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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Time Spent With Emily Is Time Well Spent
by Coach Bill on August 17, 2026 at 4:00 amIn this first-of-a-kind double feature episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I welcome back Emily Riley, elite athlete (curling) and Mental Performance Consultant. It was simply time to catch up with Emily, with no planned agenda for our midsummer chat but one quickly emerged about how quadrennial planning has affected curling and that morphed into a discussion about the culture of sport. When we finished our chat more than 45 min. had elapsed which prompted me to make this week's episode that aforementioned "double feature". The topic switch occurred at the 27:30 mark. Enjoy!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Simon Says
by Coach Bill on August 10, 2026 at 2:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" you will hear the words of Simon Sinek American author & dynamic inspirational speaker. This episode is a Simon Sinek sound bite that touches on a number or areas regarding leadership (think coaching) with special emphasis on the Millennial generation. If that's you and I suspect many of my listeners are either in that generational group or work with those who are, then you've come to the right place! I have unpacked the topics that Simon addresses in "Chapters" above these show notes. I believe you will want to return to portions of the sound bite that might have particular relevance for you!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The Sounds Of Summer '26
by Aylex on August 2, 2026 at 5:00 am
In this summer episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I bring eight sound bites, each with a thought provoking premise. I urge you to check out the "chapters" section above these show notes to see the topics of the sound bites and where to find them on the episode. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Extra! Extra! Hear All About It!
by Coach Bill on July 25, 2026 at 7:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I harken to the days when breaking news necessitated a special "Extra" edition of the newspaper. This episode is the podcast equivalent. To satiate your desire for sound bites, I have one about baseball but its message is for all sports! Enjoy!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 23.5
by Coach Bill on July 7, 2026 at 1:00 pm
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I briefly talk about "frustrations" and "distractions" and then introduce the episodes for the remainder of the summer months. It's another narrated story by the same author who wrote "The Search For Delicious" (S5E5) Natalie Babbitt. This summer time story is "Tuck Everlasting" which poses the question: if you had the opportunity to live forever, would you? The answer may not be as obvious as you might think. In this episode I will begin the story with the Prologue with can be found at the 1415 mark in "Chapters". Enjoy!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 23.0
by Aylex on June 28, 2026 at 2:00 pm
In this "Pebble Water 23.0" episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" you will hear an email from a regular listener (Leslie Gerard) who has some thing to say about soccer/football now that the games of World Cup 2026 have begun. There is a followup sound bite from a Canadian who is not happy about the cultural demise of "Hockey Night In Canada". Trust will be centre stage in a sound bite by Simon Sinek. His message goes out to anyone in a leadership role in sports or any other aspect of life. The episode will conclude with sound bites by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the well known astrophysicist and Billy Crystal, actor and baseball fan. You may wish to make use of the chapter markers (above) to locate that portion of the episode that particularly interests you or return to a portion that you wish to hear again. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The End Of An Era
by Coach Bill on June 20, 2026 at 4:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I stop the presses for an announcement by the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) that "Hockey Night In Canada" will no longer be bringing Saturday night hockey to television sets in Canada for the first time in almost 100 years (if you count the early years on radio). Today's episode will take a look at those years of HNIC from four perspectives, that of the CBC's official on air announcement, a sports talk show in the U.S., a reflection of one John Shannon who for many years was involved in the production of HNIC and lastly the accounting by a sport journalist on the economics of the CBC's decision. You may wish to use the chapter markers above these show notes to go to specific locations in the episode based upon the descriptions of the four points of view. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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One-On-One With John
by Coach Bill on June 14, 2026 at 8:00 pm
In today's episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I talk with American curler John Benton about curling of course but more importantly about an addiction challenge that came ever so close to ending John's life. It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!