---

One of the most successful women's sports teams of today.

photo: Anna points four fingers to signify four titles in a row.

rn

May be of interest to some of you. Czech women's curling has confirmed its position in the absolute world, and thus European, top. According to the results of the last world championship we are sixth in the world and third in Europe (after Sweden and Russia). These are improved maximums from last year. Anna Kubeskova's team won the European Masters last year, the WCT in Wetzikon in October, successfully played the European Championships, narrowly missed the Olympics, and this year fit the role of the second most popular and supported team (after Canada) at the Women's World Championships in North Bay, Canada. Playing in front of a packed ice rink, an autograph signing with a queue tens of metres long, repeated interviews for a TV station watched by several million viewers. These are very unusual attributes for Czech curlers accompanying their sport. Anna, Alžběta, Terka, Klára and Ežen handled their new role as sports celebrities with grace, humility and friendliness that earned them the respect and admiration of Canadian curling fans. Unfortunately, not only without the reaction of the Czech sports media, but almost without the notice of the curling federation itself. Where did it all come from? Is it luck, coincidence, coincidence? First of all, it must be said that the healthy basis of success is the players themselves. The combination of character traits, communication skills and fitness potential form a fortunate constellation that helps set a high quality bar for the team. The necessary superstructure that makes a team out of individuals is hard work, determination and a sporting heart. For twenty years - first girls, now young women - they have been transforming themselves step by step into athletes, or if you prefer, into performance athletes. Thousands of hours of individual and team training, many hundreds of games, dozens of hours spent in the gym and at summer camps have made them one of the most successful women's sports teams of today. Four national championship titles in a row, together with other achievements, make Anna Kubeskova's team a phenomenon of today, and not only in winter sports. It is clear that without the support of families, partners, supporters and sponsors everything would be much more difficult, even impossible. Still, there are reserves. For example, it is not entirely clear why the Czech Curling Federation does not make any use of the fact that it has such quality ambassadors in its ranks. Not only is there no publication of the achievements in the mass media initiated by the federation, but there is not even a single member of the management who would congratulate the team on its placement at the world championship. The bitter cherry on the sour cake is the ignoring of the medal ceremony by the management of the federation after the clear and dominant victory of the curlers of Sokol Liboc in the Czech extraliga competition. "While the main goal of curling as a game is to measure the abilities of players, the meaning of curling requires fairness, friendly behaviour and dignified conduct." - so many quotes from the preamble to the rules of curling. Just a reminder.