Team of the Weekend Award

Yes, it's time to make the award to the most deserving team of the weekend.

To whom should the award go? Tom Brewster's side perhaps for a great performance in Champery? Hannah Fleming or Kyle Smith for bringing home the spoils from Oslo? The Duncan Menzies team which won the NSL Finals at Forfar? The Robert Tait or Rebecca Steven teams for their success at Murrayfield? Good nominations, all of these.

The Skip Cottage Curling TotW is ....

Graham Sloan (skip), John Sloan, Stuart Mair and John Graham, for their performance in the Lions 18th Annual Bonspiel at the Ice Bowl, Dumfries.

Gambling to steal a single without last stone advantage they lost an eight, when opposition skip David Owen made a triple takeout to count big. So TotW to Team Sloan and I'm sure this award will go a long way towards tempering the memory of being walloped in this way. They will also no doubt receive an official 'Rhona Martin Try Harder Award' usually given to teams who lose the big end. (This latter award is named after our Olympic Champ whose team managed to give away eight shots in one end whilst playing at Greenacres in the months before the Salt Lake City success).

For the record, here are the eight counters!

And just to keep things tidy, here is the team which counted the eight ender. David Owen (skip), Claire Sloan (vice), Tom Owen (2nd) and Derek Purdie (lead).

The TofW requested anonymity, so no photo of them!

Thanks to Graham for the pix!

New Dumfries Competitions

Want to play in Scotland's newest curling rink? The Ice Bowl, Dumfries, with its dedicated curling rink now available for play at weekends, will host three new competitions next season.

To kick of the season, the Dumfries rink will hold the Ice Bowl Open, September 16-18. This involves four sections of six with qualifiers playing quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, with a consolation events for the beaten quarterfinalists and semifinalists.

Next up will be the Dumfries 4Bowl which was run previously as the summerspiel back in the summer of 2009 when Team Ireland won the spoils. Due to the construction work on the new ice pad the summerspiel fell of the calendar. Reborn again, the Ice Bowl will host the 4Bowl, October 7-9. The 4Bowl will be open to any four curlers with cash prizes for the top teams.

Later in the season (February 10-12) there will be a most unusual event. Speed Pairs is an invention that Graham Sloan, the Dumfries ADO, came up with three seasons ago for the local junior club. Graham says, "Speed Pairs offers fantastic excitement and exhilarating games not only to watch but to get your heart rate racing while playing the ultimate curling challenge involved. With Dumfries Ice Bowl now having weekend ice I would like to challenge any curlers out there who think they have what it takes to become the ultimate curler. Speed Pairs will test your nerve to the limit put your body through new physical demands and test the best tacticians in the game all within a fifty-five minute game."

Having seen speed pairs in action, I would certainly encourage everyone to give it a try!

Contact Graham Sloan at the Ice Bowl for more information on any of these events.

The top photo (© Skip Cottage) is of the Ice Bowl pad at the end of the season just past. I wonder if the new rink will continue to have such an innovative colour scheme next season!

Dumfries Ice Bowl

With the Junior International due to get underway in the Dumfries Ice Bowl tomorrow with thirty-two teams, including eight from abroad, it has been a day of preparation at the rink. The rink's prizegiving is tonight too, and there was a finals' session, preceded by an informal 'official opening' of the rink. That's Patsy Gilroy above, Convener of Dumfries and Galloway Council, making a short speech of welcome to those attending the opening.

Rhona Martin did the honours in throwing the official 'opening stone', with local young curlers Fiona Telfer and Naomi Whyte in attendance.

And here we all were, with the question, "How much help would Rhona's stone need to get to the tee?"

Actually, very little. Pretty much right on the poppy, Rhona, well done, although the perfectionists would say that Ruaraidh Whyte must have given her a couple of inches too much ice!

Here is the winning team. L-R: Rhona Martin, Ruaraidh Whyte, Fiona Telfer, Naomi Whyte and Patsy Gilroy.

Now to tomorrow and we'll see how the young curlers enjoy the first Junior International in the six-sheeter dedicated curling rink.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Call for Juniors for Dumfries International

Graham Sloan, the Dumfries Area Curling Development Officer, has been in touch about the Junior International Globe Trophy, now a fixture at the Ice Bowl at the end of the season. He is looking for a few more teams to make up a full draw - the competition (or competitions as the event has a 'road' for everyone) can take a maximum of thirty-two teams.

The competition will see curlers from Norway, Sweden, Poland, England and Switzerland taking part.

So, if you have plans to get together with a new junior team next season, or want to get together with this season's team one last time, or can persuade three friends to join up with you for a fun weekend in Dumfries, then contact Graham NOW. His contact details are here.

The competition dates? April 1-3, 2011.

Of course, for the first time the International will be held in the new dedicated curling rink. I called in to the Ice Bowl today to see how it was getting on since I first saw it last month. A one-day Ladies Bonspiel was just winding up, so here are a few photos which will give you an idea what the rink looks like.

