Off-ice training

In preparation for the Agricore United event in Beausejour this week, I opted for some aggressive off-ice training over the long weekend.

My wife and I drove up to Swan River to help my mother-in-law move from the farm house in Kenville to a condo in town.

I went up and down the stairs to the basement 300 times, ripping the quads to shreds. I also helped move appliances up and down stairs, in the rain and sleet, over a two-day period. It was a tremendous, old-fashioned workout that will surely reap riches by the end of the week.

Leigh and I will return to noon-hour practice tomorrow as we prep for our match against Reid Carruthers at the Asham Major League tomorrow night.

Speaking of oldee-fashionedee, Rosanne is currently taking the thimble and thread to the badge and jacket... It's the first of what I hope will be many badges on our flashy new Champion gear.

The Return of Leigh!

After a short lived "retirement" from curling, which was required for me to pursue my career, I have been fortunate enough to land the position of Lead for Team Bender. During my so called "retirement", I still managed to get some games in and make a little money at it. Just enough to keep those competitive juices flowing which eventually got me back on the ice as a team member again.
I must say, my return so far has been very enjoyable. Always helps when your teammates are great guys and are willing to put up with your stupid sense of humor. Thanks to Dan, John and Lorne for that. Luckily, Chris and I had been teammates before when playing with Rob Egilson. So he already knew what to expect of my manorisims and thanks to him as well.

With five games under our belt as Team Bender, I think we are jelling pretty well. Dan calls a style of game that is enjoyable to play and he makes every effort to ask his front end what they think, even if it is just to make us feel good. John and I have thrown rocks during lunch three days this past week. The slide and deliver are almost back to norm and with a little more work, the pain in the hip will disapear and make the game even more enjoyable for me.

As we have this weekend off, Dan and I will try and find some ice somewhere and do a little more throwing. As they say, practice makes prefect. And who wouldn't want to be prefect?

Happy Thanks Giving Day to all!

Elder Statesman?

Well, the season is underway with the Pembina bonspiel serving as a cheap warm up for our fledgling crew. I refer to the team as fledgling only because we are curling together for the first time which was fairly evident in our first game, but I think that we all bring a level of experience in the accomplishments that we have had from previous teams.

We have a wide range of ages and as the most veteran (not a senior yet) member on this team I hope to provide the seasoned viewpoint when needed. So far we all seem to have similar strategy and good communication. While it is too early to determine if that all elusive successful team chemistry will emerge, the boys have been fun to curl with and I look forward to the rest of the season's competitions.

I see, the boys won our first game in the Asham Superleague in my absence. My schedule has been rearranged so I can make the future early draws, hopefully with similar success.

Rock on.

Rough and tumble

Our first outing Wednesday night was a glorified practice session, as it was our first time on the ice this year and our first game together.

It took time to get our sea legs, and to recognize tendencies, so we had some trouble on the scoresheet.

However, last night was a different story. We were able to get on track and put some solid ends together. We are by no means in mid-season form, but we managed to play pretty well.

I felt a lot better in my delivery last night. Obviously, it will take time to redevelop those sliding muscles.

Even though we've only played two games in a warm-up spiel, I can tell it is going to be a fun year. While I was always confident that our team had the skill needed to compete, I now know that we also have the needed chemistry. We are all on the same wavelength and it makes play relaxed and enjoyable, and we are able to focus on technique instead of ego.

We are back at it tonight at 9:30 p.m.

Cheers!

Game 1

It's fun to Google your opponents before a game...

Based on my extensive (30 seconds) research, we face long-time Manitoba curler Robert Baldwinson tonight in our first game of the year at the Labatt's Tour event at the Pembina.

Mr. Baldwinson most recently won the Investors Group trophy at the 2006 MCA Bonspiel (ironic perhaps, considering I am leaving IG at the end of the week). He also made it to the Winnipeg Zone A finals last year, losing to Ryan Fry. He went 4-3 at the 2004 Strathcona Senior Men's playdowns, and he qualified for the Selects in 2003. Clearly, a game veteran.

I've played him many times over the years, in zones, MCA and the Club Champions Championships, believe it or not.

Of course, continuing the streak of the past two years, we start off on an end sheet tonight... although it will be nice to have a built-in crutch to lean on if I struggle.

Here's hoping I regain my mastery of coin tosses tonight utilizing my secret Jedi mind tricks.

See you at the rink!

We're ready to rock!

After a summer of repeated roster changes and a seemingly endless search for players, we have finally set our roster for the coming season, which starts next week.

Our line up consists of Dan Bender, myself, Lorne Ryall, Leigh Solomon and Chris Girling.

I am pumped at the potential of this group, and I'm itching to hit the ice to throw the first practice rocks of the year as we prepare for the Pembina event, and the start of the Asham Superleague.

Once we get rolling, I hope to prod the rest of the boys into posting their thoughts on this blog after games and practices.

It's going to be an interesting season!

Thistle all but a memory

The Winnipeg Sun reported Sunday that it's very unlikely that the Thistle Curling Club will be rebuilt.

Thanks to the high cost, spokesman Harvey Swain says the men's league will shift to the Asham Arena, while the seniors are moving to Victoria.

Thanks to the Sun for keeping on top of this story.

Hard to believe we're a couple of weeks away from registration nights at city clubs... better start working out this week.

Burtnyk on Curling Show

Dean Gemmell's latest podcast features Manitoba curling legend Kerry Burtnyk on the coming season, and his thoughts on the Slam's future... tremendous interview, and it's clear Kerry's pumped about the coming season.

