Team Fournier seeking sponsorship from Ivory Coast Royalty

Dear Prince Jaffer Nabaroo of the Ivory Coast;

I am writing in reply to your e-mail dated July 17^th, asking for my banking information to help repatriate funds frozen in your country’s central bank. My apologies for the late reply, but for some reason your urgent request mistakenly found its way into my spam folder. I will add you to my contacts list to ensure no further delays in our communications.

I will gladly provide you with my banking information and credit card numbers in a subsequent e-mail, so as to facilitate the transfer of the $8,000,000 of funds.

In the meantime, I would like to discuss an exciting opportunity with you; the opportunity to sponsor my competitive men’s curling team.

While I am sure the Ivory Coast has little access to curling, I am quite confident that you would find this sport appealing.  There would be numerous advantages to sponsorship for you:

- My team would be an excellent vehicle for transferring funds into the Canadian banking system. We have a team account (currently with a zero balance).

- Having your name on our team jackets would surely help create a positive image for you in Canada, facilitating your eventual immigration here at some point in the future.

- We would be happy to represent the Ivory Coast in the 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi. This would help raise the international profile of your country. We would even let you be our 5^th man; you could be the next Prince Albert of Monaco!  

We are only seeking $10,000 in sponsorship, clearly only a drop in the bucket for a man of your wealth and influence, and only a fraction of the $8,000,000 you have in waiting.

 I look forward to a positive reply to this e-mail. To facilitate the transaction, could you please send me YOUR banking information and address, so as to expedite the transfer of funds.

Thanks,

Mike F, skip of Team Fournier!

One last blog: Juggling Chainsaws

The last official Blog of the season!

Stick a fork in me, I am done!

Curling season ended unceremoniously for me on Saturday at the Intermediate, putting a merciful end to a frustrating season of granite heaving. This season was the ultimate tease; letting me believe that we had talent, that we could compete with the best, and then having our game fall short at a critical time. We were up and down more than a 50 year old man with a fresh Viagra prescription.

Highlight – of course beating Gushue in Gatineau.  

Lowlight – too many to choose. Although going 1-2 in Regionals seems like a good pick.

But alas, it is spring. My curling bag is sentenced to its summer sleep in the attic; and having a few drinks at the curling club is replaced with having a few drinks at the golf course. Time to look ahead to next year!

***

So what is going on next year?

Rumours have been a-plenty of late, with a number of new and surprising moves setting up what should be an interesting season in Quebec.

So who is around next year? Quick look at the top 4:

1.       JM Menard – with Super Phil Menard now at lead. JM is always tough to beat. The only question seems to be are these guys still ready to do what it takes to be the best. They are the top ranked team in the province, but have not been playing in the Slams. They have been proven to be beatable, at least  for the last couple of years, and they have not been that far out ahead of the other Quebec teams. JM and the boys definitely have the highest potential – now let’s see what they can do with it. The only big question now is which pants will they be wearing next season?

2.       Marty Ferland – team unchanged. A top team in Quebec choosing to stay together after a 3-6 provincial? Inconceivable!!! But they have proven the cynics wrong. Apparently they agreed to a “contract” that they are honouring. I thought contracts were only binding for cell phones, but apparently they work for curling teams as well. This is a very good team – but they need to find a way to be more consistent. And I think Marty and Frank need to find a way to stay a little calmer on the ice. Valium? Pot? Yoga? This team needs to do some summer training in a Nepalese monastery.

3.       Serge Reid – has flushed his lead (Steeeeeeeve V.)  – not sure who he is picking up (probably not Bob Desjardins). I predicted tough times for Serge this year, and all he did was win a pile of cash and finish 3^rd at provincials despite a nagging neck injury. Will he do better next year? – I would have to say no - but this guy has consistently exceeded my expectations so who knows. These guys are not the prettiest team around, but they have stuck together long enough to know how to get the job done. They are becoming the Jim Furyk of the curling world; ugly to watch but strangely effective.

