Dear Diary: Rye and Sushi don't mix well

I just got back from a long and sadly unfruitful weekend of curling in Gatineau, at the Chateau Cartier Challenge. In my ongoing efforts to provide my cherished readers of what it is actually like to be a competitive curler, here is a recounting of our adventures in curling, as experienced by me.

Dear Diary:

Thursday 8:30am: Departure from my house in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue: We pile into Francois’s vintage Jeep Patriot and hit the road.

Thursday 8:40 am: first of many breakfasts at Tim Horton’s. I think I spend enough at Tim’s during the season to actually buy a Tim’s franchise.

Thursday 11am: Arrival at arena for 1^st game, against Marty Ferland. Feeling intimidated by Ferland’s fancy matching jackets and shirts, that kinda look like a cross between Star Trek costumes and a Green plastic tablecloth. Game summary: They kicked the crap out of us.

 Thursday 2PM:  Check into Chateau Cartier: Likely the nicest hotel we will be staying at this year. It has a pool, a eucalyptus sauna and a gym.

Thursday 7PM: Game 2 against former teammate Simon Lejour. This time it was our turn to administer an arse-kicking; apart from a few early scares the game was never really close.

Thursday night: Very little socializing. Post game snack at McDonalds, then straight to bed. (not sure why, but I love the Monopoly promotion that McDo’s has this time of year. If only I can collect Boardwalk, I can sponsor the team forever!)     

Friday 11am: arrival at Arena for game 3, this time against Eddie Mackenzie from PEI. Despite Eddie curling 100% on every draw he threw, we still pull out a convincing win, and move to 2-1. Funny to watch my mostly French-speaking teammates try to understand Eddie, who speaks in a very Maritime accent that sometimes vaguely resembles English.

Friday 1:30PM: Team lunch at Subway, another curling weekend staple food. Curling weekends usually consist of trying to find food that will fill you up while not making you feel crappy while sweeping. 

Friday 4PM: Game 4 versus Howard Rahala. Definitely our most eventful game of the weekend. After getting dominated most of the game, we pull a steal of 4 out of nowhere in the 7^th end to win. After I made my last shot in 7, every skip on the ice winced at the situation Howard was in, much the same way that men wince when watching another man get kicked in the balls. We move to 3-1, and play in the b-semis later that night.

Friday 8PM: Team dinner at Sushi shop. Collectively we eat 100 pieces of sushi. I ate so much sushi, I was peeing soya sauce. JF almost dies after eating a chunk of Wasabi.

Friday 10PM: Game 5 versus JM Menard. With sushi in belly, we win in 6 ends, after taking a nice 3-ender in 5 and then stealing in 6. Definitely feeling good despite the sushi hangover. Consume a number of post-game ryes with JM, telling crazy stories until 2am about curling against the bombastic Park brothers.  No need for post-game McDonalds snack, sushi still swimming in belly.

Saturday 8am: Wake up early, excited to play. We have a 10:45 game against Greg Balsdon, a solid team from Ontario, the winner qualifies for Sunday and earns $3500. The loser gets a second chance.

Saturday 10:30am:  Scary moment: Near death experience in locker room, as beer, rye and sushi have combined to create a potent intestinal weapon that results in a vile brown cloud filling the locker room, forcing evacuation.

Saturday 11am: Game 6 versus the one they call Ballsy. The game starts badly. The first two ends are about survival. I make a hit and stick to give him a steal in 1, and make a crazy Hail-Mary draw against 5 in 2 to keep us on the ice. We give up a cheap deuce in 3, take 1 back in 4. The 5^th end was our demise; Ballsy makes a 15-foot slash with a corner guard to take 3 and put the game pretty much out of reach. Damn.  Fortunately, we get a 2^nd chance at the $3500, at 10PM.

Our opponents at 10 are Mark Kean, a sharp young team from Ontario. Not one of them was yet born when I started curling.  I feel old. And 10PM is past my bedtime.

Saturday 10PM: Game 7: The game starts badly, then gets worse. We give up a crappy 3 in the first end. Then we play a very bad 2^nd end, but I save the day with a nice come around tap on my first shot - except Kean makes a better shot; an insane wide draw through a port to freeze his rock on the edge of the button to steal. Bastard. Down 4-0 after 2. We play a very good 3^rd end, and I miss a tough shot for 4 by about ½ an inch. Argh. Kean makes a brilliant tap to the button against 2 in 4, and our evening is pretty much done.  We gamble and lose in the 5^th, and it’s handshakes for all. Our weekend is done.

