Ellery Robichaud will guide team at European championship

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Times & Transcript staff

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Scant few in life get a special opportunity like this.

At 61, Moncton's Ellery Robichaud is embarking on an exciting new career in the sport he loves, curling.

After back-and-forth negotiations over the past six months, Robichaud has signed on as the head coach of the Czech Republic men's curling program.

His first assignment will be guiding the team at the European championship in Scotland next month.

"It's a special opportunity and I'm quite excited about it," Robichaud said yesterday.

A long-time coach, Robichaud first came in contact with Czech officials during last year's Ford World men's championships in Moncton.

The Czech Republic team skipped by Jiri Snitil compiled a record of 3-8 in the world event.

"I was their host," Robichaud said. "First it was small talk and then it got bigger. I visited them in the spring and they were here during mid-summer. The more we talked, the more interesting the opportunity became."

Although curling is a relatively new sport in the Czech Republic (it began in 1990), Robichaud said the program is on a fast-step ahead.

"They're pretty good shooters and terrific athletes but what they really need is better game strategy and game tactics," he said.

In final discussions that locked up the deal, Robichaud laughed, claiming Czech officials told him what they needed most was 'a guy with grey hair.'

"I think they just need somebody that's a little over the hill but still totally understands the game and is capable of getting the message of the game across," he chuckled.

Robichaud said there was no deal agreed on as to the length of his contract.

"It all depends on how happy they are with what I'm doing and, yes, I imagine how successful it works," he said.

Meanwhile, Robichaud is now the second member of the Centre of Curling Excellence at Curling Beausejour Inc., to work with a European program.

Russ Howard, the winningest skip in the history of the Canadian men's Brier championship, coached the Ralph Stockli rink from Switzerland for the last two years but recently had to give up the position because of work commitments in Canada.

Howard holds the position of head pro at the Centre of Curling Excellence.