I had the perfect way of getting into Scottish Cup final mood.
I was invited to take part in a Team talk event, which has been giving St Johnstone fans the chance to share memories of the club in advance of a Perth Theatre production.
We were all brought up as Saints fans by my dad but I must admit some of my stories struggle to match-up to the diehards!
Final Team Talk tonight and what a great one it was with @evemuirhead. Thank you for sharing your memories and sporting influences! Thanks to all who have come along to all of the events! Can’t wait to see what comes of it all @HorsecrossPerth #sainteesonstage #bringonthe22nd
— Katie Mitchell (@mitchkatie_) May 13, 2021
My first game was back in 1999 and I started on a high with my face painted blue and white for St Johnstone v Monaco.
It’s incredible that Saints are still qualifying for European competition all these years later.
I know it will be mixed emotions for fans this weekend because none are able to be at Hampden Park for the Hibs game.
I was lucky enough to be at Celtic Park in 2014 and it was such an unforgettable day.
But one of the things you realise from nights like the one I took part in last week is that physically being at a match is only one part of being a supporter.
The pride Saints fans are taking from this year’s achievements is the same as it ever was – maybe even more so.
I know that Callum Davidson has had a tough last couple of weeks as a result of Covid-19 but they’ve still got momentum behind them.
In top level sport that can be a very powerful thing.
Fingers crossed Saturday will become a historic one for St Johnstone.
I’ve been dipping in and out of watching the World Mixed Doubles at Aberdeen.
It’s obviously good to see that the Scottish team are going along quite nicely and look in good shape to make the knock-out stages.
I know mixed isn’t to everyone’s taste.
It’s basically curling’s answer to T20 cricket.
What isn’t up for debate is that the format lends itself to more shocks than the traditional one.
Without getting too detailed about the games, the fact you can’t hit until five stones are in play sets up the opportunity for big scores and shifts in momentum.
Canada falls to Australia for first loss at mixed doubles worlds #WMDCC2021
📸© WCF / Celine Stucki
MORE: https://t.co/xT9V7oBZDJ pic.twitter.com/WANfsv5Sgk
— TSN Curling (@TSNCurling) May 19, 2021
Spain should have beaten Canada (who have a partnership of the reigning national, Kerri Einarson and former Olympic champion, Brad Gushue) and Australia actually did it.
Trust me, there would be no chance of that happening in anything other than the mixed.
You either love that unpredictability or you don’t.
I suspect the Tokyo Olympics is going to feature in my column more and more over the next few weeks.
There are only a couple of months to go but still the topic of whether it should be cancelled hasn’t gone away.
It really is a huge issue that the people of Tokyo aren’t behind it and you can’t blame them given the seriousness of the pandemic over there.
As the Games get nearer I’m sure I’ll be writing about my own worries as far as keeping everybody safe and making sure disruptions don’t become big ones.
For the moment, though, it doesn’t sit well that an Olympics will be taking place against a backdrop of host nation opposition.
I’m pretty sure the Olympic juggernaut is too far down the road to put the brakes on now but it’s going to be a clinical experience for everybody, which is the exact opposite of what a Games should be.