Saturday midnight: Start consuming a few adult beverages, to remove the sting of defeat. Fortunately, a number of people are sympathetic to my plight; I use my considerable charm and guile to scam a few drink tickets and free drinks off of others to successfully drown sorrows in Crown Royal at a minimal cost. We return to hotel, and consume the remainder of a case of beer purchased earlier.

Saturday 2:30AM: Can’t help but hear a party in an adjacent room at the hotel. Amazingly, 20 curlers are still up drinking and partying well past 3AM. I will not mention names to protect the guilty, but suffice it say that many were curling at 9am the next morning. Good to see some teams still placing value on the social aspect of the game.  My presence is at party is essential to do some simultaneous translation for my teammates.

Sunday at 10am. Wake up. Go home. Of course, only after a breakfast at Tim Horton’s. Back at it next weekend in Chicoutimi.

Your Pet Seal Named Chris Missed the Broom

Okay, first of all my apologies for not blogging for almost a month now. Having three kids, a job, a wife and trying to curl competitively is a bit like trying to drive while talking on your cell phone, eating a hamburger, texting and changing your socks at the same time. My usual hours dedicated to blogging have recently been spent passed out.

 So what have I missed? Well, there has been some curling.

So far, a few teams are somewhat hot in the competitive world, although nobody seems to be on fire.

- JM Ménard and friends are off to a good start, having won a few bucks at a very tough Shorty Jenkins cashspiel and the Mac Ice Classic.

- MF Larouche has won already, and has looked somewhat dominant so far in Quebec.

- Pierre Charette’s senior team has won more money already than most men’s teams.

- Lemay and Ferly have each won an Open, but not much else.

- Guy Hemmings (back after a year off) qualified in a tough spiel in Toronto, playing with Francois Gagné.

- The rest of the teams are off to a relatively slow start.

***

 

My new team has played well so far, having lost the semis at the Mac Ice to the eventual winner. Still early, but I like what I see so far! However, I am having to learn how to curl and call sweeping in French. It does not sound natural so far. Here is what I have picked up so far, with the English translation for my out of province readers:

“Y’a de la place en masse, stie!” (Room)

“La ligne est sublime” (Line is good – learned this one from Robert Desjardins!)

"T'étais tight en calisse" (You were just a bit inside) 

“T’as manqué le crisse de balai, Phoque” (Your pet seal named Chris missed the broom)

“On est dans marde, tabernak.” (I do not see an easy shot for us to escape from this difficult situation)

“Arrête de regarder la fille avec les belles fesses sur la glace à côté". (Perhaps you should direct your attention to our game, and not the adjoining sheet)

(note - surprisingly I did not take this picture)

 

Live and learn.

The next few weeks offer some more interesting curling, like the Gatineau Chateau Cartier Challenge, featuring most of the top teams in Eastern Canada.  This is followed by the Circuit Provincial finals. After these two events, you can usually figure out who is going to be fighting for the top of the money tour.

*** 

The Last Mixed:

The CCA has announced its new format for the Mixed Nationals; it will eventually be replaced by the Mixed Doubles format, the first event being held this year in Leduc, Alberta in the spring. I am not sure if there will be another Mixed Provincial championship this year, or if I am the last Quebec Mixed champion. I assume CQ will follow the CCA, which means there might be one more, as there is a Mixed National championship planned for November 2013 in Ottawa.

The CCA is doing this to accommodate The World Curling people, who seem to think that mixed doubles is a good idea. (I always though Mixed Doubles was what you ordered at the bar after a tough loss). They are trying to have mixed doubles included as an Olympic Sport in 2018, and ensuring solid Canadian participation has become a priority.

For those of you who have never played a game of mixed doubles (which includes me!), mixed doubles is a little bit like real curling, only sillier. Each team throws five rocks per end, and two rocks are already placed in front or in the rings before each end starts. You sweep your own stones, and are still encouraged to yell.  It’s kind of like curling-“light”. Kind of like having NFL players playing flag football, or watching the PGA tour playing at a pitch-and-putt. It seems like a game that I would play for practice.

