SCOTTISH CURLERS REPRESENT MMCF AT SUMMER CAMP IN CANADA
Best wishes to young curlers Holly Wilkie-Milne (Perth), Jamie Rankin (Elgin), Amy Mitchell (Greenacres), and Jonathan Blair (Greenacres) as well as Hammy McMillan and Robin Brydone, travelling as coaches, who are jetting off to Canada to represent the Matt Murdoch Curling Foundation at the Trillium Junior Summer Curling Camp.
The Matt Murdoch Curling Foundation (MMCF) is sending four young curlers to the Trillium Junior Summer Curling Camp in Ontario, Canada this year. Aiming to support two representatives annually, MMCF reserved the spaces from the 2020 pandemic cancellation, allowing previous selectees Holly Wilkie-Milne and Jamie Rankin as well as this year’s successful candidates Amy Mitchell and Jonathan Blair to attend.
Additionally, MMCF in partnership with the Scottish Curling Academy fund two coaches to travel to the camp. Great Britain’s 2022 Olympic silver medallist Hammy McMillan and British Curling top athlete Robin Brydone will accompany the juniors in Ontario to share their wisdom as well as to gain experience and improve their coaching skills. The delegation heads out to Canada tomorrow, 5 August.
Bringing together around 200 aspiring curlers from across the globe, the Trillium Junior Summer Curling Camp offers an outstanding opportunity to share training techniques and improve on-ice skills.
‘I always wanted to curl abroad and this is a great opportunity to experience ice in a different country,’ says Amy. The Greenacres athlete skipped her own team last season and collected vast experience at U17 and U21 level. She recently played in the Scottish Curling junior championship too where she was awarded the women’s prize for sportsmanship as voted for by her peers. As well as junior curling, Amy also enjoys club curling with Stewarton Heather CC, and outside the ice rink she does charity volunteering.
High-profile curler Holly, part of the reigning Scottish junior champions, has experienced Canadian ice before and is looking forward to a return visit: ‘It’s a great opportunity to meet other (junior) curlers; it’s hard to get to meet curlers from Canada because they hardly play on European ice, so we don’t see them as much. It’s nice to meet new people and it’s also good to get to know some other curlers from Scotland better.’ Since being selected to attend Trillium in 2020, Holly has joined the British Curling programme with great success, notably winning a silver medal at the 2022 Scottish Curling Women’s Championship and representing Scotland at the world juniors earlier this year. An avid traveller, she relishes the chance to combine a journey to Canada with improving her curling skills.
There is something special about curling in Canada, recognised as one of the leading nations in the sport. ‘Curling is massive in Canada, everyone does it,’ says Jamie. ‘There is so much energy around the sport over there and to be able to experience that and learn their attitudes towards the game is something you don’t often get the chance to do.’ A career highlight (so far!) for Jamie has been competing for Team GB at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2020 – he was also selected as an ambassador for Team GB to sit with the IOC President during the curling final. Jamie’s other interests include Scouts and volunteering.
Although the group have met at training and competitions across Scotland, attending Trillium together offers a unique chance to get to know each other better. ‘Amy and I have been training together; I have played against Jamie and have known him for years,’ says Jonathan. ‘It’s good to get away together and have a good time!’ Hailing from Greenacres, Jonathan enjoys playing club curling at competitive level in addition to playing with his Junior Men’s team. He is very dedicated to his sport and works hard on the off-ice fitness aspects as well as on-ice training – his long-term aim is to be the best sweeper in the world! Jonathan also enjoys the social aspects of the game as well as curling with his family while off the ice, he plays the trumpet and drums, and is a great singer.
Travelling as coaches, top athletes Hammy and Robin will have a chance to gain more experience from the other side of the bench. Besides having accumulated a sizeable collection of silverware as lead for Team Mouat, Hammy is heavily involved in coaching and development in Stirling and works with all ages and stages of curlers. Outside of curling he’s partial to a game of golf, and loves supporting Rangers FC. Robin is a long-time member of Team Whyte, throwing third rocks for the team. Previously, he has competed at three world junior championships (winning a gold and a silver) and a world mixed. Robin loves the gym, doesn’t mind a bit of golf, and supports his hometown football club, St Johnstone. He’s also been known to provide some excellent curling commentary!
The Matt Murdoch Curling Foundation was set up with charitable status in recognition of legendary curler and former RCCC President Matt Murdoch and his commitment to junior curling. His passion and enthusiasm for the sport were well known and he inspired his children to compete and coach curling (son David skipped Great Britain’s Olympic Men’s team to win the silver medal in 2014 and is the current British Curling Olympic coach). After Matt’s untimely death in 2014, his wife Marion decided to set up the foundation.
This is the seventh year of the foundation, and it aims to offer exciting opportunities to encourage youth involvement and development in curling. This has now also extended into opportunities for a mixed doubles competition in Sweden as a new initiative along with Scottish Curling. Foxglide continue to be an invaluable partner, providing the MMCF squad kits.
