Etched In Stones

When it comes to curling, camaraderie counts as much as competition, keeping the sport alive for new generations

- by MORAG LINDSAY

CURLING is something of an outlier when it comes to Scottish sport.

Out on the ice, we're not the plucky underdogs scratching and scraping our way to the occasional miraculous victory. This is that rarest of endeavours where Scots are expected to excel, from Rhona Martin at Salt Lake City in 2002 through to Team Mouat – the reigning Men's World Champions and favourites for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy in February.

Curling is more than an elite sport. In towns across Scotland it is the glue that holds communities together.

They've been curling in Kinross since at least the 17th century. Kinross Curling Club, founded in 1668, is thought to be the oldest in the world. And while global warming has put paid to the spectacle on Loch Leven – a Sky TV news crew turned out to film the last informal matches during the big freeze of 2010 – the town's indoor rink continues to draw in curlers from across Kinross-shire and Fife.

Medals are the last things on the minds of the Fossoway Ladies Club members as they shed their fleeces and make a beeline for the bar following their slot. They'll tell you the rewards they reap here are more precious than gold. If you win, you buy the drinks for the losing side afterwards. It's very sociable.

"Most of us are retired," she adds. "We could be sitting at home watching daytime TV, but we're here, we know what's going on in each other's lives and we have these friendships because of curling."

More than 300 enthusiasts from 30 clubs compete regularly at Kinross throughout the winter, along with curlers from across the UK and beyond.

The rink is run by a local trust that rents it from the neighbouring Green Hotel. It’s busy every day, full to capacity in the evenings, and the flags of visiting nations that line the walls are testament to its reputation.