Andrea Schöpp has been a top curler for Germany for many years. How many exactly? Well, having enjoyed watching her play at Greenacres recently, winning the bronze medals as third for brother Rainer's team in the European Mixed Curling Championship, I sought the answer to that question.Of course, the place to find answers to all such questions is in the tremendous 'historical results' resource on the World Curling Federation website, see here. This shows that Andrea first played in the European Curling Championship in 1980. She must have been just fifteen then.
Some thirty years on, Andrea is the current European Champion skip, a title the German team won at Aberdeen last season. Her team also won the 2010 World Championship title in Swift Current. Monika Wagner was in Andrea's team last season, just as she had been back in 1980.
But this wasn't the first time that Andrea and Monica had won both the European and World titles in the same season. They did that back in season 1987-88. Which brings me to the point of today's post. This week's archive footage is from the final of the Glayva World Ladies Curling Championship in Glasgow's Summit Centre in April, 1988.
Then Andrea Schöpp was twenty-three and with Almut Hege-Schöll (3rd), Monika Wagner (2nd), and Suzanne Fink (lead) lined up against Canada's Heather Houston, Lorraine Lang (3rd), Diane Adams (2nd) and Tracy Kennedy (lead) in the final.
It was not a close match. The Canadians couldn't even buy a shot in the first few ends, and Andrea and her team were 7-0 up by the interval! Germany were the champions, 9-3, when the handshakes were offered after just eight ends.
Not wanting to show lots of (Canadian) missed shots, I've put up online just the eighth, and final, end. Willie Jamieson is the commentator, alongside Scotland's then National Coach, Jane Sanderson. Listen out for one of the best ever throwaway lines from Willie, "Houston, she's got a problem!"
There's a bit of breakup on the original tape of this STV broadcast for Channel 4 but hopefully this will not spoil your enjoyment of it. Kirsty Letton, who chaired the organising committee for the event, is the one to thank for keeping this footage all these years. Click here to go to the clip on YouTube (it's around seven minutes), or click on the image below.
In case you are wondering, Scotland was represented that year by Christine Allison, Margaret Scott, Kimmie Brown and Sheena Drummie, who finished with a 3-6 win-loss record and were ranked ninth.
And now a special 'bonus' from the archive. We're still at the 1988 final. The between-the-ends comments were provided by the late Doug Maxwell, with STV presenter Sally McNair. For any that didn't know Doug, he was the executive director of the Air Canada Silver Broom World Curling Championship from 1968 to 1985. A publisher, writer, editor (of The Curling News) there was no-one more passionate about the sport of curling. On a personal note, it is primarily thanks to his encouragement when we first met in 1980 that I have pursued my own path in writing about curling.I'm sure there are many out there who will enjoy this compilation of his opinions from this one event in 1988. Doug, you're not forgotten.
When asked for his thoughts when the Canadians were 0-7 after five, he says, "Heather will probably go back to her hotel, throw herself on the bed... and miss!" Magic.
Click here, or on the image below to watch and listen to the clips.
Top photo of Andrea is from Greenacres last month, and is © Skip Cottage