This used to be the indoor bowling rink. Scoreboards have been put up since my last visit, and advertisers are being recruited.

I've heard good reports from curlers using the rink, and the ice seems true and keen.

Despite the constraints of utilising an existing space, the rink to me seems bright and spacious, and of course is not hemmed in by barriers as in the hockey and skating arena which remains in use next door.

It is exciting to see curling in a new venue, and a Council run one at that! I wish it every success.

There's a bright and colourful curlers' lounge overlooking the new ice pad.

Just the place to join your opposition after the game.

Teams from Dalbeattie Ladies, Nithsdale Ladies, Victoria Ladies, Dumfries CC, Nunholm, Maxwelltown (2), Threave (2), New Abbey, and Hollywood took part in today's bonspiel together with a 'Mixed Ladies' (!) side, skipped by Fiona Hardie who finished in third place. The trophy and sponsorship by Barbours of Dumfries is the longest running at the rink. Every participant goes away with a gift voucher for Barbours!

Above is the winning team, the highest aggregate on shots over two games today, representing Dumfries CC. L-R: Gillian Graham (2nd), Ann Johnstone (skip), Irene Doidge (3rd) and June Green (lead).

The runners-up, Nunholm CC. L-R: Margaret Wilson (skip), Chris Anderson (lead), Annie Stoddart (2nd) and Maureen Woods (3rd).

Here's the presentation group, with Douglas Barbour (now 85) representing the sponsor, and Anne Templeton, President Dumfries Ladies Section.

Photos © Skip Cottage

New Ice Bowl Revealed

I began yesterday at the Ice Bowl, Dumfries, when the Canadian women were playing local teams. Very festive it was too, with red and green predominating! Take a good look at at the photo above. It will soon be a thing of the past as curling moves from the big arena, shared with skaters and ice hockey, to a dedicated curling rink.

A tantalising view of the new rink, from the revamped entrance foyer.

There's six sheets. The ice is down and the circles in, as you can see. Hacks are still to be fitted and the scoreboards erected. CDO Graham Sloan expects to have some of his juniors trying it out next week, with full club curling shifting to the new rink by the beginning of December.

The rink has been constructed within what used to be the indoor bowling facility. This has led to compromises in design of course, but the general feeling from local curlers seeing the rink for the first time has been very positive.

I must admit to getting a big thrill on seeing the rink so nearly completed. One doesn't get to see a new curling facility in Scotland very often, certainly not in recent years. I wish the Dumfries curlers every success.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Dumfries Ice Bowl Update

I took the opportunity when I was in Dumfries on Wednesday to run past the Ice Bowl and find out the progress on what will be the country's newest dedicated curling rink. The whole facility has been closed over the summer months. Now the main pad is open for business again, and Development Officer Graham Sloan was getting ready for a Come and Try session later in the day. Most local clubs will be playing next week.

Work continues on the conversion of what was the bowling rink into a six sheet curling rink. It all remains a building site, and access is restricted.

A tantalising peek of an open door through the fence was the closest I could get. No completion date has been officially announced, but middle to late November seems likely. I am excited that the new rink opening is so close!

Round the back, a new extension has been constructed, I believe for the curlers' lounge.

More information as I get it.

Photos © Skip Cottage

Construction begins at Ice Bowl

Work has begun on Scotland's newest curling rink. The Ice Bowl in Dumfries has closed for a period of six months to allow for a complete refurbishment of the council-owned facility.

As well as improvements to the main ice pad, what was the bowling facility (above) will become a dedicated six-sheet curling rink.

The construction site is all fenced off and I understand that work is already well underway inside.

It is good news for the users of the Ice Bowl. Skating and ice hockey will benefit immensely, as will the curling community that uses the Dumfries facility. Income from both groups can be maximised, and that of course is the Council's aim.

It is all about having good ice to curl on of course, and sharing a rink with skaters is never ideal.

It will not go unnoticed, that with two rinks side by side, the complex will have the potential to host major International competitions in the future.

Of course, there are some who have been critical of the project. Curlers at the privately run Lockerbie rink worry that the new facility will impinge on their efforts. However, as the recent Come and Try at that rink showed, there is a major, relatively untapped market, just down the M74 in Carlisle and the north-west of England.

Last summer, see here, here and here, the Ice Bowl hosted a very successful international curling camp. Organised by the Royal Club and fronted by Judith McFarlane and Graham Sloan, the Homecoming Camp was enjoyed by participants from Scotland and overseas. Shari Leibbrandt (above) and Mark Neeleman from the Netherlands were coaches at Dumfries last year. With the plans for the Ice Bowl announced by the time the camp went ahead last year, there was no possibility for there to be a reprise this summer. But I was pleased to see that Shari and Mark are on the organising committee for a similar camp at Zoetermeet, Netherlands, August 3-8.

Details are on the Royal Club website here, and hopefully one or more young Scottish teams will be able to attend.

Pics © Skip Cottage