I’m out in Poland just now.
It’s part of the World Curling Olympic Celebration Tour.
Promoting the sport in areas that aren’t traditional heartlands for it are always important.
I’ve been visiting schools and doing some coaching.
There are plenty of people in Poland who didn’t even knowing what curling is so it’s been great to play a small part in helping to change that.
One of the most inspiring stories of the recent Youth Olympics in Gangwon was the Nigerian ‘Broomzillas’ becoming the first African nation to compete in the Games.
Practicing on artificial surfaces back home and then playing with smiles on their faces was humbling for those of us who have been brought up in a curling family with easy access to ice.
No minority sport can ever afford to stop ‘growing the game’.
I saw a bit of the Scottish mixed doubles action before I flew out to Poland and then I was following the results at the weekend while I was out there.
First of all, it’s always nice to see a Perth curler win a national title.
That’s two in a row for Duncan McFadzean, having been part of Team Whyte’s impressive triumph at Dumfries earlier in the month.
Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat have been World champions and represented Britain at an Olympics so for them to not even make the semi-final was a surprise.
But I said last week that it was a very open field for a variety of reasons.
Duncan and Sophie Jackson thoroughly deserved their win and they’ll have a good chance of doing well in the Worlds in Sweden because I can see that being another competition which will have a lot of medal contenders.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Rachel Homan has clinched her fourth Canadian title.
The competition was in the Calgary arena, where my last Worlds were held in the ‘bubble’ event that doesn’t bring back happy memories for me!
But this was a great tournament to watch.
This latest title for Rachel came seven years after she had last won it.
And when you beat Jennifer Jones three times in the week you know you’ve earned your success.
From the very first day you could see that Rachel’s team was the one to beat.
They dominated from start to finish.
Jennifer getting to the final was an achievement in itself, coming so soon after she announced that she would be retiring from the women’s side of the sport.
I guess to some extent, Rachel has been a bit in Jennifer’s shadow.
But she’s achieved great things and has put together a really strong group.
This was Tracy Fleury’s first title and you could see what it meant to her.
The best may still be to come for Team Homan.
A comment made by Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers in an interview with the BBC’s Jane Lewis has split opinion.
I’m sure if Brendan got the chance to go back in time he would choose to end it differently.
But I genuinely don’t think Jane would be offended by ‘good girl’.
I wouldn’t be.
There are plenty of examples of athletes and coaches saying something they don’t mean or getting their words wrong.
Having watched it and read both Brendan and Jane’s comments since, I think that’s what has happened in this case.
For me, it’s a case of a mountain out of a mole hill.
Conversation