Team Clendenan

There seems to be a relationship between inspiration and adversity in the same way that poets claim that nothing worth doing comes easily. Being inspired as a result of influence from an outside force has been the basis for writers and other such creative individuals, but as Team Clendenan found out at the Regional play downs, the best stories can also be brought about by a fork in the road where adversity corners you into the choice of accepting an obstacle as an inspiring or not.

Regions are a showdown of the top eight curling teams in one quarter of the province that face off for one of two births to Provincials. Like Zones, it is a double knock out formula with brackets that are pre-determined for the first draw and eventually two teams are left standing after surviving the elimination process in competition. This year’s host was the Chesley Curling Club and teams in attendance were all the best from their respective zones but the purple girl nerves were reduced a little with a solid first game win against Aliston (SINCLAIR). Moving into the second game on an outside sheet with uneven curl was of little consequence to the good guys either, because they quickly learned the ice and out-thunk their opponent (WALSH) by strategically placing stones in tricky paths that could not be removed. As such, a second “W” was posted and the momentum began to build with a glimpse at the finish line in the finals the next day. And then the unthinkable happened.

In a weird twist of fate, a Team Clendenan player fell victim to a toe being crushed under the change room door and once extricated an injury resulted that required a trip to the emergency room at midnight. Earlier in the first aid process the girls supported each other with words of encouragement but no one could deny that the final game would be problematic if it could happen at all – which is where the inspiration/adversity theory kicked in. The owner of the mushed toe was not about to let go of Provincials due to forfeit and despite stitches and medication it’s arguable that the injury actually drove her to want to be in the finals even more because of a previous loss to the finalist (FULLERTON) at an OJCT event earlier in the year. The team mates in turn, were inspired by the determination and also put the injury obstacle aside and together they joined forces to see the competition through. Understandably, the final game was a little shaky but down four points in the sixth end the girls rallied back with a three pointer and then a steal to tie up the game in the eighth, which made the eventual loss by a single point pretty tough. The good news is that there was still a second Provincial birth up for grabs and having come so close to their goal, the girls shelved the fatigue and pain and loss and boomeranged back out on the ice less than an hour later with every intention of finishing what they had started. Sure enough, BERNARD felt the full throttle of an opposition with unwavering focus and they eventually conceded with nowhere to hide from the purple peel clinic.

Meeting the team goal for the season was a tad aggressive in and of itself but alongside the adversity that all of the team members, coach and families faced at different points in the year, the right for Team Clendenan to now claim a spot as one of the eight finalists at Provincials deserves a standing ovation. No matter what happens at Provincials, daring to dream big and persevering through thick and thin to the finish line, was inspirational to us all.

Congratulations on a FABULOUS year!!!

3584 is all about perspective. On paper it’s just a number unless perhaps it is prettied up with an artist’s hand and placed on a sign in front of a house that has been painted on a canvas. Transformed by perspective, the previously unknown number becomes the address of the house and the number has significantly more meaning. So if the same number 3584 was inserted in this curling blog it still wouldn’t be exciting, even it was accompanied by the words “contributed to the win” in big red letters in the title. The reader might be more appreciative however, if the uncharacteristic number was given perspective in its own right by revealing that 3584 is the number of actual rocks that Team Clendenan had thrown in games in the 2014/2015 curling tour prior to the Zone 10 play-downs which is equivalent to 150,528 lbs of granite or approximately the weight of 12 elephants combined. Added to the rocks that had been thrown in practices and the mental rocks that had been moved around on strategy boards, the overall “rock fitness" level of the girls favoured a good outcome at zones, but all of the participants were just as hungry for success so the true perspective of the impact of the number 3584 would have to wait until the dust settled.

Hosted in Midland this year, the Zone 10 Bantam girls play downs had reduced numbers of teams and consequently reduced numbers of births (two) available for advancement to Regions. For other sports enthusiasts to relate, there was a somewhat “sudden death” feel to the games with a double knock out formula on the road to victory. “A” side is the favourable path for the winner, but it requires an undefeated day of competition and can be influenced by the random card that is pulled at the beginning of the event. Initially facing a team from Barrie (Greaves) the brackets then unfolded with a match up against the home club team (Duivestyn) followed by a current rival from the circuit (McMenemy) but as it turned out, the heavy lifting of the purple girls paid off by enabling them to defeat all three in succession.

If asked, the girls would probably credit their Zone win with the ability to stay focused on one rock at a time, but it would be unlikely that they would mention the sheer number of rocks that were also required one rock at a time over months of training prior. The scoreboard may have showed a victory for Team Clendenan at Zone 10, but each of the thousands of rocks that were thrown before the championship were the steps on the stairway to being as prepared as they could be. Practice doesn’t guarantee success of course, but with 3584 attempts under your belt before you throw that last stone when it matters, your odds of creating a piece of colourful art instead of a number on a page are definitely better – and Team Clendenan proved it.

Once you finish grinning girls, take a deep breath, exhale and repeat.

Onward to Regions!

When all is lost, ask the tax man to help out. He’ll find something. Or in the case of Team Clendenan, when you lose you simply find a way to rename the experience as a way of meeting your bigger goals so that all is not really lost!

