Eve expects a special event on Scottish soil
Muirhead planning for a golden time at Europeans
It will be her ninth appearance at the prestigious event.
And as Perthshire curling sensation Eve Muirhead prepares to compete at the European Curling Championships, there is a burning desire to add more gold to the trophy cabinet.
The Blair Atholl-based skip has picked up a wealth of experience since bursting onto the scene and is determined to put on a show in front of a home Braehead Arena crowd.
“We’re definitely capable of getting medals at the European Championships,” said Eve, who was runner up last year. “This is my ninth consecutive appearance at the European Championships and there is a lot of silver in there.
“So I’d like to upgrade that to a gold if I can. It’s going to be tough and is never easy but we’ll definitely give it a good shot.
“Last year we got silver which was devastating. Any major championships is tough but this year we’ve had a good build up towards it.
“We’ve had a really strong start to the season and the aim is to peak around the major championships. The European Playoffs to qualify all went to plan with getting the three wins against Hannah Fleming.
“It’s now about building up the next few weeks before the championships.”
The Europeans take place from November 19 to 26 and Eve knows how special it will be to perform in front of adoring home fans.
Eve said: “It’s extra special having the chance to represent your country, in your own country. It’s only a 30 minute drive down the road from myself which is something you don’t get very often.
“We know we will have a lot of home support, compared to the odd parent with a Scotland flag.
“The whole atmosphere and build up will be really exciting. Braehead has held the men’s Scottish Championships and the World Championships so it’s no stranger to holding a major event. I know they will put on a good show.
“When Scottish Curling gets the chance to have any major championships in its home country it’s massive. We have big events coming up so it’s definitely starting to take shape in terms of building Scottish Curling.
“I’d like to think these championships will be bigger than any other one which has taken place in Scotland before, because of the sport growing so much in the last few years.
“We’re treating it as any other major championships and will forget that we’re from just down the road.”
In terms of how the team will shape up, Anna Sloan returns from injury after a lengthy absence. Eve added: “Anna has been out for the last nine tournaments and we had about five different line-ups in between that.
“There’s not been a lot of consistency but we’ve still managed to get results which is
Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Lauren Gray
key. Now we have that consistency back.
“We’ve got Switzerland in a couple of weeks to get Anna back on board. It’s really good for the team.”
The Le Gruyere AOP European Curling Championships take place from November 19-26 at Braehead Arena. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster or from the Braehead ticket office.