Skip Messier and Second Jen did Nicole's Mixed Level yoga class tonight. It was a super sweaty, great work out. We made it one step closer to becoming yoga masters and are ready to wow the other teams at Nationals with our crow poses and backbend, walking hands up the wall move.
And watch out for our handstands!
10 days and counting....
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Injury Report
Donna's got a little sprain on her right foot. It doesn't seem to be a very serious injury, and it's not on the balancing foot (left) which is essential for curling. She has been resting it for the passed couple of days and will have to stay off her feet as much as possible. Donna will just have to focus more of her training on other areas such as arms and core.
No other injuries to report.
No other injuries to report.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
2 Weeks & Counting
So it is exactly 2 weeks before we arrive in Madison, WI. Already preparations have been made. Airline tickets have been purchased, hotel room reserved, contact has been made to the local Wisconsinites, bake sales galore, etc. At the same time, there's been a lot of press for curling in general for the Olympics. Hollywood Curling is trying to ride the wave, bring in more curlers, and help build up our club. This year is definitely like no other.
Seeing that time is flying by really fast, I thought it appropriate to begin the countdown. 13 days to go.
So there's still lots more to do. Cindy's compiling our mixed cd. All the gals contribute a couple of songs, and we'd play it everyday, pretty much all day. It gets us ready for the tournament. I need to get on that car rental...We still have a handful of fundraising events to complete. Pack! Plus, there's a few open houses and practice sessions that we need to participate in. Oh, and in the meantime, we have a very handy dandy workout log that needs to be filled in periodically...I think so far we're doing a pretty good job. Keep up the good work, Bond Girls!
-Domino
Seeing that time is flying by really fast, I thought it appropriate to begin the countdown. 13 days to go.
So there's still lots more to do. Cindy's compiling our mixed cd. All the gals contribute a couple of songs, and we'd play it everyday, pretty much all day. It gets us ready for the tournament. I need to get on that car rental...We still have a handful of fundraising events to complete. Pack! Plus, there's a few open houses and practice sessions that we need to participate in. Oh, and in the meantime, we have a very handy dandy workout log that needs to be filled in periodically...I think so far we're doing a pretty good job. Keep up the good work, Bond Girls!
-Domino
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
John Shuster - Up Close & Personal
So I wasn't sure what to expect when we were told that John Shuster was going to be in town, and that he was going to visit our curling club during the Open House which was held on January 31st. John Shuster, for all those new to the curling world, is the Captain (which in curling terms would be called the "Skip") of the US Olympic Men's Team at this year's Olympic Games held in Vancouver. He was actually scheduled to be on the Jay Leno show on Monday, but he did a short stop at the club since the timing was perfect.
Well, we had a mad rush of people at the Open House. We had the largest turnout ever which is 142 people. The largest we had to date was 80. I think a lot of that was generated because of John. We were frantically trying to accommodate all these people, and then standing in the back of the room was Jen and right next to her was this stranger. I meant to look up his photo on the internet earlier...anyway, something clicked. I was frantically waving hi to John Shuster like he was a long lost friend. I had to put myself in check because I didn't want to scare him since has no idea who we are, but at the same time, I wanted to make sure he felt welcome.
Anyway, John seemed really quiet and shy which surprised me....you see the Olympic Trials were really intense, and John had one of the loudest yells. I was kind of expecting a really angry guy. He was shuffled into the area, visited every open curling group, was happy to take pictures, and was open to modeling out our Hollywood Curling shirts. Team Bond Girls, of course, had a group photo with him. We monopolized about 3 hours of his time, and afterward we went out for drinks at Barney's Beanery. We had a ton of fun.
The next day was his interview with Jay Leno. A few curlers, including the Bond Girls in pink kilt form, were able to attend. We had access to the green room which was fun, and we screamed our hearts out whenever we could. I'm sure Nick, TJ, and Ryan did most of the screaming. (One of the other gals should be writing a blog about this experience; so I won't go into too much detail.) Well, I was listening to the interview, and one thing that Leno was trying to articulate was that John and his team was not like highly endorsed superstars who would scoff at participating in the Olympics because they wouldn't get paid enough. John was just an ordinary American guy who happen to have mad curling skills, and he was going to get a chance to represent America not once but twice, plus he was really humble about it. I thought, if I ever had that opportunity, I would like to follow John's example.
That night, I met up with John and the curling crew at a bar in Los Feliz and just hung out. He's about our age; so it was easy. There were a lot of laughs and a few memorable moments. At the end of the night, it was hugs and handshakes for everyone. I feel really honored to have had the opportunities that curling has given me...a place to exercise, to spend time with the husband and kick his butt, a chance to travel and compete in competitions, an opportunity to rub elbows and talk face to face with an Olympian, and open other avenues of dreams and aspirations that I never would have thought of before.
