Testimonials



Reaching the highest levels in curling requires absolute discipline, self-motivation and dedication. Although our team had all of these – and still have them today – we felt that the development of our team would stall without further input and guidance from experienced curling professionals.

With the help of several smartCurling Curling Clinics (on-ice and off-ice sessions) during 2005, we were able to discover many new and important concepts in a relatively short period of time. Particular focus was given to improving technique and strategy.

Without the support of smartCurling it would have taken us several years to develop to the level that we are at today. The guidance and support given by smartCurling went a long way in helping us to victory in the 2005 Latvian National Championships. It also facilitated a quality performance at the 2005 European Championships.

During the 2005 European Championships in Garmisch we made a point of observing the different national teams - and their coaches – participating in Group B. Our team concluded that the input and support which Brian (Gray) provided was in many aspects (e.g. effectiveness and efficiency) second to none.

Thank you smartCurling!

Latvian Men's Champion 2005, 2007 and 2008
European Curling Championships 2007 (Füssen) - 13th Place
Ritvars Gulbis (Skip)
Ainars Gulbis, Aivars Avotiņš & Normunds Šaršūns



Thank you very much for the smartCurling Curling Clinic in Riga, and for the 'learning by doing' coaching during the two Ondulat Cup competitions that we played together!

During the Curling Clinic my team and I learned the principles of curling strategy. We also learned about team harmony and planning. The information was presented in a manner that was logical and easy to absorb. We really enjoyed to have someone finally explain to our team such topics! The atmosphere that Brian (Gray) created during the 3-day Curling Clinic made participation very enjoyable.

It was also very useful to play together with Brian before and after the Curling Clinic. It gave me a chance to put into practice many of the new concepts - it was time really well spent! In the meantime I learned a lot, and now feel much more self-assured on the ice.

Thank you once again!

Latvian Women's Champion 2006 and 2007
Evita Regža (Skip)



Our team has always found it worthwhile to visit smartCurling seminars and clinics.

During the smartCurling Curling Clinic in Riga, we were able to build up a better sense of our style of game, our team dynamics, our communication techniques and our game plan preparation. It gave us a clearer vision on how we should evaluate our own and our opponent's strengths and weaknesses. It also showed us how to set objectives, and how to go about achieving them. The Riga clinic was a good long-term investment in our own team development, and certainly helped to improve the overall level of elite curling in Latvia. Ourselves included!

Before competing in the European Curling Championships, we included a smartCurling Curling Clinic in Switzerland as part of our programme. We asked Brian (Gray) to help us organise a Training Camp which he kindly agreed to do. Our goal was to prepare ourselves for our first ever appearance at the Europeans, in a very short period of time. We received a lot of information during this clinic: on-ice drills, off-ice talks, strategy, ice-reading and team communication. It was an intensive and quality learning experience in a short period of time. We probably could not adapt all the information presented at this stage, but one thing is for sure: we improved and curled better and better following Brian's curling clinic.

Perhaps the best thing of all, though, is that at these clinics we meet a good friend - Brian! It is always a pleasure and fun to work with you!

Latvian Men's Champion 2004 and 2006
Kārlis Smilga (Skip)
Jānis Laizāns, Artis Zentelis, Roberts Krusts & Jānis Klīve



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