Bob Nichols was on a mission. His goals were to become an accountant and a curling world champion. Bob captured his first Air Canada Silver Broom in 1974, playing third for Bud Somerville. It was the inagural season for the team from Wisconsin, which included Bill Strum and Tom Locken at front end. His second world championship came in 1978 as a skip, with Bill and Tom moving up positions and Bob Cristman joining at lead. Bob shares memories of Bud, the Superior Curling Club, and many stories from a golden era for USA curling.
Monday, June 30, 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
Episode 97 - Beau Welling
Beau Welling followed a peculiar path. From studying physics to designing golf courses and eventually becoming the President of World Curling. Beau shares his origin story and how the cancellation of a European business trip led him on a quest to explore curling in Bemidji, Minnesota. Beau offers perspectives on how technology is impacting golf and curling and examines the challenges of self-officiating, suggesting potential approaches for curling to improve while maintaining honour and integrity, the bedrock of both sports' Scottish roots.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Episode 96 - Ken Horton, Part 2
In Part 2 of my conversation with Ken Horton we begin after the 1977 men's world championship, progressing to the 1983 worlds and the controversy surrounding Swedish corn brooms. Ken shares an assortment of stories including a Paul Gowsell tale, tin foil at the 1989 worlds and a trouser mishap that forced umpire Chuck Hay to rule on the use of denim at a world championship. We wrap with an explanation of the Scottish Curling Trust and its efforts to promote participation and preserve the history of curling.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Episode 95 - Ken Horton, Part 1
Ken Horton was obsessed about curling. He honed his skills at the Crossmyloof Ice Rink in Glasgow, eventually teaming with skip Robert Kelly and the front end of Willie Jamieson and Keith Douglas to win the Scottish Junior Mens title in 1976. They were the home team at the Uniroyal Junior Men's Championship in Aviemore, losing in the semifinal to the eventual winner, Canada's Paul Goswell. The following season, Robert aged out and the three schoolmates moved up a position, adding Richard Harding at lead. They fell short at the juniors but shocked everyone by winning the men's championship and representing Scotland at the World Championship in Karlstad, Sweden. In Part 1, Ken shares stories from his early days to the 1977 Silver Broom and depicts what Scottish curling was like in the 1960s and '70s.
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Episode 94 - Andrea Schoepp
Andrea Schoepp could focus on the game and nothing else. Her skills developed from curling outdoors with her family in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. At the age of fifteen, Andrea skipped her team, including her mother Elinore at third and Monika Wagner at lead, to a bronze medal at the European Championship. Her and Monika would go on to reach the world championship final four times, winning in 1988 and 2010. Andrea explains her ambiguous feelings on the Olympics, despite winning a gold medal when curling was a demonstration sport at the 1992 Winter Games in France. Andrea shares stories from her many world championships and Olympic appearances, including a bicycle mishap near the Korean border and warming up to curl on the ski slopes. She recalls the challenges of building a team in Germany and the disappointment of failing to qualify for the world championship when it was held in her hometown in 1992.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Episode 93 - Toby McDonald
Toby McDonald always chose to wake up with a smile. From his beginnings at the St. John's Curling Club, Toby had a passion for the sport and its evolution in Newfoundland and Labrador. His crowning acheivement was winning the Brier in 1976 with skip Jack MacDuff and the front end of Doug Hudson and Ken Templeton. Their victory was the first for Newfoundland, which joined Canada in 1949 and the Brier in 1951. It would be another 41 years before Brad Gushue captured another title for the province. Toby shares memories from his early days to coaching at the 2022 Brier and everything in between. He revisits the 2006 Olympic games and explains how Russ Howard joined Brad, Mark Nicols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam to win a gold medal. Toby passed away on January 24, 2025.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Special Episode - Don Finkbeiner
Don Finkbeiner speaks at the banquet celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Manitoba Men's Provincial Curling Championship. Resby Coutts provides the introduction and later shares a story of Mark Olson's grandfather in-law's dog to close out the evening.
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