Hundreds of people are due to descend on Aberdeen’s curling rink in coming weeks as the sport enjoys an ice-cool makeover – thanks to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games and the success of Team GB.
Laura Mutch, assistant manager and development officer at Curl Aberdeen, said her phone “hadn’t stopped ringing” since the nation became captivated by the sweepers and the sliders of the Scots in Great Britain’s men’s and women’s teams.
She said: “I have 100 new people coming down on Sunday and I think by the end of the season we will have had over 300 new people through the door. A lot of companies are coming for team-building days. I think curling has been seen as an older person’s sport, but I think that’s changing now.”
Yesterday, dozens of members gathered at the centre to watch the men’s team take silver in the final after losing out on the top spot to Canada.
Among the crowd was Kim Brewster, wife of Tom Brewster, the manager at Curl Aberdeen and the fifth member of the men’s Team GB who is credited with developing the winning side.
Mrs Brewster said: “Sochi has been amazing for the game and it’s going to get very busy down here. People seem to have really taken to the sport and it has been a massive talking point on social media.”
For many of the rink’s 700 or so members, who compete in 30 different clubs, curling has long been a way of life. Mrs Brewster, originally from Edmonton, Canada, describes herself as a “rink rat” who started following her parents around the tournaments.
Mrs Brewster, now of Elrick, Aberdeenshire, who has represented both Scotland and Canada at world championship level, said: “Sochi has been very emotional for the whole family.” Despite not taking gold, Curl Aberdeen chairman Stephen Burnett said it was “absolutely brilliant” to see Mr Brewster and Team GB take second place.
He credited the commentary of Jackie Lockhart, of Stonehaven – a member of the rink and Laurencekirk Curling Club – as drawing more people to the sport. Ms Lockhart, who took gold at the 2002 World Championship, has become a hit with viewers for her humour and expertise.
Mr Burnett said: “Jackie has done an amazing job with her commentary. Her descriptions have been spot on and she tells people how to take up curling. She really has been flying the flag for the sport.”
Comment, Page 32
Sochi latest, Pages 56 & 57