History time today. That's the great Willie Young in the photo above, competing for Scotland in the 1962 Scotch Cup.
Back in June 2008, David B Smith and I set up The Curling History Blog. At the time we said, "We hope that in the months (years?) ahead the blog will bring together others who are interested in the history of this great sport."
I certainly hoped that one day there would be a small national museum devoted to the sport's heritage, to educate, entertain, and provide a focus for research. This hasn't happened (yet), and there are many who doubt it ever will.
One problem is that not many curlers are interested in preserving the sport's heritage. Why do I say this. Look at how few of Scotland's 14,000 registered curlers have donated to the campaign to save Charles Lees's famous painting (which you can do here). How can we galvanise others and captivate interest in the history of the sport we love? Perhaps the History Blog has a role to play. Anyway, today sees it relaunched, with a new header, and a commitment to post more frequently.
I have posted today about the 1962 Scotch Cup, having put together two short YouTube clips from the Scotch Whisky Association's promotional film of that event. I have to thank Leslie Ingram-Brown, who has an original reel of the film, for getting it converted to DVD. It's a treasure. Go here to find the links to the clips, and enjoy.
If you have suggestions of what aspects of curling's history you would like discussed, let me know, and David and I will see what we can come up with!
The photo of Willie Young is a frame from the 1962 Scotch Cup promotional film.