It all seems like an inglorious end to Mixed curling in Canada. The Mixed has served as a proving ground for some of the game’s biggest names, who obtained National-level experience at the Mixed before going on to Brier or Scotties success. Eve Bélisle, Guy Hemmings, Jean-Michel Ménard, Pierre Charette come to mind in Quebec, all having won the Mixed prior to their National success. I understand the desire to comply with World standards, I just think we should have more power to change the standards. As much as I would like to see another sport where Canada could medal, Mixed Doubles has no more place at the Olympics than Ice Fishing.

I don’t like being a naysayer, or a guy who is against change, but this seems like a bad one to me. However, I have to admit, the Mixed as an event no longer seems to attract the same quality of teams and players as it did a while back.

 

***

 

No Hockey?

So amazingly the NHL and Players union have once again conspired to shut down hockey for a while. I never understand how not playing is better than playing while negotiating a settlement. What is achieved by reaching a deal only after a lockout? I think a movement should be started to boycott the first game back. Not the season, not a week, just the first game. Teach these guys a lesson. Make them play in front of an empty arena, at least once, if only for their first game back. Remind them that we are the ones paying for all of this. Otherwise, the next lockout/strike will only be a few years away.

Just a dream – of course they will be welcomed back with full arenas and countless masses paying $200 for their authentic Colby Armstrong jersey. Blech.

 

Planes, Trains and Curling Clubs

It’s the most wonderful time of the year...

Seriously, I have no people how people who do not curl keep from falling into a deep state of depression at the end of the summer. If I did not curl, I would be in the process of putting away my golf clubs, winterizing my house,  working,  and raking f%?king leaves for 2 months. How depressing! How do you non-curlers survive September, October and November in Canada?

I spend this time of year making schedules and team budgets, daydreaming about my next big game and calling the curling club to see if Karl the Iceman is finished making ice yet. (He is not until the 21^st of September – grrrr).

So anything big happen over the summer?

The Slams are back on TV! 

The WCT and Sportsnet/CBC inked a deal that will result in the Slams being covered up the wazoo for the foreseeable future. Big kudos to Pierre “the Genius” Charrette, who made this deal happen. Pierre has done more for competitive curling in this country than anyone I can think of.

New Marco in charge of Curling Quebec

Marco Ferraro has become the new head of Curling Quebec, replacing Marco Berthelot who left earlier this summer. The New Marco is a great addition. He is a salesman at heart, and will need to be to sell curling to the media, to sponsors and to the masses. His biggest challenge will be to not get bogged down and discouraged by the constant complaining and bitching that Quebec curlers have been doing lately (albeit sometimes legitimately).

Changes to Quebec Provincials

Well the triple knockout experiment lasted 1 year, and now CQ has gone back to round robins for all of its big championships. I think this is a positive – let’s hope they run a quality event this season. The Men’s and Women’s will be held in Victoriaville, presumably in an arena. I was one of the guys who was in favour of the triple, but I will admit it seems to have been a mistake.

As for the Mixed, I believe I am the last Quebec Mixed Team champion, as the event will be replaced by a Mixed Doubles provincial, to align with the National and World championships.

Changes to the Brier and Scotties:

Canada’s National men’s and women’s championships, as expected, have introduced the concept of relegation and added spots for all three Territories. As of next year, the 4 crappiest provinces/territories from the year before will have to play down in a pre-Brier in order to make it to the show. Because that is just what the Brier needed: more teams from the Territories! (with all due respect to Jamie Koe). They will also introduce a Team Canada at the Brier, which will allow us to see some another Team from Ontario, Alberta or Winnipeg at the Brier.

Call me a purist, but I don’t get why they would mess with an event that is so rich in tradition. Plus this is going to really suck for a team that wins its province, and then does not get to go to the Brier because some douchebag partied too hard and finished last the year before.

Local Competitive Scene

Not a lot of big changes this year on the men’s side. Jean Michel’s team, team Ferly, Team Super Bob (Desjardins), Team Big Phil (Lemay), are all back for another kick at the Brier and glory. JM is also trying to make an Olympic Qualifier spot I guess, as are the other guys.

My new team of guys from the Saguenay will make our first appearance as a team in a couple of weeks at the Memorial in Laviolette. Should be fun...except the guys have informed me that due to team budget restraints, we will be sharing one hotel room as a team until we win some cash.

