| IMPORTANT INFORMATION – CQ CHAMPIONSHIPS AND TOURNAMENTS –2020-21 SEASON |
The pandemic’s current context makes the presentation of large-scale competitive events extremely unpredictable and uncertain, at least for the next little while. Over half of the curling clubs in the province are currently unable to operate normally, which impacts their operations and greatly impacts their members who have not been permitted to curl. Also, many of Curling Québec’s events require the collaboration of several groups of people (organizers, volunteers, officials, etc.), and often these people come from several different regions. For these reasons, and for the sake of fairness and transparency, the federation’s board of directors has decided to adopt the following measures for the events scheduled on the 2020-21 calendar.
| CLUB SERIES – Battle of the clubs, Club Championship, Provincial Colts Championship and the Caledonia Cup |
All Club Series events for the 2020-21 season will be cancelled.
Scenario for club championship: The next Canadian championship is scheduled for the fall of 2021; therefore, a provincial championship will be held in 2021 before the national event (details to follow).
| PERFORMANCE BRUSH SERIES – U-18 Provincial, U-21 Provincial and the Junior Jamboree |
All Performance Brush Series events for the 2020-21 season will be cancelled. Curling Canada previously announced the cancellation of the 2021 Canadian championships for the U-18 and U-21 categories.
Scenario for U-18 and U-21 championships: If the circumstances permit, a provincial event will be held towards the end of the season for the U-18 and U-21 categories to promote the development and skills of the young up-and-coming players (details to follow).
| ELITE SERIES – Senior Provincial, Masters Provincial, Mixed Provincial, Circuit Final and Tankard Qualification |
All of the above-listed events will be cancelled for the 2020-21 season. The defending champions from the 2020 Senior and Masters’ provincial championships, who did not get to attend the Canadian championships, which were cancelled due to the pandemic, will be our representatives for the 2021 Canadian championships scheduled for the fall of 2021. (See note below)
Scenario for the mixed championship: The next national championship is scheduled for the fall of 2021; therefore, a provincial championship will be held in 2021 before the national event (details to follow).
| ELITE SERIES – Provincial Scotties, Provincial Tankard and Mixed Doubles Provincial |
These three events have a bit of a peculiar status this season, as Curling Canada (CC) is working hard to present the national championships for these categories in the winter of 2021. Our defending champions in the Mixed Doubles category did not get the opportunity to represent Quebec at Nationals this past winter; therefore, they will be our representatives for the scheduled 2021 Canadian championship. (See note below)
As far as the provincial Scotties and Tankard are concerned, our ideal scenario is to present a joint championship in January to determine our provincial representatives. In addition to the varying degrees of circumstances in Quebec’s different regions, several other factors could also impact these events’ potential presentations. Before finalizing our plan, we are waiting on Curling Canada’s detailed procedures concerning all requirements for participants in regards to the pandemic (self-isolation, travel, etc.). Since CC’s procedures may impact the registrations at the provincial level, the pre-established registration deadline of December 1st is no longer in effect. We are currently working in collaboration with the other provincial associations and CC to address the rules concerning free agents and players with birthright statuses. If applicable and if the situation allows it, a special registration period and a modified qualification process will be put in place for the Scotties and Tankard. We would also like to reassure all of the concerned players that we do not want to negatively affect anyone with the new rules which will be put in place this year; therefore, we will meticulously assess the impact of our decisions before coming to a final ruling.
The board of directors and the championship committee have already begun discussing alternative ways of designating our provincial representatives if the provincial Scotties and Tankard championships are cancelled. It was agreed that a final decision concerning these two championships would be made by the beginning of December at the latest.
To conclude, we would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of the people who have collaborated with our staff since the beginning of the year. Rest assured that our greatest wish is to return to presenting structured competitive and friendly curling events in Quebec as quickly as possible. Still, the health and safety of all of our members and volunteers will remain our main priorities.
Note: For the 2020 champion team to be eligible to represent Quebec at the 2021 national championship (winter or fall), a minimum of three (3) players must still be active members of the team. For mixed doubles, both players must still be active members of the team.