4.       Brier rep Francois Gagné will be dropping down to play 3^rd for the effervescent Guy Hemmings, with Ben Vezeau at 2nd and Chris Bouchard playing lead. Not unexpected, given that Frank and Guy have been friends for a long time. Could be a good team, but playing with Guy lately is a little like juggling chainsaws; very entertaining for a while but has the potential to end badly.

Some other teams to consider:

- Phil Lemay + new team (Matt Beaufort, JM Arsenault and Erik Lachance). Phil was a hugely successful junior skip back in the day, and now will try his luck with a strong team of young prospects.

- I hear Don “Good Shot Bud” Westphal is back, with Simon “Nicotine” Dupuis, Louis Biron and Big Mo. Interesting team (usually on a team the old guys play back end!)...Definitely good to see Don back in the game.

- What about me? Sadly, I guess Glen Howard and Brad Gushue lost my phone number, as neither of them called me despite both needing a new 3rd for next year. Instead, I will be playing next year with Dwayne Fowler and the Lejour brothers. Hopefully Dwayne and I can rediscover the magic we had a few years back...eager to see how that works out. Danny B is stepping back for a little while.

- I think I heard some other rumours while at the Intermediate, but I was kinda drunk on the Saturday night and seem to have forgotten a few, so you will have to figure out the rest yourselves.

So who will win?

Sadly, as my investment portfolio will surely attest, I am not Nostradamus.

The reality of Quebec is that few teams have really tried to step up to the plate to try to be the best. While some teams have been competitive, few seem willing to do what it takes to be at a level where they could be dominant in Quebec, and a top 10 team in Canada.

 The fact is, to be in the top 10 in the world, you need to be playing against Stoughton, Howard, Martin, McEwen, Gushue et al often – at least in 7-8 weeks per year. That means you need to travel.

And you need to practice. Practice, practice, practice. The fact is, you can no longer afford to miss the broom anymore. To curl 90% is today’s game, you can’t get away with throwing a single bad rock.

So I have no idea who will win. Smart money is on Menard, but as the last few seasons have proven, Quebec men’s curling is more wide-open now than ever.

***

WOMEN’S

I am just not as in the loop as I should be here. However, I have heard that a number of the main elite players are stepping aside. Eve is taking a break, and Chantal Osborne announced before provincials that this would be her last season.

So what remains seems like a one-woman show. Marie-France has been ahead of all competitors, and with Chantal and Eve not back next year, it is difficult to see anyone posing a serious challenge.

A few young teams have the potential to step up and take a run; the question is: are they willing to do the work and put in the time?

BIG FORMAT changes:

Last year’s merging of men’s and women’s provincials seems to have been a success, but the format will once again likely change next year. A proposal is on the table; although nothing is final.

Curling Quebec is exploring the possibility of having Men’s and Women’s together, but in a curling club (instead of an arena) using a modified triple-knockout format. The event would change from 10 men’s and 10 women’s to 12 men’s and 8 women’s. This format would be the same as what they are now doing in Alberta, where the A, B and C winners end up in a page-playoff.

Is this good?

·         I think the move back to a curling club is essential. Finding hockey arenas that are willing to give up 9 days of ice in February has been a challenge for years, and pretty much forces CQ to hold the event in remote locations where arena-time is easier to get.

            Remote Locations = Less People, less sponsorship.

·         Holding the event in a club will create a better atmosphere, and will help reduce the expense involved in running a provincial.

·         8 women’s teams instead of 10? This is a no-brainer. CQ is having a tough enough time filling 10 spots.

·         Modified Triple: makes sense – the event can now be held over 5 days instead of 7-8 days.

·         And no more meaningless round-robin games! Every game you play means the same thing to both teams.

Overall, seems to make sense to me. Let me know if you think otherwise (I think I am still the Competitive Players rep). Anyhow, nothing is final. But credit to Curling Quebec for having the guts to look to make positive changes. I am sure there will be a lot of debate on this, but debate is healthy.

***

Summer Blogs? I don’t think so. This will likely be my last blog until the fall. I might write here and there if I find something interesting to write about.

