Us with the Hot Chillys Turtle. (I look silly).
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Broomstones Junior Spiel
Also - I think it's a true testimony to the TOTAL DOMINATION of our team that three out of three (ALL) who played in the Broomstones Junior Bonspiel this past weekend were in the finals. Unfortunately Nikki chose the wrong team.
Us with the Hot Chillys Turtle. (I look silly).
Us with the Hot Chillys Turtle. (I look silly).
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The New Shoe Dilemma
On a slight side track from the extremely eventful and exciting lifestyle of a junior curler on Team Walker...
The team decided to purchase new shoes this season for a couple reasons -- mostly because our beloved balanceplus were worn out to the point of disrepair. Instead of sending them back to the manufacturer as we most likely will eventually do, we decided investing in a new pair might be the safest track to take. Well, this turned out to be a poor decision.
First of all we went through our "club store" which went through Steve's Curling Supplies so as to avoid extra customs fees. Good plan, except balanceplus was "backordered" for the deluxe shoe for about three months or something, so we JUST got the shoes we ordered back at the end of the summer. (and to make things more difficult, Jillian's shoes weren't even ordered with the original shipping, but that's a whole different story).
Now I would be completely fine paying 300 dollars for shoes AND waiting a long time for them -- they are good shoes, probably the best and since I dislike other brands, my next option would be to make my own curling shoe -- BUT while practicing for the first time in them today, I discovered that my gripping foot sole is already wearing away. Not only that but Nikki and Laura's have been as well. Now wait a minute, wasn't this the reason we bought new shoes in the first place, because our old ones were falling apart? Needless to say, I don't recommend buying balanceplus shoes at the moment, at least until they "fix" (as I'm hoping they will) this problem of weak plastic or whatever it is on the bottom of the shoe. Until then I'm three hundred dollars poorer and unhappy about it.
On a more positive note - Team Walker has a full practice schedule in store for the Thanksgiving break. We are all home! And we will be gearing up for the Morgan Stanley Cash in Madison next weekend as there is a certain team that we would really like to beat!
The team decided to purchase new shoes this season for a couple reasons -- mostly because our beloved balanceplus were worn out to the point of disrepair. Instead of sending them back to the manufacturer as we most likely will eventually do, we decided investing in a new pair might be the safest track to take. Well, this turned out to be a poor decision.
First of all we went through our "club store" which went through Steve's Curling Supplies so as to avoid extra customs fees. Good plan, except balanceplus was "backordered" for the deluxe shoe for about three months or something, so we JUST got the shoes we ordered back at the end of the summer. (and to make things more difficult, Jillian's shoes weren't even ordered with the original shipping, but that's a whole different story).
Now I would be completely fine paying 300 dollars for shoes AND waiting a long time for them -- they are good shoes, probably the best and since I dislike other brands, my next option would be to make my own curling shoe -- BUT while practicing for the first time in them today, I discovered that my gripping foot sole is already wearing away. Not only that but Nikki and Laura's have been as well. Now wait a minute, wasn't this the reason we bought new shoes in the first place, because our old ones were falling apart? Needless to say, I don't recommend buying balanceplus shoes at the moment, at least until they "fix" (as I'm hoping they will) this problem of weak plastic or whatever it is on the bottom of the shoe. Until then I'm three hundred dollars poorer and unhappy about it.
On a more positive note - Team Walker has a full practice schedule in store for the Thanksgiving break. We are all home! And we will be gearing up for the Morgan Stanley Cash in Madison next weekend as there is a certain team that we would really like to beat!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Ottawa
Well, we ended up 0-4 at the OVCA Junior Superspiel. We've decided that the event must be cursed, as we are 0-8 at it. We started the weekend off with an 8am game at the City View Curling Club against a team from Newfoundland skipped by Julie Devereaux, who played lead for the Canadian Junior National Team that finished second at the junior worlds. We played moderately well this game, although we struggled with the ice which was covered in fuzzy black fabric from the other team's new socks. The game went to the last rock, an open hit by Devereaux to win 5-4.
Next we took on the Julia Weagle rink of Ottawa, again at City View. We played this team last year, losing in an extra end in our first game of the spiel. This time we struggled with the ice, losing 3-7. Next we played the Samantha Davis rink of Quebec at the Granite Curling Club. Again, the ice played a big role in the decision of the game. Karyn described the game as a "slugfest," which is completely appropriate, as the ice was around 22 seconds for the whole game. The first team to get to the four foot usually scored in any given end. We lost 7-2, which dropped us into the Consolation event, and our first game against boys this season. We took on the Mark Fleischhaker rink of Ottawa at the Carleton Heights Curling Club. Although we lost 5-2, we worked alot of things out in this game, ending the weekend on a (relative) high note.
The American guys enjoyed a bit more success this weekend, qualifying for the championship round, and losing in the semi-finals.
Here are a few pictures from the event, enjoy!
Before our game against Samantha Davis at Granite Curling Club. Check out our new uniforms! Thanks Swervepoint and Hot Chillys!
Filling our plates at the Saturday night banquet at the Granite Curling Club.
In the car, exploring Ottawa, the Capital City!
Canadian Parliament:
Laura and I found some random modern artwork in the middle of a field----
Next we took on the Julia Weagle rink of Ottawa, again at City View. We played this team last year, losing in an extra end in our first game of the spiel. This time we struggled with the ice, losing 3-7. Next we played the Samantha Davis rink of Quebec at the Granite Curling Club. Again, the ice played a big role in the decision of the game. Karyn described the game as a "slugfest," which is completely appropriate, as the ice was around 22 seconds for the whole game. The first team to get to the four foot usually scored in any given end. We lost 7-2, which dropped us into the Consolation event, and our first game against boys this season. We took on the Mark Fleischhaker rink of Ottawa at the Carleton Heights Curling Club. Although we lost 5-2, we worked alot of things out in this game, ending the weekend on a (relative) high note.
The American guys enjoyed a bit more success this weekend, qualifying for the championship round, and losing in the semi-finals.
Here are a few pictures from the event, enjoy!
Before our game against Samantha Davis at Granite Curling Club. Check out our new uniforms! Thanks Swervepoint and Hot Chillys!
Filling our plates at the Saturday night banquet at the Granite Curling Club.
In the car, exploring Ottawa, the Capital City!
Canadian Parliament:
Laura and I found some random modern artwork in the middle of a field----
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Ottawa thus far
Well, it's been a pretty rough weekend so far... we are 0 and 3. There's no excuse for it really, other than sucking, and having a lot of other things going on in our lives that might make it more difficult to stay focused.
Win or lose, fun or no fun, I still love the way it feels to throw a curling rock, so at this point, I'm going to run with that.
Win or lose, fun or no fun, I still love the way it feels to throw a curling rock, so at this point, I'm going to run with that.
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