World champions David Hay and Graeme Connal provided interested locals with a coaching masterclass to mark National Curling Day.
An insightful session on Monday evening at Dewars Centre was well-received as the famous Scottish sport was celebrated in full.
Just some of the topics covered on the night included hints and tips on how to choose the best tactics for your team and ice demonstrations of final shot selections.
It was also made clear how different tactics have influenced the game at the highest level - based on their own experiences of playing and coaching at World Championships level.
David was delighted to play his part in helping to turn the spotlight on a sport that will forever be close to his heart.
“It is always difficult when you are presenting to know how well it went, but nobody threw anything so I think it was bearable,” he laughed yesterday.
“Graeme and I played together for a lot of years at World and European Championships so we try to put a bit back into the game, help people out and give some guidance.
“In any sport, if you can play a bit better, you get more enjoyment out of it. We were giving curlers an idea of tactical awareness and what kind of shots to make and when.
“We had a powerpoint and did some strategic positioning of the stones. It can be like chess on ice so it was an opportunity to show everybody a few moves on the board in the classroom before going onto the ice.
“I have a real passion for the sport and I want to see it go from strength to strength. We are coming into an Olympic year and it will be good to see the enthusiasm building for that.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has been very tough for indoor activity, the ice at Perth is becoming busier with leagues and competitions now well under way while the junior club and seniors day-time curling have swept into action.
The Fair City has a terrific history of producing talented curlers and many currently performing on tour have come through the ranks at Dewars Centre - the likes of Europeans-bound Mili Smith and Eve Muirhead and local duo Robin Brydone and Duncan McFadzean.
David hopes that continues for the foreseeable future and said: “They all came through the junior curling set-up in Perth, whether it was junior coaching or the school system. It’s a great credit to all of the coaches who have helped these curlers along in the early days.”
Whether keen on competition or not, National Curling Day celebrated all aspects of the game and aimed to promote the TryCurling initiative.
Head of development at Scottish Curling, Maggie Wilson, said: “National Curling Day is a great celebration of our fantastic Scottish sport.
“Whether you have your first taste of the sport at primary school or as a new hobby in retirement, curling has something for all ages and ability. I’d encourage all local people to visit TryCurling.com and take your first step to becoming a curler.”
