Curling: Eve Muirhead ready for Olympic challenge

Jan 19 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

BIG County teenager Eve Muirhead will be the youngest ever curling skip charged with handling the pressure and expectation which goes hand-in-hand with a Team GB Winter Olympics medal contender.

At just 19, the Blair Atholl farmer’s daughter has found herself under intense media scrutiny and with GB medal hopes thin on the ground she knows it will intensify when the team touches down in Canada next month.

Eve, who stepped-up into the senior ranks after bagging a unique hat-trick of world junior titles, recalls watching Rhona Martin’s “Stone of Destiny” which famously captured gold for Great Britain in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

And how she would love to emulate that magical moment.

“I was 12 at the time and my dad allowed me to sit up late at night to watch the final. And from that moment I wanted to do the same as Rhona.

“It was such an inspiration to curling as a sport and myself as an individual. But not for a moment did I think I’d get the chance at 19.

“I suspect I’m the youngest ever Olympic skip, and probably by quite a bit. Some of the other skips are into their forties, experienced competitors like European champion Andrea Schopp and Canada’s Cheryl Bernard.”

While seeing her career fast-forwarded by selectors won over by the prospect of an old head on young shoulders skipping the ladies team, Eve has been delighted at the widespread support she’s received from within the game.

“I have to admit I’ve thought about what it would be like to win an Olympic medal,” she said. “That’s what we are going out to Canada to try to achieve. The first target is the last four and we will take it from there. But we definitely want to bring back a medal.

“We know there will be intense pressure on us. The Winter Olympics don’t have the profile of the summer Olympics but the media interest has already been massive. It will be even bigger in Vancouver.”

Eve and her team recently posted a third place finish in Bern, which had lured all 10 Olympic competitors, before weekend action closer to home at Braehead.

At the weekend, Eve lost out 6-3 to the Swiss in the final of the Glynhill International to miss out on a £2500 first prize.

While domestic action will keep the team ticking over, the countdown has begun to a February 3 trip to the GB holding camp in Calgary, with the opening ceremony on the 12th and Team GB’s opening game on the 16th.

“There were some complaints the stadium holds around 6000 spectators but every ticket has been sold so the atmosphere will be fantastic.

“The reality probably hasn’t hit me yet. We’ve been training so hard. But as the Olympics get closer the excitement and anticipation is certainly growing.”