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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Pebble Water 22.0
by Coach Bill on April 18, 2026 at 2:00 pmIn 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!
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A Very Special Episode For Winter Break 2026
by Coach Bill on March 14, 2026 at 9:00 am
This episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" is for regular listeners and especially those who have children or grandchildren about to embark on Winter Break Holidays in their school district. I'm going to narrate a story entitled "The Search For Delicious". The author is a wonderful writer of children's stories, Natalie Babbitt. This one will challenge the listener to make a decision about what they think is the most delicious food then by story's end, that notion of delicious might change, as it has for all who have listened to this tale. In the episode, I refer to another children's story on the podcast (S1E44) entitled "He Sweeps, He Scores" by my good friend from Gander NL, Jean Blackie. A link to her story is below! Enjoy!https://www.buzzsprout.com/1922969/episodes/11430127-he-sweeps-he-scores-by-jean-blackie.mp3?download=trueIt’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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The 2026 Winter Olympic Games In The Rear View Mirror
by Coach Bill on March 7, 2026 at 6:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" you will hear the thoughts of Hans Frauenlob of Olympic Broadcast Services and a long time friend of this podcast. He commentated on 31 Olympic curling games in the disciplines of Mixed Doubles, Women's and Men's. His insights are, well, insightful! If you would like a text version of the podcast, click on "Transcript" above these show notes!It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!
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Pebble Water 21.0
by Coach Bill on February 28, 2026 at 6:00 am
In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" I deal with four topics. In order they are practical strategy, measuring rocks, the case of the reversing ice and the most difficult shot in curling. You can go to the four topics directly by clicking on Chapters (above these show notes). By clicking onTranscript you will see a copy of the text of the episode. If you know someone who is unable to hear the episode and might like to see the transcript, please forward this episode to them! Enjoy!Correction - In the section on "Measuring" I inadvertently said "push the rock" when I should have said "push the measure"! There, now I feel better! It’s your turn! Send me your thoughts by texting here!