‘I won Olympic gold, Moray Leisure Centre ice rink closure will rob generations of kids realising dreams’

Young curlers in Moray have access to coaching from some of the finest curling minds in the world.

This training is being led by Elgin-based Olympic champion Janice Rankin, who has a connection with the ice rink that is a huge part of her life.

This link between the elite level of competition and Moray’s grassroots could be severed after Moray Leisure Centre’s decision to temporarily close the ice rink.

It follows their original decision to shut the rink entirely after rising energy costs had forced the gym, ice rink and leisure facility to try and cut costs.

• Why the rink closure could spell the end for young Moray curlers.
• How Moray Leisure Centre’s ice rink hosts training from some of the UK’s best curlers.
• Cherished family and community moments at the Elgin ice rink that could be lost.
• What she would like to see after a potential reopening of the Moray Leisure Centre ice rink.

Olympic gold medal winner’s heartbreak at ice rink closure

Mrs Rankin graced the top step of the podium in 2002 after competing with her team in the Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City.

She was part of the Rhona Martin-led rink that had nearly 6 million TV viewers gripped until nearly midnight before finally claiming gold.

However, she has also achieved medal-winning results in World, European and Junior championships after first picking up curling in Edinburgh.

Moving to Inverness in 2000 and then to Elgin in 2003, after the birth of her first child, Mrs Rankin has had a long history with Moray Leisure Centre’s ice rink, practising there “whenever I had the chance.”

Since pulling back from international competition, she has continued to support her children’s passion for curling and stepped into the world of coaching.

Her role within Moray Junior Curling Club has expanded over the years, becoming club secretary during Covid and landing the role of head coach in the last two years.

Curling is available between Monday and Wednesday at the rink, and she told us: “Every day that curling is available, I am there.”

Having spent years with the juniors, watching them grow and develop their curling, she has found it “heartbreaking” to learn of the rink’s uncertain future.

Ice rink closure could end dreams of young Moray curlers

Mrs Rankin said it had been amazing to watch children come and develop on the rink as curlers, but also as people.

She calls the game a “life skill sport”, which gives youngsters a chance to mix with other schoolkids and adults from across Moray.

She said: “It’s brilliant for the kids here, because curling is such an inclusive sport.

“Children can play against adults, boys play against girls, boys and girls play together.

“I see the changes in some of the kids as the years go by. It’s just so good to see their confidence improve and the way they interact with others.”

Of the young curlers, some come from further afield towns like Forres and Keith.

Many then form teams and compete in adult leagues, all of which will become harder to organise if the rink closes for good.

With the nearest ice rinks in Inverness or Aberdeen, curlers will be limited by the amount of training they can do and Mrs Rankin thinks the majority of junior curlers would give up the sport.

She said: “To drop down from two days to one day, it might not sound a lot, but it will make a big difference to their progression and consistency.

“A few parents have said to me ‘My child doesn’t get excited about anything but they love curling.’

“To have that taken away from them, I think it will just be so, so, sad because it’s great to hear that they’ve found something that they love.”

Access to world-leading training could fizzle out

Despite her extensive voluntary role as part of the junior curling club, Mrs Rankin also dedicates some of her time to Scottish and British curling coaching.

This gives young curlers in Moray access to training also being taught to the best curlers in the country.

Mrs Rankin explained: “I see what the higher end are doing and then I try and bring that to the kids here.

“But it’s difficult because none of the other coaches are getting the exposure to all the stuff that I’m getting.

“I do my lesson plans and distribute them to the other coaches, so we’re roughly doing the same so it’s quite difficult to get it all sort of coordinated, but we get there.

“The most important thing is that the kids enjoy it and they keep coming back.”

Cherished family time spent on Moray Leisure Centre ice rink

Mrs Rankin told the P&J she has several special memories of her time of the rink.

Her eldest son Jamie was selected to curl at the 2020 Youth Olympics in Switzerland, and during that period were both able spend time at the ice rink together in their respective Team GB kits.

She also spoke of a “relaxed” ice rink period during an annual Christmas Bonspiel, and always looked forward to curlers coming together to celebrate the festive period.

But ultimately, Mrs Rankin said her most fond time at the rink has been her experience coaching the juniors every week.

She said: “I’ve invested a lot of time in them.

“I just love seeing all the juniors playing, learning and interacting with one another.

“I just look at them out on the ice every week and I’m like, this is so good to see, you know? Seeing them happy and enjoying themselves.

“If it closes permanently, I’m going to miss them. It is one of the highlights of my week when I get to see everyone on a Wednesday.”

What could be done to make Moray Leisure Centre ice rink more sustainable?

Mrs Rankin agrees with Moray Leisure Centre’s assessment there are not enough users of the ice rink, especially during the day.

Curlers fill the rink Monday to Wednesday in the evenings, but as the ice has to be resurfaced during the week for the switch to skating and hockey, the rink goes empty for long periods during curling days.

She is hoping for more school involvement and corporate sessions coming back into the rink to fill empty slots during the day, should it reopen again in October.

But she also finds it “unfair” that national level curling sees a disproportionate level of funding to the grassroots game, and hopes more support can be found to keep Moray’s rink alive.

She said: “It’s really tough because when you see British Curling, you see the top level players and the amount of funding that they get.

“I totally understand that. But you see that level, then you see the level that we’re working at in comparison – there’s nothing.

“There’s a beautiful facility in Stirling and all the rest of it and then it’s like our ice rink might close.

“It just seems so unfair.”

[Source: Press and Journal]