Junior Program Profile: Nick Saturnino, Inuvik Curling Center (N.W.T.)

Send a textAbove the Arctic Circle, the town of Inuvik, N.W.T., is home to a curling centre with a thriving junior program. In this episode, I speak with Nick Saturnino, president of the Inuvik Curling Center, about its multiple youth programs, giving responsibility to young people, and creating new competitive opportunities for youth in his territory.Some of the topics we discuss include:* A short history of curling in Inuvik (3:18)* What is "Smash-Up Derby"? (6:46)* The "Rock Star Festival" for kids 5-8 years old (9:11)* Getting young people to help run the junior program (15:31)* Paying the youth who help with the junior program! (17:35)* Young people are allowed to use the ice during school lunchtime without supervision (21:03)* A new "1-on-1" league for U12s/U15s that was started last season (26:52)* Why a healthy junior program can grow future curling coaches (35:30)* The U12/U15 "Rock The Rings" regional competition in Yellowknife (36:59)* Fundraising for travel costs (41:14)* The importance of LTAD for young curlers (44:14)* Give kids an opportunity to try curling - don't schedule it at the same time as other sports! (46:32)Links to the resources mentioned in this episode:"Inuvik Kids Embrace Curling" Curling Canada blog story (Jan 18/2021)https://www.curling.ca/blog/2021/01/18/inuvik-kids-embrace-curling/Inuvik Curling Center Facebook Grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/267452016646110/NWT Curling Association Web sitehttps://www.nwtcurling.com/Nick's e-mail address: [email protected] our podcast on Twitter: @kidscurlingGlenn Gabriel is an NCCP-certified curling coach who lives in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been the coordinator of the Little Rocks (U12) program at East York Curling Club in Toronto since 2011. If you have a question or feedback on the podcast, send us an e-mail at [email protected] intro and outro music is "Golden Sunrise (Instrumental Version)"https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/The_Wake_1790/JoshWoodward-TheWake-NoVox-10-GoldenSunriseBy Josh Woodwardhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_WoodwardLicensed under CC BY 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Support the show