A Pane in the Glass
Bill Tschirhart's A Pane in the Glass
Bill Tschirhart has been involved in coaching the sport of curling for many years. I was first introduced to Bill in 1990 when he was coach of the University of Waterloo varsity curling teams, which was Bill’s first coaching position. Since then, Bill has held coaching positions provincially and nationally, coached at both national and international events, and at one time was Curling Canada’s national development coach at the Curling Canada’s National Training Centre (NTC) in Calgary.
Over the years Bill has published a number of articles about coaching the sport of curling, both in print media and on the web, and in addition launched an online blog a number of years ago. Bill recently retired to the community of Bayfield, ON on the shores of Lake Huron.
Most recently, Bill has taken “A Pane in the Glass” to the airwaves, and now runs a podcast of the same name available on most platforms (see below).
Several of Bill’s many individual articles can be still found on the internet. However, in 2010 Bill published a compendium [1] of selected articles, along with additional material from other contributors who include:
- Bob Comartin, now retired, of Curling Canada’s Performance Enhancement team;
- Wendy Morgan, former Canadian national Wheelchair curling team manager and coach;
- Toby Macdonald, national coach and 1976 Brier champion from Newfoundland;
- Lindsay Sparkes, former Canadian national coach and Olympic medallist (with skip Linda Moore in 1988 at the Calgary games);
- and several other contributors including Bill’s daughter Susan.
Collectively the volume is called A Pane in the Glass: A Coach’s Companion and the book has an enormous wealth of material for coaches of all levels. The book consists of 298 pages of packed material, along with an Appendix with diagrams, drills (from “Drills to Die For“), scoring sheets, and other useful coaching material.
The book is still available in print form from Curling Canada. All proceeds from the sale of this volume go to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.
We are pleased to provide, with Bill’s permission, a number of his many articles from A Pane in the Glass in downloadable PDF.
Articles from A Pane in the Glass
A Pane in the Glass Podcast
Recently Bill has moved to the airwaves to bring his coaching expertise to his listeners through another channel. His podcast, naturally entitled “A Pane in the Glass Podcast”, is available on iTunes, Amazon, and a variety of other platforms. His most recent pods appear below.
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The Crab Grass In The Lawn Of Sport
by Coach Bill on March 24, 2025 at 4:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" my returning guest is Jenn Ferris of Curling Canada. We talk about keeping sport safe for athletes and coaches but this time it's not about physical safety by rather psychological safety. I also talk about a way to test your brushing system that only requires a sheet of ice and a rock. The episode ends with a sound bite by Rory Mcilroy, the recent winner of "The Players' Championship". He reveals how he deals with negative thoughts. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 14.0
by Coach Bill on March 16, 2025 at 4:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I reach into my Pebble Water file for items that have been building up. Now is the time to give them oxygen. There are seven this time; "The Learning Curve", "Three Questions To Ask Before Starting Every End", "What Is The Real Meaning Of Sport In Your Coaching Life & Your Athletes' Lives?" (by Wendy Morgan) , "Pre-Game Practice", another email from Leslie Gerard, "The Most Misplayed Shot In Curling" and lastly my view on "The Back Line Rule". If you wish to return to specific topics dealt with in this episode, click on Chapters above these show notes and you'll be taken to that spot in the episode!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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A Great Coach's Press Conference
by Coach Bill on March 9, 2025 at 2:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we hear the wise words of Coach Jon Cooper who, prior to the final game of last month's "Four Nations Face Off" hockey tournament, fielded excellent questions from journalists and provided impactful and forward reaching answers. In the previous episode of the podcast, I asked those of you who were going to watch "The Montana's Brier" to observe the position of the sliding foot and the rock as the curlers slid from the hack. I reveal the reason I asked you to do that. I end the episode on a bit of a rant of my own regarding two commonly heard terms at events like the Scotties, Brier etc. to which I take issue. I wonder what they are and why I get on my soap box over them!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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This Young Team's Road To The Brier
by Coach Bill on February 28, 2025 at 4:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I welcome back, "The Dean of Coaching" (aka Dean Kleiter) who chronicles the 15 year journey from a U18 team to the representative of the Province of Saskatchewan at the 2025 Montana's Brier. As you might guess, there were many stops along the way, some more challenging than others but all successfully negotiated under Dean's coaching leadership. How did they do it and could your young team do the same thing? "Yes", is Dean's answer and he'll share how he and his team did it!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Don't Even Try To Hit It Straight
by Coach Bill on February 23, 2025 at 6:00 am
The title of this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" isn't about golf but I'm going to use the connection between golf & curling to answer a question from a listener from the Bobcaygeon Curling Club. Murray Thompson was having difficulty controlling the weight of his down weight shots (draws, guards etc.). That's when I suggested he not even try to hit his tee shot straight down the middle of the fairway. What? I'm a curler, not a golfer! Listen to this episode to learn how you can better control your down weight shots using my golf analogy. A telephone call from another listener about a team dynamics issue inspired me to add my thoughts about this team's dilemma (one many teams face) to the episode. I end this episode with my passionate thoughts regarding All Star Awards. Buckle your chin straps when you hear how I feel about this topic!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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A Round Table Discussion With Emily Riley, Jacob Tschirhart & Coach Bill
by Coach Bill on February 15, 2025 at 5:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast", Emily Riley shares the microphone with me and my grandson Jacob. We both have questions to ask Emily and as usual, Emily provides outstanding answers! In the last portion of the episode, the culture of sport is the topic which morphs into a discussion about the value of playing any competitive sport. Emily's thoughts will get you thinking about your involvement in sports as an athlete and/or as a coach! Emily was behind the microphone in S1E12, S1E55, S2E16, S2E47 & S3E39 (parents, you'll want, no, need to hear the most recent one)!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The Most Important Aspects Of A Curling Delivery Are Invisible
by Coach Bill on February 8, 2025 at 12:00 pm
This episode begins season #4 of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast". It was this week in 2002 when I took a leap of faith into the world of podcasting. This episodes explains what's missing in so many curling deliveries I see as I travel the curling world. If all you take onto a sheet of curling ice is a sound delivery, you don't have very much! Most curling deliveries are reasonably sound but they break down because the owner of the delivery does not know how protect & support that delivery from the ravages of competitive breakdown. This episode will provide the tools to ensure that your curling delivery is "bullet proof". There are two previous episodes that will enhance this one. They are "The Performance Cocktail " S1E20 and "Three Hundred Seconds " S1E28. This episode is about one hour in length so please make use of the "Chapters" feature to return to the last section you heard before you hit "pause" on your listening device!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Remembering Toby McDonald
by Coach Bill on January 31, 2025 at 9:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we pay tribute to Toby McDonald, curler, coach, attorney, fisherman & citizen of St. John's, NL. I called upon Jamie Korab and Jim Waite to share their memories of Toby (including some great stories)!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!