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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Beam Us Up Scottie
by Coach Bill on November 15, 2024 at 1:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we are joined by Scott Arnold, Head of Development for World Curling. Scott and I have known one another for a long time, back to his playing days at Western University and my first coaching position at the University of Waterloo. Much pebble water has been applied to curling ice for us both since those days. We talk about the game over that time period, his role with World Curling and get a glimpse into the future as well!One of the topics about which we chat is World Curling's streaming TV service (aka "The Curling Channel"). For those of a certain age who have been accustomed to "linear television", it's a brave new world. At the conclusion of the episode you'll hear an excellent article on the subject. It just may change your mind about streaming curling games!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Indicate - Acknowledge - Confirm
by Coach Bill on November 9, 2024 at 3:00 pm
The topic for this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" is execution tolerance. Don't leave home without it. In the second portion of the podcast you'll hear a "Ted Talk" by Janne Mortensen, Mental Performance Psychologist. This will be a companion to the very recent episode with Emily Riley ("Emily Has Something To Share With Parents") as the subject of this talk is also for parents of high achieving young athletes! It's at the 1430 mark in the episode.It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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If You Have A Million Dollar Delivery And A Two Cent Release ...
by Coach Bill on November 1, 2024 at 8:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I take a look at the way the curling stone is released and weight control, in my opinion the most important skill in a sea skills in the sport of curling. I conclude this episode with an email from someone who has listened to all the episodes published to date. Wow, talk about loyal! I have received many messages from Leslie but this one warranted airing on the podcast and she's not happy!Go to "Chapters" to find release, weight control & Leslie's email!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Emily's Back With Something To Share With Parents
by Coach Bill on October 26, 2024 at 3:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" Emily Riley returns with wise words for parents of young athletes but what a parent will learn from this episode applies to what children do in all walks of life not just sports. For those who have been a listener of the podcast back in season #1 you heard Emily in two episodes ("Emily Has Something She Wants To Tell You" [S1E12] and "Emily Has More She Wants To Tell You" [S1E55]). Emily is an elite curler (currently playing on one of the best women's team in Canada) and a Mental Performance Consultant.If you wish to return to a particular one of Emily's tips, click on "chapters" above the show notes to the exact location in the episode!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Sports Injuries Involving Young Athletes
by Coach Bill on October 20, 2024 at 6:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I take a look at sports injuries involving young athletes. These athletes are not small sized adults but much too often, an injury arises because an uninformed individual including the athlete's parents or grand parents treat the young athlete as if they were.This is one of those episodes that needs to be forwarded to anyone who has influence over a young athlete!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Youth Curling Programmes That Work
by Coach Bill on October 13, 2024 at 11:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" you'll hear from Dustin Mikush & Bobby Ray of Curling Canada as they pass along diamonds of ideas for your youth programmes. Bobby & Dustin have been guests on the podcast on previous occasions. This time they bring a manifesto of ideas to make your youth programmes tick! This is another one of the episodes that I encourage you to pass along to anyone at your curling facility who has anything to do with youth curling!!!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 12.0
by Coach Bill on October 6, 2024 at 4:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I touch on a few topics, thus the title Pebble Water and in this case, the 12th version. First up is a quick revisit to "eye dominance" as it applies to the delivery of a curling stone. Friend and coaching colleague Gerry Richard weighs in with a thought regarding the "trail leg" (go to S3E4 to hear an entire episode w/Gerry). This past week saw the passing of MLB's greatest hitter, Pete Rose. I talk about his career and his controversial connection with gambling on his team. Bells, buzzers and whistles is a personal dissertation on how curling facilities indicate that "time is up" and a much better way to deal with it. Lastly, you will hear a Ted Talk with the great UCLA Coach John Wooden. Get your pen and paper ready to record his thoughts on teaching, coaching and many other aspects of working with athletes!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The Most Neglected Part Of A Curling Delivery
by Coach Bill on September 29, 2024 at 11:00 pm
The title of this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" tells it all so no give away here. Suffice to say that this seemingly innocent aspect of a curling delivery, if not given the right care and feeding can lead to big problems! This episode concludes with another sound bite by the late NC State basketball coach, Jimmy V that I call "Ordinary People"!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!