No 1: October 2011 Welcome to your new e-Magazine OUR Curler is the Royal by the Royal Club’s Y Club’s fresh new newsletter Chief Executive Officer for our members and supporters. Bruce Crawford (pictured right) It promises to be packed with lots of interesting articles, photos and information for curler friends across Scotland and beyond. We want this to be both “official” and Meg to “informal” so you’ll get a chance to share and learn about what is going on at clubs and ice rinks around Scotland. We’ll carry the bring you news and ideas on how to improve your game, with tips from some experts and a few old hands, plus torch for personal stories and articles on historical aspects of the game. The idea of this publication came from curling? our Communications Committee and from feedback received from members in a survey undertaken to influence our new strategy. We wanted to give you news and articles on a regular basis and in a format that could be printed and enjoyed in your armchair, not just at your desk. In part we aim to fill the void left by the demise of the Scottish Curler Greece. It will take an 8,000-mile, 70-day magazine, but without the costs tour of the UK, including visits to all the associated with printing and postage, regions. It will be carried for 12 hours a that proved to be unsustainable. It is day, coming to a halt at about 6.30pm your magazine, so please send your and reaching Tower Hamlets on Friday stories and photos to us at Cairnie 20 July next year, a week before the opening ceremony. House, or preferably by email to: Meg said: “It was all a bit of a joke to [email protected]. A local sporting hero is a step closer to begin with, but I am honoured to be Now that curling has resumed at the carrying the Olympic flame on its way nominated. It would be fantastic to carry ice rinks, we hope that you have a to London after making it through to the flame - as long as I am allowed to successful season wherever you play and the next stage of the nomination walk.” that you enjoy the great game. YOUR process. Royal Club Coach of the Year, Meg will find out in December if she Curler will keep you informed and bring Meg Allen (pictured) was nominated for has been successful in being chosen as you some stories from around Scotland the honour last month. one of the 8,000 torchbearers needed for every month of the season. But, for the Games chiefs outlined the relay route the Olympic Torch Relay. If chosen, we latest news, visit our up-to-date website at: exactly a year before the torch arrives would encourage the curling community www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org. at Land's End from its base in Olympia, to line the streets and cheer her on! 2 October 2011 ROYAL CALEDONIAN CURLING CLUB Royal Club Notes Website was a personal matter between two Another recent change has been the launch individuals; however, we have learned of our new website that became live in many lessons and the relevant policies and procedures have been improved as a It is with great pleasure that I September. We hope that you have had a chance to use it and found it easier to result. welcome you as a reader of the navigate around and find information in Winter Olympic News: fewer clicks than before. Check it out at: first edition of YOUR Curler. Progress is being made in Sochi for the 2014 www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org Through the past year, your Winter Games. You can see a recent Communications Committee has been Vernon panoramic webcam photo at: tireless in its efforts to bring this project In July 2011, we noted the outcome of the http://sc-os.ru/en/press/interactive_tour/ to fruition. We hope that this will go a court case between Munro v Brown, in In July 2011, the International Olympic long way to filling the gap left when the favour of Gail Munro and are pleased that Committee (IOC) elected Pyeong Chang Scottish Curler ceased publication. While this matter has been resolved after three (Republic of Korea) as the host city of the years. The Royal Club is aware that this you will be kept abreast of the many XXIII Olympic Winter Games in 2018. activities of the Royal Club, it is - as the title indicates - your magazine. So we hope that all members will play their part in supplying information, articles Scots mixed team in and photographs of the happenings in their ice rinks and local clubs. Please encourage your fellow curlers to fresh Euro action open the magazine and to get those who do not yet have an e-mail address registered on the Royal Club database to register in order that they can share your experience. Sadly, just as we were going to press, the news came through of the passing of Alan Johnston, Royal Club Honorary Member and President in 1974/75 - undoubtedly one of the “greats” of Scottish curling. Like a vast number of Scottish curlers I greatly enjoyed any meeting with Alan at the many events and championships that he faithfully supported for so many years. I was only on the ice with him twice, but have great memories of both occasions. He and his team were great Bill Marshall presents the Scottish Mixed Trophy to David Edwards and his opponents and wonderful off-ice hosts team following their success at the Scottish Mixed Championships in March. when we visited the previous Aberdeen The team will now represent Scotland at the EMCC2011 in Denmark. rink at Dyce in blizzard conditions in its first season. The Scottish team of David Edwards, always an honour. It's amazing to have I also had the pleasure of being the sole Kerry Barr, Scott Macleod and Louise the chance to try and defend the title we outsider in his gold medal winning team Edwards will travel to Tarnby in won last year in Glasgow and hopefully in the International Match at Streatham Denmark to compete in the European we can return home with a medal in 1982, the Mixed Championships which will run again”. other from Saturday 1�� October through until The Scottish foursome will compete in Aberdonians Saturday 8�� October. the red group and will be faced with being Roy David, Kerry and Louise will travel to tough opposition from Austria, Wales, Gray and Tarnby as the defending European the Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, Spain, Charlie Mixed Champions with the intention of Norway and Romania in the round robin Wighton. Our retaining the title they won at Greenacres stages. The group stages of the thoughts go Curling Rink last year with a win over championships come to a close on Friday out to Alan’s Switzerland in the final. afternoon followed by quarterfinals in family at this Speaking before they set off on their the evening of the 7th and the semi-final sad time. trip to Denmark, Skip David Edwards and final will take place on Saturday 8�� said: “We're really looking forward to October. We wish David, Kerry, Scott Pat the European Mixed Championships in and Louise the best of luck in the Edington Tarnby and to have the opportunity to championship. (President) pull on a Scotland jersey again, which is n Photo courtesy of Skip Cottage Curling WWW.ROYALCALEDONIANCURLINGCLUB.ORG October 2011 3 National Academy plans revived Work has resumed on plans to make the dream of a National Curling Academy a reality. Curling is too important to Scotland, both in an historical and in a competitive sense for the sport not to have a cultural base. Working towards fulfilling this in the run-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics, where we hope to add to our outstanding tally of medals, seems appropriate. The centre will provide facilities for the elite squads, curling camps and master classes - and Royal Club members attending sessions and courses to suit various levels and qualifications, as well as local curlers. In March 2010, progress on this prestigious plan to build in Kinross was halted by a lands rights issue. This was resolved in April 2011, and there are The attractive Market Park site in Kinross, where efforts now no constraints on the site other than are once again under way to earmark the funds for a receiving planning permission. The National Curling Academy for Scotland Trustees resumed their efforts and are currently dealing with the many facets of representations to senior Ministers and launched to raise additional funds. such a huge project. Councillors to seek additional public funds Members confirmed their commitment On September 7, sixty-four members of to support a sport that achieves outstanding to a national curling facility in Kinross, the Trust attended an open meeting and results on the international stage, unrivalled and the consensus was that the Trustees were updated on the present situation. by any other. should pursue the original concept to Finance is now the main issue, with Members commended a debenture provide a centre of excellence contributors identified in the original initiative as a means of boosting member encompassing the ice, the offices and museum on the Market Park site - in budget now reduced. input, reducing the funding gap and other words, for the first time, to provide Sportscotland have seen a substantial helping to minimise commercial a genuine home for curling. reduction in funds available for capital borrowing.