On the ice at Curl Aberdeen

Dropping in to Curl Aberdeen yesterday, I was reminded by manager Tom Brewster that the rink will hold the biggest international curling event in the world NEXT YEAR! Yes, the European Championships will be held in the city in December 2009. The website is here.

The rink was a hive of activity this weekend, staging the Aberdeen Ladies Invitation, a multi-sponsored event involving twenty-four teams, from juniors to masters! Shari Leibbrandt's team from the Netherlands provided an international dimension. That's Shari above. I was struck though just how many past and present RCCC Ladies' Branch office bearers there were on the ice. And there was even a World Curling Federation Vice-president, Kate Caithness, and a Royal Club Board member! And another member of the Board, Anne Malcolm, was heading up the organising committee. Good to see those who spend so much of their time immersed in the politics of the sport enjoying time on the ice.

Here are a few pics.

WCF VP Kate Caithness (in front) was not having the best of afternoons against Norma Brown. Best not ask her the score!

RCCC Board Member Irene Hird.

Kay Gibb is the RCCC Ladies Branch Junior Vice-president.

Ladies Branch President Patricia Thomson. Great to see her on the ice at Aberdeen. Pity she's not joined the Black OUT campaign, and if I cannot convince the important people in Scottish curling that black tops have no place on a curling rink, then we are not going to make much progress in reclaiming our colourful sport. Incidentally, Scotland is not the only country to have the problem of all black outfits. See Al Cameron's Sack the Black blog post here.

Photos by Bob.