But a big thanks to those of you who were reading me this year, especially those who took the time to write to talk to me in person to tell me they were enjoying the blog. I am still amazed by the amount of people who read the blog.

 I think curling needs more talk – it needs to grow outside of the small community of hard-core competitive curlers and volunteers that devote so much of their time and energy to the game.  So I will keep writing if you all keep reading.

New reality show: Building the Squad

I can see the grass on the golf courses...I think its time to take my clubs out of their winter hiding place.
Ok - I have to admit - I have not really given a damn curling since losing in the playdowns in early January - so I should not be surprised by my less than-stellar record since then...
But since the playdowns - I believe I am 7-16. (including club games, Laval, Rosemere and Toronto). Ouch  - that is a pretty brutal streak of curling. I am not even winning 1 out of 3 games.
No wonder I am eager for golf season.

- So I played in the Toronto Men's Invitational last weekend. Had a fun time, despite the fact that the event was played in Toronto.
People have pitched me this tournament saying that it is the best event of its kind in Canada, and it is certainly a well orchestrated weekend of eating and drinking. But I have to admit I was a little disappointed.
It seemed like a bunch of guys who were desperate to get away for their wives for the weekend.
Not that I am adverse to such pursuits - maybe my expectations were too high.
It had moments, but mostly it was just an expensive drunk.
Not that it is not a good tournament - but as a party spiel I greatly prefer Etchemin, Keno¸or the Intermediate.
I would tell some more stories - but apparently Toronto is like Vegas; whatever happens in TO stays in TO.

(I am willing to bet that the previous sentence is is the only place in history that Toronto has ever been likened to Las Vegas)

- The Mixed provincials are going on this weekend in Baie Comeau. It should be a 2-horse race, with Ferland and Fowler likely to meet in the finals (even though Fowler will not win his section...). Tough to pick a winner.
Marty should have won last year, but came up short on an open draw to the 8-foot in the last end.
I think I will drive up and watch the final, since it is so close to home.

- I would expect a VERY strong mixed field next year, with the provincials likely not as far away, and the Mixed Nationals at TMR in 2012.
I am already contemplating how to build a super-juggernaut mixed squad. I am thinking of holding an "American Idol / Star Academie" reality show to pick my team. I think it would work. I could be like Donald Trump - and fire a potential teammate every week - or give a rose to the candidates I want to keep. I will call it: Building the Squad.
I am currently accepting applications - please submit your curling CV, a picture, and a 500-word essay on why you are God's gift to mixed curling to michaelrfournier@yahoo.ca. Please note that only serious applicants will receive a reply.

- One event left on the calendar for me before golf: the Glenmore Intermediate - on Easter Weekend. Back in the day, the Glenmore Intermediate was THE party spiel of the year. We would start partying Thursday evening, and pretty much not stop until Sunday afternoon. The spiel always had great bands, a great DJ, some decent curling and Jello Shots.
The spiel kinda went through a down period in the 2000s, but has been revived of late by some energetic just-out-of-juniors curlers who are trying to recapture the wild abandon and debauchery of a great party. Many teams from Toronto make the journey to spend a weekend in Montreal - and even have t-shirts made for the occasion.
There are still spots available, as they will accommodate up to 40 teams (I think they have 35 or so signed up already). Don't miss it. If you can't curl - then at least come by for the band on Saturday night.


- So everyone is asking me about rumours for next season -

So here is what I know so far:

- Francois Gagné's team is history. Amazingly, after having gone to the Brier, these guys don't even want to be seen in public together anymore. I guess it was kind of expected, given the motley nature of their personalities, but you would think that winning the province might make you want to keep at least a guy or two together? Apparently not.
I would like to bring back my quote from my 2nd blog last October...
"This team is like women who claim to be impregnated by space aliens...you don't know how it happened and you don't know what will come out in the end."

- Jean Gagnon (who plays lead for JM) has apparently "retired" or is taking a break, or was fired, or whatever - I really don't know. But he is being replaced by the younger Ménard brother, fresh off his 1st Brier.

