Eve Muirhead, skip of the GB women's team, crashes to the ice and lies dazed amongst the stones. Is she conscious? Is she breathing? Has the ice been damaged?What should I do? Yell for help? "Is there a doctor in the house?"
Better take a picture first!
Others had the same idea! No panic. British Curling had a media day yesterday at the Peak in Stirling, to give the press a chance to meet the GB Olympic and Paralympic curling squads.
It was organised by Mike Haggerty (British Curling's media officer) and Katriona Bush (sportscotland's corporate media adviser), and the media interest in the curling squads was bigger than anything I have ever witnessed before.Above, the men's squad get questioned by journalists from many of the national papers.
I enjoyed, in particular, watching the professional photographers going about their job!(No, this is not a caption competition. Or maybe it should be!)
It was good to see Pete Smith throwing stones again, if a little tentatively it seemed to me.
The wheelchair curlers went through their paces too.......
....and posed for formal and informal pics. L-R: Tom Killin, Angie Malone, Michael McCreadie, Aileen Neilson and Jim Sellar.
Of course, it was a very serious day! As coaches David Hay and Tom Pendreigh illustrate!
Anyway, here are the men. Back L-R Ewan MacDonald, Euan Byers, Graeme Connal. Front: David Hay, David Murdoch and Peter Smith.
And the women. Back L-R: Jackie Lockhart, Eve Muirhead, Karen Addison. Front: Nancy Murdoch, Lorna Vevers and Kelly Wood.
As I said, it was all very serious! Great fun, really. I thought the players showed remarkable patience and skill in dealing with all the demands made through all the photocalls and interviews. A real credit to the sport.I gather there are another couple of these sessions prior to the Games, and then the real work begins!
Photos © Skip Cottage
