THANK YOU!

We want to take the time to let you know how much we appreciate all of the support our entire club has given us for the past five years.

For the people that do not know, five years ago we were initiated into the competitive world of curling through the Broomstones JET program. This program was started by a group of curlers who wanted to share all of their knowledge about the sport of curling with the youth at the club. They spent hours working with us on our deliveries and communication on the ice. They also touched on the mental aspect which was a big part of our team’s success. Another thing that they taught us was how to look for help within the Broomstones community. This led us to finding our coach, Karyn Cousins, who has given infinite amounts of time and energy to our team.

After deciding we wanted to be a competitive team, we joined the President’s League. We are so thankful for all of the people who treated us as adults, even though we were all still in high school. This experience really helped us to grow into mature curlers. Because of our experience in the adult leagues at Broomstones, we were able to acquire curling etiquette that could not just simply be taught. We have learned how to carry ourselves in an adult environment and it was mainly due to all of you. There were many games when we came off the ice and as we were sitting at the tables behind the glass, our opponents would go over certain scenarios with us telling us what they would have called. This helped us to see a game through an experienced curler’s eye and we are very grateful for that.

The support didn’t stop there. You have helped to finance our very expensive season. As many of you know, it is hard being from the East, always having to book those expensive Northwest flights out to the Midwest. These flights were necessary for us to get to the level that we did, and it is because of you that those trips were possible for us. Starting with the dinners we sold during derby and ending with the fund established by Sam Williams (and many other events in between) you have all been so generous and have made it easier for us to be able to go out on the ice and just worry about curling.
For the past four years at nationals, our fan mail inbox has been filled with numerous emails from members of this great club. At our first nationals it was difficult to see huge Wisconsin cheering sections versus our small (but amazing) group of parents. Those emails meant a lot because it made us feel that although we may not have had as many people out on the ice, there were many people there in spirit. It has really helped to make our experiences even greater.

We also wanted to thank everyone else from around the country who has been there for us. It's nice to know that whenever we travel, we are able see some friendly faces, no matter how far from home we are. You have made the past few years unforgettable and our experiences would not have been as wonderful without you.

We are all so proud to be from such an amazing club. In all of our travels, we have been to many clubs around the United States but we have yet to visit a club that is as warm and compassionate as Broomstones. We are convinced that no such club exists. Although Team Walker will be taking a break, we will still bring everything that we have learned from you with us everywhere we go. We hope that you continue to support the youth at the club so that others can experience the same opportunities we had. Broomstones is filled with so many caring people who give so much and never look for recognition. We really want everyone to know that you do mean so much to us and that we know that we would not be where we are now if it wasn’t for you. You all have so much knowledge about the game, and life, that you have shared with us. Because of you, not only have we become better curlers, we have also become better people.

Thank you!

Monica Walker, Laura Hallisey, Nikki Rossetti, and Jillian Walker

Game 6 - Alaska & Game 7 - Illinois

We won both our games yesterday! Both were a little sloppy, the Illinois team played extremely well and it came right down to the last end. Now that we have ALL our bad shots out, we're ready to play hard today, just one game at a time.

Shoot us an email at teamwalker@usacurl.org

Game 5 - Wisconsin II

Briefly... we beat Wisconsin II yesterday at four. We had a nice, solid game and hope to continue with this level of play. More later...

Games 3 & 4 - Minn 2 and North Dakota

We lost against Minnesota II yesterday afternoon but came back and demolished North Dakota in the evening. One game showed us at our worst, the other much improved. We decided to wear kilts for the rest of the competition.

The highlight of the day (besides playing well) had to be our late night trip to Wendy's. You can get pretty much anything you might desire with any kind of dipping sauce possible. And since the "strip" that the curling club and the hotel are on only has fast food, we are experiencing true American culture and cuisine at the very heart of the country! What else could be better?

We haven't been able to check our fanmail because for some reason the USCA website doesn't work at the hotel (?). But thank you if you've sent some, hopefully we'll get to that at the club today.

Game 2 - Utah

We got off to a bit of a shaky start this afternoon - I missed my second shot for four ends in a row, but after the fifth end break we got it together and made a great comeback, kept them to one, took two and then did what we do best... steal, to tie it up in the tenth and go into an extra end. Then we had some great team shots to get one into the four foot and ended up stealing the eleventh for the win. Utah played great, but I think our experience and patience as a team pulled us through in the long run. We wish them the best of luck for the rest of the week.

Here are a few pictures from Opening Ceremonies.

Game 1 - Pennsylvania

It doesn't look like the USCA website is up at the moment, but you can check our standings at www.portagejuniornationals.com or email us at teamwalker@usacurl.org

We won against Pennsylvania girls last night without too much difficulty, although the game was a bit sloppy and I'll be happy to move on from it and get into the real competition. The ice seemed to begin to lose its pebble real early in the game and by the end there were spots more worn down than others and one straight spot that I can remember. Other than that, the ice seems really good, and it's just one game at a time.

