Playoffs at the Glynhill

So who were the protagonists who won the right to play at 8.0am Sunday morning at Braehead in the first Glynhill Ladies Curling International? Who progressed to the semis? Find the results here.

Team of the weekend award goes to Gail Munro, Lyndsay Wilson, Karen Addison and Annie Laird. Undefeated and still going strong!

Eve Muirhead (above), Kerry Barr, Vicki Adams and Sarah Macintyre. Good performance from this junior rink.

Anna Hasselborg's junior team from Sweden gave a good account of themselves, but Sunday morning's game was just an end too much. I played against her dad, Michael, in the Silver Broom in 1983! Just thought I'd mention it.

Gillian Howard and her team are playing with such confidence - wanting too to show just what an unsupported team can do, given the opportunity! Well deserve their place in the semis.

Sarah Reid and Edith Loudon here at auditions for Women in Black 2. Will Smith is in negotiations for a cameo role. The supporters in the bar are hoping to be cast as aliens. Seriously though, what other sport in the world would allow two teams dressed identically, in black, to compete against each other. It's a nonsense. It is making the sport look stupid. It has to stop. RCCC, Scottish Institute of Sport, Glynhill Organisers, Umpires, WCT-e, WCF, anybody... ARE YOU LISTENING? (Glad I got that off my chest. New Year Resolution - say what you really think, Bob).

Nearly forgot, the Loudon team are still contenders for the big prize today! Having a good weekend.

Kelly Wood, Jackie Lockhart, Lorna Vevers and Lindsay Wood are working away!

Ludmilla Privivkova, much to the disappointment of her many fans on the organising committee, made the quarters but not the semis, downed by the Wood machine.

Mind you, there were forces other than physical at work in the Braehead rink this morning. Can you spot the fourth Russian in this picture. (No it's not umpire Ian Addison.) Look top right, on the poster board! It's the WCF promotional poster (below) with the lovely Anastassia Skoultan, sadly no longer competing (it's a long story). Note to Les Harrison. Time for a new WCF promotional poster. Suggestion, get Ana Arce to chose a model (anybody else missing the Fire on Ice calendar this year?). Suggestion to Ana, a certain Hungarian skip might be a good choice. And yes, look forward to Helen Wilson's article about Ildiko in the February Scottish Curler magazine. Find out how to subscribe here.

All pics by Bob. Update late tonight. It's been a fun weekend.

The past meets the future

As many who read this Curling Today blog will know, I have an interest in the sport's history and traditions, as well as what is happening 'today'. So I was delighted that the organisers of the Glynhill International at Braehead chose to go with an unusual trophy for the event. The 'Ladies International Curling Kettle', as the trophy has been named, is an old toddy kettle in the shape of a curling stone. David B Smith describes it here.

The trophy is unusual... and valuable! It was gifted to the organisers by Leslie Ingram-Brown.

What's happening this weekend at Braehead is a far cry from the traditional outside curling when toddy kettles might have been in use! How things have changed in recent years. When I began my curling career, there were few women on the ice. When the first women's world championship was held in Perth in 1979, very few young women curled in Scotland. Now, in 2008, the women's game is as competitive as it ever has been, the standard of play high, even though the numbers playing competitively here in Scotland are not perhaps as great as we would like. Internationally, women's curling is flourishing. It is attractive to watch, and it's colourful. Braehead this weekend is NOT going to be a sea of black - as it was at the Ramada Perth Masters recently when more than half of the men's teams on the ice sported dark coloured uniforms.

Who to look out for this weekend? Three pics below. More to come after play gets underway Friday morning, and of course some will appear in February's Scottish Curler magazine. The results from Braehead will be on the event website here.

Russia's Ludmilla Privikova at the European Championships (photo by Bob).

Lene Nielsen of Denmark (photo by Richard Gray).

Calendar girl Jackie Lockhart plays third for Scotland's Kelly Wood team who were runners-up at the European Championships (photo by Richard Gray).

Teams announced for Glynhill International

When details of the new international women's event at Braehead, scheduled for January 17-20, 2008, were announced way back in May, competition organiser Judith McFarlane was hopeful that the top women's teams in the world would come to the Braehead rink.

And they will be there. Teams from Austria, Canada, two from Denmark, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, three from Russia, Switzerland and Sweden, as well as eight Scottish sides, have already sent confirmation of entry. It promises to be a cracker of a competition!

The twenty teams which will line up for the Glynhill Hotel sponsored event are:
Shari Leibbrandt (Netherlands), Sharon Stewart (Scotland), Kelly Wood (Scotland), Claire Milne (Scotland) Sarah Reid (Scotland), Daniela Jentsch (Germany), Gail Munro (Scotland), Kelly Scott (Canada), Eve Muirhead (Scotland), Lene Neilsen (Denmark), Liudmila Privivkova (Russia), Margarita Fomina (Russia), Daria Kozlova (Russia), Claudia Toth (Austria), Moe Meguro (Japan), Gillian Howard (Scotland), Anna Hasselborg (Sweden), Edith Loudon (Scotland), Binia Feltscher-Beali (Switzerland), Angelina Jensen (Denmark).