John, thank you so much for spending so much time with us. You are a great representative for the the US. We are all very proud of you and your accomplishments. We wish you love, luck, and great ice in Vancouver.
-Domino
Well, we had a mad rush of people at the Open House. We had the largest turnout ever which is 142 people. The largest we had to date was 80. I think a lot of that was generated because of John. We were frantically trying to accommodate all these people, and then standing in the back of the room was Jen and right next to her was this stranger. I meant to look up his photo on the internet earlier...anyway, something clicked. I was frantically waving hi to John Shuster like he was a long lost friend. I had to put myself in check because I didn't want to scare him since has no idea who we are, but at the same time, I wanted to make sure he felt welcome.
Anyway, John seemed really quiet and shy which surprised me....you see the Olympic Trials were really intense, and John had one of the loudest yells. I was kind of expecting a really angry guy. He was shuffled into the area, visited every open curling group, was happy to take pictures, and was open to modeling out our Hollywood Curling shirts. Team Bond Girls, of course, had a group photo with him. We monopolized about 3 hours of his time, and afterward we went out for drinks at Barney's Beanery. We had a ton of fun.
The next day was his interview with Jay Leno. A few curlers, including the Bond Girls in pink kilt form, were able to attend. We had access to the green room which was fun, and we screamed our hearts out whenever we could. I'm sure Nick, TJ, and Ryan did most of the screaming. (One of the other gals should be writing a blog about this experience; so I won't go into too much detail.) Well, I was listening to the interview, and one thing that Leno was trying to articulate was that John and his team was not like highly endorsed superstars who would scoff at participating in the Olympics because they wouldn't get paid enough. John was just an ordinary American guy who happen to have mad curling skills, and he was going to get a chance to represent America not once but twice, plus he was really humble about it. I thought, if I ever had that opportunity, I would like to follow John's example.
That night, I met up with John and the curling crew at a bar in Los Feliz and just hung out. He's about our age; so it was easy. There were a lot of laughs and a few memorable moments. At the end of the night, it was hugs and handshakes for everyone. I feel really honored to have had the opportunities that curling has given me...a place to exercise, to spend time with the husband and kick his butt, a chance to travel and compete in competitions, an opportunity to rub elbows and talk face to face with an Olympian, and open other avenues of dreams and aspirations that I never would have thought of before.
John, thank you so much for spending so much time with us. You are a great representative for the the US. We are all very proud of you and your accomplishments. We wish you love, luck, and great ice in Vancouver.
-Domino
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Twisted!
Yesterday, I started yoga up again for the first time since our last training preparations for Nationals with Marissa and Jennifer Gamboa (Spiker). Now, for all those who has never done yoga before, if you ever attend a session, you'd see a lot of butts pointed upwards, contorted bodies, chants and meditating, and an occasional flurry of feet kicking up into the air. It's not always a pretty sight, but the results, in my opinion, is amazing.
Nicole, our yoga instructor, kicked our butts and hardened our abs. Thank you and birdie to Chris Davis, another yoga member, who requested us to work on that area. Last year, I tried yoga out for the first time. I remembered how it really pushed expectations on how much a person can flex or stretch or pull or hold those positions. It helps that Nicole is our spot checker making sure we are engaging our muscles and pep talking us into believing the impossible. I think once in a while we need that in our lives. Well, this time around after such a long break, I was again reminded of how wonderful and twisted our minds and bodies can be. We started off the yoga routine sticking a tennis ball into the cave of my butt muscle. It was SORE. The more pain you feel, the more you you know you hit the sweet spot. There was grunting and groaning from everyone. Once we got rid of that ball from our behind, there was an instant wave of pure ecstasy. Now, stop those dirty thoughts, you sickos. You know what I mean. We did a similar pressure point to the sweet spot on our backs, and all the tension and knots from the work day and stress seemed to loosen up. I've had quite a bit of stress lately, and it was nice to get it all out.
At the end of the hour and 15 min. workout, I laid there sweaty, sore, and fatigued. I thought about how cold it was now that we weren't propelling ourselves against gravity. I thought about the upcoming challenges ahead with life, work, and curling. I thought about the chili that was stewing in a crock pot waiting for me at home. I could hear everyone's breathing, my own pulse pumping, and Nicole's voice lulling us into peace.
Namaste.
