/50 draw,
but instead of winning money, the winner gets a prize. Make sure your
prize is displayed attractively, and that tickets are readily available for
sale.
11. Preparing the bonspiel draw
There are many points to consider when preparing a bonspiel draw. If
the person preparing the draw is inexperienced, they should seek advice and help
from someone with experience.
When choosing who plays who in the first draw, it is best to
write all team names on small pieces of paper. Put the names into small
piles corresponding to times. Draw two names from the pile and have them
meet in the first game. You may also encourage home teams to play
out-of-town teams as much as possible for the first set of games.
Also consider the following points:
a) No team should have to play back-to-back games expect for the
semi-finals and finals on the last day of the bonspiel.
b) You should avoid having teams play consecutive games on the same sheet
of ice.
c) No team should have to play the same team twice within a bonspiel,
except possibly for a final game.
d) No team should have to play more than three games on the same day.
It is best to try to keep it at two games per day, whenever possible.
e) The draw should be drawn out very neatly and large enough for all to
see. It should be easy to follow. Only the bonspiel chairperson or
his/her designate should update the bonspiel draw. Winning teams must be
encouraged to report their win to this person promptly in order for the draw to
be updated.
f) When teams play late on Friday night, they should not be the first draw
on the ice on Saturday morning. Remember that if teams play early, they
are more likely to leave the club earlier in the evening, and this may cut into
your bar profits. You want the players of the latest draw to stay and have
fun.
12. Scheduling teams from out of town
Be considerate when scheduling teams from out of town. Teams may find it difficult to arrive on time for the first draw and may request a later time. If this is possible, out-of-town teams will appreciate it and are more likely to return to your bonspiel.
13. Costs
Bonspiels should make money at the bar. Other than that, all costs should be considered and only covered. The bonspiel cost per team must cover the meal, prizes, disc jockey, and other major costs. The cost of decorations and trivial items should be covered through the 50/50 draw or raffle. Before setting the price for your bonspiel entry, check out comparable bonspiels and see what their entry fee is. If yours is set at a much higher price, teams are likely to choose another bonspiel.
14. Eye openers
Eye openers are a little boost for the morning coffee, a little "pick-me-up" that goes well with coffee. They are usually provided by a sponsor for the curlers involved in the first draw each morning. A lot of curlers appreciate this little bonus.
15. Team envelopes
When teams arrive for a bonspiel, they should be received at the door or near
the entrance by friendly, inviting faces. A table might be set up for this
purpose. If teams have already paid their entry fee, they should be given
the team envelope at this time. If teams are paying as they arrive, their
entry fee must be collected, and then they must be given the team envelope.
Team envelopes should be labeled with team names in order to ensure that all
teams receive their envelope. Items that must go in this envelope include:
a) a welcoming letter that includes any draws to be made, time of the meal
on Saturday, mention of the theme and expectations for dressing up or
preparation of skits, and anything else that you deem important
b) the rules of the bonspiel and the prize order and structure
c) four meal tickets
d) four tickets for the draws, if you are giving these tickets away
e) freebies if available, such as coupons towards pizza, pens, gum, ...
f) team puzzle or trivia questionnaire, if you wish
Team envelopes may not actually be in an envelope. You may provide each
team with a cup, a basket, or some other form of interesting container for all
of the above.
16. Basket for ladies' bathroom
During a mixed or ladies' bonspiel, it is important to have a basket of female-type goodies available. This should include hand lotion, sanitary pads and tampons, band aids, safety pins, a child-proof bottle of aches and pain medicine, antacids, hair elastics, ... Female curlers always appreciate this gesture, and although most do not need any of the items, it makes them feel good that you thought of them.
17. Jell-O shooters
Jell-O shooters are quite popular. You can use different flavours of Jell-O and any liquor such as gin, vodka, rye, or tequila. Follow the instructions on the package of Jell-O, but when it’s time to add the cold water or ice, add the liquor. Pour the prepared Jell-O into small 2-oz plastic cups. Place lid on top of each cup and refrigerate. Jell-O shooters must be sold through the bar and the liquor used in them must be part of the liquor license.
Got a question? or good suggestion? We welcome your input at nic@mycurling.com.