Are you interested in the rules? Of course you are, but I wonder if you have seen - and studied - the documents that were made available on the Royal Club website last week, see here.The first of these is a report from the Rules Review Group - Alan Stanfield (chair), Colin Hamilton, Bob Kelly, Pat Edington, David Murdoch and Isobel Hannen - which has been working for some fifteen months.
The group agreed that their aims would be:
1. To use the same lay-out and section indexing as the new WCF rule book (published in June 2010) to make cross-referencing easier for players, coaches and umpires alike, particularly in areas where there were rule differences.
2. To use the WCF phraseology where the rule in essence was the same.
3. Move sections especially on LSD, DSC, Time Clocks, Doubles Curling and Wheelchair curling rules from the current sections in/after specific competition conditions to the Rules of the Game/General Competition Rules.
4. Include The Double Rink Championship to the System of Play (added later).
5. Use sections for referencing in the text rather than page numbers which would make future rule updates easier and less time consuming administratively to produce.
6. Use WCF diagrams where possible which had more modern graphics.
7. Delete the index section providing a comprehensive Table of Contents was included.
8. Add a Glossary of terms which would assist those new to curling.
This has all now been accomplished and a proposed new rule book for 2011-12 is available for you to comment on and provide feedback, which should be received at Cairnie House by the beginning of April.
Changes to the rules of play must be approved by members at the AGM in June, and the third document indicates what might be brought before the meeting then. Changes to competition rules is within the remit of the Competitions' Committee.
Over to you, then.