The event website is here.

Judith says, "The Organising Committee are delighted with the standard and geographical spread of teams that are participating in the first annual WCT-E event."

The event is now established in the World Curling Tour-Europe calendar. The event is also supported by the legacy funding from the financially successful World Women's Championship at Paisley's Lagoon Centre in 2005.

Madeleine Dupont, fourth player for Angelina Jensen's Danish team, gets serious in Hugh Stewart's photo. Denmark lost in the final of the World Championship at Aomori last season to Kelly Scott's Canadians. Both sides will be at Braehead in January.

Curling Officer vacancy at Braehead..... and more about the CURLATHON

The appointment of Judith McFarlane to the job of Development Manager with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club has meant there is now a vacancy for a 'Curling Officer' at the Braehead rink. Manager Bruce Harley has moved quickly to advertise for Judith's replacement. The advert says:

An outstanding opportunity has arisen at Braehead Curling. We are actively seeking a creative and motivated individual to further develop and promote a thriving curling business at Braehead.

Financially aware, you will be responsible for achieving targets and will have proven ability in developing team relations. Self driven and customer focussed, this position is hands on and will suit someone with previous experience in a leisure or sports associated development role.

Good IT skills coupled with a drive to succeed are high on the priority list and you will be able to demonstrate good organisational and interpersonal abilities. The successful applicant will be commercially minded and join a team committed to promoting curling and taking the business forward at Braehead.

The position is full time, although part time would be considered depending on circumstances. Due to the nature of the role some weekend and evening work is included. A Disclosure Check at Enhance Level will be required for the successful candidate.

For a job description and application form contact:
Personnel Officer, Braehead Shopping Centre, Management Suite, Kings Inch Road, Glasgow
G51 4BN, or phone 0141 885 1441.

And while we are talking about Braehead, the draw for the North v South Curlathon, September 14-15, has been made.

The sessions are: 6pm - 9pm Friday 14 (Tartan theme); 9pm - midnight (Black & White, sponsored by Robert Wiseman Dairies); Midnight - 3am (Rock'n'Roll); 3am - 6am (Pyjamas);
6am - 9am (Movies); 9am - noon (Around The World); Noon - 3pm (Disney, for junior teams).

The 'celebrities' will be on show Saturday 3pm - 6pm. Signed up already to play are Rhona Martin's full Olympic Gold team, Jackie Lockhart's former World Champions, Sarah Reid's World Junior Champions, Hammy MacMillan and Claire Milne.

Prizegiving and ceilidh with buffet is at the Glynhill Hotel on the Saturday evening.

There is still opportunity to sign up for the Curlathon and join in the fun to raise money for the Highland Hospice and St Vincent's Hospice. More about the event is here, and details on how to get involved are here.


The photo above is of Team Winkie from the 2005 Curlathon at Inverness. Captions required!

Glynhill Ladies Invitation website now live

The new women's international invitation event to be held at Braehead in January now has its own website. Check it out.

Kelly Scott's Canadian World Champions are already confirmed in the line up, see here.

World Champions for Braehead

Kelly Scott's World Champions from Canada have accepted an invitation to play in the Glynhill Ladies International event at Braehead, January 17-20, 2008. Scott and her team were Canadian Champions in 2006 and 2007, and won the world title in Aomori, Japan, in March. The Canadians only lost one game at Aomori, in the round robin to Scotland's Kelly Wood team, who brought home the bronze medals. The Scottish Champions will also play at Braehead.

Hugh Stewart's photo of the two Kellys (above) is from the World Championship.

Curlathon in September

LAST season a very successful CURLATHON was held at Inverness to raise money for the Highland Hospice. The Curlathon is back next season on September 14-15 at the Braehead rink. The event is being organised to raise funds for two hospices, St Vincent’s Hospice and the Highland Hospice.

The format will be similar to that of the Grand Match with teams from the north of the Forth representing the Highland Hospice and teams from the south representing St Vincent's Hospice. Teams play in one session during the twenty-four hour period, each session having a theme, with teams expected to dress accordingly! Each team taking part commits to raising sponsorship of £400.

The final session on September 15 is for celebrity sides. The most recent teams to enter for the International trophy are Rhona Martin’s Olympic side, and Jackie Lockhart's 2002 World Champions.

According to Braehead's Judith McFarlane the event is receiving great support from local clubs, but there is still room in the draw for others to enter. Ninety-eight teams are needed.
The organisers at Braehead promise complementary drams/refreshments and nibbles between ends, goody bags, video coverage of the event, entertainment within the bar with twenty-four hour catering and bar services, a family day packed with activities around the event, and great prizes!

Your team should be part of this big event. Join up, have some fun, and, most importantly, raise money for a good cause! And yes, a Scottish Curler team is signed up. That should be worth a photo or two!