After suffering a string of setbacks through no fault of her own, Fay Henderson is hoping that her team’s late call up to compete at this season’s World Junior Curling Championships (15-22 May) in Sweden represents an overdue change of fortune.
The 20-year-old from Dumfries led teammates Katie McMillan, Lisa Davie and Holly Wilkie-Milne through an impressive run of tournament wins at home and overseas in the early part of this season, culminating in victory at the Scottish Junior Curling Championships. 
That earned them the chance to reclaim a place for Scotland in the top tier of the junior game at the World Junior B Championships, where they were expected to earn the place to play in the full World Junior Championships later in the season, while their skip was also selected for the mixed gender World University Games team.
Setting the tone for what was to come, both those events were then cancelled, but the quartet stuck to their task and produced another fine run at the Scottish Curling Championships in February, reaching the final where they were beaten by the more experienced Team Morrison.
Henderson’s performances were then further recognised when she was invited by Team Morrison to be their fifth player at the World Championships, which took place in Canada last week and they duly made the trip, only for further desperate disappointment to follow.
However, she admitted that she was partly prepared this time when, after being called into the starting line-up for the opener against defending champions Switzerland, she was among a succession of team members resulting in the team having to withdraw to protect everyone taking part in the event.
“This whole Canada experience has been quite a roller coaster of emotions,” Henderson admitted.
“When I was first phoned and asked to go as their fifth player I was absolutely buzzing. I couldn’t really put it into words, to be honest, I was so excited and really looking forward to being able to experience a World Championships and join the girls, because they’re such an amazing team. 
“Then there was a chance that I was going to be playing, but the day before Nancy (Smith, their coach) asked us all how we were feeling and I said ‘I’m not believing it until we’ve been out there and played.’
“In the morning before we were supposed to visit the venue I tested positive, which was pretty gutting.
“I think I’d said I wasn’t believing it until I’d done it because I’d had so many big things cancelled this season and with the nature of the situation I was still optimistic and really looking forward to it, but there was still a small part of me that wasn’t sure.
“So not being able to compete was pretty devastating and eventually we had to make a decision and stop which was probably one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made, but we knew it was right.”
The University of Glasgow student was consequently on her way back home when the news emerged that Scotland had been invited to send a women’s team to replace Russia at theWorld Junior Championships and that her team are now set to achieve what had originally been their main target this season.
“The news about World Juniors really lifted my spirits,” she said.
“I was so excited for that, because I know my team and I have worked really hard and that was our season’s goal, to make it to Junior As. So now we’ve got the chance to go out and play, we can really put in a good performance on the back of all the hard work we’ve done.” 
She believes the whole experience has taught them a valuable lesson in terms of maintaining the right attitude, particularly in the face of adversity.
“It shows that it’s still important to keep training, even if you’ve had a set back, because you never know what other opportunities are going to come your way and this is one of the biggest situations that can demonstrate that,” said Henderson.
“After the World Bs were cancelled it could have been quite easy to be affected by that, but I know that if I keep pushing myself on and working hard there are other opportunities out there.”
The reward for that positive outlook is the prospect of a succession of big opportunities in the closing months of what has already been a momentous season for the British Curling programme and Henderson is ready to seize them, in particular that long overdue opportunity to pull on her Scotland shirt.
“It was hard to be stuck inside because of COVID when I’m so used to be out doing things, but I’m recharged, ready and feeling fine,” she said. 
“I’ve not got any symptoms, so I’m ready to go for juniors, have the rest of the week off, recover from the jetlag and the travel and be ready to get focused on the World Juniors and put everything else behind us.
“I’m playing in the Scottish Mixed Curling Championships and I’m also going to Sweden for a junior mixed doubles competition in about three weeks’ time, so that’ll be quite exciting.
“After the challenges we’ve had this season, with the cancellation of the World University Games, the World Junior B Championships when we got to the airport, the World Championships when we were already in Canada, I’m now really looking forward to the World Juniors and just hoping it can be a Championship experience where I can get to wear my Scotland tops.”
