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After meeting with Kelly Lauber and Shane Halliburton last night, I'm pleased to say that I'll be curling competitively again this coming season.
We're actively looking for a second, so if you know someone, we're all ears.
Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks ahead.
Cheers!
I start with an apology for my lack of posts here.
It's hard to be inspired to post when you are not playing competitively.
It's been an odd season. We entered the Zones, lost our first game to Bob Sigurdson in an extra end by an inch, lost our second game to eventual finallist Les Hooper after our third blew out his knee, and that was that.
I entered the MCA as a fifth with Bob Sigurdson, but only to play if they were bumped into the minors. That never happened and they earned a trip to Brandon and the provincials. I won't be going, however, as they decided not to name me as a fifth on their roster. I wasn't expecting them to, so no real loss.
So here we are again. I must begin the painful process of trying to latch on with a competitive team for the third season in a row.
I've discovered one thing in sparing as a front-ender... I much prefer playing third. I'm more engaged watching line on skip's rocks, strategizing and throwing more hits during the game.
If I don't get picked up next season I may re-examine the whole "competitive" thing. We'll see how things go.
I'm pleased to say I started the curling season off on a winning note last night.
Playing lead with Gary Gumprich at the Granite's Tuesday night league, I eventually found my ice legs again and played decent for the first outing.
We took the game against Johnson 5-3 in eight ends.
We were on the end sheet (number nine, number nine) but the ice was fairly consistent.
Of note, the Granite Curling Club installed CCTV cameras over the far houses, linking back to flat screens in the viewing areas behind the glass. This is brilliant! Now people can see what's going on during end-sheet play, which was normally blocked by the odd angles on the ends.
I'm scheduled to play in the Beausejour MCT event this weekend, so expect more reports as we move through the event.
Cheers!
If you've been taking the same route to work every day for 12 years, and are tired of seeing the seedier side of the city, check out these shots...
That's right... these are a couple of views of downtown Winnipeg that you rarely see.
After a humid storm passed through the area, a mist hangs in the air over the Assiniboine River, the calm only broken by a tourist boat making its way through the greenery.
This was the scenario this evening after dinner, when I happened to glance outside and notice the stunning visuals happening without much fanfare.
The first photo faces northwest from Wellington Crescent, and you can make out the Stadium complex off in the distance.
The second photo looks northeast, with landmarks likes the Investors Group building clearly visible.
It truly looks like another city from this vantage point, and it reminds us that there is beauty afoot, if you care to look from a new perspective once in a while.
Cheers!
I realize it's hard to think about the coming curling season when we're teetering on the brink of summer, but that's the sad reality when you are looking to pick up with a competitive team.
Because I've been swamped running the internet media company, I've had no time to seek out a team to play with next season.
Certainly, if you're on a competitive team and you are looking for a committed player looking to practise daily during the season, you should send me an email.
WinnipegFIRST.ca has launched!
After months of research, programming, planning, hiring and training, our new internet media product is up and running.
I had to resign my post at the MCA as Regional Director, as I've been working hundreds of hours per week...
Monday is the day the billboard hits, the print ads begin in the Winnipeg Sun and the radio ads start on Hot103.
Hope you check out the site!
I've been workin 12-16 hour days setting up my internet media company, and have been neglecting this blog during the height of the provincial competitive season.
I apologize... but it was a necessary withdrawal.
In the meantime, I need to test various upload methods through YouTube, so here's one of my few decent shots against Murray Woodward in the Zone 3 game last month.
Team DeFoort was down one without coming home in 10 against Stoughton and were unable to tie. Still, it's a great run and a valiant effort against one of the top teams in the province. Kudos.
Here's the first major shocker of the City Zones... Kerry Burtnyk losing the B-side semi-final in Zone 15 to Eugene Desjarlais! While Kerry still has a leg in the final by winning the A-side, it's still a stunner. And their final score was something else... 12-11!
My former Team Gromnisky mates are currently playing Jeff Stoughton in the Zone 16 B-Side semi... Go Team DeFoort!
My other former team, Bob Sigurdson, has a berth in the A-B final, and is playing in the B-side semi as we speak.
I'll update as results come in.
Cheers!
After going 4-0 against Murray Woodward since 2001, we ran up against a brick wall this weekend.
He clobbered us 9-4 in our first game of the Zone 2 Play Downs in Ste. Anne Friday night, and then finished us off this morning 6-0 in eight ends after we couldn't get rid of the hammer. (We blanked 1, 5, 6 and 7, and couldn't set up a big score all game.)
We managed to win our second game Friday night against Gary Barkman, 8-2, with a strong showing. We just couldn't recapture that grasp of the ice this morning. After giving up a steal of three in the second end, we killed ourselves again in the third end, and it was over... We were killed by a thousand cuts after that, playing eight excruciating ends to no avail. It was one of the most frustrating games in my curling career.
The ice in Ste. Anne was fantastic as promised by organizers, so that was no excuse.
I played in a mixed game at West Kildonan after getting home from Ste. Anne, and the ice was VERY good! (Hard to believe, given the conditions in recent years). Joe's got it dialed up for the MCA Bonspiel which starts Thursday night.
We play at West St. Paul Thursday at 9 p.m. and then at Charleswood at noon Friday.
