Kirkintilloch curler Ross chasing his Olympic dream

Kirkintilloch curler Ross Paterson helped get his team off to a winning start in 2017 as they step up their efforts to land a place in next year's Winter Olympics.
Ross Paterson (second left) from Kirkintilloch with his Team Brewster team-mates after their Perth Masters success. (Pic by Brydone Images)Ross Paterson (second left) from Kirkintilloch with his Team Brewster team-mates after their Perth Masters success. (Pic by Brydone Images)
Ross Paterson (second left) from Kirkintilloch with his Team Brewster team-mates after their Perth Masters success. (Pic by Brydone Images)

Ross is part of Team Brewster, skipped by Tom Brewster from Aberdeen, who won the recent Perth Masters event.

The competition featured rinks from all over the world and was the team’s second successive tour event win following victory in Japan last month. Next up this week is another tour event in Hamburg.

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Ross has been granted by 18-month career break by his employers East Dunbartonshire Council, for whom he works as a fair trading officer, to allow him to concentrate on trying to secure a spot for the Winter Olympics taking place in South Korea next February.

After Hamburg their focus will be on preparing for next month’s key Scottish Championships, from which the winners get automatic selection for the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Ross said the team are heading into the “business end” of the curling season.

He said: “An Olympic medal is what we’re aiming for but there’s tight competition in Scotland for the spot. There’s three teams in British curling - ourselves, Team Murdoch which is David Murdoch (they were the guys who went to the 2014 Games and got the silver medal) and Team Kyle Smith who are a slightly younger team but are having a very good season on tour. It will be one of the three teams who will go.

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“We’re in a good position, we’re currently Scottish champions and have been at the Europeans.

“The last two wins are something which will be beneficial but it’s going to go right down to the wire; probably the team that wins the Scottish championships this year and goes to the world championships will have themselves a good shout to be contenders.

“If a team can’t be decided there’s going to be a play-off to see who will be going.”