Eve set to take on the world in China
Blair Atholl skip sweeps in for Beijing championship
Eve Muirhead has become used to jetting to all corners of the globe to compete.
But the Blair Atholl skip will enter new territory when she sweeps onto the ice at the World Curling Championships in Beijing, China.
The 26-year-old teams up with Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams, Lauren Gray and Kelly Schafer to fly the flag for Scotland.
Adding another world gold is the plan for Muirhead - the last coming in Riga 2013 - but qualification for the Winter Olympics is also up for grabs.
“We won the Worlds four years ago,” she explained to the Perthshire Advertiser. “In the Europeans there have been silvers and bronzes.
“The gold has been on hold for a while but we’re probably in the best position as a team that we’ve ever been.
“We made important changes at the start of the year. That was always going to bring us down a bit before we came up. I’d like to think we’ve come out of that little bit of a rut.
“Now, after a couple of good tournaments, we’re definitely on the up.
“Looking back at when we won the Worlds and then got a medal at the Olympics it was a brave move to make changes at that time.
“You can keep plodding along but other teams improve and change things and the time was right to do that with us.
“I don’t know what the minimum that we need is. Last year I think we finished fifth, which is a steady position.
“The first goal is to get Great Britain a spot but we can’t be thinking about that. We have to play the best we can and things like Olympic qualification will take care of themselves. We won’t be playing for fifth, that’s for sure.”
Muirhead booked her place at the worlds with a convincing Scottish Championships win in Perth last month. Taking to the ice in China is going to be a new but exciting experience.
“It was my seventh Scottish Scottish curlers Team Muirhead pictured at the Dewars Centre in Perth after completing their final training session before heading to Beijing. From left Lauren Gray, Vicki Adams, Anna Sloan and Eve Muirhead
Championship title but it gets harder and harder to win,” she said.
“Each year there are so many nerves and so much pressure. It’s a horrible week. It really is.
“It’s my least favourite of them all because we have such a massive target on our backs and there’s so much riding on it. You’re just glad when it gets to the Monday morning after.
“When I won for the first time in 2009 and beat Kelly Wood in the final that basically earned me the skipping position for the Vancouver Olympics. That’s when I realised how important the Scottish was. It changes careers.
“That’s sport, though. You have to be able to deal with championships that play with your mind. The Worlds will have a different type of feel.
“It’s a very, very hard event, especially when you look at the field this year. I don’t
think it could be any tougher.
“We’re not the only targeted team, though. There are five or six. So the focus is taken off you a bit.
“Usually we go back to the same old countries so to get the chance to go to one I’ve never been to is pretty exciting. Vicki’s been there.
“I think they played the World University Games there, so she’s experienced it and as a team we’re pretty open for change, pretty relaxed when it comes to deal with what you’ve got, like make the most of what you have.
“Overall we’re looking forward to go to Beijing. China’s one of the countries that you want to go to just to experience it, don’t you?
“So to have the chance to go is going to be pretty cool.”
The team will head for Canada after competing at the worlds. And, while
there, a short sunshine break to Mexico awaits.
For Muirhead, it shows how close the squad is and she said: “It was either go on holiday or stick around in Canada.
“After the Worlds we’ve got a week between an event in Toronto and then the Grand Slam Champions Cup in Calgary. There wouldn’t be much point in coming home, get over jet lag, then go back and get over jet lag again.
“So we’re going to hop on a flight and go somewhere in the sun for a few days. It actually works out cheaper as well, plus I might get a sun tan, and it’s my birthday!
“It shows how close we are as a team. On the ice we’re work colleagues but we are best friends as well.”
The World Curling Championships take place in Beijing, China from Saturday, March 18 to Sunday, March 26.