Bond Girls Curling

Curling International

2012-01-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

So I know it's been a while since we've posted something. I'm still trying to catch up with myself to schedule time in between traveling, sightseeing, feeding the baby, and curling. Whew! It's been quite a whirlwind trip, and I love it. There's a lot to update from our 1st time in Utah at the Club National Playdowns to our travels all over Scotland. We'll just say for now that there's castles, history, great architecture, and a lot of food. I'll come back to update you with the rest including our trip to Kay's of Scotland where we had the opportunity to see how our curling rocks are made. Thank you, Bill!

Tonight, we had our first curling practice at the Braehead Curling Club, and it's a beautiful facility with FAST ice! On top of that, it's true curling ice. I don't think we are going to need our negative ice strategies. Thank goodness! We briefly saw the rest of the girls. It's a cacophony of foreign languages, and we're going to have some stiff competition. What they don't know is that we've got a couple Hollywood tricks up our sleeves, and most importantly, we're going to have fun. I can't wait.

Hopefully despite it all, we'll get some sleep tonight since our first game is at 8 am. That's a 6 am call time to get everything ready. We will try to stream the games, but every new venue presents a whole set of challenges...so we'll see if we can get it up and running.

It's Domino on the beat once again, reporting from Glasgow, Scotland.

Good Curling, Everyone!

Training Days

2012-01-10T02:17:00.000-08:00

Early December, a few of the Bond Girls traveled to upper Wisconsin for some additional training with world class curler and coach, Lynita Docken at the Centerville Curling Club. We had the pleasure of meeting Lynita and her Wisconsin team (including daughter, Laura Delaney Roessler) in a couple of Club National games. Talk about competition!

We flew into Minneapolis, MN, and for Jen and me, it felt like we were just there. The 14 degree weather was a very big difference to the 40 degrees in November, and I thought that was cold. This was worse, bone chilling. Of course, I, again, was at the wheel maneuvering the 2 1/2 hours to get to Trempealeau, WI, but we arrived safe and sound. I might be getting used to this. Nearing our destination, we were greeted by never ending fields beautifully blanketed in snow. It was like a glittering fairyland.

We've only met Lynita about a couple of times, but when we saw each other again, it was like reconnecting with a longtime friend. I guess that's what happens when you participate in the grueling schedule of the Club Nationals. She would always get our spirits motivated even if we were playing against her team. I remember one time we were down by a lot, and she reminded us to have fun. She was right! The whole dynamics of the game changed. And so here we are...Lynita is now the newest addition to the Team Bond Girl coaching staff.

After a quick nap, we started drills, drills, and more drills. The Centerville Club was like heaven! It was wonderful to be back on dedicated ice. Here's what it looks like:

There was a ton of sliding as we had to get used to this new playing field. You could really hear the roaring of the rocks and feel the vibration on our feet. This ice was clean, fast, and fancy. Hockey skate gauges and negative ice did not exist here, but there were other, very subtle things to pay attention to now. Also, mistakes were less forgiving.

Over the course of the trip, we had so many drills, it would be hard to describe them all here. Most of them focused on our aim and alignment. Lynita said that we needed to think of curling as a shooting sport, and every aspect from head to toe controls where that bullet is going to go. We needed to "sight" the target starting from our dominant eye and translated that all the way down to the rock, and of course, everything must stay in place as we slide. Lynita surprised us by bringing out a contraption made out of copper piping and a fishing bob which hung around the area where we would aim for the broom. We would slide to it, and if the bob touched our eye, we would know that our form was perfect, and our rocks would have good line. At first, it was intimidating to slide towards this hanging ball in our way, but it was nice to see our line without having someone hold broom at the other side of the ice, and we can make fast adjustments accordingly.

Jen in curling form

It wasn't all work and no play. In between curling training, we had quite a few fun field trips. I'll share a few photos:

Wine tasting at Elmaro Vineyard. What a great facility! Check it out if you are ever in the area.

Caramel apples at Ecker's Apple Farm

Driving through a Wisconsin State Park

Took us a few times to take this photo. The camera was propped on the rental car, and I ran just in time.

