"Kids - the Easter Bunny told me to tell you to shut up and let Daddy sleep 'til 9."

Easter weekend this weekend means it’s the Glenmore Intermediate at my home club. This annual ode to drinking and debauchery is a throwback to the old days of partying and curling. The spiel is equipped with Jello shooters, a drive-home shuttle, live music, bar-b-q, and I think some curling. An increasingly large contingent of Ontario curlers is making it an annual end-of-season pilgrimage.

Admittedly, partying and drinking on Easter weekend seems a little less appropriate now that I have a young family at home. “Kids, the Easter Bunny told me to tell you to shut up and let Daddy sleep ‘til 9 if you want any chocolate”.

I am not partaking in the curling this year, but will surely make an appearance for a party.

Also fun: hiding the Easter Eggs after a night out drinking, that way you can be as surprised as the kids when searching for them the next morning.

 ***

I am very glad I curled in Kurling for Kids this weekend. The event raised well over $200 thousand for Montreal  Children’s hospitals. And it also just makes you feel good. Highlight was Glenmore K4K organiser Stan Fong (one of the nicest guys in curling) trying not to get choked up while struggling through his thank you speeches.

Let me make this commitment now before I drift off in to a summer thinking about all things not curling: Stan – next year I am on your committee! Do not let me escape with a weak-ass excuse like “I am curling in the mixed”, or “I am taking care of a newborn.”

*** 

Random thoughts about the World Curling Championship currently underway in Basel, Switzerland:

- Ok- there are some decent teams at the worlds – but watching a few games on TV makes me think that my mixed team would probably win 3 or 4 games there.

- The French skip – Tony Angiboust – looks like a giant raccoon. He is furry, and apparently went skiing in a tanning salon with giant goggles on. If he gets any oranger, he can fill in for Youppi at Canadiens games.

- Sorry to see Heath “Heater” McCormick struggling. Heater is well known to Quebec competitive curlers – he was often seen at Charlevoix and Ottawa area spiels back when he curled with Canadian guys. He is hilarious – and always makes more shots than you think he will.  Small piece of trivia: who was the last skip that Savill and Laing played for before joining up with Glenn Howard? Answer – Heath McCormick!

- Love the Norwegian pants. I am thinking my blue and white checkered pants (see profile pic) will make an appearance at the National Mixed next year....

 - Glenn Howard will win. This team is ridiculously good with Wayne Middaugh at 3rd (Richard who?).

***

Some news and speculation on the Quebec men’s curling scene:

It is looking like most of the top teams in Quebec are staying together this year (or at least I have not heard it if they are not). Remarkable, and unheard of on the Quebec scene. Lemay, Ferland, Menard and Desjardins all seem to be staying put (although I am not usually the first to know if they are making changes). However,

 - Serge Reid is apparently taking a step back from curling, leaving Team Reid and others in the Saguenay scrambling to find a new leader.

- Not sure if Frank Gagné will be back, after having to sit out a few games at provincials with a recurring knee problem. Hopefully he will not hang up his shoes – but curling in pain is surely no fun.

 ***

 Shout out to Lauren Steventon and Team from Glenmore, who lost the final of the Masters (60+) National championship to Newfoundland last week. It was a nice run; Lauren was in the finals until giving up a 6-spot in the 6^th end. These guys still have a lot of game, for old guys. I hope I can still curl that well at 60 (actually, not sure I curl that well now).

***

Check out the Curling News this month. It contains a full page column from yours truly, a collage of blog posts from earlier this year. Appropriately, my column runs on the same page as an ad for Loudmouth Golf Pants (makers of the infamous Norwegian curling pants).

The Curling News can usually be found lying on the tank of the toilet in the men's washroom at your nearest curling club - or the on-line version can be found here:

www.thecurlingnews.com

15 years ago...

Very happy today! I will be returning to a National Championship!



My team – namely Alanna Routledge, Mikey Kennedy and Joëlle St-Hilaire won the Mixed Provincial Championship at TMR Curling club this past weekend. We beat Tom Wharry in the semis, and then snuck by Phil Lemay in the finals in what could best be described as an unusual game.

My last trip to a National Curling Championship was some 15 years ago, playing 2^nd on a mixed team skipped by none other than Guy Hemmings.

How long ago was it? Well, to give you an idea, 15 years ago:

- The internet was really only for nerds

- My 2^nd (Mike K) had not even taken up curling yet. (Although he says he had already gotten the drinking part down). I was actually at Lachine CC the day he and 3 of his drunken buddies stumbled into the club and said “We wanna curl!”
- TSN actually covered the Mixed on TV (the semis and finals at least)
- Princess Diana was still alive
- Jonathan Mead, Kevin Koe, Mike Fournier, and the sweeping tools we used all had hair.
- AMJ Campbell Van Lines launches its exciting new commercial featuring Russ Howard!
- My lead and 3^rd were starting 1^st Grade.
- The Korean Women’s Team from the Worlds were not born. (Or at least they look that young)
- People went to Dunkin Donuts, not Tim Horton’s.
- Only cool people had a cell phone – text messages came from Western Union.
- “Google” was the term used for trying to sneak a peek under a girl’s curling kilt when she bent down to call sweeping, and if you saw something good you would say “Yahoo”.  (I hadn't yet met my wife!). As in "I googled Marylin Bodough when she was making that sweeping call, and Yahoo!".

It certainly does seem like a long time ago.

So where do we get to travel to for our National Championship? TMR. About a 20 minute drive from my house (no traffic).

Actually – I think it will be very cool to be the home team at Nationals; we will get to introduce curlers from all over the country to Montreal delicacies such as Smoked Meat, Poutine and Chez Parée. Should be an awesome week – and amazingly the finals fall on the day of my birthday!

 

***

Some random observations from the Women’s World Championships:

- Was impressed by the level of play in the final – watched the last 3-4 ends of Sweden-Switzerland, and saw some brilliant shot-making. Mirjam Ott still looks seriously freaky when she throws a stone, but she’s got game.

- I like watching Heather Nedohin on TV for the same reason I like watching NASCAR; you never know when there will be a crash. She made some seriously weird calls. It’s amazing how roles have reversed – 10 years ago Canadian Women were always seen as by far the best curling strategists in the world, now they look weak compared to Sweden, Scotland and Switzerland.

- The Korean team was pretty good for a bunch of 12 year olds.

- The Ford on the ice looked too realistic. It looked like there was a car parked on the ice. Glad I do not have a 3D TV.

- Eve Muirhead might have missed playoffs, but she is still smokin’ hot.

Oh - and someone posted this pic of the Swiss 3rd, Carmen Schaefer this morning. I think I will Google her, and then say "Yahoo"!

***

Kurling For Kids:

I have very little curling left this season – all of one game left in the club. But this Saturday I am playing in Kurling for Kids.

Kurling for Kids is a fundraising curling day that raises money for Montreal area Children’s hospitals – a very worthy cause. So here is your chance to show me how much you loved reading my blog this season – throw a few bucks to a worthy cause through the website – or if you prefer e-mail me directly to buy some Kurling for Kids raffle tickets (the prizes this year are awesome: trips to Hawaii, iPads, KLM passes). All donations get either a tax receipt or a "Thank You" raffle ticket ($5 gets you one raffle ticket, $20 gets you 7).

It’s for the kids!!! Be generous!!! Here is the link to sponsor my team. Anything helps!!!

Kurling for Kids - Sponsor Team Awesome!!!

Thanks!!!