Come and Try revealed

Come and Try days are all the rage at the moment, as the Royal Club and curling rinks up and down the country attempt to increase the numbers participating in our sport here in Scotland.

On January 12, the Border Ice Rink, Kelso, introduced some sixty newcomers to the sport. The event attracted the interest of the local media, including Kevin Janiak of the Southern Reporter, whose video feature is available online for all to see here.

Jim Buchanan is the area development officer at Kelso, and was the main organiser of the Come and Try day. He was delighted at the response on the night. You can hear him being interviewed in the piece, which also has the views of some who took part.

English to stage Mixed Doubles Championship at Kelso

The new feature in the curling calendar next season will be Mixed Doubles events, that discipline now having a world championship - the first will be held in Vierumäki, Finland, March 9-15, 2008.

Curling Today has already flagged up the fact that the Dewar's Rinks in Perth is having a mixed doubles bonspiel on December 8. However, this will not be the first time we have the opportunity to see mixed doubles played in a Scottish rink. The English Curling Association will hold their English Mixed Doubles Championship at Kelso, the weekend of October 13-14. Eligible teams are being sought for the championship (here), with a closing date of August 31.

Scotland's representatives for the World Mixed Doubles will be decided at a Scottish Mixed Doubles Championship at Murrayfield, December 21-23. Royal Club competitions manager Colin Hamilton confirms that twenty-three teams have entered, and there is room for one more pair. Contact the Royal Club asap if you still want to play.

Canada meanwhile will not hold a mixed doubles championship at all, but will simply nominate two curlers from their mixed champion team to go to Vierumäki! Read that report on the CurlTV news blog here.