-Domino
Nicole, our yoga instructor, kicked our butts and hardened our abs. Thank you and birdie to Chris Davis, another yoga member, who requested us to work on that area. Last year, I tried yoga out for the first time. I remembered how it really pushed expectations on how much a person can flex or stretch or pull or hold those positions. It helps that Nicole is our spot checker making sure we are engaging our muscles and pep talking us into believing the impossible. I think once in a while we need that in our lives. Well, this time around after such a long break, I was again reminded of how wonderful and twisted our minds and bodies can be. We started off the yoga routine sticking a tennis ball into the cave of my butt muscle. It was SORE. The more pain you feel, the more you you know you hit the sweet spot. There was grunting and groaning from everyone. Once we got rid of that ball from our behind, there was an instant wave of pure ecstasy. Now, stop those dirty thoughts, you sickos. You know what I mean. We did a similar pressure point to the sweet spot on our backs, and all the tension and knots from the work day and stress seemed to loosen up. I've had quite a bit of stress lately, and it was nice to get it all out.
At the end of the hour and 15 min. workout, I laid there sweaty, sore, and fatigued. I thought about how cold it was now that we weren't propelling ourselves against gravity. I thought about the upcoming challenges ahead with life, work, and curling. I thought about the chili that was stewing in a crock pot waiting for me at home. I could hear everyone's breathing, my own pulse pumping, and Nicole's voice lulling us into peace.
Namaste.
-Domino
Revamping Bond Girls Curling Website
So since we are going to Nationals again, our Bond Girls Curling Website is getting a new look. We still have lots of work to add onto it, but check it out. Feel free to make any suggestions or comments:
www.bondgirlscurling.com
-Domino
www.bondgirlscurling.com
-Domino
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Curling sweeps elegantly into his life - latimes.com
Curling sweeps elegantly into his life - latimes.com
Posted using ShareThis
So Chris Erskine from the LA Times came to a Team Bond Girls/Team Zissou practice to get the inside scoop on curling.
He wrote a nice article about it that appeared in today's LA Times! Check it out!
Marissa
Posted using ShareThis
So Chris Erskine from the LA Times came to a Team Bond Girls/Team Zissou practice to get the inside scoop on curling.
He wrote a nice article about it that appeared in today's LA Times! Check it out!
Marissa
Monday, January 18, 2010
Where is Matt Gamboa?
I should have written this on Sat...oh well. Better late than never.
So it's Friday, Jan. 15th around 6:20 pm. I am at the Los Angeles Airport checking in, and I get a call on my cell. It's Matt. He's suppose to be getting on the 6:20 pm flight out of Burbank.
"Hey Matt," I said.
"Hey, Donna. I missed my flight. I'm going to get on your flight on standby, can you check if there are any open seats?" Asked Matt.
I almost tripped over my long pink scarf. If anyone's ever seen my backpack...they'd understand how top heavy it makes me.
I talked to the lady at the counter as soon as I could. She said that there were 24 seats available, but your friend has to put himself on the list in person, and he needs to do it by 8 pm because of the new security measures. Yikes, a Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend...and Matt had only about an hour. I was thinking last year on our way to Nationals when we almost lost Cindy who was stuck in traffic and literally ran to the plane to make it in time. I prayed that Matt wouldn't miss his 2nd flight today and drive all the way to El Segundo for nothing. It normally takes about 30 min. without traffic to drive from Burbank to LAX on a great day. And on an awful day, it could take 2 hours. Luckily for Matt, Paul could take him down and they could take advantage of the carpool lane. With about 10 min. to go and 4 seats left, Matt makes it on the standby list, and he meets up with Cindy in the security check line. Paul must have had some really fancy driving.
We all get on the plane without any more delays. Actually in the end, we landed a half an hour ahead of schedule. That's my pre-playdown story that I wanted to share today.
-Domino
So it's Friday, Jan. 15th around 6:20 pm. I am at the Los Angeles Airport checking in, and I get a call on my cell. It's Matt. He's suppose to be getting on the 6:20 pm flight out of Burbank.
"Hey Matt," I said.
"Hey, Donna. I missed my flight. I'm going to get on your flight on standby, can you check if there are any open seats?" Asked Matt.
I almost tripped over my long pink scarf. If anyone's ever seen my backpack...they'd understand how top heavy it makes me.
I talked to the lady at the counter as soon as I could. She said that there were 24 seats available, but your friend has to put himself on the list in person, and he needs to do it by 8 pm because of the new security measures. Yikes, a Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend...and Matt had only about an hour. I was thinking last year on our way to Nationals when we almost lost Cindy who was stuck in traffic and literally ran to the plane to make it in time. I prayed that Matt wouldn't miss his 2nd flight today and drive all the way to El Segundo for nothing. It normally takes about 30 min. without traffic to drive from Burbank to LAX on a great day. And on an awful day, it could take 2 hours. Luckily for Matt, Paul could take him down and they could take advantage of the carpool lane. With about 10 min. to go and 4 seats left, Matt makes it on the standby list, and he meets up with Cindy in the security check line. Paul must have had some really fancy driving.
We all get on the plane without any more delays. Actually in the end, we landed a half an hour ahead of schedule. That's my pre-playdown story that I wanted to share today.
-Domino
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