It was only a couple of weeks ago that I was writing about my big hope for the year in curling being all our arenas in Scotland staying open.
From a personal point of view, the Dewars Centre in Perth was top of that list.
So to hear that it is under serious threat of closure by Perth and Kinross Council is a terrible start to 2024.
I’ve not seen the facts and figures but what I can say for sure is that the buzz at Dewars for the Perth Masters the other week was like the old days.
All the curlers were excited to get going again after Christmas and the lounges were packed.
There was real optimism that a corner had been turned for the venue’s future.
I also know that the week after the Masters, there were loads of kids in for a skating disco on the Friday night, which was great to hear as well.
We’re in a financial climate where it’s a case of ‘use it or lose it’ as far as sporting venues are concerned.
I do genuinely think that curlers, skaters and bowlers have taken that message on board and are showing that Dewars is a facility at the heart of the Perthshire community.
That’s before you talk about the elite end of my sport.
There aren’t many – if any – sports that have delivered as many European, World and Olympic medals for Scotland over a period of decades as curling has.
It goes back generations.
And that isn’t drying up.
Perth curlers still making their mark
World class curlers of the future are still progressing up the career ladder by starting out on Perth ice.
I have so many happy memories of curling at Dewars with family and friends, from juniors through to Perth Super League, and of winning my fourth World Junior title and all my Scottish Championships.
But this isn’t about nostalgia or the past.
The bigger picture is future generations and, having seen how many curlers were lost after the Pitlochry rink shut, the impact of that happening to a facility with an even bigger catchment area would be enormous.
Perthshire is THE heartbeat of Scottish curling as far as I’m concerned.
And that is certainly something worth fighting to protect.
Out here in Gangwon, the Winter Youth Olympics will soon be up and running.
I’ve been so impressed with the set-up for the Games.
It really isn’t that much different to the main Olympics.
Of course, everything is on a smaller scale but seeing all the different nations kitted out makes you really proud to be part of a Team GB again.
As Chef de Mission, it’s been pretty full-on from the day we arrived, doing our best to make sure every box is ticked for the British athletes.
Let’s just say, I’m not even close to averaging the amount of sleep I got as an athlete.
Jet lag is starting to settle now but I wish I was young again and could sleep over 15 hours like the short track athletes managed on night one!
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