Team Henderson have given their new line-up a welcome boost ahead of their first Canadian campaign of the season following British Curling’s recruitment of Olympic Champion skip Eve Muirhead to join their coaching team.
Speaking during Women and Girls in Sport Week, High Performance Coach Nancy Smith, whom the four-time Olympian will work alongside, believes their all-female team will be a ‘force to be reckoned with,’ and is delighted the Beijing gold medallist will be rekindling her involvement with the British Curling programme. 
Muirhead retired whilst at the very top of the elite curling game last year, but has found time within her busy schedule to provide coaching support to Smith and Fay Henderson’s quartet, which includes fellow Olympic Champ Hailey Duff, as well as Amy McDonald and Katie McMillan.
“Obviously everyone is delighted to have Eve on the team,” said Smith, who like Muirhead hails from a successful curling dynasty.
“Our journey together started at least 15 years ago and I remember coaching Eve when she won gold in Eveleth at the World Junior Champs, so it somehow seems very fitting that she will be working with our current World Junior Champ skip Fay Henderson and her team this season.
“Eve knows exactly what it takes to win having claimed titles at every level since those champs back in 2007, so it is great that all of that knowledge, experience and expertise will be channelled back into the sport she loves and into the next generation of athletes that want to win gold at an Olympic Games one day.”
Muirhead will start working regularly with the girls from November and Smith knows that bringing her into the team will provide the perfect combination for the ambitious young quartet.
“Team Henderson are real goal setters and are keen to challenge themselves at every opportunity, hence we are in Canada for a couple of high-class events that will give them everything they are looking for just now,” said Smith.
“Eve’s involvement will really help every aspect of their progress and they are keen to experience that level of success and also the responsibilities that come with that. 
“We are fortunate that we have had a succession of successful high profile female curlers who have been great ambassadors and role models in the game. From Rhona Howie (formerly Martin), Jackie Lockhart, Aileen Neilson and Eve and her team, they have all demonstrated that there are no barriers to women achieving and winning well and hopefully those examples will encourage more to get involved in the game.
“Having Eve joining the coaching ranks now is also incredibly positive. It is some 20 years ago since I made that transition from athlete to coach, like Sheila Swan who manages our Paralympic Curling programme. I hope to see many more in the years to come as I believe having a good gender balance helps to create an inclusive environment which I think contributes to a really positive culture within organisations.
“Seeing parity in our game on the ice and recognising that being replicated off the ice with more females in senior roles within our organisation and our sport I think sends the right messages to young females starting out in our game, as well as to other sports and we can all hopefully lead by example.
“I am probably one of the longest standing female coaches in the game and I feel very excited to see what opportunities lie ahead for Eve and others like her.
“Like many of us in the sport, I felt immense pride seeing Team GB skipped by Eve win gold last year and that feel-good factor and self-belief resonated with so many of our athletes and I really hope that it inspired newcomers to the game. 
“It feels like a privilege to continue to work with Eve not as an athlete, but a coach now knowing that she can share just how much hard graft and dedication goes into building a career like hers and she will be incredibly open about both the highs and the lows of life as an elite athlete.
“She understands strategy, she understands how key dynamics are to the team and she know what it is like to deliver those big shots in high pressure games when the whole world tunes in to watch an Olympic final, it doesn’t get tougher than that and I cannot overstate how invaluable that insight will be.”
Team Henderson are meanwhile about to embark on their first Canadian event this season, at the Stu Sells Tankard this week.
“The girls know they are going to be tested at their next two events, but it is the challenge they wanted and hopefully it will be a great chance to build on their two previous tournaments in Oslo and Basel,” said Smith.
“The new team have blended well and they want to make the most of what is ahead of them in the coming days and months ahead.
“This is a great opportunity, for them, for Eve, for the next generation coming through the ranks and a great chance for our sport to continue to nurture and develop world class athletes as we continue to break down any barriers to their ambition. Women’s sport is definitely going in the right direction but the journey is not finished yet.”
The Stu Sells Tankard gets underway tomorrow (5-9 October) – please click here for results.
Olympic image: Team GB/David Pearce.
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