Heh, heh. A little curling humour, there.
The kids are back in Little Rocks for the winter, so we're spending our Sunday mornings at the curling rink. Not a bad way to pass a couple hours. The coffee's cheap, the hot chocolate is free and I get some reading done. Not much, mind you, as I have one eye on the action most of the time. Wouldn't want to miss Riley making a takeout or Cammy acing a throw for shot rock.
Today was picture day, so Enos' friend, the mole, braved the slippery roads and came out to take individual pictures and a few group shots. Poor guy was out with his band last night playing a few bars and raising money for Cystic Fibrosis. He didn't remember much after midnight, arrived home in a cab around four and was at the curling club just after ten. What a trooper. Last I heard, he was heading home to his couch.
Cammy's been moved up to the regulation rocks. The coach took the best of the lot and has been working with them with the big rocks. Unfortunately, they weigh about the same as Cammy (well, it sure seems like it, anyway) and he's struggling. He asked to go back to the little rocks after break today and the smile returned to his face. It's all about having fun, after all.
Sweep!
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| Hurry! Hard! |
Remember the days when sleeping in on the weekends meant 9:30/10 o'clock? Nowadays, 8:30 is something special. You see, Riley and Cameron have joined the Little Rocks at the Omemee curling club and that starts bright and early at 9 on Sundays. They've just finished week four and I'm fairly certain that Cammy's on his way to the Brier and Ri's not far from competing at her first Tournament of Hearts. Alright, so there's a chance I've been blinded by motherly pride. I'm not too sure. I do know, however, that they're having a darn good time.
After three weeks of lessons and practice, they got down to business yesterday and played a game. Turned out to be quite a nailbiter. On end two, Cammy, playing for the blue team, was shot rock - good for one point. The crowd (aka Mum) went wild. On the third end, Ri, skipping for the red team, took out two rocks. Unfortunately, the rocks belonged to the red team. Did I mention this is only the fourth day out? Anyhoo, they're having fun out on the ice. It is a long winter, after all.
That's Cammy sweeping in the middle.
Did I mention he wears his blue
timbits shirt to school everyday?
There's Ri - lining it up.
Yesterday, was the 1st Annual Yet-To-Be-Named Bonspiel at the Omemee Curling Club. Brother Enos, who curls there a few nights a week and is on the executive, rented the building and invited a bunch of us out to give the game a try. World-class curlers descended on Omemee from all around - Toronto, Oshawa, Keene, Fraserville, Peterborough and a couple of other backwater towns. Ahem. And judging by the smiling faces, a good time was had by all.
We started out with a lesson and some practice and then came upstairs for a beer and a potluck lupper. Then, back down to the ice for a game. Teams were set up and two games took place side-by-side. The competition was fierce; the excitement palpable. Upstairs, comments were made about how consistent a shot the old coot, I mean, my Dad had. (Sorry Dad, did I say that out loud?) M
ust've been the hat. The games finished and hand-shaking took place along with the customary "good game". The only thing missing were the bagpipes.The kids had a good time too. They also started with a lesson but soon took to running the halls and playing hide-and-seek. Nolan couldn't decide whether he liked curling or hockey better and may have invented a new game in the process.
Dad called Enos today and asked if we're doing it again next year. The organizer is looking for a name for the event.
