It is good to see the implementation of the recommendation of Simon Timson's independent review of the last Olympic cycle that 'the world's best coaches' should be recruited for the next three years! The coaches will work under Dave Crossbee, the programme's performance director.
The appointments are:
Men’s Head Coach, Soren Grahn from Sweden. He has competed himself in worlds and Olympics, and has been Niklas Edin's coach in recent years.
Women's Head Coach, Rhona Martin. Could not be better. She's been there, and done it.
Head Coach of Wheelchair Curling, Tony Zummack from Calgary. I don't know much about Tony yet, other than he has coached the Alberta team in the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships.
Cate Brewster continues as High Performance Coach based at the sportscotland Institute of Sport in Stirling. Good call. Cate has done a power of work, often unrecognised, over the last years.
Derek Brown and Tom Pendreigh will finish up their contracts at the end of the year.
Nancy Murdoch, former GB Women’s Coach, will take on the role of High Performance Coach with the Royal Club, the job which will be vacated by Rhona, and similar to that which she carried out successfully before taking on the Olympic job.
Soren Grahn, back left, with the winners of the 2009 Le Gruyere European Championship.Pic © Skip Cottage