We play Utah at noon today, so I need to go jump on the bed about that. Email us.

por... TAGE

I have to say, I had a little bit of a scare when I woke up this morning (Friday.. i.e. the day before Nationals) to pouring rain and high winds in Boston, and a snowstorm in Milwaukee. We have the worst luck in history when it comes to traveling and weather and this time was no different -- the Philadelphia flight to Madison was canceled so Laura and Jillian ended up driving from Chi-town and essentially just arrived in Por-TAGE (sidenote : stress on the 'tage' similarly to target becoming tar-JAY just to class things up a little bit). We still eagerly await Nikki's any-minute arrival and then CWB will finally be reunited and we will have defeated all airline delays and weather conditions.

The hotel is spacious which is reassuring considering we are here for nine days. We missed both USADA drug testing meetings due to travel (major stroke of luck right there - most boring meeting in the existence of the world). And we managed to convince the Massachusetts boys to switch practice times with us so we don't have to get up quite so early tomorrow. Oh and I forgot my broom at Broomstones (Mom can you bring that for me?) I'm probably the most prepared curler ever...

Other than that, all i-pods are charged, the speakers are loaded, new broom heads on the brooms, shoes polished (not) and awkward pictures on the door to indicate that Team Massachusetts Women, aka Chicks With Brooms are in Wisconsin, probably the best state in the United States, and we are ready to curl. Check out our game at 7PM against Anderson from Philadelphia and EMAIL US at teamwalker@usacurl.org, pleaaase.

PS. Pregnant women know exactly what they are talking about when it comes to cheesy gordita crunches from taco bell.

WE ROCK

CWB Prepares for Nationals and Total Domination

We head out to Portage next Friday for the Nationals. For coverage during the event please visit http://www.portagejuniornationals.com/. Game results, pictures, news releases, etc. should be posted throughout the week so check the site often! See below for our round robin game schedule:

Saturday 2/2/2008 (KC's birthday!)
8:00 am Practice
7:00 pm vs. Anderson (PA)

Sunday 2/3/2008
12:00 pm vs. Schieber (UT)

Monday 2/4/2008
12:00pm vs. Solem (MN II)
8:00 pm vs. Tucker (ND)

Tuesday 2/5/2008
4:00 pm vs. Schaffer (WI II)

Wednesday 2/6/2008
12:00 pm vs. Hufman (AK)
8:00 pm vs. Stewart (IL)

Thursday 2/7/2008
12:00 pm vs. Spatola (WI I)
8:00 pm vs. Carlson (MN I)

For the complete draw visit http://www.usacurl.org/curlingrocks/images/PDFs/2008.jr.draw.pdf

We would appreciate your support during the week. You can email us at teamwalker@usacurl.org

Good Curling!

CWB Wins GNCC Playdowns

We went 5-0 in Utica, NY and won the GNCC Championship for the fourth year in a row. It was a bittersweet moment for Laura and I--we're done with junior playdowns forever. Now we are currently preparing for Junior Nationals to be held in Portage, WI the first week in February. We don't have much event-wise going on, just a whole bunch of throwing rocks together as much as possible before school starts again, and sorting our equipment and logistics.

Sidenote: We are in DESPERATE need of funds and fund raising ideas and we could really use YOUR help. This so important to us. Help! Look for information about a Silpada Jewelry party and raffle tickets to come.

Check out the website at www.portagejuniornationals.com

2007-2008 GNCC Junior Playdowns : Thursday

Well it's nine o'clock at the Ramada hotel in Whitesboro, New York and Team Walker is thinking about bed. We have the massive ipod speakers hooked up, and the walls of our minuscule hotel room jam packed with cream cheese and shampoo literally shake. It's an early start tomorrow morning with a 7:30 AM team meeting and then a 9 AM draw. But after stopping by the club post-dinner, we are ready to get out on the ice and get going.

I got to see a little bit of sheet one and the overall ice conditions and it looks pretty generic -- more curl towards the wall and less away, the ice seems quick although I've heard complaints about weird spots. I don't like the new(?) format with choice of rocks pre-chosen, what if the Utica Curling Club happened to have quite a few bad rocks that could have an impact on the outcome of the game...? I guess it's a good thing we didn't have any practice time, at least then we don't KNOW about the rocks until about the fifth end and by that time it's either too late or not a problem. I could probably complain about a lot of other things, but I guess I won't.

Okay so it's 9:07, definitely time for bed.

GNCC Junior Playdowns Draw

Friday Dec. 28th
9:00 AM vs Bareiss (Utica)
2:00 PM vs Anderson (Philadelphia)

Saturday Dec. 29th
9:00 AM vs Beebe (Albany)
2:00 PM vs Morrison (Cape Cod & battle of the sisters and EMILY Walker's junior curling debut!!!)

Sunday Dec. 30th
9:00 AM vs Ely (Rochester)

All games played at the Utica Curling Club. Face paint and streaking encouraged. Having the early draw three days in a row kind of sucks. I heard some online scoring may be done of the Broomstones Curling Club website at www.broomstones.com so check that out. We declined CurlTV, they just aren't good enough for us (extreme sarcasm).

