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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A Very Different Look At The Power Of The Mind
by Coach Bill on May 9, 2026 at 1:00 pmIn this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I conclude "The Survival Game" that we started in the previous episode, so get your score cards ready for the results. In the second part of this episode we hear about a very different approach to the power of the mind with a sound bite involving Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent) and a doctor who uses hypnosis to help his patients some of whom are elite athletes. Dr. Gupta's podcast is entitled "Chasing Life". I'm an avid listener! If you are not interested in "The Survival Game" and want to go directly to the power of the mind portion of the episode, use the "chapter" markers to take you there. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The Greatest Of All Time
by Coach Bill on May 2, 2026 at 12:00 am
In this week's episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we're going to talk about the greatest of all time in the sport of hockey (how appropriate during the Stanley Cup Playoffs) and the narrator on this subject is none other than someone who many feel might just be the GOAT, Bobby Orr. I have a short sound bite on what it means to be competitive and how one should deport one's self when your best effort doesn't not end with a victory. I conclude the episode with a survival game (no not the CBS hit series "Survivor") but a simulation scenario where you and some members of your family or circle of friends can rank a number of items that were salvaged from a plane crash according to the impact they would have on your ability to survive the harsh northern Canadian crash site in the bitter cold of January. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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A Remarkable Year In Review
by Coach Bill on April 25, 2026 at 6:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" Hans Frauenlob and I talk about what I described in the episode as a most remarkable year in the sport of curling, with Olympics, World Championships and Rock League. And, for good measure we talk a little baseball as a new technology is unveiled, ABS (automated balls & strikes), and its effect on the game. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 22.0
by Coach Bill on April 18, 2026 at 2:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" there is a question posed by a listener about how curlers can remember the different speeds and paths the rocks take, a comment about the back line rule, a group of sound bites regarding the recently concluded "Masters" golf tournament and a wrap up by Joanne Courtney of "Rock League". Enjoy!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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A Promise Kept
by Coach Bill on April 11, 2026 at 5:00 am
This episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" is about a promise made over 45 years ago. It was about the future and what it might hold for Jay & Mavis Leno. You might recognize the name Jay Leno from his many years as host of NBC's "Tonight Show" but to hear Jay, it was his wife Mavis who was the more interesting person in their relationship. As Jay says in this narrative, a promise to love for better or for worse usually assumes it will be for the better which is not always the case and it certainly isn't for Jay & Mavis. But the promise made is one Jay was going to keep!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Rock League
by Coach Bill on April 4, 2026 at 2:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" we take a cursory look at something new in the sport of curling, "Rock League". Some, if not most of the listeners to the podcast have hear about Rock League which will launch soon in Toronto. Here's what I've learned to date (plus a surprise ending to the episode I think you will enjoy)!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Q's & A's
by Coach Bill on March 28, 2026 at 4:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I attempt to answer questions & respond to some comments that have come my way. Those questions & comments included Olympic medals for coaches, the role of officials, between ends team discussions, rock matching, hats & T-shirts (it's actually a good question), rock measuring instruments, take out weights, going undefeated and the relationship curling has with the Olympic Games. Use "Chapters" above these show notes to go directly to the questions that might interest you most! Enjoy!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Dr. Glenn & Coach Bill Talk About Brushing
by Coach Bill on March 21, 2026 at 7:00 am
This episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" started with an email from me to my friend Dr. Glenn Paulley about this new brushing phenomenon called "The Bunny Hop". Glenn's reply led to an invitation to join me on the podcast so you could hear his thoughts directly and let's just say, regarding this new brushing technique, were surprising. That led to a discussion about a number of other aspects of brushing resulting in this information packed episode. In the introduction to the episode I list the topics about to be aired and there were many. This is one episode, if you are a coach or athlete, you might want to make some notes. The transcript of the episode will make a good reference to the discourse between Dr. Paulley and yours truly!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!