PLAYING RULES FOR ALL EVENTS

  1. All clubs affiliated with the T.&.N.O.C.A. and who are in good standing are eligible to compete in all Association events.

  2. T.&.N.O.C.A. competitors must be paid up members of the club they are representing. In the case of Seniors and Mixed, the team may be composed of players from any club within the Association.
    In Senior Mens and Mixed Playdowns competition, at least two players must be members of the club that they are representing.
    No player is eligible to compete in more then one club in any one event and, if a player is a member of two clubs, he/she can ony compete out of one club (his/her) choice. SEE RESIDENCY RULE

  3. All teams wishing to compete for National Events from any club in the Association shall be eligible for Playdowns.

  4. a. For Seniors and Junior competition, member clubs of the Association shall be assigned to one of four playing Zones.(Senior and Junior Zones)

    b. For Tankard competition, member clubs of the Association shall be assigned to one of five playing Zones. (Mens Zones)

  5. -The T.&.N.O.C.A. Championships will be determined as follows:

    -For Association Mixed, Seniors and Juniors, a "Bonspiel" format competition will be used. Any team eligible by the rules of the Men's and Woman's Association (i.e.: the section of the home club must be affiliated with both Associations) will be able to compete. Two Winners will be declared who will represent the Association at the Provincial Playdowns.

    -For Association Tankard play only, ten (10) teams will be declared from the Zone playdowns. In the event that a Zone is not able to forward two teams, the selection format as shown on page 25 A of the Rules and Quickfacts shall be employed.

    -The playoff format for the Association Tankard Championship will be a modified triple knockout with three teams advancing to the Provincial playdowns.

  6. All games will consist of ten ends. The skip of the losing team may concede the game at any time if he/she wishes to.

  7. To host the Association playdowns, the club must have facilities to accommodate the participants. The host club must have at least four sheets of ice with matched rocks.

  8. Rules governing the play at the Association will also apply to all competition at the Zone Level.

  9. C.C.A. eligibility and playdown rules will apply to all Association events unless otherwise written. SEE RESIDENCY RULE

  10. The decision of the Officers of the Association shall be binding in all disputes.

  11. All competitors in the Junior Men's Curling shall be under twenty (20) years of age on December 31st of the year prior to the National Championship. A curler who is eligible by age to compete in Juniors as well as Tankard and/or Mixed is required to purchase a competitor card and have paid full membership to their home club when paying in Tankard and/or Mixed.

  12. See Quicfacts Section P for rules governing substitution for Zone and Association playdowns.

  13. All Male participants in Tankard, Mixed and Senior Playdowns must have C.C.A. participant cards for all competition starting at Club level. All female participants in Mixed Playdowns must have paid participant fees for Woman competition, or must have valid C.C.A participant card as issued by the Men's Association.

    14. RULES OF SUBSTITUTION

  14. Substitution of one or two players will be permitted for the following reasons only
    1. Death
    2. Illness
    3. Accident
    4. Death in the family
    5. Conflict in playing dates in Zone or Association playdowns

    It is the responsibility of the Zone convenor or playdown chairman that one of the above reasons apply and his decision is final.

  15. The substituted player(s) may be from the home club (home Association in the case of Seniors or Mixed) or be selected from a pool of spares provided by the host club, whichever the skip chooses. Substitute players must conform to the C.C.A. eligibility rules. Association rules do not exclude as substitutes those players who have participated at a lower level of competition. Substitute players may not have participated in the competition in which the player is being substituted.

  16. The substitute player may play any position

  17. In the case of Mixed play, the substitute may play in a position which comforms with the C.C.A. substitution rules.

  18. Once competition is underway, a team has the option of a substitute player(s) from the home club or host club and the reason for substitution must be validated. However, a team may elect to play with three players, having the first two players deliver two stones each.

  19. Should a team be unable to ice at least two of it's original members prior to the start of the competition, the runner-up team shall represent the club or the zone involved.

