Did your season end early, too?

Guest Column by Teri Lake

We can’t blame it on anyone but ourselves. We just didn’t play well. The hard work of a busy season, regular and intense on-ice sessions with Canada’s best technical gurus, even changing clubs for home ice advantage – none of it means a stack of poop if you don’t forget all that. Well – don’t completely forget it, but don’t rely on it. Nothing is a given in this love-hate sport.

Not that we ever thought it was a given, I just don’t think we competed, really balls-to-the-wall competed, fighting for it all the way. That probably makes zero sense. My mind has been re-hashing and re-playing the week and I haven’t yet made sense of it all. Welcome to my world as a (gulp) fifth-place finisher in Nova Scotia’s provincial women’s playdown.

So with that, and a sensitive scolding from my editor, I’ve gotten past the whining and am ready to move on. (Just between us, underneath the duct tape smile I’m still a little sad, but here we go.) I started the season with a how-to guide to kicking off the year and even though the armchair season is just getting into full swing, here’s this athlete’s swan song, on moving on.

Hit the charity tour. First stop, Duluth, Minnesota. Kicking off the celeb charity series is the House of Hearts falling on final weekend at the Brier – there’ll be a shuttle bus from the ‘Peg to Duluth if you’re thinking that decision is tough. Other highlights on the charity tour include Sudbury, Ontario’s Heart to Heart Bonspiel, now celebrating its 27th year, and the “world’s largest celebrity bonspiel”, aka metro Toronto’s Kurl For Kids, in support of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.

These pro/am-style events boast big names that would make any event chair salivate but the fanfare and television cameras are left behind in favour of camaraderie and fun. And from what I hear these events aren’t miked nor taped – and for good reason. However, if you don’t have the star power to rack up the invites, there are local and regional events aplenty to satisfy your giving self.

The Player’s Championship. It ain’t over ’til it’s over and we’re trying our damnedest to get this invite. First spots go to the top 12 in Canada and not making the Scotties doesn’t help our cause. Wish us luck. This April event at the Mile One Centre in St. John’s seems like a lifetime away but for those of us looking to steal any and every CTRS point out there – this event is a must!

Watch and learn. Record any and every Scotties, Brier and World games you can. They will come in handy at your next team meeting, or during the dead of summer when you wonder why you’re training so hard, or to ramp up for next season.

Suggesting you watch curling game tapes is also a tactic that can be used as a quick way to end a bad date! But I digress.

Figure out the lesson. As you can tell from my opening rant, this can keep you occupied longer than a thousand-piece zebra puzzle. It’s tough to find the balance between seeking answers and driving yourself nuts. So pursue with caution knowing that sometimes, there just aren’t clear answers. Best to consult your coach and have that dreaded team meeting sooner than later.

Remember, the curling club isn’t closed. Even with your competitive season over, there’s still plenty of reasons to practice. Think about that August day last year when you heard a curling club out west had opened and how badly you wanted to be there. Here’s your chance to beat the August blues and start now for next season.

Well, I guess that’s a wrap. At time of writing, the final result at the Scotties had yet to be played out… but one result is certain: teams have zero chance of winning while watching on television.