British Curling’s Paralympic curlers lifted the Stirling Wheelchair International title for the first time at their season opener in Stirling’s The Peak ice rink today.
In an event which boasted eight teams with international pedigree, the British squad of Jo Butterfield, Gregor Ewan, Charlotte McKenna, Hugh Nibloe, Stewart Pimblett and Gary Smith, which rotated throughout the week, dropped only one game in the tournament to lift the trophy. 
Skip Gregor Ewan said: “It’s been totally different this week. As a squad we have been trying a number of different things and playing particular attention to every detail including all of the small things that help to make a difference. From delivery to breathing right, everything and it has been hard keeping that level of concentration up for a full eight ends but it definitely made a difference.
“I have never played with Jo and Stewart before in a competition so that has been good to have them on ice and mixing things up this week will help our coach Sheila (Swan) to make her decisions about selection for the Worlds later this season.
“It always helps to boost confidence to get a win at the start of our season, so it is brilliant and all the work we are putting in is making a difference. In training we are throwing more stones which has also helped.
“Having Paralympic gold medallist Jo in the mix, with her perspective on things and how she sheds light on what we are doing has been really helpful. There is always something new that someone fresh can bring to the game and that has definitely helped us.”
The competition was Butterfield’s first since making the switch from athletics, in which she won that Paralympic gold medal in 2016 and she was excited by the experience.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind and a massive learning curve,” she said.
“A win is fantastic but what I have learned from this event is even better. It felt like a team coming together out there. 
“It is totally different in a competition environment. You try to tell yourself to do the same thing that you do in training, but I love to compete. That is what I do it for, I thrive under pressure and competing and I enjoy being back in that environment.
“Milan- Cortina is 100% my goal, A gold medal out there is what I am aiming for. I hope I am bringing freshness and a different perspective from another sport but I appreciate that I have a lot to learn.
“Each shot has got to be cleaner and more precise and I have a long way to go, but I am going to work very hard to get there.
“It’s a team sport which is the biggest difference. Previously it was all on me and according to the work I put in it’s me that benefits or suffers, but with a team we have to work together, communicate well and get to know each other. That is a different challenge but we are moving in the right direction getting to know our strengths and weaknesses and working together to put in the right performances.”
For Paralympic Head Coach Sheila Swan the event was this season’s first opportunity to assess the work that is being done next door at the National Curling Academy (NCA) and she was satisfied with what she saw.
“I’m pleased that we got this win and good we did on what is almost home ice, given we train next door at the NCA,” she said.
“We have been competing in this event since it started and this was by far our best result, but we still have a lot to do and it is early in the (Paralympic) cycle, so it is encouraging to get off to a winning start.
“We have a few new additions to our squad, so I was keen that everyone got some games under their belt this week while also maintaining some stability in the back end by keeping Gregor and Hugh in the skip and third positions respectively. 
“It is challenging for the athletes as they don’t get a good run at one position, but that is not a bad thing. It is a starting point. We know where we need to be when we get to Milan, but that’s a decent start and a good platform to work from.
“So there’s a lot to do in terms of recruitment and from a talent point of view, but also making sure we are at the standard that is necessary to not only medal but keep qualification on track as well.
“It will be a learning curve for us with the addition of mixed doubles as a new Paralympic event, but we have a terrific support programme in place through the sportscotland institute of sport and also those that work directly with British Curling. So it is a bit of an unknown just now but it is our job to monitor recovery to make sure we balance the performance and training well for both Paralympic disciplines.”
British Curling team:
Jo Butterfield
Gregor Ewan
Charlotte McKenna
Hugh Nibloe
Stewart Pimblett
Gary Smith
Results
Day 1 -10.00am
GBR - ENG 5-2
STR - SUI 2-9
LAT - NOR 7-8
EST - ITA 6-7
Day 1 - 2.30pm
GBR - ITA 6-5
ENG - EST 7-2
LAT - STR 11-1
NOR - SUI 6-4
Day 2 - 10.00am
GBR - NOR 8-7 (EE)
LAT - ITA 6-8
ENG - SUI 10-11
EST - STR 6-8
Day 2 - 2.30pm
GBR - STR 5-4
NOR - EST 10-1
ENG - LAT 1-7
SUI - ITA 4-5
Day 3 - 10.00am
GBR - SUI 6-5
NOR - ENG 10-4
ITA - STR 8-5
LAT - EST 5-9
Day 3 - 2.30pm
GBR -EST 3-7
SUI - LAT 5-7
ITA - ENG 10-2
STR - NOR 5-6
Day 4 - 9.30am
GBR – LAT 8-5
ITA – NOR 7-5
STR – ENG 7-6
SUI – EST 9-3
GBR 6W – 1L