  20. A player who has left the game because of illness, accident or other extenuating curcumstances may rejoin his/her team at any time during any game of the competition. If a spare was selected, the player may rejoin their team for the next game.

  21. Any situation not covered in the above text will be resolved by the Association President and the host playdown chairman.

    RESIDENCY RULE

  22. For all events leading to National Championships, players must be bona fide residents within the boundaries of the Association and must be paid members of the Club which they are representing, before competition starts.

  23. In the case where residency or Club membership is in question, a ruling shall be by a panel consisting of the Zone Chairman from the Zone where the question has arisen, the Association Chairman of the event and two of the President, Vice President or Secretary Treasurer; that is, the entire panel consist of at least four executive members but must include the Zone Chairman and the Association Chairman. Residency may be determined by driver's license address, postal address or other means at the disposal of the panel.

  24. For participants maintaining a second residence to attend school or University in another part of the Province or Country, they shall be entitled to select their place of residence for competition purposes.

  25. A participant may not participate out of more then one Club.

  26. National Policy: IN NO EVENT, SHALL A PLAYER PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS LEADING TO NATIONAL PLAYDOWNS OUT OF MORE THAN ONE PROVINCE.

  27. National Statement of Principle:

    The Canadian Curling Association (CCA) believe athletes who represent their Provincial / Territorial members at the CCA Curling Championships should be bona fide residents and domiciled within the Province / Territory which they are representing at the championship.

    To preserve the integrity, marketability as well as regional interest in the respective championships required to promote growth and interest in the sport of curling, the CCA strongly endorses the adoption by Provincial / Territorial Associations of eligibility requirements for playdowns towards CCA Curling Championships requiring participants to be bona fide residents and domiciled within the Province / Territory sought to be represented at CCA-sanctioned Canadian Curling Championships.

    THE FREE GUARD ZONE RULE

  28. The area between the hogline and the tee line excluding the house shall be the free guard zone.

    Interpretation: A stone which comes to rest touching or in front of the hogline after making contact with a stone in the free guard zone is considered to be in the free guard zone. A stone which comes to rest outside the rings but touching the tee line is not in the free guard zone.

  29. After delivery of each of the first two stones of an end, it is the responsibility of the skip of the team who is about to deliver to ensure agreement with the opposing skip as to whether or not the stone just delivered has come to rest in the free guard zone. If they cannot agree, they may make the determination by using the six foot measuring stick. If the position of another stone hinders the use of the six foot measure, they may reposition this stone, complete the measurement and replace the stone to its original position.

  30. Any stationary stone(s) located within the free guard zone shall not be removed from play until after the third stone of the end has been delivered and all stones have come to rest or are out of play.

    Interpretation: This includes the delivering team's stones. A delivered third stone of an end may hit a stone in the free guard zones onto a stone not in the free guard zone providing the original free guard zone stone remains in play. If the original free gaurd zone stone is removed from play, penalty situation #1 shall aplly.

    Situation #1: If a stone(s) in the free guard zone is removed from play prior to the delivery of the fourth stone of the end, the non-offending team may allow the play to stand or remove the stone just delivered from play and replace the displaced stationary stone(s) as close as possible to its original position.

    Situation #2: If the delivered third stone of an end initially hits a stone not in the free guard zone and as a result a stone in the free guard zone is removed from play, the non-offending team may allow the play to stand or remove the stone just delivered from play and replace the stone removed from the free guard zone as close as possible to its original position. The stone that waqs initially hit shall remain where it finally comes to rest.

    Situation #3: If the delivered third stone of an end simultaneously hits a stone not in the free gaurd zone and a stone in the free guard zone and as a result, the stone in the free guard zone is removed from play, the rule shall be applied as if the stone not in the free guard zone was hit initially (see situation #2). If the teams cannot agree, the delivering team shall be given the benefit of the doubt.

  31. In all other respects, the normal rules of play shall apply.

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