The Ottawa Blind Curling Club (OBCC), an Ontario chapter member of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), was formed in 1978. Since that time the club has continually grown, becoming a strong organisation attracting blind and visually impaired individuals to the game. The club strives to be an inclusive, community based organization that ensures the accessibility of the sport of curling to the visually impaired through education, training, public awareness and exchange of information. All members of the club are totally or legally blind (visually impaired) individuals who participate in club management and activities. There is an elected executive, who are drawn from club members, which manages the club activities under the guidance of a constitution.
The club has a number of very dedicated volunteer coaches and guides who assist with on-ice activities. The coaches are all Level One Canadian Curling Association (CCA) certified and have the skills and experience required to teach blind and visually impaired individuals the game of curling. A curling team is comprised of four blind or visually impaired players with a coach who assists with the technical aspects of the game (check out the The Game page. In addition to the large amounts of time and energy the volunteers dedicate to instructing and assisting our curlers, they travel with us whenever we take part in bonspiels and competitions outside of our regular club play.
Any blind or visually impaired adult that may be thinking of joining us may do so at any time. Just come and try out without obligation to see if curling is what you would like to do. The membership fee is $175.00 per year, but new members pay only half price the first year. In this way you can try curling for free for three months before you make up your mind. If you are interested, then click on the Contact Us link.
The OBCC's focus is on blind or visually impaired adults. In order to bring the sport to other visually impaired individuals the OBCC is more than willing to share its knowledge and experience with other organisations. Groups that might be interested could include curling clubs who have blind or visually impaired young people (those who would play in Little Rock programs or at the Junior level) who have expressed an interest in curling. Other groups such as the Special Olympics Organisation may be interested in exploring this option as well. This sharing of knowledge could be done through education, coaches training, and exchange of information sessions.
The OBCC home base is the City View Curling Club located at 50 Capilano Drive in Nepean, south of the intersection of Capilano Drive and Merivale Road. During the curling season the club runs an in-house, recreational style league. As with most curling clubs and groups the social aspect of the game is almost as important as the physical activity itself. After the on-ice activity is finished, our curlers move to the lounge to enjoy a beverage of their choice, swap stories and share in each other's life experiences. The social element of the club has proven to be as important to many of the club members as the curling itself.
In addition to the house league curling, a number of the members participate in bonspiels hosted by local curling clubs and groups. As well the OBCC participates in the Ontario Blind Curlers Association's (OBCA) provincial championship, both at a recreational and competitive level. The OBCA is comprised of six centres (Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, Oshawa, Ottawa and Toronto) who each, on a rotating basis, host the annual event, The OBCC executive , in consultation with the coaches and guides, selects the teams that will represent the club at the provincial bonspiel. The club that wins the competitive pool of this championship then represents Ontario at the National Vision Impaired Curling Championship, in which the OBCC has participated on a number of occasions.