A curling season unlike any before it is underway as the sport's top teams prepare for the Grand Slam opener next month in Victoria.
The tour looks much different this season in the first year of the quadrennial.
Instead of being spread out over six or seven months like in regular non-Olympic seasons, the five Grand Slam events will be played over a compact two-month period this fall.
The Rock League pro circuit plans a one-month season starting in January ahead of an 11-day playoff in April once national and world championships are complete. With mixed doubles events also in play, it makes for a busy — and different — curling calendar.
"It's Year 1 of a quad so for me, there's no concerns," said Curling Canada high-performance executive director David Murdoch. "Let's just see how we could play this out, and I'm sure there'll be learnings for Year 2 and Year 3 from both sides, whether you're looking for an Olympic medal or whether you are looking for professionalism in sport.
"I think there's scope there for everyone to figure this out quite easily."
The schedule may present challenges for Rock League players who still need to qualify for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts or the Montana's Brier.
Many provincial and territorial playdowns conflict with current Rock League dates, as do some national championships outside Canada.
With different lineups used on the pro circuit, some Rock League curlers may also have to juggle extra practice sessions or training camps with their regular teams to maintain cohesion.
"We've had lots of great discussions," Murdoch said in a recent phone interview. "I think we're figuring out some good solutions to that.
"And hopefully it can all work out and everyone benefits from it."
Curling Canada recently named the women's, men's and mixed doubles teams for its national team program, and several athletes from those rinks are planning to play Rock League.
The national sport organization also announced that national coaches Scott Pfeifer and Jeff Stoughton would be switching roles.
Pfeifer has moved to men's program manager and Stoughton has shifted to mixed doubles program manager. Viktor Kjell remained women's program manager.
Sponsorship questions
Sponsorship questions remain with just a few weeks to go. The Grand Slam series does not currently have a title sponsor and only one competition — the Oct. 13-18 Co-op Invitational — has an event sponsor.
GSOC branding is currently being used for the Nov. 3-8 GSOC Masters in Medicine Hat, Alta., the Nov. 12-17 GSOC National in Sydney, N.S., the Dec. 1-6 GSOC Open in Thunder Bay, Ont., and the Dec. 15-20 GSOC Players' Cup in Kingston, Ont.
There is also some uncertainty with the Rock League calendar.
A host venue for the April 8-18 playoffs and championship has not been named and it's unclear what might happen with a planned Jan. 14-17 stop in Halifax.
The Curling Group announced plans to go to the Scotiabank Centre — a 10,500-seat venue that hosted the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials last year — but the arena does not have Rock League on its schedule.
In an email, an arena spokesperson said they don't have any confirmation for that event.
The Curling Group plans to announce additional Rock League location details on Sept. 16, a spokesperson said via email. An update on the status of the Halifax event wasn't provided.
Other previously announced Rock League dates include the season kickoff Jan. 7-10 in Moose Jaw, Sask., a Jan. 28-31 visit to Utica, N.Y., and a Feb. 4-7 competition in Ottawa.
