Ladies Night

 I got a win with the team I subbed on last night. It was fun, and I really appreciate playing with and against people I hardly see. Playing with women only is different from anything else I've played. I played decent. My guard weight was okay and I had 2 really good draws when for an end our Skip had to step out to take an important phone call and I got to throw three rocks. I was feeling pretty comfortable with my draw weight. I even managed a takeout or two. I also was a sweeping machine! I wore myself and my broom out. haha. I'm on the sub list for the next two weeks, and I hope to play again. Next week they are doing a potluck afterwards, so that should be fun. :)

 My regular Monday night team got a win without me. I'm happy they won. The team they played against was a good team. And my skip had some really good shots in the clutch again. I like playing with her, and she really helps the team stay in it.

 And it turns out we won the Monday night draw!! We beat the next team overall by 2 points. So, now Monday nights are over. Whew. Now we just have to focus on the next couple of Thursdays to keep the win streak going. It's not going to be easy, but I'm excited about the challenge.

 By the way, theres still room in the Rochester International Bonspiel on April 9th & 10th. Make a team, and sign up!!

All American Event

Tonight, I am changing things up a bit. Instead of playing in my regular Monday night league, I am subbing for someone in the Ladies All American Event at the club. Each year the US Women’s Curling Association offers event winner pins to each club hosting an internal women’s bonspiel. It consists of at least three games and must be played separately from the regular league play. All players enter individually as lead, second, vice or skip. The teams are then randomly picked so that every team is evenly matched. It will be held this year on the following Monday’s at 6pm. March 28th, April 4th and April 11th.

(If my Monday night drawmaster is reading this - fear not, Bob has a sub for our team tonight.)

 This will be my first time playing in a ladies only event, and I just wanted to try something different. I think my Monday night team can survive without me. hehe. Now, I know in reality I *could* have played in both games tonight, but...haha. I'm not that interested in winning a pin, I just wanted to try something different, and play with and against women I don't regularly see. It should be fun.

Thursdays are nice on the ice

My Thursday night team is awesome. We won last Thursday, 10-2 in 5 ends. Sweet. Our first end, we scored 5!! Kind of fun. haha. Aside from some of our shots taking CRAZY hard turns on the ice, it was a good game. Once again, our skip kept track of our shots:

	3/10/2011	3/17/2011	3/24/2011
Lead(Me)	50.00%	79.70%	70.00%
2nd	31.20%	56.20%	47.50%
Vice	66.70%	62.50%	67.50%
Skip	75.00%	76.60%	75.00%

 If I continue to stay in the 70s or a little higher, I'll be happy. I'm feeling more comfortable with adjusting my delivery to accommodate the different weights I need. This is something I've been trying to improve ever since our Toronto team got together. It's tough to be consistent right now, but I hope to be much better at it next year. I like my Thursday night team, each time we play together I learn a little more from my teammates, which helps me a lot. The four of us signed up for the RIB together, so I'm really looking forward to that bonspiel.

 Next weekend the Yinzers come to town for the Pittsburgh friendly. The husband and I signed up, and we both are looking forward to it. Judging by this pic they put on their website, they seem excited too:

 If anyone from the 'Burgh is reading this, bring up some Primanti Bros sandwiches! Oh, and some of those angry face brownies from Kings, and the black and gold smiley face cookies from Eat & Park. haha, you can tell the husband and I enjoy our trips to Pittsburgh.

Ugh

 Don't really have much to say. Last night was Monday night open league with the Toronto team. We lost, 5-3 in 8 ends. Everyone pretty much sucked in one way or another. Since the husband and I were coming off the long weekend in Toronto, and spent a lot of time over-indulging in food and drink, it was rough. And at some point, I just stopped caring. I know that sounds bad, but I was totally beat from the weekend. If we go again next year, we'll have to do something different.

                                       How I feel this morning -->  

East York Spring Thaw Bonspiel

A heavy guard with the 7 rock accidentally promoted Tim Fitzpatrick's squad into a tie game, necessitating a Last Shot Draw to determine the winner.  Team captain Lauren Bond stepped into the hack needing only to touch the 8 foot for the win.  Not only did she come through, but her draw touched the large button, propelling Team Bond to their second straight victory and a 2-1 record on the day.