Katie finds her Starbucks!

Dinner at Hillside Fish House

All in all, we had a great time with Lynita, received all-star training, and lived like a Mid-Westerner for a few days.

Thank you Lynita and rest of the Delaney/Roessler clan!

- Domino

Introducing Team Bond Girl TV

2011-11-29T23:08:00.001-08:00

A little late blog, but here it is with some updates:

What did you do this Thanksgiving weekend?

Instead of braving Black Friday sales and stuffing faces with leftover turkey, a couple of Bond Girls found themselves in the mid-west jimmy-rigging webcams with tape surrounded by Fireball crazed curlers. It was not your typical bonspiel weekend...

It was a very "warm" curling season according to the locals. There was lots of curling, fun, and FIREBALL! Most importantly, we debuted Team Bond Girls Curling TV with their first webstream test from the Fireball 500 Bonspiel in St. Paul, Minnesota. With 2 Bond Girls present, Jennifer Gamboa and Donna Umali Mendoza, we figured this event would be a great opportunity to practice setting up the new webstream in an unfamiliar venue. For previous matches, we streamed our games through a site called ustream. You can see some of our old games recorded here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals

This year we signed up as an affiliate of The Twelfth End Network through Justin TV to offer a more sophisticated stream. Using the The Twelfth End scoring program, we are able to update the scores for each end, and we are experimenting with a wireless 2nd camera set-up through an iphone. We also have the capability to give our sponsors more advertising options. With this new system, we can now raise more funds for our curling endeavors which is now going international since we've received our invitation to Scotland at the Glynhill Ladies International Tournament.

Our test stream wasn't perfect, but we'll try to get it together before the next stream.

You can visit our new stream site here: http://www.justin.tv/tesn_bondgirls

We have confirmation that Team Bond Girls will stream their MoPAC Playdown games: Salt Lake, Utah (January 13-15th)

See you on the ice!

- Domino

MoPAC Dinner

2011-03-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a break from competition in lieu of the shift switch. Starting tomorrow, the men's teams will play later games, and the women's teams will play earlier games. Our first game is against Team Washington, a tough team, at 8 am Central. We hope to get some early rest tonight (after the blog) to get up painfully early. We're going to be blanketed with a little bit of snow fall tonight in preparation for the doozy of a snowstorm, we'll be getting later on tomorrow.

To celebrate the mid-point, MoPAC (Team Bond Girls, Team Oregon Women, and Team OC Men) at dinner together at Charley's, a steak house. The food was good and the company was great. There were a few awesome stories that included pushing an old lady off the ice with a broom and "3 inches." There's not much time to go into detail; so I'll leave it to your imaginations. We probably spent more time laughing than eating. Of course, we took a bunch of silly pictures. All around, it was a good dinner with our fellow region representatives.

So it's nice to be back blogging. I had to take a break and make sure I get enough rest. Time gets limited between games, interacting with the teams, and preparation for whatever is coming next. Everything's A-Okay.

Until tomorrow, this is Domino signing out.

Wisconsin Recording on Ustream

2011-03-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13146358

Sorry it is not complete. Enjoy.

Tomorrow's schedule: 12 pm Central Time against North Dakota.

In All It's Pink Glory

2011-03-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

11 am (Central) we had our opening ceremony. It's basically the most formal part of the entire tournament. All the teams dress in their uniform best, get "piped" out with a real bagpipe player, and are escorted by a bunch of cute kids carrying their respective state flags. Our California flag bearer was named Cole, and he did a great job. The opening ceremony pictures were taken by a native Minnesotan named Erica who also did a great job. What had drawn us to her and made her a target to ask her take some photos for us was that she wore pink. We are grateful of our pink connection. Thank you, Erica, for your kind heart, fast fingers, and good eye. Here are a few photos from today:

As you can see, we are the only pink team this year. And our pinks are brighter than ever!

We definitely stand out against the white snow which had started today, and amongst the crowd. Well, it has always been our motto: "...at least we look good."

