OSHAWA, Ont. - Durham College is thrilled to announce that the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) has approved its entry into varsity curling, beginning with the 2024-25 season.
Durham submitted an application last fall to add curling to its varsity programming and will be on the ice for the first time in 2024 since 1996. Durham previously iced a varsity curling team from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s.
The Lords won one gold medal in the women's team competition (1982-83), along with three silver (1977-78; 1981-82; 1994-95). On the men's team side, they won three gold medals (1972-73; 1994-95; 1995-96), one silver (1993-94) and one bronze (1977-78). Durham had won four medals in their final three seasons until exiting varsity curling following the 1995-96 season.
With this announcement, the Department of Athletics & Recreation also announce the hiring of two head coaches as Jay Fisher and Jennifer Langford will oversee the program.
"We are always looking for opportunities to expand athletics and recreation programming for our students and bringing back varsity curling is a great fit," said Scott Dennis, Director, Athletics & Recreation. "With Jay and Jennifer's expertise and passion for the sport, we are all looking forward to seeing the Lords back on the ice in 2024 competing for OCAA and CCAA titles."
Jay holds coaching certification through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and Curling Canada. He has coached competitive teams for more than three decades at the high school, U15 and U18 levels.
"I am really looking forward to coaching at the college level and especially to be bringing varsity curling back to DC," said Fisher. "There is a great history of youth curling in the Durham Region, which we know we can continue as we start up the program in 2024."
Fisher currently coaches his son Rye, as well as teams at the U18 competitive level out of Uxbridge and Port Perry. As a player, he won a varsity men's gold in 1992 with Wilfrid Laurier University and played at provincial level competition in bantam, junior men's, junior mixed and adult mixed curling.
Jennifer walked a different path to collegiate coaching than her counterpart. After attending a Learn to Curl program at the age of 40, she not only discovered her love for the game but also later developed a love for teaching it.
"I have taught people of all ages how to curl through various types of sessions at the Oshawa Curling Club," said Langford.
For more than 20 years, Langford had managed the Little Rock programs as a volunteer (now called U12). Over that time period, she took courses and became NCCP certified. She has gone on to coach many young people through CurlOn competitions at the U15, U18 and U21 levels. In the present, Langford is working through the competition development level of her coaching certification.
"For years I have watched kids that I have coached move on to play at universities and colleges away from home," said Langford. "I was really saddened when good curlers who chose to stay home and attend Durham College didn't have the opportunity to play at the next level. I am excited for Durham to bring back varsity curling and I am really looking forward to being a part of it. I'm up for the challenge."
The Lords will call the Oshawa Curling Club home beginning in the fall. The facility has eight sheets of ice and is one of the longest continuously operating sporting organizations in Ontario.
OCAA championships included a mixed team competition until the end of the 2018-19 season and would switch to mixed doubles beginning in 2019-20, a format that continues today. The OCAA has continuously crowned champions for men's and women's teams since the late 1960s.
As of 2023-24, the women's pool in the OCAA consists of Humber, Fanshawe and Mohawk, while the men's pool has the three aforementioned teams, as well as Confederation and Sault. Humber, Mohawk and Fanshawe submitted mixed doubles teams, while Sault and Fleming each sent two.
Full-time students at Durham College with experience in tournament curling are encouraged to fill out the prospective player form by clicking HERE.
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Source: Durham Lords