- Amazingly, Marty Ferland and team are sticking together. There was speculation that this team was as dead as disco after a brutal showing at provincials.
How bad were they at provincials? They were so bad - I am not sure they could have won PEI!
But they are doing something very unusual for a Quebec team - they are sticking it out and trying to build instead of starting over. Good for them.

- Philippe Lemay will be skipping a strong young team - with JM Arsenault, Matt Beaufort and Erik Lachance. Good to see a team of younger guys starting to build something. Seems to me Quebec needs some new faces to compete. And great to see Phil back after taking a couple of years off. Phil has got game, and a good temperament for a skip.

- Don't ask me about women's curling - I don't know much. I hear Allison Ross is coming back after a year off, skipping a strong young team out of Glenmore. But that is all I know. Really.

- As for me - don't know yet. Ask me at the Intermediate. I will be the guy at the bar, most likely looking like the picture on the right.

Curling Withdrawal

- It is officially springtime in Montreal:

The winter dog poo is peaking out majestically from its blanket of snow; the Libya-like potholes cover the roads like acne on a teenager; and curling season begins its slow and agonizing journey into summer repose.

- The Brier is over. I must say - I already miss good curling on TV.
The finals were a bit of a yawn-fest- with Stoughton and team curling a ridiculously good game. The game was not even as close as the score indicated.
You have to feel a little sorry (just a little) for Glenn and the boys, who can now corner the world silver market with all of the 2nd place trinkets they have amassed.

The World Curling Champinships are not nearly as entertaining as the Brier and the Scotties - although Women's Worlds certainly has a number of very watchable teams- but not for the curling.
The World Men's is usually somewhat exciting, but Stoughton will likely be boringly better than most teams there. Given that the event is being held in Regina, likely with the same rocks as the Brier and on similar ice conditions - look for a relatively easy win for Canada this year.
The World's have produced relatively few memorable moments over the past few years, with the exception of the infamous Martin throw-through that surely will go down as one of the worse curling calls in history.

- The silly season is definitely in full swing. A number of rumours and strange team configurations are being discussed in Quebec and elsewhere. I will provide an update when the dust settles - but some big surprises are coming. Spoiler alert: apparently, making it to the Brier is no longer enough to keep a team together...

- I will try to blog a bit from the road this weekend in Toronto. I am heading up to curl in a drinking, eating and joke-telling festival (I think there is also curling...) with some guys from Glenmore. This is definitely not a competitive venture. Goal will be to not injure myself. The event is held at the Royals, organized by bunch of characters who usually make the trip to Glenmore at Easter for the Intermediate. Reciprocation is what I am all about.
You gotta love a spiel with a steak BBQ night and an Oyster party.
(Although the combination of raw Oysters in a men's only spiel seems somewhat homeoerotic and misplaced to me. Hope I am wrong) 
Theme song for the weekend:  Spirit of the West

- The Seniors is on in Digby - last time I checked the Quebec team was 3-2, and leading in their game against PEI. Robbie and the boys are a solid team - would be nice to see them near the finals.

I noticed Brad Heidt is in the field. For those who do not know Brad Heidt, he is a Shrek-like character from rural Saskatchewan (I guess all of Sask is pretty much rural) who is famous for chewing out his 3rd in the 10th end of the Brier final. I have played against Brad only once, and it is as close to a curling brawl as I've ever been. This was especially scary given that his neck is about the same width as my chest. Too bad the seniors are not televised.

- I need to go shoe shopping. I know this sounds horribly lame, but I need a new pair of curling shoes, my Asham's are coming apart at the seams. Anybody have a good recommendation? Keep in mind that I am a toe-tucker who uses about 2 inches of his slider...I am seriously considering buying a decent pair of shoes and making myself a pair...
On a related topic, I am not a big fan of the $300 curling shoe movement that has emerged in the last 5 years. I think curling is going the way of the $500 driver and the $60 per dozen Titleists in golf, with some ridiculously expensive "innovations", that really don't help people curl or golf any better.
Having said that, I slice and pull hook with a $500 driver and hit my Titleist Pro Vs into the lake/woods as well. I blame marketing.

