Curling a Great Corporate or Team Building Activity

Nugget Column #17 – Tuesday January 17th, 2017

Trying to build a winning team dynamic? An outing to your local curling club may bring about more benefits that you would have originally thought.

Whether you belong to a team of athletes, employees, volunteers, or family; you know that group dynamics are the key to reaching the goals you have set out to achieve. One of the most effective ways to strengthen group cohesion is to present a challenge that is, for the most part, outside the audience’s realm of expertise.

Interestingly, Curling ranks high among activities that most Canadians would associate as being a part of our country’s brand, while relatively few people have actually participated, or play on a regular basis. Of course, it would be great for the sport if it were as assimilated in our upbringings as hockey, but since it’s not, there remains a team-building opportunity that is all challenging, competitive, fun, social, and designed to bring people together.

Here’s how:

1. Curling is a team sport with copious individual tasks that contribute to a larger outcome. While one person’s feat or misstep in their role can affect the entire team’s result, the group must learn to adopt a “we” culture if they wish to succeed in the long run.

2. In Curling there will be a winning team and a losing team. Participants will learn to share and deal with accomplishments and failures as a group.

3. Curling is social. The playing area is small enough that conversations can occur during the game, and the presence of a lounge at the facility encourages people to get together after the game (or between games).

4. Curling is strategic. Like business and in life, there are different means to the same end but all group members must be on the same page if the result is going to be one of positive nature.

5. Curling is not widely understood. Since many people have not experienced this sport, participants will not be able to easily achieve success without some quality teamwork.

The North Bay Granite Club hosts numerous such events each winter, with most bookings recurring on an annual basis. Space is available during the day or in the evenings, throughout the week or on weekends, and can accommodate group sizes between 8 – 100 people.

A growing trend that the club is experiencing is the desire from companies to rent ice during work hours because they view the outing as an “investment” that benefits the relationships between their employees and in turn the productivity of their workplace.

Each event is unique and dependent on the group’s culture. The club can assist with the organization and structuring of your event, can provide on-ice instruction, can provide equipment, and would offer to help in any other way that would result in a rewarding experience for your team. Contact the club for pricing and availability.

Bobby Ray General Manager North Bay Granite Club