JUNIOR CURLING at Fenton's Rink embraces a wide range of young curlers, helping them at every stage of their development in this wonderful Olympic sport. From your first tentative steps on the ice as a complete beginner, to honing your skills as a prospective English team representative, we have the resources to help you every step of the way.

Over the past 15 years, we have seen our young curlers develop from raw novices to fierce competitors on the European stage, and even reaching the pinnacle of representing the nation in the World Championships!

There are two entry points for beginners.

ENGLISH SCHOOLS PROGRAMME -  We offer a 5-week course to schools, leading to entry to the English Schools Championships, which held each March. This well-established programme has introduced countless young people to the sport of curling, enabling them to embrace an entirely new experience in a competitive team sport. Many continue their interest beyond the Schools Championships.

WEEKLY JUNIOR TRAINING -  A two-hour session is held every Tuesday evening throughout the season, open to all young people aged between 11 and 18. The session is run by experienced coaches and aims to improve the skills of of junior curlers at all levels. We constantly monitor the development of individuals, looking for those with the ability and application to take them further in the sport. To this end, we run an...

...ELITE TRAINING SESSION  on Sunday mornings, which is structured to develop the skills and etiquette necessary for competitive curling. This helps formulate both girls' and boys' teams with the potential to enter the National Playdowns for the right to enter into the World Junior Challenge. Participation in the Elite Sessions is by individual invitation.

OUR COACHES

Senior coach is Jonathan Havercroft , a very experienced curler and coach. Jonathan is a Canadian now living in England, having played on World Curling Tour events, successfully played and coached in Canadian and US University championships, as well as being a past director and secretary of the US Curling Association. On top of that, Jonathan holds a Level Two Royal Caledonian Curling Club coaching qualification.

Another Canadian, Lisa Farnell , is a recent arrival in England and is a very welcome addition to the Rink coaching team. Lisa was actively involved as a player in the Ontario Junior Tour and the Canadian Junior Playdowns and as an adult, a World Tour player. She has spent several years coaching in the highly competitive Canadian scene before moving to London.

Owen Rees is also a junior coach and introduced to curling in Canada, taking up the sport again several years ago. Owen's responsible for introducing curling to a number of juniors at the school where he teaches - The Beacon School, Crowborough, East Sussex. Some of his students are already participating in our Elite Programme and representing England at European events.

The entire Junior Programme is run at the Rink by Tracey Lyne , who is Rink Manager and also Junior Convenor and Council Member of the English Curling Association (ECA). She is also a Level Two World Curling Federation qualified coach and is jointly responsible for developing the pathway for Junior Curling with Jonathan.

As with most competitive sports, curling requires considerable dedication to succeed at the top level, and we are fortunate to have experienced, qualified coaches, all of whom are CRB/DBS checked, who are able to convey and demonstrate what is needed for success.

Whether you are looking to challenge at the elite level or simply want to find out what curling is all about, do get in touch with us. We have something for EVERYONE!