Supported curlers in Scotland 2

The official list of supported curlers has now been officially released and can be found on the RCCC website here.

In addition to what I posted on Curling Today yesterday, all the Regional Academy athletes are named. There is also the info that Logan Gray and Alistair Guthrie will receive partial support from the National Academy. Both of them, plus Ross Paterson, will also receive support from their local Area Institute. There are also quotes from Royal Club Performance Development Coach Rhona Martin and CEO Colin Grahamslaw.

In summary then, there are three levels of squad support: (1) Regional Academy, supported and funded by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club and sportscotland; (2) National Academy, supported by the Area Institutes and funded by sportscotland; (3) the Elite Scotland squad, supported by the Scottish Institute of Sport and funded by sportscotland.

My count is that one hundred and eighteen curlers are receiving support in one form or another.

Supported curlers In Scotland

Yesterday new structures were announced for supporting Scotland's top curlers. Enter 'Elite Scotland Squad' and 'National Academy' into curlers' vocabulary. A list of all seventy-one athletes, supported fully or partially, was published by the Royal Club today. Let's try to make sense of what are undoubtedly complex arrangements between the Royal Club and the Scottish Institute of Sport. Both teams and individual curlers will be supported in the 2007-08 season.

Elite Scotland Squad - names in bold are full members of the Scottish Institute of Sport. The names in brackets are NOT full members of the Institute, although some are members of the National Academy (see below).

David Murdoch, Ewan MacDonald, Peter Smith and Euan Byers
Warwick Smith, Craig Wilson, (David Smith and Ross Hepburn)
Tom Brewster, (Hammy McMillan), Ron Brewster and Colin Campbell
Duncan Fernie, (Gordon Muirhead, Graeme Prentice and Richard Woods)
Kelly Wood, Jackie Lockhart, Lorna Vevers and Lindsay Wood
Claire Milne, Lynn Cameron, (Jacqui Byers and Rachael Simms)
Sarah Reid, (Jennifer Morrison, Alison Black) and Barbara McFarlane
Eve Muirhead, (Kerry Barr, Vicki Adams), and Sarah Macintyre

Seven of the eight teams listed above will receive full Scottish Institute of Sport support at squad days and at overseas competitions. As will Edith Loudon's team: (Edith Loudon, Mairi Milne, Judith Marshall and Katie Loudon) even though these four are not full Institute athletes.

Eve Muirhead's team will receive support from the RCCC National Academy at squad days and at overseas competitions (see below).

So, that's the Elite Squad curlers. What about the National Academy? Let's look at the teams we know, all the members of which are members of the National Academy and are also members of the various Area Institutes of Sport.

Anna Sloan, Lauren Gray, Rhiann MacLeod and Caitlin Barr
Claire Hamilton, Claire MacDonald, Linsey Spence and Jennifer Priestley

Alan Smith, Ross MacDonald, Neil MacArthur and Sandy Reid
Logan Gray, Alasdair Guthrie, Ross Paterson and Keith Duncan Millar
Jamie Dick, Andrew Williamson, Colin Dick and Andrew Noble
Greg Drummond, James Dunn, Tom Pendreigh and Kerr Drummond
Glen Muirhead, Scott MacLeod, Scott Andrews and Gordon McDougall

plus Kerry Barr and Vicki Adams who are members of Eve Muirhead's team. These eight teams will receive support from the RCCC National Academy at squad days and at overseas competitions.

The other individuals who are members of the National Academy Squad are Kay Adams, Iain Chalmers, Graeme Copland, Andrew Craigie, David Edwards, John Hamilton, Nicola MacDonald, Jennifer Morrison (playing in Sarah Reid's Elite Squad team), Jacqui Byers and Rachael Simms (both members of Claire Milne's Elite Squad team).

Complicated, yes. But the end result sees support for more teams than last year, and that must be a good thing. Apologies if I've got any of this info wrong and any names misspelt. Let me know.

The photo shows Tom Brewster and Alan Smith at the Bruadar Scottish Championship last season. Both skips receive support this season - Team Brewster from the Scottish Institute and Team Smith from the National Academy.

Expanded support for Scotland's top curlers

More funding, support for more curlers, new squad names - these are the highlights of the new initiatives for 'performance' curling in Scotland, revealed today by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. Key too is 'flexibility' and close working relationships involving the Scottish Institute of Sport and the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, with the Area Institutes, sportscotland and British Curling Ltd.

For the 2007-08 season, top curlers in Scotland will be supported in one of two ways. The very best have been invited to become members of the Scottish Institute of Sport. No change there, you may say. But wait. This group will now be known as the Elite Scotland Squad, the name change reflecting a new funding partner, British Curling Ltd, as well as sportscotland as before. And support will not just be restricted to full teams as in the past. Some individuals will receive the full Institute benefits too. This involves sports medicine and sports science, technical support, squad training, and overseas competition funding. Derek Brown and Cate Brewster, who are employed by the Scottish Institute of Sport, have the prime responsibility for the Elite Scotland Squad.

The National Junior Squad, which last year encompassed eight junior teams, is no more. In its place is the RCCC's new 'National Academy' supported by the Area Institutes and funded by sportscotland. Nancy Murdoch (photo), the Royal Club's Performance Development Coach, has brought forward an initiative to support not just juniors but also teams and individuals who are no longer under-21.

The National Academy Squad comprises eight teams and twelve individuals. Members will receive individual and team support from the Area Institutes and the RCCC, including technical on-ice coaching support, strength and conditioning training, as well as providing opportunities for their teams to compete internationally. In contrast to the Elite Scotland Squad, which was by invitation, National Academy Squad members have been selected after an application and interview process.

Names of curlers in the two squads will be announced tomorrow on the RCCC website.