The Brier: Bronze Zombies and Geek Shuffleboard

More random Brier thoughts:

- Smart money would have bet the farm on Kevin Martin not winning the Brier this year. Rumours of their impending breakup are likely true, and teams about to breakup never play well together.
Just look how well Martin did in the Brier just before he broke up with his previous team...(I believe that was the year JM won).

- So I am watching the bronze medal game on TV. Looks like a funeral. You would think these guys would at least try to put on a show for the fans...instead of an extract from the zombie curling league.
I have seen more adrenaline and passion in the day ladder at my club. There might be a couple of hangovers on the ice...

- I have little sympathy for these primadonnas not wanting to play a bronze medal game. Most curlers have had to get up on Sunday to play the C-Semis in some crappy open spiel for the chance to win a toaster in the finals - we all did it. they should have to do it to!
I mean they are playing for 10K...you would think you could extract a little excitement.
Play it up for the crowd. Play it like an exhibition. Show the fans that you are capable of having fun. Have a guy from the crowd come down and call a shot...Have fun. The game needs it. I think it will become a good addition to the Brier.

- I think PEI should not be fined for quitting early. C'mon. It must have been painful to watch. They could have passed a hat around the crowd to pay the fine. Nobody wants to watch Howard throw 2 ends of peels....Put them out of their misery. I think they should have fined them if they had kept playing...for cruelty to spectators! It was bad enough people had to watch 5 ends of that "game".

- 3-8 - not a great performance form the Quebec team. I know they are rookies, but I think we all expected a little better. Let's see where these guys go from here. At least they looked good at the banquet, which apparently had a 70's theme.

I am still a bit peeved that the Toronto Sports Network never saw fit to show any of their games. I know they were never in contention, nor one of the favorites, but at least a morning game...I mean C,mon. I had to watch Gratton twice (snooze), Gushue, Martin and Howard more times than I could count and they even featured Shawn Adams at least once.
Thankfully, they did not show any PEI games. Those guys were truly awful. I have played some good teams from PEI before. Apparently, they were all unavailable this year. Seriously, they would be no better than 4-3 in this round of the Glenmore A ladder.

- Shot of the week - the double raise double that Kevin Martin made to beat the Territories. He deserved to lose that game...that was an amazing shot! That must have made the guys from Northern Ontario throw up a little bit..

- Prediction for the final: Manitoba squeaks out a win. I think they are due - especially Mead who still loses sleep from the Olympic Qualifying final in 2005, where they lost to Gushue in part due to a missed sweeping call from Mead.

- So rumour is that JohnnyMo is leaving Martin, and Nicholls is leaving Gushue...could we see a JohnnyMo / Brad Gushue combination taking a run at the next Olympics? You heard it hear first.

- Just saw Nicholls' tear-soaked final interview...Christ the guy is barely 30. Give me break. He is taking a couple of years off...he is not retiring forever.
I don't doubt the sincerity of his tears, just feel a little perspective is in order.
Maybe he is vying to be the next Scotties spokesperson.

- OK - I am a big fan of developing curling...but if I see that Rocks and Rings commercial one more time I am going to go JohnnyMo on my TV set.
Will shuffleboard and sweeping on a gym floor actually help create a positive image for curling? - or will it just make the sport seem geekier? The kids in the commercial look happy, but maybe its because they got to play shuffleboard instead of climbing the rope and doing sit-ups in gym class.
If you want to get kids curling, my experience is that you have to get them out on ICE. I have seen  (and participated in) a number of programs run at curling clubs by volunteers for local schools that surely create a more positive impact on the game than a one-time visit from the shuffleboard nerds with the signs and the plastic rocks with wheels. Glad to see our CCA contributions are so well spent.

- So what happens to Kevin Martin if JohnnyMo leaves the team? What about Stoughton if Mead is done...will Howard take another run at the trials? Expect the announcements to come out in the next month or two, fast and furious, as the Olympic qualifying run starts next season. If the big guys are going to change teams, now is the time.

