An officer from East Dunbartonshire Council, has returned to work after a sabbatical during which he won bronze at the World Men’s Curling Championships.
Ross Paterson was part of the five man curling team which secured a medal at the sporting event in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Scotland took the bronze following a comfortable 11-4 win over South Korea on Sunday 7 April. The achievement marked Scotland’s first medal at this level in curling since 2013.
This week saw Ross, an officer with the Council’s Trading Standards team, return to his desk following an 18-month sabbatical which he took to train full-time.
Winning at the World Championships was a high point for Ross who had hoped to represent his country in the Winter Olympics in February but was disappointed when his team was not selected.
Ross, 34, said, “Winning bronze at the World Championships was a great experience. I have been curling for a long time and have been to quite a few major events, but I haven’t won a medal since Junior level in 2005.
“Being able to walk down the middle of the ice during the medal ceremony and be on the podium was really special.”
Ross says that the knowledge that he had his job to return to allowed him to devote himself to his training regime without worry.
“Applying for a sabbatical was a straightforward process. I am so grateful for being allowed to take the time to train full-time. Not every employer would agree to that.
“I was able to really enjoy the time and always knew that I was coming back to my job. Even when I have been competing in the past and needed to travel to events, my employer has been very accommodating with time off.”
Cllr Billy Hendry, Convener of Place, Neighbourhood and Community said, “It is always heartening to see someone from our community achieve international success.
“We are delighted at Ross’s accomplishment. Winning a medal for your country is the epitome of sporting achievement. All his hard work and extra training has clearly paid off and we wish him well.”
Ross, who trains at the national curling facility in Stirling and at Braehead, will continue train and take part in events in his spare time. He is now looking forward to the European Championships at the start of December 2018.
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