The annual open bantam event at Glendale has been subject to some scrutiny with a bracketing system that separates the sexes in pool play but crosses over if you advance to playoffs. The appeal of the OJCT status, meals included with entry fees and the chance to have ice time immediately prior to most Bantam Zones seems to outweigh the grumbling of unfairness because the event is always full with a waiting list. That being said, winning your way to the A final and then going home with nothing in your pocket (partially) because the boys clobbered you, stings a little.

The girls went undefeated in their pool and out-smarted their quarter-final male opponents with a “W” as well which was definitely a feel good moment for the periwinkle twinkles. Once in the semi-finals, however, the brawn and the lights out execution of the second boys team was a mountain simply too big to climb and the girls dropped to the consolation round as a result of an 8-2 loss. Somewhat rattled but excited to face off against Team Auld who had had a similar experience, the competition lit up with the opponents matching each other shot for shot until the very last rock – in an extra end no less. Sitting with a potential single steal stone for the win, a guard was needed that could straddle both the steal stone and an op stone that could be run back. The guard stone was so close to perfect, but the runback was called regardless and both stones rolled out. The tie was broken with an opposition biter that previously hadn’t mattered.

In the end, runner up in the A consolation event is still a testament to the hard work that the girls have put in throughout their season and playing together again (without illness this time) was like putting on a favourite sweater. The results could be decorated with words like “they didn’t lose, they got second place” but since the bigger goal was to properly prepare for zones, they can be considered winners in either case.

You’re ready girls. Go get ‘em at zones!

The Team was asked . . . “Who wants to give up some of their Christmas holidays to curl in Oshawa?” . . . which was kind of a rhetorical question. Who wouldn’t want to curl, ALL the time, ESPECIALLY on the Christmas holidays? At least that’s what the look on their faces was when Team Clendenan discussed the entry last spring. And so, unsurprisingly, they went.

21 other teams also felt that holidays should include curling and the TCA (Toronto Curling Association) event was well represented from clubs all over Ontario. In an ideal arrangement you get to play several games over the course of two days while facing off against both new teams and old rivals alike, not to mention the option to purchase a fancy T-Shirt with your team name on it. The opponents and bracketing layout are originally determined by a random card pull and then subsequently with wins/losses which can be either a good or bad thing. Drawing Humphries (who eventually went on to win the event) as the first opponent set the bar high for Team Clendenan and the “ouch factor” of a 10-5 loss right out of the gate was humbling. True competitors that they are though, a debrief to discuss the different ice conditions and a good lunch to regroup with their enthusiasm was all that it took to turn the tables around and to eventually win the C event by toppling both Nunes and Titkai afterward.

It was somewhat frustrating that the team only got to play three games in a triple knock out event and having lost only one game, it was hard not to feel short-changed, especially when there were other teams who only dropped to B with the same record that Team Clendenan had. Keeping the bigger picture in mind though, the event was chosen to further prepare the girls in their final training stretch towards zones, and all going well, Regionals and Provincials will be on the calendar as well. Incidentally Provincials are at Oshawa this year and if the plan plays out perfectly the TCA experience will be time well spent for a number of reasons. All the girls have to do now, is to aim high and never give up.

By a simple show of hands, who’s up for the challenge of zones? Thought so.

If what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger then Team Clendenan appeared to be aiming for invincible status at the K.W. Granite cash spiel. Still regrouping from the difficult emotions of the week prior, a second team member was bestowed the terrible news of a death in the family immediately before the competition and it threatened to dim the purple sparks to smoldering twinkles. Continuing ahead with the event would not only test the emotional strength of the team but it also meant taking on additional routine disruptions including a coach change and a spare player for the first half of the event. Amazingly, the dedication and commitment of the team brought about the “down but not out” philosophy and conceding was not ever really on the radar. Consequently, the appropriate First Aid treatment was implemented and the decision was made to continue.

Once the event was under way, the Band-Aids weren’t obvious but the struggle to compete as if it was business as usual was very evident. Still managing to hang on to three out of five wins in their round robin, Team Clendenan respectably ended up in a three way tie for second place. Unfortunately, without a standard playoff format because of the club’s inability to include Friday night in its program, the girls dropped immediately to the C division finals (based on their shoot out score) and the finish line was about to be pushed further from view.

An hour before the final game, a powerful flu bug hit three out of four players which created scrambling for rule clarifications on playing with two more (different) spares. In a worst case scenario, the lineup would consist of our second moving up to skip, a spare lead from another team would vice and an 11 year old would hold up the front end but as it turns out the skip was able to stay vertical, the second viced and two spares assumed the remaining positions. There were whispers about the value of continuing but forfeit is a word that real competitors avoid like the plague and since there was no plan “B” there was no choice but to adopt Winston Churchill’s words that “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. It was nothing short of phenomenal that the scoreboard was tied coming home with hammer and the gallery couldn’t help but root for the underdogs. Heartwarmingly, even the two team members – that were so ill they couldn’t even continue with support on the sidelines – stayed in touch via texting but in the end the 110% effort needed 111% out and a loss was recorded with a single stolen point by the opposition.

As the teams now heads into a well-deserved Christmas break, a goodly chunk of family time and health recovery will go a long way towards success in the New Year. It would be easy to be down spirited about the nearly impossible obstacles that inevitably skewed the results this weekend, but with the long term goals still within reach on the horizon in 2015, K.W. was merely a blip in the climb. If the girls can get through a Winston Churchill weekend and still make it to the finals, just imagine what is in store for results when they are healthy and reunited for the January battle for a Provincial birth!