 Talk about pressure: win some money, or else I will have to spoon with Yannick Martel!  Here is a scene of what I expect it to be like:

Scene from Planes, Trains and Automobiles

On the women’s side (where teams regularly share 1 room, at least in my imagination), Marie-France is back with year good young team that kicked ass at last year’s Scotties. Other than that, have not heard much, will know more once I get back into curling clubs.

 

***

 

This is not a political blog - so you will not get a comment out of me on the recent Quebec election.

But I will say Quebec could use a little more curling in its politics:

In curling, we can fight fiercely on the ice, then we shake hands, and head to the bar and drink with our opponents, realizing through our love of the game that we have a lot in common that transcends language, politics and culture. 

Too many of our politicians (on both sides), try to get elected by reminding us of what divides us - of what makes us different, making us lose sight of the big picture.

To them, I say:  "Viens avec moi au bar, on va prendre 2 grosses bières!"

If this approach can make me feel better after giving up a three in the last end to lose a tight game, then it surely can help fix our embittered province. 

 

 

 

 

A Midsummer's Night .... curling blog?

What is wrong with me? It is 29 degrees. Swarms of nubile young scantily-clad female office workers fill terraces, there is quality soccer on TV, ... and I am thinking about curling. Clearly I have some sort of mental deficiency.

How to grow curling in Montreal / Quebec

My regular readers clearly know that this subject has appeared more than a few times in my blogs over the past years. How is it that a sport that does so well in terms of TV ratings and media attention can be doing so poorly in terms of participation in Montreal?

My idea: the Mike Fournier Curling Center

Last month, I was sitting at the Macolm-Knox swimming Center in Pointe Claire watching my 4 year-old daughter ignoring her swimming teacher. For those who do not know, the Macolm-Knox Swimming complex is the Mecca for competitive swimmers in western Montreal. It houses 2 50m pools, 2 kids learning pools and a 10m diving platform. The complex also features a gym with exercise equipment. It is the training home of a number of current and future Olympic swimmers and divers. It is bright, modern and makes you want to get in the water and swim a few lengths.

I think curling needs a center like this. While I love curling clubs, to the newcomer to the game they must seem like antiquated relics of an unwelcoming sport. The clubs are usually staffed by well-meaning volunteers who don coloured jackets. The sport feels old. No new club has been built in Montreal since Boucherville curling club was built around 20 years ago.

We need the Mike Fournier Curling Center (it’s my idea – I get to name it), located somewhere in Montreal. It will have 6 sheets. It will have a bar. It will have a gym. It will have a play area for kids. It will house the offices of curling Quebec. We will call it an Olympic Training facility, and seek government $$$ to build it. We will run a junior development program with a minimum of 500 kids. It will be new and shiny, the kind of place you want to go to. It will become a semi-permanent home for all major provincial championships, and a WCT event to boot. There will be no coloured blazers, no pictures of the f*&%ing queen, no musty carpeting. A center to take curling into the 21^st century.

I can already think of 10 reasons why this would not work – so don’t bother writing me comments telling me why this is a shitty idea. Its summer time. Let’s dream a little. How does this work?

++++

 

Just to confirm, for those who have not heard – I am curling men’s next year with 3 lads from the Sag: Francois, Yannick and Jean-Francois. I believe this makes me an honourary Bleuet (the name from someone from the Saguenay). Since joining the team, I now mock any male who orders beer in a size smaller than a quart, I now mock people who come from “la grosse ville” and I will start training now for the Traversée du Lac St-Jean (which will be hard because I currently can’t complete the Traversée de la Public Pool without stopping halfway).

+++++

In other news, Marco Berthelot is no longer at Curling Quebec, having left for a position at Sport-Quebec. His successor has yet to be named. So if you want to apply for an underpaying, underappreciated and over-worked role where you can experience the joy of being given shit from every possible age group and demographic, please send your cv to Claudine at Curling Quebec.  

Seriously, a big thanks goes out to Marco who gave a lot of himself to this job. You can agree or disagree with the decisions he made while in his role, but nobody should ever question his dedication for the sport and the passion with which he promoted it.