The Ustream test was a success. If you missed the opening ceremony, that's okay. We've figured out how to record all of our media and you can access it anytime. Here's the link:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13137835

We are currently resting up for our first game against Wisconsin at 8 pm (Central). Wish us luck!

- Domino

Opening Ceremony Live!

2011-03-06T10:21:00.001-08:00

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals

Check it out!

Schedule of Ustream Shows

2011-03-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

For all those curling fans, you can find a schedule of all our streamed games here:

http://www.ustream.tv/user/teambondgirls/shows

Don't miss any of it!

Day 1: The Arrival

2011-03-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

After faring a red eye, 3 members: Marissa, Jennifer, and Donna arrived at the Minneapolis Airport and met up with Cindy who arrived earlier that morning via Florida. We all made it, safe and sound with all our luggage. It was a good start to a week long adventure.

Weary-eyed, we got into our red minivan rental and met up with, Jomar, a St. Paul curler, at a cafe called the Bread and Chocolate where we ate delicious cinnamon swirls with dangerous frosting and warmed up with some steamed milk. Jomar offered to take us to the St. Paul club where we got to see an almost 100 year-old club (founded in 1912) complete with a window built in the 2nd floor men's bathroom where you can still watch curling below as you wash your hands. Brilliant!

We made a quick trip to Mickey's Diner (where they filmed "Mighty Ducks") to snap a quick picture for Cindy's dad.

Finally, we made our way south to the Mankato Curling Club. All is a blur since, I fell asleep, but not without first taking in the snow covered landscapes, iced over rivers, and real Christmas trees. Lucky for us, we brought the California sunshine, but don't let that deceive you. It's COLD over here, especially when the wind blows. I learned that you have to cover every exposed skin, or else it'll freeze off. At least, that's what it seemed like to this thin-blooded Hawaiian.

We spotted a familiar sight, Target, and bought some necessities, water, snacks, and joint juice. We ate some lunch. We took a quick refreshing nap after checking into the hotel. Last minute, a traditional, we quickly sewed our patches on our new fancy jackets embroidered by our Utica Mom, Liz. After a few hundred blood offerings to the curling gods, we were finally ready.

Practice started at 8 pm. We saw a ton of familiar faces. It felt so good to see them all again, kind of like a family reunion. There were some new faces as well. Don't worry we'll get to know all of them really soon. We tried out our new practice routine on all the sheets. We get 10 minutes starting on Sheet 2 to throw everything we needed to throw to figure out the stones, run of the ice, weird observations, and to dial in on our weight. It was a very good practice on such nice dedicated ice. It's good to be back again!

We ate dinner at Baker's Square and brought home some pie.

We ended the night with some funny photos and videos. You can see them posted on our facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bondgirlscurling

Not bad for our first day back in tournament mode.

Tomorrow's Schedule (Central Time):

11 am - Club Nationals Team Meeting

1 pm - Opening Ceremony (We're going to test out our live streaming equipment)

8 pm - 1st Team Bond Girl Game with Team Wisconsin

Here's the link to our webstream:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals

We might have a treat for you guys. Jomar and Travis from the St. Paul Curling Club might be our guest commentators for the game for all you curling fans out there. YAY!

Bond Girls are Back! Stay Tuned.

- Domino

2011-03-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

Our practice went pretty good tonight. We had 10 minutes per sheet. It was slower than we were expecting, usually we throw all of our first rocks through the house. This was not the case, it was running around 22 seconds.
Every year we make a mixed cd to rock out to in the van before games. We each pick 4 songs that pump us up right now. This year we have 2 team songs as well. Check out the list below and see if you can guess which song belongs to whom.

Firework by Katy Perry
Moment 4 Life (feat. Drake) by Nicki Minaj
Dog Days Are Over by Florence & The Machine
You re Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
this is how we do it by Montell Jordan
Jai Ho by The Pussycat Dolls
feel good inc by Gorillaz
Theme From Mortal Kombat by Utah Saints
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Gloryland by Daryl Hall and The Sound Of Blackness
The Time by Black eyed peas
Trouble by Pink
The Fixer by Pearl Jam
Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne
Burn It To The Ground by Nickelback
Don't Rain On My Parade by Glee Cast
California Gurls by Katy Perry

Answers will be posted later on this week!

