What you can expect from Rockslide:

• On-ice and in-class sessions with BC’s best coaches
• Extra curricular activities and team building fun
• Food and beverages
• Camp clothing and resources
• Optional Evening social activites
• Non curlers, new curlers and competitive curlers are welcome

Accommodation: 

Coast Hotel (secured rate of $209.00): 45920 First Ave, Chilliwack, BC V2P 7K1

Here is the Passkey link: https://book.passkey.com/e/50517628

Make sure to follow and “like” the Curl BC Facebook page to see photos from previous years.

We spoke to coaches Dean Joanisse and Darryl Horne about what they think the camp can offer young curlers.

How many years have you been coaching?

Darryl: I’ve been coaching for many years; it has probably been about 35 years. I have been to all but one of the Rockslide camps (there have been five). I’ve also been involved with similar camps in Alberta.

Dean: I’ve coached a lot over the years and done a bunch of other instructional stuff as well. I helped out at camps when I was a teenager and did a handful of years at the Four Foot summer camps. This year will be my second time at Rockslide.

Why do you think young curlers should attend Rockslide?

We spoke to Kylie Karoway who attended Rockslide with her new team. In her blog, she explains what she liked about it and why you should join her at camp this summer.

I first heard about Rockslide from my mom’s friend as her son was going so she suggested that my mom send me and my brother to it as well. I had just put together a new team so they decided to go too so that we could see if we worked well
as a team.

Before I went to Rockslide, I was starting to lose my enthusiasm for curling and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep curling but I had a great time at the camp. We did lots of different sorts of things when we were there. First of all we were put into groups depending on our skill level and I was in one of the lower level groups. Obviously, because it’s a curling camp, we spent quite a bit of time on the ice curling. We had the chance to work with different coaches on certain parts of our game like delivery. I had been curling for about three years so I knew all of the basics but I wanted to improve and work on certain skills ,so it really helped to focus on these with the coaches.

We worked on other things off the ice as well. For example, we did a session on conditioning and keeping in shape in the off-season so that you don’t get out there for your first game and feel like you’ll pass out! We also had some talks on things like mental preparation and ways that you can read your team and know their strengths so that you can curl better together. We did some fun team-building activities too. For one of them we were in pairs and we had an egg which we had to throw back and forth without breaking it and then we did a bigger version of that with the whole group where it was a water balloon which we had throw and stop from bursting. Another cool task that we did in teams was trying to build the tallest structure we could out of marshmallows and wooden poles without it falling over.

My favourite thing that we did during the camp was a mini-sports day. We were put into different teams which were named after animals (I was a donkey!) and we had to do a big obstacle course which included things like throwing boccia balls into buckets, jumping over chairs and sliding through a soapy tarp whilst being sprayed with a hose. It was so much fun and a great way to get to know new people.

The atmosphere at the camp was great. It was just like hanging out with friends. Because people come from all over BC, and even from Alberta, I didn’t know lots of people there but you spend 12-hours a day with your group so they feel like friends or family by the end of the week. I’ve kept in touch with about five or six new people who I met at the camp and we chat on Facebook so it’s definitely a good way to meet new people.

I had a great time at Rockslide, it was really good fun and my curling definitely improved. It also rebuilt my passion for the sport and inspired me to keep curling. I can’t wait to go to this year’s camp.

Kylie’s top 5 reasons to go to Rockslide

1. You get to meet lots of new people. There are campers from all over BC so you make friends who you would never normally have met.
2. You can work with lots of different coaches. Because there are so many coaches, there’s a variety of coaching techniques and ways of teaching which makes a nice change and you learn new things.
3. It is great for team bonding. If you’re part of a team, it’s really fun to go together and get to know them better and find out how to work well together.
4. Your curling improves. During the camp you do so many different activities that help your game and you learn new tactics and techniques which are really useful. It’s also a great introduction to the sport if you haven’t done it before as it’s like a tester trial. My cousin, who had never curled before, went to the camp last year and enjoyed it and he then curled for all of the last season.
5.  It will make you realise how awesome curling is. Going to Rockslide reinspired me and I rediscovered a new love of curling.

The first Rockslide was held in 2011 and brought 49 young curlers together! In 2012, 70 curlers worked with a great and professional coaching team to improve and fine tune their curling skills. In 2012, 69 curlers participate in the summer camp and in 2013, 73 curlers and 13 coaches and staff made for a fun and learning filled 3.5 days! In 2014, the camp also offered professional development for coaches. The coach camp expanded in 2015 and a bonspiel was added in 2016. The camp continues to grow and reach new participants.