++++

OK – not at all related to curling - I just cannot get behind the student protesters this summer in Montreal. And its not from lack of trying. I actually agree with most of the values they are representing:

·         Access to quality education for all
·         Access to a University Education for all regardless of income level
·         Not saddling students with an unmanageable student debt

All of these seem fair to me. I am proud to live in a province that places such a high value on the accessibility to higher education. Where they lose me is their unwillingness to pay a little bit more. An increase that will still leave students paying far less than any other province in Canada spread over 7 years doesn’t seem to me to be an act of war. It actually seems kinda fair, given the ridiculous tax burden that the rest of us are paying. And the bursary program for lower-income students means that the increase mostly affects kids who can most afford it.  I always say you have to choose your battles in life, and this is not one I can get behind.

Having said that – Johnny Charest and friends have done the worst PR job in the history of spin, and somehow have managed to make themselves look like assholes on an issue where I think most people agreed with them, at least at the start. Maybe he should get a blog.

"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!!!

Brier recap - and So Long to K-Y

Thus ends another Brier. Here are some thoughts:

- Glenn Howard wins, as expected. The final itself was a perfect Sunday night final –free of any drama or excitement that would cause you to have any difficulty sleeping. SportsCenter on TSN described the game as a narrow 7-6 victory that came down to last stone. Were they watching the same game? This one was never close. It never felt close. It was a complete domination.

- The bronze medal game is here to stay. This year featured a game with two teams who looked like wanted to be there. There was less pressure, great shot-making – and it resulted in by far the most entertaining game of the weekend. This was what the bronze medal game should be!

 - Now that the Brier is over, Rob Fowler can get back to his day job: professional Matthew Perry impersonator.

- Best line from the Brier: Wayne Middaugh to Glenn Howard, after finding out that there were only a few inches of separation between two stones, and not the six inches that he was told by the front end: “Well, I guess everybody has a different idea of what 6 inches is.”

-It was fun to see the contrast between Team Howard and Team Koe – two teams on the opposite end of the intensity spectrum. The strength of Team Howard to me has always been their ability to stay loose and focussed, making jokes and not taking themselves too seriously. Team Koe on the other hand barely cracked a smile for 3 hours. I am not saying one style works better than the other - both styles can work – but you need to find teammates that share the same approach as you. I am definitely more of a Team Howard kinda guy – and when I have played with super-intense serious guys it usually results in disaster. It’s Lee Trevino vs. Jack Nicklaus, or Rory McIlroy vs. Tiger Woods if you prefer a more up-to-date comparison.  

- I will claim responsibility for the Gazette devoting some ink to Brier coverage this weekend, as surprisingly many of you took the time to scribble a note to our esteemed local purveyor of news. Now we just need to get them to cover the local curling scene a bit better! (thanks for cc'ing me to those who took the time!)

 ***

I am completely out of the loop this year as far as which teams are changing and which are sticking together. All I know is my phone has not been ringing off the wall with offers (still waiting for the Jeff Stoughton call). This being Quebec, I can’t imagine all the teams will be sticking it out. Usually Quebec teams get changed more often than my 1-month old daughter (and often for the same reason: can’t stand the smell anymore).  

Usually the guy who goes to the Brier is the one team that does not change – although even that was proven wrong last season. Of course everybody knows that the key to being a great team is to stick together – like Martin, Howard, Koe who have more or less kept the same teams over the past 5-6 years. But the temptation to try something new – to catch lightning in a bottle is too great for many.

 ***

I lost a curling friend of mine this week, rather unexpectedly. Kevin Yerbury, a man so smooth and easy-going that his nickname was K-Y, passed away Brier Sunday at the tender young age of 52. I have curled with/against Kevin for over 20 years, first at Lachine, then Glenmore. He was a fun, big-hearted guy with a smile that was almost as wide as is outurn usually was.

My best Kevin Story was getting snowed in at Lachine CC after a Calcutta or something in a crazy March blizzard with about dozen people.   We ended up spending the night at the curling club until a plow came by at around 6am to “rescue” us.

Kevin’s passing certainly caused me to stop and reflect. It’s easy to put off our goals and dreams, thinking we can get back to them when we have more time. Glenn Howard is pushing 50, and still trying to get to the Olympics. Kevin was 52 and looking forward to curling in seniors. Moral of the story: don’t put anything big off. Do it now – there might not be a later.