When Melvin Lee stepped onto the curling rink ice for the first time, he says he felt joy B次元官网网址� not just because he found a sport he would come to adore, but also because he was being welcomed by peers who shared some of the same lived experience.

That first invitation to curl with a diverse team of law students came more than two decades ago.

Now, the avid curler has a wealth of experience under his belt. And he is trying to give a similar welcome to others who are underrepresented in the sport.

B次元官网网址淢any members of my community, theyB次元官网网址檙e not going to on their own decide to join a curling club,B次元官网网址� said Lee, who is Korean-Canadian and works as a health-care professional in Ottawa.

B次元官网网址淏ecause itB次元官网网址檚 all white, and they just feel like they donB次元官网网址檛 belong.B次元官网网址�

In May last year, Lee, who went on to become a consultant for South KoreaB次元官网网址檚 national curling teams, attended a Curling Canada symposium that focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.

There, he heard about local initiatives that were welcoming more people of colour and diverse groups to the sport.

He was inspired to follow their lead and accepted a position as the diversity, equity and inclusion director at the Ottawa Valley Curling Association. But he left not long after because he said he felt unheard at the organization, though he maintains a relationship with some of its members. The association did not respond to a request for comment.

Instead, Lee is working with organizations such as UnitedWeCurl and the Black Rock Initiative to see how he can bring some of the same strategies to Ottawa.

One of the first steps he is taking locally is to set up B次元官网网址渓earn to curl sessionsB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� two- to three-hour lessons for beginners who have no equipment but are interested in getting a feel for the sport. The goal is to introduce them to a curling club after developing their skills and confidence as a curler.

Andrew Paris, who founded the Black Rock Initiative in Nova Scotia in 2021, said his goal is to introduce young people of colour and diverse groups to the sport by giving them an opportunity to learn before heading into a curling club B次元官网网址� a strategy that he said has B次元官网网址�100 per centB次元官网网址� resulted in a growth in interest among those groups.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just enough to have that open door in your facility. You need to be vulnerable and reach out to those communities where they live,B次元官网网址� he said.

When Lee asked Paris for advice, Paris said he told him that building relationships is an important step toward greater inclusiveness. And curling clubs need to be receptive to the idea, too.

Lee said he is working with the youth program director at the Ottawa Valley Curling Association to encourage more diversity.

B次元官网网址淭here are (many) possible ways to search out new members, and I think there are many clubs in the Ottawa area that would be willing to do that,B次元官网网址� said Lee.

Curling Canada CEO Katherine Henderson said the topic of diversity is B次元官网网址渋ncredibly importantB次元官网网址� to the sporting organization.

She acknowledged that as Canada welcomes newcomers, the organization needs to work in tandem with that growth.

But large organizations are only doing an B次元官网网址淥KB次元官网网址� job, said the president of UnitedWeCurl, an organization that works with curling clubs to help them become more inclusive spaces.

Sabena Islam said such organizations need to move beyond creating written toolkits and instead implement programs that are designed to yield lasting change on the ice.

B次元官网网址淒iversity, equity and inclusion is not just a tagline or a poster you put up on your wall. It has to be embedded in everything you do,B次元官网网址� she said.

Even as Lee works on finding ways to do just that in Ottawa, he continues to work as a consultant for the Korean national teams.

It all started with a chance encounter in 2003, when Lee was living in Winnipeg for school.

On a whim, Lee decided to gather a group of young Koreans to cheer on their national team at the menB次元官网网址檚 curling world championships in Winnipeg. The teamB次元官网网址檚 coach approached Lee after the game, thanked him for bringing other fans and invited him to dinner. Later, Lee connected the coach with a local curling club that wanted to help the Koreans build a new rink.

They lost touch until the Korean womenB次元官网网址檚 team was looking for a new coach following allegations of abuse against their former coach and two other curling officials.

Lee said the team reached out to him and asked for his help to reconnect them with their previous coach Peter Gallant, a fixture in the Canadian curling scene. He acted as a liaison and has stayed in touch.

This past week, Lee curled with the Korean womenB次元官网网址檚 team in Pyeongchang on the same sheet of ice where they won the silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of those things that when you do something thatB次元官网网址檚 near the top of your bucket list, youB次元官网网址檝e done it, but you canB次元官网网址檛 believe it,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淵ou think itB次元官网网址檚 a dream.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址斺赌斺赌�

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press B次元官网网址 Fellowship.

Cindy Tran, The Canadian Press

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