Well, again I was not to sure what to expect this weekend, but was pleasantly surprised once again. We had our skipper on board and we also had a 'super' spare, Colleen, playing third for us. After finishing first in our pool through the round robin play and also finishing first in our shoot out for our pool that put us straight into the Semi- Final round by passing the quarter finals.
The competition was tough as expected, but reading the ice was even tougher. It was lightening fast. If you clocked the rock from the back line to stop, a draw was easily running at 30-35 seconds! That's QUICK!
Overall I felt I played alright. I did find the transition from throwing a peel with my first rock to having to draw with my second rock a challenge and less consistent than I would have preferred, I'd end up placing them behind the T-line. Boo.
I'm generally pretty hard on myself, but at the same time I never stopped trying to conquer the beast so to speak. I don't give up until the very last rock has come to a complete stop.
I'm really happy how well the team gelled this weekend. I was very impressed with Ainsley as she did come out and play one game, with a completely new delivery. She is normally a toe-tucker, but due to her injury she isn't able to do that any more and has been working on a flat foot delivery now. She did extremely well in my opinion for such a quick and sudden switch.
I was also very excited to play with Joelle. I played two games with her in Selkirk, but this weekend was different. What an incredible person she is. Not only does she call a fantastic game of curling, but she is the true definition of a skip. After the first end of our very first game there was no doubt in my mind that I had the utmost faith and confidence in her. This was, in theory, her first spiel this season and she did a great job! I'm very impressed and I cannot wait to get out there again with her.
We had Colleen who had played with Joelle previously for eight years stepping in at third for Ainsley. Perhaps because these two have had so much experience together it made that transition easy. The chemistry out there between the four of us was remarkable. Colleen has a wonderful personality on the ice and I really enjoyed playing with her. Communication was phenomenal.
Overall it was yet another successful weekend for this team and as well bitter sweet. With all of the positives that came of this weekend such as, spending time with the girls as a team, getting to know Nixon (Joelle's Chocolate Lab who kept me company while I stayed at her house over the weekend), sharing some laughs and some drinks with these girls, and sharing a couple of chuckles with Pat over the phone, it indicated the end of a great weekend and the beginning of the unknown.
So on another note, it's my 35Th birthday this Sunday coming up. Can you believe it? I'm going to be 35. It's funny where you imagine you'll be in your life when you reach a certain age. I imagined I'd be married with kids by now. I know things happen for a reason and although I'm not doing what I believed I'd be doing at this point in my life I am extremely happy and content at what I have accomplished and achieved. I'm happy to be healthy, to be reacquainted with my family and reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I have been blessed with many wonderful experiences and that I am sincerely thankful for.
OUR NEXT EVENT:
We were supposed to be playing next weekend in Beausejour, but would be without our skipper and have decided as a team to sit this one out. This upcoming Friday will probably be the longest day I will know as I will have my new friends consuming my thoughts and prayers. All my thoughts and prayers I am extending out to two extraordinary people this week. Dig deep, and stay strong.
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