Curling Canada high performance director David Murdoch (left) and CEO Katherine Henderson pose for a photo at the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier in London, Ontario on Friday March 10, 2023. Henderson will use the next six weeks to help with the transition at Curling Canada before she moves on to her new job as Hockey Canada president and chief executive officer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Katherine Henderson will use the next six weeks to help with the transition at Curling Canada before she moves on to her new job as Hockey Canada president and chief executive officer.
There were some hits and misses over her seven-year run as CEO of the national curling organization, with some big question marks remaining as she prepares for her exit.
In a release announcing her departure, Curling Canada trumpeted Henderson’s efforts overseeing a “transformation of the organization” that focused on increased participation, diversity, fan and corporate support of major events and long-term financial stability.
“Clearly we recognize the value that she brings and the good work she did for us,” Curling Canada board chair Michael Szajewski said Wednesday. “It’s not a surprise that other organizations saw that as well.
“We’re really at a time where we’re celebrating what she’s accomplished, we’re reflecting on the work that’s been done and also very excited for the opportunity that the future presents for us.”
Under Henderson’s watch, Curling Canada changed its payout structure so that women received the same amount as men at national championships.
She also guided the organization in the creation of a so-called curling bubble in Calgary for several major events during the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 season.
Henderson also helped spearhead symposiums to advance inclusion in the sport and recently went international for the important hiring of high-performance director David Murdoch.
“She was just always very honest and forthright, you knew where she was coming from,” said broadcaster Mike Harris, who served as executive director of the Northern Ontario Curling Association last season.
“She didn’t say things without following up and doing it. In that sense, I think she was an excellent leader for Curling Canada. I think hockey is fortunate to have her.”
However, the next Curling Canada CEO will have several challenges to tackle.
Two of the organization’s showcase events – the Brier and the Olympic Trials – still don’t have a title sponsor.
The sport remains somewhat stuck in its ways. The in-venue experience is the opposite of the entertainment-heavy model used at most top sporting events in Canada.
Curling attendance has also been middling at best in recent years.
“Let me put it this way,” said Warren Hansen, a former Curling Canada event operations director. “The problems facing curling when she got there in 2016, in my opinion, have only gotten worse.”
Curling has lost some traction at the grassroots level and many clubs have had to close their doors. A solid – while aging – fan base exists, but the days of national championships being held at NHL-sized venues are long gone.
The PointsBet Invitational was added to the calendar last season, but Season of Champions mainstays like the Canada Cup and Continental Cup have been dropped without replacement.
While Curling Canada was applauded for its pay equity announcement in 2019, it came after several prominent curlers were vocal – behind the scenes and eventually publicly – about the need to bring women’s payouts in line with the men.
Sportsnet’s Grand Slam series was more of a domestic forerunner in that regard, awarding equal purses on its circuit since 2015.
More recently, the federation endured days of negative coverage leading up to the 2023 Scotties after an eyebrow-raising pregnancy exemption decision that was eventually walked back.
Results at major international events like world championships and the Olympics have also sagged over the last two quadrennials.
“Curling in Canada – our top three, four or five teams arguably are just as strong as anyone else in the world,” Harris said from Pickering, Ont. “But we’re not stronger.”
Hansen, a World Curling Hall of Famer and host of the Inside Curling podcast, said there’s a need to revitalize the sport for participants and fans in this country.
The to-do list is a long one, Hansen said, adding there are opportunities to grow but a creative approach is required. He feels too many things are on “automatic pilot,” including marketing, formats, curling club structures and the televised product.
“There’s a need to take a whole different look at how this whole thing is being presented and being operated,” he said from Vancouver. “It’s got great potential if some changes are made.”
The federation has not revealed specifics regarding hiring plans or a timeline for the naming of Henderson’s successor.
“I would say we want to get someone into place in a timely manner but we also want to make sure we get this right and that we take the time to find the right person for Curling Canada,” Szajewski said from Kenora, Ont.
Henderson will begin her new role with Hockey Canada on Sept. 4.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2023.
Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.