It was quite a day of curling at the old East York Sports Centre.  24 teams from clubs such as Leaside, Dixie, Oshawa, Royals, and of course East York battled it out in an incredibly friendly event.  Our day began and ended on the Bloor-Danforth subway line, over 12 hours apart, broom bags in hand.  Here are some of the notables and highlights from a long day of curling, eating, and making new Canadian friends.

Our good fortune began at the Woodbine Subway/Bus terminal where we were immediately on a northbound 91 bus after ascending from the depths.  A short walk down Cosburn Avenue past charming bungalows (that run for $300K and up!) and the ballfields of Stan Wadlow Park was the final leg of a journey that started at the corner of Mt. Hope and Elmwood Avenues a day earlier.

The interior of the municipally owned club was quite the place.  Angled glass looks out over six sheets of curling paradise as an all-wood cathedral ceiling looms over the proceedings.  The lounge is quite inviting, featuring bar and kitchen areas at opposite sides of the room, a fireplace above which hangs a 52" flatscreen, and a piano for the musically inclined.  The basement of the split level mid-60's edifice houses additional lounges and locker rooms (with lockers the shape of Idaho such that one can store brooms) as well as the ice shed entry.

De facto Team USA in this event (Pete Fenson and Erika Brown couldn't make it) consisted of Tia at Lead and John Iuranich at Second.  Due to the restrictions on mixed team stone order, Lauren Bond threw third while I was privileged to wield the hammer.  We took to sheet 4 at 10:40 for our second draw matchup against the exceptional Carol Wheeler team.  After dodging a bullet in the first end in which Wheeler had the hammer and an opportunity to score three-to-four points, our team fell into a pattern of near-misses that saw us fall behind 4-0 after 4 ends.  A fourth steal, this time of three, put the nail in our coffin, but we regrouped for what was at the time our 'winning the Super Bowl' moment.  An outside narrowly guarded hit and stay for one allowed us to avoid the ignominy of a shutout and provided a boost of spirit heading into the lunch break.

Our early afternoon showdown pitted us against Elana Sone's East York rink.  The sequence of shots largely eludes me in this battle until we fast-forward to the 6th end.  Tasked with defending a 5-3 lead in the final end without the last rock, we annihilated the house from start to finish.  Tia did a tremendous job of setting a table that saw rocks four abreast at top four foot depth at one point.  After a 7 rock takeout, the math was in our favor, and victory was assured. 

 

The high drama at the end of Game 3 was made possible by a stunning chain of events.  Salty snacks, booze, and fatigue conspired to send Team Bond sleepwalking into their final matchup with Fitzpatrick's legion.  Before we knew it, we had surrendered a steal of five.  A double takeout and stay for one in the 2nd seemed like little consolation as it ensured a 6-1 deficit after three ends.  A clutch draw into the eight-foot without backing for three in the fourth made it a contest, and the ability to get up a pair of guards forced the opposition into a pair of mistakes, setting the stage for a very sloppy final end and the pressure-packed finale.

In all, we had a tremendous time and a very unique experience in this installment of our seemingly bi-annual Toronto mini-vacations.  Bela Szabo, event coordinator, did an excellent job ensuring that the event ran smoothly.  We are likely to go back to East York every year and hopefully we can persuade some other Rochester teams to make the trip.

Two out of three ain't bad

 So Team Bond from Rochester played well at the East York Curling Club Spring Thaw bonspiel. We started off a little shaky, but were able to regroup and win 2 games!!

 But since I am too sore, tired, and a little hungover right now, I have asked the husband to step in and be a guest blogger tonight.

 I will say this though, the people from East York Curling are awesome. And really genuinely nice. We had a ton of fun, and met some really great people. They really know how to throw a party here, and I'm looking forward to next years Spring Thaw!!

Take it away, Bob. :)

Time to shut down and pack for Toronto

 We board the train this afternoon for the True North. We have internet access at the hotel, so I'll be able to post about our time at the East York Curling Club. Should be a fun weekend!!!