Where is Czech junior curling heading?

The decline of the Czech junior curling teams continues year after year.

Men sixteenth and women tenth. It wouldn't be a disaster if it were a world junior ranking. But that is not the case. It's the place achieved at the last B-boy world junior championships. In both categories, you have to add the seven teams that qualified for the World Junior Championships directly. This makes the Czech girls seventeenth in the world overall and the boys are already deep in the top ten. In the last three years it has been an unstoppable downward slide. I am not aware of any existing or forthcoming analysis of the results of the junior national teams, but it is quite obvious that the coaching and methodology committee of the Czech Curling Federation should, as a first instance, address the situation.

Four years ago, a non-Czech-speaking foreigner was appointed national junior coach, who at the time promised to complete his education to the necessary second coaching grade. It didn't happen. The national team results started to show a downward trend within two years, some junior national team members refused to participate in the national training in the following period and even interrupted their sporting careers. The apparent decline in the quality of training and the declining level of individuals and teams was compounded by an opaque nomination key based on an outdated and inappropriate concept that did not reflect the situation in our sport. All this is probably related to the lack of experience and unfulfilled qualifications of the head coach. In the last selection procedure for the head coach of the junior national teams, the Executive Committee accepted a candidate for this position who not only did not have sufficient professional education or significant experience with significant achievements, but also did not have any implementation team, contrary to the requirements. As a result, none of the current, additionally nominated coaches have either the relevant education or experience. Thus, the current position of the Czech junior teams is actually not such a big surprise. I just feel sorry for our young players who will miss the opportunity to meet the generation's top players and lose the chance to become part of it. I know from coaching experience how difficult the transition from junior to adulthood is. In the past, it was a great advantage for Czech juniors that they took it for granted to confront their skills with the international adult top players. Now it is hard to imagine for our young teams.