Some people complain
about the end of the summer. Some gripe when the nights gets chilly, when the
leaves turn yellow. But not I.
Some look mournfully
towards a sky full of southward-flying geese. Some grumble about the leaves
they need to rake, the windows they need to seal or the winter tires they need
to install. But not I.
Some lament the period
before Christmas, when the frigid winds howl, when the golf courses cover their
greens with hay and tarps. But not I.
Some regret having to
defer shorts and t-shirts and flip flops to the back of the closet, while
digging for gloves and scarves and boots. But not I.
Cause its CURLING
SEASON BABY!!!
I love this time of
year.
I love rustling through a pile of dried up leaves on the sidewalk.
I love
when women put on leather boots and scarves.
I love when TSN2 starts running
old Brier games to fill content.
I love sorting through my curling bag,
unopened since the spring and sifting through my musty-smelling curling shirts.
I love walking onto the fresh air of the
curling ice, and seeing the freshly-painted rings.
And I love talking about
curling again, after a good five months of barely thinking about it. With anyone who will listen.
BRING. IT. ON.
I don’t love seeing
that I forgot to pay off my bar tab from the end of last year.
My season kicks off
this weekend at Glenmore at the Equinox Open, and annual event that has served
as the kickoff to many a curling season. It is a good chance to shake off the
rust and get some good games in on good ice.
We are starting late
this year again, I feel that we are already behind some of the other competitive teams.
But nobody wins the province in September, and the curling of meaning is still
many months away. For me the road to the Brier begins alone on a sheet of practice
ice.
SOME NEWS:
It’s been a long time
since my last blog, so here is a pile of updates and news that you need to
know:
I Can No Longer Bitch About Curling Quebec:
As many of my loyal
readers surely know, Curling Quebec has often been a target of my griping and
ranting over the past few years. Well I can gripe no more…if you can’t beat ‘em,
join ‘em!
Yes I have joined the
Dark Side. Not sure why I feel like Anakin Skywalker being lured by seductive
power of the Empire (that was for you fellow Star Wars nerds out there), but I
have been elected to the Board of Directors of Curling Quebec (yes there was an
actual election!).
Now that I am a
DIRECTOR, I now posses power over all things curling. I am now expecting free
beer, an entourage of minions and some fanfare every time I enter a Curling
Club. Worship Me Mortals!!!
Some other big changes
at Curling Quebec over the summer. Marco
Ferraro has left the building. The embattled former Head of Curling Quebec stepped
aside in early September, and was immediately replaced by Marc-André Robitaille
(his friends call him Marco!). Marco is a great guy, and has been Director of
competitions for a year. He brings some level-headed stability to the role that
was somewhat needed at this stage.
So Goodbye Marco
Ferraro! I will resist the temptation to speak ill of the departed. Suffice it
to say that Marco always governed CQ with purpose and passion. Unfortunately
his passion sometimes got in the way of building positive relationships with
the curling community, but I do believe that his heart was always in the right
place. Let us see what his replacement can do!
Marco Robitaille has
been replaced by none other than Alanna Routledge as the new Director of
Competitions. Alanna is of course most famous for playing 3rd for me
at mixed Nationals, which of course means she is experienced at dealing with stupidity. This should serve her well!
My Men’s Team has an Awesome New Sponsor:
We have joined Team
Hardline, and will be sweeping with IcePads this winter. We are excited to get some
support from a great bunch of guys, and hoping that the magic sticks they will
give us will make my excellent-sweeping front end even more proficient at
dragging my draws to the right spot.
So the guys from
Hardline will be on Dragon’s Den (the Canadian show where a bunch of rich
investors audition potential companies upon which to heap cash in return for a
piece of their company). I have no idea how it will turn out (the show was
taped in the Spring, but the boys have been sworn to secrecy until the episode
airs). However, since taping the show, Stan and Archie have been spending money
like the guy who just won the half-and-half at the Brier!
They have signed on Reid Caruthers and Mike McEwen, two of the
biggest names on the Tour to play with their equipment, and seem to have really stepped up their marketing.
Anxious to see what is next!
The CCA is Caving (a bit) on Relegation:
The Mixed and Senior
championships will no longer feature the horrible idea that is relegation. They
will now adopt the same format that the juniors use. It would take me a page to
explain it, but it means that everybody who gets invited to their National
Championship gets to play – so I like it.
I like to credit my blog for having
solved this one! It remains to be seen how this will play out at the Brier and
the Scotties, which will both have their first ever relegation tournaments this
year.
RIP Bruce Lerner:
The Curling World lost
a friend this summer with the passing of Bruce Lerner, long-time Montreal-area
curler. I was out of town when it happened, but I think it would be appropriate
for us all to raise a glass next time we are in a curling club, and remember.
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