- I will miss fakekevinmartin on Twitter after the Brier. I wonder if he will keep it up.

The Brier...Rolling up the Rim and Green Soccerball flags

the Brier:

OK - firstly - I am not the @fakekevinmartin on Twitter. But that guys is hilarious. Definitely a follower. Wish it was me...

The Brier is my favourite TV sports event of the year. It always produces entertaining games, and I love hanging around a curling club watching the evening game with 30 or 40 armchair skips.

The Brier has been fun to watch thus far, although there are few surprises with the 4 teams pulling away from the pack (Nfld, Alta, Ont, Man). I think they are a notch above the rest - and will more than likely be the 4 teams in the playoffs.

Some observations so far: 

- Where did Brad Gushue dig up that lead? It is hard to believe he could not find a better curler on the Rock than that guy. Jeesh. He should get Russ Howard out of the broadcast booth with a fake Nfld driver's license.

- The Quebec team continues to struggle after a 2-0 start, dropping 6 in a row (and counting). Likely to finish with 3 wins at most. They needed Frank and Bob to be hot all week; they have not been. They look somewhat outclassed. Glad its not this year where the bottom teams would have to play each other for the right to have their province come back next year! (although I think they would beat PEI if needed)

- Martin, Stoughton and Howard look to be a notch above Gushue. Of these 3, hard to pick a winner. The Bear is obviously the favorite, but I think I am cheering for Stoughton. Its been a while since a toe-tucker has won the Brier...we are due.

- Is it just me - or do we need some more variety of teams? Where is the next big team? Have been watching Howard play Martin for years now...in the Brier...the Grand Slams...I am kinda hoping JohnnyMo leaves Martin as rumoured - at least it will shake things up.

- I made my son a chicken fajita yesterday. I put a green soccer ball flag on it. He smiled almost as widely as the dumbass kid in the M&M commercial, then dumped the contents of the fajita on his lap, and then stabbed his sister with the flag. I guess it really needs to be the M&M fajita.

- PEI would not go undefeated in the Glenmore A ladder.

- The TSN team doing the morning games is quite inadequate. I have an idea: for the morning games - TSN should bring in random armchair skips from across the country to do the colour commentary. It would at least add some entertainment value to the coverage. And who really watches the morning games anyway (apart from consultants "working" from home).

- If Newfoundland plays Alberta in the final - which team would Randy Ferbey want to lose more?

- Agree with fakekevinmartin, it is hard not to dislike the guy from Saskatchewan with the Justin Bieber haircut. C'mon.

- Chara deserves at least 20 games for almost killing Max Pacioretty. Bruins vs. Habs in the playoffs could be a classic. again. (not curling related, just needed to be said)

- Rolled up the rim this week and won!!!!....a donut. Carried around an empty coffee cup all week, then lost it before getting the free donut.

- Seems to me this Brier needs a story. It needs something to happen to add some excitement and variety. It need some controversy....or some trash-talking. It needs a rivalry. Most of all, the game needs another character. It needs Brad Heidt cracking himself in the head with his broom and then reaming out Mark Dacey in the finals. It needs Paul Gowsell stoned wearing crazy pants. It needs Guy Hemmings with mangled hair re-arranging the scoreboard when the lights went out. It needs Eddy Werenich.

I like Stoughton, and Martin and Howard but jeez these guys get dull after a while.

- What is the point of Jennifer Jones sliding across the floor in the grocery store to get her box of Scotties? They should re-shoot that commercial so that she cuts in front of Cathy O in the line-up at the cash.


will comment again at some point this weekend.

Death Spirals, Drinking Lessons and Senior Peeling

A few things to talk about this week  -forgive me for being late on this one...

1. The Scotties. I am not usually a massive fan of the Scotties. In past years, I have often found the curling during the week relatively boring - but this year seemed different, better.

There were some great stories, and the final was an awesome game. Amber Holland showed a great deal of a little thing called guts. She made the big shots, and looked calm doing it.

