Hi Devils Representative,  Perhaps the current Board Minutes may help you understand,

< BK reported on the process that led to the decisions to invite Teams Murdoch, MacDonald and MacMillan to the men's play-downs. The invites to the ladies play-downs are for the teams that have qualified through the Scottish Championships. It was felt there was not enough evidence to change the invitations that have been made and it was agreed that the invitations should stand.

It was felt that for the future the Performance Committee should be more involved in the decision. For the future it was suggested that a committee would be made up of the Convenors of Performance and Events, a Director and the National Coach. A procedure will be written up for future reference, BK and JJ will draft a suggested process. >

How many under 30 players does this group of teams offer competition experience to?

Carefully worded to suggest that no other teams challenged the original change of the selection system.

I can remember going along to the finals at Kirkcaldy the year that Billy Andrew won - the place was buzzing and the support was very partisan with a fair few busloads of Ayrshire folk partaking of the hospitality.

Unfortunately I couldnt find any record how many teams initially entered but i suspect it was certainly over 60 possibly nearer 100 teams.

I agree the Structure of the Scottish should be looked at - it is almost criminal that the main event can draw only 26ish teams from some 14,000 curlers across scotland. - Thats probably why the sponsorship has gone down the plug and with it any mainstream TV coverage of note. It is no longer the "Grand Finale" of the Scottish curling season for either the players or the spectators.

What creates a buzz for spectators and good competition in any sport? My answer to that would be a loyalty to a team, club or area - Tribal loyalty as it were.

We  see it every week at football, rugby, golf even -- The Scottish has lost that loyalty and representation- you only represent yourselves and supporters dont know who to support as the teams are generally from a concentrated area.

Back to basics sound pretty good to me as a starting point.

I was simply pointing out if you look st the the three teams selected for the European Play offs
David Murdoch (Skip) Warwick Smith, Glen Muirhead & Ross Hepburn
Hammy McMillan (Skip) David Smith, Ross Paterson & Sandy Gilmour
Ewan MacDonald (Skip) Peter Loudon, Graeme Connal & Euan Byers
Since season 98/99 only three new faces are being given the opportunity to experience the pressure of trying to qualify. Muirhead, Hepburn and Gilmour.
The other Scottish championship winners in that period are
Craig Wilson,Peter Smith,Neil Murdoch,David Hay,Graham Cormack,Steve Rankin,Robert Kelly
Neil Hampton,Tom Pendreigh,
how many of them are still playing competitively,what does that say for the recent years curling  development systems and programmes to produce players to challenge to representative Scotland in the next ten years.

Who am I to disagree with hogline but that was about the time I started playing the "mens" and we had to go through a pre- qualifying weekend at kinross to get to the "local playdowns". So if about 20 teams were entering at kinross i think there would have been a LOT more than 50 teams nationally.
With regards to the 1984 video clip events at "old" perth were usually well attended and there was significant local interest in the "great white hopes"...hays, smiths, keillor etc....justifiably so!!!  The STV coverage of curling (albeit it v.shaky at times) undoubtedly helped the profile of the sport and everyone knew when events like the scottish champs, edinburgh and ayr internationals were taking place and ,i guess, that made them more likely to go to the ice rink to see the action live. I think sometimes on this forum we forget that the average club curler (the lifeblood of the sport) is not always aware when the national championships are on. TV coverage after the finals are finished is not a great recruitment tool!
With regards to new young teams it is my personal experience that young curlers are leaving the sport because of the funding/squad selections etc... but that is a debate we have already had.