Olympic bronze medalist Eve Muirhead has revealed that she wants to do for curling what Andy Murray has done for the popularity of tennis.
And the 27-year-old Scot has taken the first step to achieve this goal by becoming the official Curling Ambassador at the intu Braehead Curling Rink.
Eve will be at the rink on Saturday, September 30 between 10am and 11.30am and noon and 2pm to give tips on how to play the game, as part of the regular intu Braehead Curling Sweep sessions.
It’s the first time an ice rink in Scotland has engaged a high-profile curler to promote the sport.
Now her image will be seen on posters by hundreds of thousands of people visiting the giant intu Braehead shopping centre, which the dedicated curling rink is part of.
Eve has already had a successful career winning an Olympic bronze medal, gold, silver and bronze World and European Championship medals and four Junior World Championship gold medals.
Eve said: “Andy Murray’s massive success has definitely put tennis on the map in this country and encouraged more and more people – particularly youngsters – to take up the sport.
“I want to do the same for curling and make it a sport that’s popular with all ages and people from all social backgrounds.”
But Eve admits that she’ll have to brush away the false perceptions of curling and curlers among people who don’t really know the sport.
She explains: “The image of curling has changed a lot since I first started playing as a nine-year-old, but a lot more can be done.
“I’m sure a lot of people think curling is for an older generation – but nothing could be further from the truth and nowadays there are a lot of younger people taking up the sport.
“And when it comes to competitive curling at the top level of the sport, the age range of the curlers is between 24 and 30.”
Eve continues: “People should know that curling is cool. It’s really quite fun and it’s a sport that can get you fit too, especially when you are throwing a 44-pound granite stone up a sheet of ice.
“Curling is a very social activity and you can make lots of friends. You can also very quickly play a game after first stepping on to the ice. Just an hour of coaching and you can pick up the basics, which is enough to get you started and enjoy playing.”
There are more than 40 clubs and 1000 curlers of all ages and abilities playing on the curling rink at intu Braehead, which hosts starter sessions for the novice, to club competitions, disabled curling, to international tournaments featuring some of the world’s best curlers.
Scott Martin, general manager of intu Braehead Leisure says: “We have one of the best curling rinks in the country, which is available for anyone and everyone who wants to try out the very popular growing sport of curling.
“Eve is one of the country’s most successful curlers and an inspiring role model. I’m sure she will be a great ambassador and help promote and encourage more people to try curling.”
For more information about curling at intu Braehead, email the Curling Development Officer, David Horne at david.horne@intu.co.uk or call 0141 885 4611.