Jackie Lockhart
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline "Jackie" Lockhart (born 22 March 1965, Stonehaven
, Kincardine and Mearns
, as Jacqueline Steele) is a Scottish
curler
who has competed prolifically in major international competitions for Scotland, and for the Great Britain
team that competes at the Olympic Winter Games.
Having made her international debut at the 1983 European Championships
, she went on to claim a silver medal in her first crack at the World Championships
in 1985, in which she played second in the Scotland team skipped by Isobel Torrance. The same line-up narrowly failed to win a medal in the following year's championships.
In 1992, as curling continued to inch slowly towards its eventual full medal status at the Winter Olympics, Lockhart was skip of the team selected to represent Great Britain in the demonstration event at the Albertville Games. The team struggled somewhat, however, and were ultimately edged into sixth place after a final play-off defeat to the Swedish
team skipped by Anette Norberg
. Later in the same season, Lockhart and the same team represented Scotland
at the World Championships, in which they secured a marginally better fifth place.
Later in the 1990s, eager to earn a place in the team for the first Olympic curling event to be given full medal status, Lockhart joined the established rink skipped by Kirsty Hay, which had become by then the dominant force in Scottish - and therefore also British - women's curling. In the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, the team (Kirsty Hay, Jackie Lockhart, Edith Loudon, Katie Loudon and Fiona Bayne) performed strongly, coming within a fraction of an unlikely win in the semi-finals over Canada
, skipped by the renowned Sandra Schmirler
. Having missed out, however, the team took a heavy beating in the bronze medal play-off at the hands of Elisabet Gustafson
and her Swedish team. Perhaps suffering a hangover from this experience, the same line-up could only take Scotland to seventh place in the World Championships a few weeks later.
Lockhart missed out on selection for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, and had to watch from afar as the team skipped by Rhona Martin
won plaudits for becoming the winners of Great Britain's first gold medal in any sport at the Winter Olympics since ice dancers Jayne Torvill
and Christopher Dean
in 1984
. However, Lockhart claimed to have been nothing but inspired by what she saw on television, and was to prove her point in spectacular fashion in the weeks to follow. She started in the buzzing atmosphere that enveloped the Scottish Championships in Glasgow
, where her team - largely inexperienced at the highest level apart from herself at skip - overcame Rhona Martin's rink in a three-match final to claim the right to represent Scotland at the World Championships in Bismarck, North Dakota
, ahead of the newly-famed Olympic gold medallists.
In Bismarck, not for the first time, Lockhart made a name for herself for her habit of constantly projecting her infectiously quirky worldview onto what was happening on the ice. She initially baffled spectators, but fortunately not her team-mates, with her repeated call for stones to be delivered at boob weight - which began to make sense when she pointed out that a call for barrier weight is normally signalled by an arm across the chest. In the latter stages of the competition, despite what was at stake, she and her team-mates Sheila Swan, Katriona Fairweather and Anne Laird jumped into an immediate frenzy of dancing every time a burst of pop music was played between ends. None of this distracted from the task in hand, however, and the team completed a remarkable few weeks for Scottish and British curling by picking up Scotland's first ever women's world title.
In the wake of Lockhart's triumph, much was made of her disclosure that she had deliberately ensured that the stone she used for her last delivery in the final against Sweden was exactly the same one used by Rhona Martin to seal victory in Salt Lake City. The Scottish media dubbed it the Stone of Destiny
, a slightly over-the-top allusion to the coronation stone for medieval Scottish monarchs, and it now sits proudly as an exhibit in a sports museum.
During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Lockhart played in every game up until the team's defeat to Norway, when as a result of poor performance she was replaced by Debbie Knox. She was stunned to be dropped from the team. According to the BBC news website she said "I was surprised and disappointed. I had a couple of slack shots [in Saturday's defeat to Norway]. Guess that was it."
In October 2006, Lockhart was a member of the Scottish team that won the European Mixed Curling Championship
. She played third for Tom Brewster, Jr.
Lockhart, now playing third for Kelly Wood
won the bronze medal at the 2007 World Women's Curling Championship
in Aomori
, Japan.
Stonehaven
Stonehaven is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.Stonehaven, county town of Kincardineshire, grew around an Iron Age fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" , and expanded inland from the seaside...
, Kincardine and Mearns
Kincardine and Mearns
Kincardine and Mearns is one of six area committees of the Aberdeenshire council area in Scotland. It has a population 38,506 . There are significant natural features in this district including rivers, forests, mountains and bogs .Transport links with Aberdeen have encouraged rapid population...
, as Jacqueline Steele) is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
curler
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
who has competed prolifically in major international competitions for Scotland, and for the Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
team that competes at the Olympic Winter Games.
Having made her international debut at the 1983 European Championships
European Curling Championships
The European Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments held in Europe between various European nations and hosted by the European Curling Federation. The European Curling Championships are usually held in early to mid December...
, she went on to claim a silver medal in her first crack at the World Championships
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are annual curling events which showcase the world's best curlers, organized by the World Curling Federation. There are men's, women's and mixed championships. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's in 1979...
in 1985, in which she played second in the Scotland team skipped by Isobel Torrance. The same line-up narrowly failed to win a medal in the following year's championships.
