Curling | ChicanePictures

Twenty three year old Scottish curler Anna Sloan’s expressive face became one of the vivid images of last year’s Winter Olympics.

She was an integral part of Eve Muirhead‘s bronze medal winning ‘rink’ in Sochi. Along with with Vicki Adams, Claire Hamilton and alternate Lauren Gray they bounced back from losing their semi-final to Canada to beat Switzerland and win Team GBs first women’s curling medal since their coach Rhona Howie struck gold in 2002. A year earlier, representing Scotland, they won the gold at the World Championships in Riga.

Having not watched curling before, the coverage of the event became compulsive viewing. The excitement and tense nature of the games as the curlers were ‘sweeping’ the ‘stones’ down the 46m ice ‘sheet’ towards the four concentric rings called the ‘house’. As an animator I just had to draw it – the energy, the passion, the drama can all be captured in the rampant renderings of a 4b pencil.

I sent this quick montage of vice skip Anna ‘sloan’ ranging on the ice to her curling club in Lockerbie where she kindly signed it for me.

Charismatic 24 year old Eve Muirhead is skip of the British Women’s Curling Team, comprising of fellow Scots Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Claire Hamilton. They won the bronze medal at this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Prior to that event, I, like many, hadn’t watched a lot of curling, in fact, my time ‘on the ice’ was zilch. It looked like bowls on ice, although it’s often referred to by the sports disciples as ‘chess on ice’. But, due to the success of both the Great British men’s and women’s teams they enjoyed extensive TV coverage. Captivated by the competition, we all became armchair experts, during work-place commentaries the next day, using curling lingo “stones, brooms, sweepers, the house… did you see Eve’s double takeout in the ninth that restricted the Swiss to a single when they had the last stone advantage?”

Following a family tradition Eve continues a long line of elite Scottish curlers. A four time World Junior champion, she became the youngest skip in the history of the sport, with Team Muirhead, playing for Scotland, winning the World Championships title in Riga last year. She’s also a great exponent of two other Scottish rituals, playing bagpipes and golf, turning down a chance to become a professional in the latter after two scholarship offers from American universities to concentrate on throwing stones.