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. 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 Grand Bend, 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.
Regrettably, the book is no longer available in print form. Readers who are interested in acquiring a complete copy of the book in PDF format can email Bill and, in consideration, make a donation to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.
We are pleased to provide here, with Bill’s permission, a selection 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.Â
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Play Ball!
by Coach Bill on October 25, 2026 at 3:00 pmIt's World Series Week in Major League Baseball and in this week's episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we take a closer look at, well, the baseball itself, how it's made and used in a game. And, how do those pitchers execute all those different pitches? We examine the baseball from a perspective of a person who digs mud out of a special stream. Major League Baseball's "Collective Bargaining Agreement" (CBA) is casting a foreboding shadow on the World Series which has led to a very interesting conspiracy theory. You might want to check out the "chapters" markers to take you to the topic of most interest. All this and the music of "The Muppets" so sit back and get ready to play ball!  It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Notes From My Clipboard
by Coach Bill on October 19, 2026 at 6:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I share notes I took as I watched the first Grand Slam of Curling for this season. In one of the sections on my clipboard, I made notes about the "bunny hop" that many of the female teams have incorporated into their bushing system. Rather than my analysis of this brushing modality I referred to a previous episode of the podcast. In that episode I shared the microphone with Dr. Glenn Paulley who has forgotten more about brushing than most of us will ever know. Below these show notes is a link to that episode. I end with a sound bite from Joanne Courtney who expertly shared her thoughts on the two gold medal games. https://apaneintheglasspodcast.buzzsprout.com/1922969/episodes/18883285It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 24.0
by Coach Bill on October 11, 2026 at 9:00 pm
In this 24th version of Pebble Water I bring a few topics to you and of course a sound bite or two. I especially want to draw your attention to the article I read about the actor Clint Eastwood. It's not just about aging but the way in which our society interacts with those who are centenarians or are knocking on the door of that mark in their lives. But before you think you're just going hear about life at that stage, there's a message for everyone! I encourage you to use the chapter markers to return to sections of this episode you may with to hear again. Enjoy Pebble Water 24.0!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Exciting News About Youth Curling In Canada
by Coach Bill on October 4, 2026 at 3:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we hear from Dustin Mikush of Curling Canada and Jill Brothers of Nova Scotia Curling. They bring exciting news for youth development in Canada.It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Have Youth Sports Become Too Expensive?
by Coach Bill on September 28, 2026 at 3:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I use an article from McLean's magazine written by Claire Gagne. The topic is the cost incurred by parents whose children play sports (& not just at the elite level). As you might guess, it can be expensive but you might be shocked to learn just how expensive. To conclude the episode I talk about the recently played Presidents Cup, a biannual golf competition started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, involving professional golfers from the USA and other countries of the world (except Europe). I weigh on why "team" matters plus decorum on the part of spectators. I make reference to an episode from Season Two (#25) that you might find interesting in connection with team v. individual performance. It's entitled " Win As Much As You Can". It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The Chair Of World Curling's Athlete Commission
by Coach Bill on September 21, 2026 at 2:00 pm
As the title of this week's episode indicates, I chat with the newly appointed chair of World Curling's "Athlete Commission", Harri Lill from Estonia. We talk about the Athlete Commission plus curling in general. Harri welcomes anyone who wishes to contact the Athlete Commission (athlete.commission@worldcurling.org) to not hesitate to do so!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Rules Are Worthless Without This
by Coach Bill on September 15, 2026 at 2:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we take a look at perhaps the most important part of the rule book for curling, the codes of ethics (and you'll notice I used the plural form of the noun ethics because there's more than one of them). World Curling has announced the names of individuals who have been inducted into its Hall of Fame. I talk about Team Ferbey and Glenn Howard. The curling rule book has been standardized across the curling world including a rule about "double touches". The sound bite this week is about a G.O.A.T. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Now Hear This
by Coach Bill on September 8, 2026 at 5:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" there will be sound bites, five in total. Click on "Chapters" above these show notes to see the topics and where you can go to hear them!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!