In 1992, as curling continued to inch slowly towards its eventual full medal status at the Winter Olympics, Lockhart was skip of the team selected to represent Great Britain in the demonstration event at the Albertville Games. The team struggled somewhat, however, and were ultimately edged into sixth place after a final play-off defeat to the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
team skipped by Anette Norberg
Anette Norberg
Anette Norberg is a Swedish curler from Nacka. She and her team are the current Olympic women's curling champions, having won the 2010 Women's Curling tournament in Vancouver...
. Later in the same season, Lockhart and the same team represented Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
at the World Championships, in which they secured a marginally better fifth place.
Later in the 1990s, eager to earn a place in the team for the first Olympic curling event to be given full medal status, Lockhart joined the established rink skipped by Kirsty Hay, which had become by then the dominant force in Scottish - and therefore also British - women's curling. In the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, the team (Kirsty Hay, Jackie Lockhart, Edith Loudon, Katie Loudon and Fiona Bayne) performed strongly, coming within a fraction of an unlikely win in the semi-finals over Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, skipped by the renowned Sandra Schmirler
Sandra Schmirler
Sandra Marie Schmirler, SOM , was a Canadian curler, who captured three Canadian Curling Championships and three World Curling Championships. Schmirler skipped her Canadian team to a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first year curling was a medal sport...
. Having missed out, however, the team took a heavy beating in the bronze medal play-off at the hands of Elisabet Gustafson
Elisabet Gustafson
Elisabet Gustafson is a retired Swedish curler, world champion and Olympic medalist. She received a bronze medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano...
and her Swedish team. Perhaps suffering a hangover from this experience, the same line-up could only take Scotland to seventh place in the World Championships a few weeks later.
Lockhart missed out on selection for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, and had to watch from afar as the team skipped by Rhona Martin
Rhona Martin
Rhona Martin MBE is a Scottish curler who has skipped the Scotland women's team at both the European and World Championships, but is most famous as the skip of the Great Britain team that claimed the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in 2002.-Early career:For a long time best known in...
won plaudits for becoming the winners of Great Britain's first gold medal in any sport at the Winter Olympics since ice dancers Jayne Torvill
Jayne Torvill
Jayne Torvill, OBE is a British ice dancer. With Christopher Dean, she won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics.-Early life:...
and Christopher Dean
Christopher Dean
Christopher Colin Dean, OBE is a famous British ice dancer who won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics with his skating partner Jayne Torvill...
in 1984
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
. However, Lockhart claimed to have been nothing but inspired by what she saw on television, and was to prove her point in spectacular fashion in the weeks to follow. She started in the buzzing atmosphere that enveloped the Scottish Championships in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, where her team - largely inexperienced at the highest level apart from herself at skip - overcame Rhona Martin's rink in a three-match final to claim the right to represent Scotland at the World Championships in Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
, ahead of the newly-famed Olympic gold medallists.
In Bismarck, not for the first time, Lockhart made a name for herself for her habit of constantly projecting her infectiously quirky worldview onto what was happening on the ice. She initially baffled spectators, but fortunately not her team-mates, with her repeated call for stones to be delivered at boob weight - which began to make sense when she pointed out that a call for barrier weight is normally signalled by an arm across the chest. In the latter stages of the competition, despite what was at stake, she and her team-mates Sheila Swan, Katriona Fairweather and Anne Laird jumped into an immediate frenzy of dancing every time a burst of pop music was played between ends. None of this distracted from the task in hand, however, and the team completed a remarkable few weeks for Scottish and British curling by picking up Scotland's first ever women's world title.
In the wake of Lockhart's triumph, much was made of her disclosure that she had deliberately ensured that the stone she used for her last delivery in the final against Sweden was exactly the same one used by Rhona Martin to seal victory in Salt Lake City. The Scottish media dubbed it the Stone of Destiny
Stone of Scone
The Stone of Scone , also known as the Stone of Destiny and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone, is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland and later the monarchs of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom...
, a slightly over-the-top allusion to the coronation stone for medieval Scottish monarchs, and it now sits proudly as an exhibit in a sports museum.
During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Lockhart played in every game up until the team's defeat to Norway, when as a result of poor performance she was replaced by Debbie Knox. She was stunned to be dropped from the team. According to the BBC news website she said "I was surprised and disappointed. I had a couple of slack shots [in Saturday's defeat to Norway]. Guess that was it."
In October 2006, Lockhart was a member of the Scottish team that won the European Mixed Curling Championship
European Mixed Curling Championship
The European Mixed Curling Championships is a mixed curling tournament held annually in the autumn for European nations. The first tournament was held in 2005.-Results:...
. She played third for Tom Brewster, Jr.
Lockhart, now playing third for Kelly Wood
Kelly Wood
Kelly Wood is a Scottish curler who has represented her home country and Great Britain and Northern Ireland on an International and Olympic scale....
won the bronze medal at the 2007 World Women's Curling Championship
2007 World Women's Curling Championship
-Draw 2:March 17, 15:00-Draw 3:March 17, 20:00-Draw 4:March 18, 10:00-Draw 5:March 18, 15:00-Draw 6:March 18, 20:00-Draw 7:March 19, 10:00-Draw 8:March 19, 15:00-Draw 9:March 19, 20:00...
in Aomori
Aomori, Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...
, Japan.