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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So You Want To Be Perfect Eh?
by Coach Bill on January 20, 2025 at 1:00 pm
The title of today's episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" says it all. I reprise an article from my blog site (truenorthbill.blogspot.com) for an article based upon an interview with Dr. John Dunn with a journalist from the Edmonton Journal. That's followed by a sound bite by sport psychologist Eli Straw on "Mental Skills For Young Athletes" (including some hands-on activities coaches & parents can do with their young athletes). I then chat with a young athlete in the person of my grandson Lucas who shares his thoughts on the soundbite. I conclude this episode with a tribute to the late Jimmy Carter.You may wish to make use of the chapter markers to return to various portions of this episode. They are found at the top of these show notes.It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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A Northern Light
by Coach Bill on January 11, 2025 at 11:00 pm
This episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" is an interview with Nick Saturnino of Inuvik, Northwest Territories which is located 200 km. north of The Arctic Circle. He's a "northern light" in that far north community as he creates youth curling programmes with challenges that most youth co-ordinators may never have to face. Many of those challenges are a result of geography. You will be shocked at the cost of travel in the far north for example and in a community where there are other activities for young people, how does Nick make curling attractive to that demographic? This episode will reveal how he does it! Enjoy!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Does Your Team Play To Win or Does It Play Not To Lose?
by Coach Bill on January 5, 2025 at 9:00 pm
The title of today's episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" says it all. Does your team play to win or does it play not to lose? My friend Leslie Gerard sent another email I felt worthy of sharing. It's about playing a team that you know is more skilled and experienced. I respond to Leslie offering up a way to give your team at least a chance to still win the game. There's a sound bite from the great Michael Jordan you will find most interesting on the topic of winning and losing. I end this episode with an offer for your team to join me for a chat on the topic of your choosing. And, Happy 2025 to you all and thanks for listening! It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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A Cold Bucket Of Water In Your Face
by Coach Bill on December 28, 2024 at 2:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I use an episode from CNN's excellent podcast series with Dr. Sanjay Gupta ("Chasing Life"). This one was about alcohol and a project with Dr. Jason Kilmer at the University of Washington but it wasn't just another lecture about the negative effects of alcohol. This one is very different and for some, as you will hear me say at closing, will be a cold bucket of water in your face. The episode will be especially significant for high school teens, college students and young adults besides the general public of all ages. Get ready for "Chasing Life"!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The View From Inside World Curling
by Coach Bill on December 21, 2024 at 11:00 pm
My Guest for this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" is Graham Prouse, who for many years, until he recently termed out, was a Vice President of "World Curling". He explains how an international sport organization meets the needs of a group of member countries that now numbers in excess of seventy and its still growing. The Restless Ranter also pays a visit with his view on parents of young athletes. Enjoy!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Your Team Needs To Answer These Questions
by Coach Bill on December 14, 2024 at 3:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" you will hear excellent questions originally posed by Coach Andrea Ronnebeck of Northern Ontario. Andrea is currently the Education Manager for the Ontario Curling Council. Her questions deal with team roles and responsibilities. That's followed by a sound bite by a sport psychologist (name unknown) who shares seven tips about why some athletes become truly elite and how you can perform better if you embrace at least some of them at your level of participation in your sport whatever that might be. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The Performance Formula
by Coach Bill on December 8, 2024 at 6:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I revisit performance, specifically a performance formula and that's not to say that there IS a scientific way to ensure performance but rather some of the components required to promote a great performance. Before the episode concludes I touch on some other topics you many find interesting and hopefully helpful so check out the "Chapters" above the show notes to not only to discover those topics but a quick way to go to that point in the episode to hear them again. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 13.0
by Coach Bill on November 29, 2024 at 3:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I rummage around in the compressor room for my pebble can to touch on a number of topics. They include ice reading, brushing (again), episode transcripts, a team dynamics activity for your team, statistics v. competitive data, systems and bullet proofing one's curling delivery. Hopefully there's something in this episode that will resonate with you and your team!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!