So yeah, feel free to bring us snacks or just say hi. Oh and if you're looking for a good time, we'll be staying at the Ramada. Look for blog updates.

Morgan Stanley Curling Classic

Another weekend of traveling and curling has come and gone and we are closer than ever to what really matters.

It's certainly a relief to be back in a state where I can walk around with a mean look on my face and not be questioned about it. And for all I've said about Canada, Wisconsin is ten times worse.

We played five games total against Bonot (Thunder Bay Canadian team), Ryan Lemke, Aileen Sormunen, Matt Mielke, and Pete Fenson. And we lost all of them. Looking back, this might not have been the best event for us because it seems to be more of a men's cashspiel (I guess it is a men's event on WCT) and we were out of our league. Playing Fenson was certainly humiliating for an assortment of reasons, as was sitting with them and Team McCormick after the game and watching all the rumors come true. But, it was nice to play US teams for once. And we definitely had some close games. So overall a good time. And any experience that is not east coast teams is good for us.

Thanks to the family who housed us, and to Josh Scherz from Bela-OLHAO, our sponsor, who made it out for the weekend to watch some of our and the other teams' games.

Some highlights from the weekend:
-Discovering Oregon's nicest hostess, thankfully not staying in a shack, the thrill of risking staying in a shack.
-Belting out Elton John's "Rocketman" at 7AM while driving through Wisconsin farmland, determining that our true calling is not curling but instead a four-part harmonious chorus.
-Cheese curds and Italian beef actually tasting alright, although understanding they still and will always look dreadful.
-Meeting Dean Gemmell and realizing he looks exactly like his voice sounds, not joking.
-Hanging around the curling club all day because of a snowstorm and then not being able to fly home because the storm has figured out where you live and is stalking you. (And has the capability to divide itself and multiply, covering two cities at once).

GNCC regional playdowns here we come, Utica, NY, Dec. 27ish to 30ish fingers crossed, come watch and support your favorite junior women's curling team.

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).

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!

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----

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.

OTTAWA

Ice was finally made down here at the tiny two sheet rink of PCC and not much more can be said of it other than...at least we have ice. Laura and I are realizing more and more that this is a SOCIAL club and however frustrating that is, we are thankful to be here together. I find it amazing to watch a stone that was meant to be thrown inside out to fall towards the centerline and actually cross over it! Having said that, the people down here are nice and willing to work with us this year and give us as much icetime as possible.

Only two days left before team CWB travels up to the Great North for another exciting competition and this one screams redemption! Last year was not very successful considering we were not able to win a game. This year we are coming back with a completely new state-of-mind. We know there are going to be good teams there, but we also know that we are able to beat those teams.

I can't wait to see you girls so get ready for an amazing weekend!!!!!!!!!

ps. See you in Ottawa Plys rink!!

Hot Chilly's Sponsorship

Korbel Challenge in NYC

It's getting to be that time of year when everything in our lives suddenly flips from normal, ordered existence to frantic airline excursions, weekends more jam packed than weekdays, and curling. It's as if we could almost become regular people with regular lives just hiding a minor secret until they turn on the compressors and it quite literally all comes "flooding back." Once again we are submerged in a downpour of names and places that exist "beyond" our realm of existence but are always there whether they reside in the Midwest or up in Canada (Canada, by the way, contrary to popular belief, is one of the most interesting and yet homey places we've have traveled thus far. And apparently one of the most sensitive and self-conscious..)

This Friday, for example, Jillian, Karyn and I might be heading down to New York City mostly just to watch the Korbel Challenge game between Pete Fenson and Peja Lindholm (it was originally supposed to be David Murdoch from Scotland, which I am quite upset about because I love him, but it's probably all for the best since Jillian and I successfully stalked him and his team at the Men's Worlds in Lowell a couple years ago.. I believe we were the first curling groupies to exist. And I firmly believe they won because they had us as their biggest fans. But besides that, how could we pass up watching a team from Sweden..) but apparently we are also helping to teach the media how to curl? It will be interesting to see how many people turn up for the event and their reaction to live curling, which is completely different from watching curling on TV. If anything, I find live play more difficult to follow because I can't watch the line or see exactly where the stones lie, but it is much more exciting in terms of spectacle, so I think people will enjoy it. Unfortunately the weather seems to be not so great; they are having difficulties making the ice and may, in fact, not even film at Rockefeller Center but at a local curling club, which would be a huge disappointment. I guess we will wait and see what happens.

If it does work out though--be sure to watch the event on TV sometime in December (I'll post times once I know them.) Jillian and I will be the ones in the audience wearing the Sweden shirts...

THE THROW DOWN OF THE YEAR:

LINDHOLM VS FENSON

Judging by ridiculous position, I would have to bet on Sweden, but curling is a sport of repressed emotion so maybe Fenson has it in the bag more so than the Swede.

UPDATE: So we didn't end up going to New York... what a waste of an entry, I know. The weather was supposed to be bad all day so they decided to film much earlier and we just wouldn't have made it so it seemed like a long drive for not much reward. I guess we'll just catch it on TV in December!