Ontario fell short of my prediction, but still showed some impressive play - and tried some shots you usually don't see in women's curling. The shot that ended up killing her against Saskatchewan was a brave attempted double raise pick that would have broken the game open. She was millimeters away from making it, and instead gave up a costly steal of 2, which they never recovered from. But the fact that she even tried that shot was remarkable, and that kind of play will help elevate women's curling in the future.

The Cathy Overton - Jennifer Jones game lived up to the hype. That was a classic case of a skip saying "You will not beat me." Her team was outcurled by a solid 15% (and it felt like more) - she won that game on her own - out of sheer will.
That game makes you realize what it takes to win - and it isn't just a pretty slide. Cathy O is a competitor.
Both Her and JJ were remarkably civil in the press all week when talking about it, but make no mistake there was no love out there, and I am guessing there was some serious celebrating after that game.


2. Rosemere:

Last weekend I played in the Rosemere Cashspiel. This is a truly great tournament. There is great prize money, a solid field of teams, amazing food and warm hospitality. The one element lacking is the ice conditions, which are truly horrific. But all in all a great spiel.
The "favorites" (Ferland, Venne, myself) ) all took a beating, and the final was won by Fred Marchand.
My team performed like a team in a death spiral, losing 2 truly horrific and uninspired games of curling. I am thinking I should just call it a a season and curl drunk for the next few months.

3. Speaking of Curling Drunk...

I realize that curling has made great strides in distancing itself from the perception that it is a drinking sport. It is now an Olympic sport, there is absolutely no drinking allowed in juniors even when they are of age. But it seems to me that this zealous prohibition has taken away one of the main elements that kept me curling in my early 20s once juniors was done: the parties.
I hold very fond memories of tournaments such as the Glenmore Intermediate, the Kenogami spiel and even the Last Chance at Lachine. The competitive season was over, so it was time to relax, have some fun curling and drink a little too much.
The game seemed more social - and strangely think it taught me some valuable life lessons.

So here is a list of lessons learned while curling in drinking-oriented spiels:

1. No matter how drunk you get or how late you stay out - you still have to get up and play your 9AM game. If you can't do the time - don't do the crime!
2. Play hard on the ice - but drink with your opponents after.
3. Avoid drinking games with anyone from the Atlantic provinces (especially Newfoundland).
4. Be generous - buy a round now and then. Try to make sure everyone is having a good time.
5. Know your limits: especially when the evening turns to Tequilla or Vodka shooters. This lesson is usually best learned through extensive vomiting.
6. Avoid Peach Schnapps shooters at all cost. (that was an ugly night)
7. 2AM is not a good time to call an ex-girlfriend - looking to re-connect.
8. Taxi drivers do not find you as funny as you think you are.
9. Best cure for a hangover: Gatorade and McDonald's Hash Browns.

Seriously - while these may seem like trivial lessons to learn, some of the above lessons are often the basics for networking and building good relationships later in life - and even at work.
I don't think we are doing a service to juniors, or to the game when we try to make them take the game too seriously. I see more kids being sick of curling by the time they get out of juniors - less and less continue into adult curling. Not to sound like I am advocating underage drinking - I just don't think there is any value in being the booze police. Work hard - play hard. We need to teach the social side of the game as well as the technical side. Good coaches know that.

Curling in and of itself is just a game - but its the social side of it that makes it a truly great way to pass the winter.

4. Oops, I made the seniors angry:

Last blog - I made a reference to senior men being lousy at take-outs, and was taken to task by Lauren Steventon - the current provincial champ, and challenged to a peel-off.

Imagine my surprise....firstly in finding out that there are seniors who actually know what a blog is and can figure out how to use the comment button...and secondly that Lauren would have the misplaced confidence to think that he could outpeel me!
Three words Lauren:  Bring it on.


***


Look for another blog entry later this week to discuss the Brier, and that goofy kid in the M&M commercial who gets giddy over a crappy green soccer ball flag on his frozen chicken fajita.