Month: January 2017

Albert is playing second in Alex Dickson’s team Tiree and is our First Aider on the tour.  We were assured he possessed a good bedside manner and would proffer a sympathetic ear to anyone succumbing to ailments and illnesses. Ha! “C’moan.  Oot yer flechie and on the bus!  Sharp like.”  Ah well.  His other skills and knowledge of competition rules is certainly valuable.
He tells me –  “My home is in Aberdeen and I am now 66 and retired, having been a local government Valuation Surveyor. I am divorced, have a son Graeme and a daughter Arlene.
I am a member of AWW Curling Club, founded in 1984, and of Curl Aberdeen Juniors. My home rink is Curl Aberdeen.
I am a past President of North-Eastern Province of the RCCC and have been a member of Curl Aberdeen Management Committee since 2005. I am a level 2 coach and a level 4 umpire. I am proud to have been an umpire at three World championships, three European championships and numerous Scottish Championships.
On tour I look forward to forming new friendships, and to lots of good curling played in the true spirit.
I play some golf and enjoy going to the cinema.”

 

Clive is skip of team Mull, Captain of our tour and has the distinction of being the man with the plan and the dubious honour of motivating us to win that Herries-Maxwell trophy.  I’m sure he would put it better himself because, away from the tour, he has the distinction of being President of the RCCC, is a very eloquent fellow and, as his story attests, quite used to sporting spectacle.  “I was born and brought up in Glasgow and attended Belmont House School and Glasgow Academy. I’m 68 and live in Newton Mearns on the south side of Glasgow with my wife, Judith, also a keen curler. We have a son and a daughter both living and working in London.
I was an institutional stockbroker for 25 years before acquiring the conference business I now run with offices in Glasgow and Salisbury.
I have been curling since forming a club to represent the school in the Glasgow Schools Curling League when the Rector insisted that all pupils played rugby on a Saturday morning. After school I moved on to Glasgow Young Curlers and later joined my mother club, Glasgow Academicals. I am also a member of the Beechnuts and Whitecraigs Tennis Club Curling section.
I curl at Intu Braehead on the banks of the river Clyde, west of Glasgow, and am a past President of both Dunbartonshire and Glasgow Provinces.
Playing for Scotland in the Four Nations competition and winning several Province and club competitions have been the highlights of my playing career.
Before taking up administrative posts in curling I was heavily involved in tennis both in Scotland and the Lawn Tennis Association in London and was a member of the Wimbledon Championships committee for eleven years.
On tour I’m looking forward to making new friends, seeing new places and enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow tourists. I am an elder in the Church of Scotland, and when I have any spare time I enjoy playing golf and tennis.”

Only 24 hours into the Tour and one of us has aged already. Thankfully it wasn’t a casualty but a birthday for Jim Ramsay. Captain Clive presented Jim with a cake (how good was that?) and we all sang Happy Birthday to Jim.

We’ve had lots of messages of good wishes from former Scots Tourists going back 20 Years. Thanks all. It’s good to know that the trail ahead of us has already been blazed by you.

The Dublin Chicago flight was just over 8 hours and 3672 miles: someone somewhere will want to know that. We arrived in good shape to a full-on welcome form ten or so US Curling Association men including Russ Brown who is to be our courier this week. Malcolm MacAllister gave a full version of Highland Cathedral on the coach on the journey to the hotel to the delight of all. Later a short walk took us to the social gathering at Chicago Curling Club for pizza and drinks. Wilson Gotthchild gave us the warmest of welcomes “to the Scots who have been coming here since 1952” to cheers from the big audience. Everyone we spoke to knew we were coming, and many had personal or family connections with Scots an curling in Scotland.

A long day, and a good one.  No doubt much of the same is ahead of us. We’re up for that.

For months it’s been getting

READY………..STEADY….

and at 7.30 pm on Friday evening at the Holiday Inn Glasgow The 2017 Scotland Team Tour to USA officially got the GO.

As far as we know, we all had brought every one of the 50-odd items of clothing, gifts and sets of badges for our hosts-to-be in the US – although there was bit of surreptitious sharing of the Tour Song Book.

After a bit of socialising, and a bit more socialising we sat down to dinner. Captain Clive aka Royal Club President Clive Thomson, quietly kept the proceedings in good order. Judge David McIntyre, in wig and gown plus mean-looking gavel extracted penalties from most of us for misdemeanours – whether actually or potentially done. His imagination was exceeded only by the hilarity round the table when excuses or even the slightest protest was offered. Yes, we really were beginning to settle down as a Tour.

That was a hard act to follow but Malcolm MacAskill brought us back onto order to get ready to practise the Tour Song Book – even getting us to do vocal and upper-body exercises. It seemed to work, and Malcolm has promised he’ll keep on making us improve – good luck, Malcolm. All round, the evening was a great way to start our time together on Tour, and with a 6.15 am photoshoot most of us didn’t hang around too long after….whatever time it may have been!

All credit to us (hmmm) the photoshoot started on time proving that at least on one occasion we could respond to our alarms. Having cleared procedures at Glasgow Airport we arrived in Dublin at 10 am, and cleared the US Immigration process without a hitch.

In Dublin IanThePhoto, aka Ian Young, got photos of each team in playing order – and still smiling.

We’ve just had the first call for our Chicago flight so, from us all to you all at home in Scotland ….We’re ready, holding Steady and we’ll GO and do Scotland proud.