Congrats, Dean, on another strong effort...

http://www.thecurlingshow.com/2006/08/03/kerry-burtnyk-interview/

Cheers!

Summer musings

We're deep in the heart of the off season and there's little news on the curling front.

That won't stop me from updating the site with inanity and crapulosity.

Tour de Farce... The American winner of the Tour de France tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, and pending a B sample test, he could be stripped of his title. That's another thing I like about curling... not many banned substances could help your game because you would lose your touch for draws if you were hopped up on goofballs.

Road to Avonlea closed... a 16-sheeter is being paved over for indoor soccer in Toronto - sad development. There have not been any updates regarding the displaced curlers from the recently torched Thistle club in Winnipeg.

Free agent market thinning... unlike my waistline, the list of available free agents in Manitoba is starting to thin out. This is unfortunate as we are still trying to secure a fourth for the 2006-2007 season. We're confirmed for play in the Asham Super League, and we intend on entering several MCT events throughout the season. Drop us a line if you are competitive and looking for a team. And, if you run into Kyle Werenich or Ken Tresoor on the golf course, mention Team Bender has an opening.

Words of advice... if your sinus surgeon says "you won't believe how big these things are" just before extracting the plastic splints from deep inside of your head with alien-abduction-esque forceps two weeks after surgery, you would be wise to grip the exam table tightly with both hands. I thought I felt my cerebellum moving...

Finally... what do you use to get a jammed chunk of dental floss out from between two molars?

Ding dong the queen is dead

Tremendous news from the Curling Coverage front, as TSN claims major curling rights through 2013!

With TSN HD on the Star Choice package, I will be salivating with all of the coverage to be had starting in two years... the return of the morning draws!!! Huzzah!!

Curling sweeps away CBC Public broadcaster frozen out in new TV deal

By BILL GRAVELAND

CALGARY (CP) - After 40 years of curling coverage CBC is being left out in the cold after a new six-year television deal announced Thursday between the Canadian Curling Association and TSN.

The deal beginning in 2008, when the current contract with CBC expires, will run through 2013-'14 and give TSN exclusive broadcast and multimedia rights to all CCA events, including the Tim Hortons Brier, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Ford World curling championships. In a revamped deal last season, CBC handed off the round-robin games to TSN but retained the semifinals and finals. That isn't the case now since CBC wasn't even invited into the negotiations.

"We received a perfunctory call this morning which was definitely after the fact-after the agreement had been done," said CBC spokeswoman Ruth-Ellen Soles in an interview with the Canadian Press.
"We've always been in constant contact with the CCA and for the first time ever there was no tender process which means there was no opportunity for us to counter-bid."

The CBC had signed an exclusive four-year deal with the CCA in July, 2004 but carried just one draw a day on the national network and a second draw on its little known Country Canada digital channel. After outrage from curling fans the CCA attempted to walk away from the deal last summer citing problems with the network's coverage.

But a revamped deal last fall allowed CBC to retain the curling television rights, but sub-licensed a portion of those to TSN. That saw the two networks share coverage of Canada's top curling events.

That will not be the case beginning in 2008. TSN will do all the games and on a bright note for curling fans all three draws will be shown on the network.

"Unprecedented coverage and the return of morning draws will be embraced by our fans and viewers across the country and around the world," Dave Parkes, the CEO of the Canadian Curling Association, said in a release. "This agreement and a strengthened relationship with TSN ensures a positive, exciting and long-term future for our sport."

TSN president Phil King said the timing of the new deal is a good one for his network, especially with the next Winter Olympics being held in Canada.

"This deal further establishes curling as a cornerstone of the network's programming leading up to the 2010 Olympic Games and beyond," said King.

The agreement does provide some comfort for sponsors of the major events, who were inundated with angry phone calls, letters and e-mails after curling coverage changed in 2005.

"Scott Paper is excited by the return of morning broadcasts and the stability this new television agreement will provide," said John McClelland, corporate vice-president of Scott Paper Ltd., which sponsors the Canadian women's curling championship.

The announcement caught six-time Canadian champion Colleen Jones by surprise. Jones, who also has two world curling titles, hadn't heard the news in Raleigh, N.C., where she is covering the Stanley Cup final for CBC TV.

"TSN has done a phenomenal job with curling however the reality is you always want your product on a main network. It was just golden the way it had been with TSN and CBC on the weekends," said Jones.

"The Brier draws well over a million people and the question will those people all watch it on TSN?"

The TSN news release says "the opportunity also exists to carry select matches on CTV."

"I do like the longevity of the deal but it was a perfect marriage where CBC and TSN shared coverage. That was about as perfect as you can have," Jones added.

TSN has confirmed that its curling broadcast team of Vic Rauter, Linda Moore and Ray Turnbull will continue to call the action for all of the network's curling coverage.

The new deal includes a comprehensive suite of multimedia rights, including broadband, mobile, video-on-demand, interactive television, podcasts and even rights for radio broadcasts.

The Thistle is history

Sad to hear about all of the history going up in flames at the venerable Thistle Curling Club over the weekend. It sickens me that some troubled person thinks torching a public building will bring them power and glory.

It was a unique place to play, and, although I'd always struggled with the ice conditions there, I enjoyed the vibe that the building had.

I feel sorriest for the neighbourhood kids who have lost a place to grow with the game... and the life members who valued the club as more than a place to throw rocks.

Anytime we lose a club - to fire, indifference or lack of funding - it's a knee to the groin of our game.