Bob Ursel returned to the Fair City this week and could only smile when taking a trip down memory lane.
It is a location of special significance for the Canadian who, in 1985, won World Junior Championships gold in Perth when the ice rink was located on the Dunkeld Road.
Many years have passed since that title-winning success story and he had never made it back to the area - until now.
Ursel is over for the Mercure Perth Masters in his position as coach with Team Yanagisawa of Japan.
Speaking before the tournament got underway on Wednesday, time was set aside to look back on that wonderful achievement almost 40 years ago.
“We had a great time here and I have lots of good memories,” Ursel told the Perthshire Advertiser.
“When we get together as our old team we certainly talk about Perth, that is for sure. Great people and a great city.
“The win in Perth opened up all kinds of opportunities for us. It was more than 35 years ago and, at the time, you don’t realise it.
“But now when I reflect back on my curling career, it really all stemmed from that. It opened up a lot of doors.”
Ursel added: “I was actually meant to be coming back a few years ago but, with Covid, the event was cancelled.
“Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get back over until now.”
Even before play had swept into action this week, Ursel had been impressed by the organisation and welcome he had received.
“The organisation has been top notch,” he explained. “The hotel is fantastic and there is a nice dinner.
“Pete Loudon (chair of the organising committee) has done a tremendous job of keeping everyone in the loop of what is going on. It is extremely well organised and I even got a personal pick-up at the airport from Sandy Hay.
“The Hay family and my family go back a long time. Our fathers played together.
“And I’m hoping to bump into some more old faces who I haven’t seen for a while this week.”
The Perth Masters continues through until Saturday and, for Team Yanagisawa, Ursel says the event comes at a good time and throws up plenty of challenges against top opposition.
He told the PA: “It is a strong field and there are lots of good European teams. Some teams we haven’t had the chance to really play against this season. It will be nice for us to play against these teams.
“There are lots of great Scottish teams too and Team Mouat is arguably one of the best teams in the world right now.
“Our guys have had a really busy year. They are dedicated athletes. They previously came to Canada for 14 weeks straight, playing in 11 events.
“There was a lot of good experience and quite a bit of success. So I expect them to play well this week.
“This is a good time of year for us - especially with the Japanese programme - to come over here.
“Our national playdowns are usually at the end of the month so we were looking for something to play in.”