Miranda Frost

5-4-3-2-1 MANKATO!

2011-03-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

So tonight, we leave slightly warm Los Angeles to freezing Mankato (HIGHS of 27 LOWS of 19), BUT there's still a few last minute things we still need to do before lift-off.

5 - Pack! We've got a handful of uniforms including some top secret stuff to be unveiled on opening ceremony. Plus, we can't forget all the girly stuff like a couple of hair dryers so we don't have to take turns, bobby pins, and pink make-up. Plus, we're going to live stream our games and document our adventures. We got a whole collect of equipment, still cameras, video cameras, computers, etc. We'll be bright, chic, and technologically equipped for Mankato.

4 - Plan! There's going to be a few familiar faces as well as some new faces we'll be meeting up with while we are at the tournament. We're coordinating a visit to the St. Paul curling club as well as maybe a quick drive to the Spam Museum. We're also looking forward to Coach Joel from Wisconsin, guiding us for a few days, as well as a few family and friends that will try to come out and watch. Maybe our devoted fans will cheer Team Bond Girls into doing really well at the tournament. Hopefully, we'll see a few of our Pink, Black, and Grey T-shirts out in the stands.

3 - Prepare! Team Bond Girls always have a few extra things they do to prepare for the Club Nationals. We try to update an exercise spreadsheet to track all our activity. Cindy burns us a mix cd which we play on replay in the van, and that sets the mood as well as theme for the year. Our highlight song is "Firework" by Katy Perry, but I can't give you the entire playlist. We'll have another post with our song selections, and you can guess which Bond Girl chose it. We've held fundraisers and various sales, and thanks to all our supporters because you've made this event possible.

2 - Life! Things are still going on while we are away for one week. I feel kind of bad that I'm leaving the hubby with the task of preparing the baby's room while I am gone. I was supposed to pack up all my stuff so that it would clean for him to scrape the popcorn off the ceiling, paint the walls, and assemble the furniture. We'll see if I get to that errand tonight after work and shopping for some last minute items. I'm sure that while I am away, my husband is going play...at his "nerd party." Yep that's right! It's mainly a bunch of males rolling dice, and moving tiny figurines across a board, and blasting each other with fantasy powers. The girls and I will just have to have fun without them throwing heavy rocks on a very slippery board, yelling "hard" at the top of our lungs.

1 - Remember! The number one thing that I want to remind myself and others is that we are there to have fun. Sure we don't get a lot of quality ice time at our club, and we don't get to work on things we'd like. Just traveling to Mankato is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Team Bond Girls gets to spend one week with some amazing curlers on perfectly preened ice. We could get our butts kicked, but who cares since we most importantly want our passion for curling to match the brightness of our pink uniforms. We are proud to be curlers and to represent women who curl, the growing MOPAC region, and of course, Hollywood curling.

Are you ready for this blast off of pink? Mankato, here we come.

-Domino

Dare To Wear...Pink

2011-03-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

2011 Team Bond Girl T-shirts are now IN!

Now available in Black or Dark Grey, various sizes including youth all for $15 each.

We decided that for our 3rd time around, we needed a fresh look. So to accompany the new uniforms, we also made a new logo and had some new shirts printed. We, of course, kept some of the elements that make it Team Bond Girls with our hotter pink accents and cool "License to Curl" slogan.

On the front, you'll see a fancy curling rock bullet through the bullseye of a curling house "O" that makes "Team Bond Girls."

We've graced the back with a cool martini glass complete with a curling house shaped olive.

Cindy designed the graphic, and we think the new logo turned out perfectly.

So fans, show your Team Bond Girl pride, and get an updated "License to Curl" shirt for only $15. You can send us a note or pay online via:

www.bondgirlscurling.com

Click on the pink fundraising bubble, and it will take you to the paypal link with various photos of our prize pack that is also available. Click on "donate" to make your payment, and don't forget to specify design, color, size, and delivery address. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your favorite bond girl.

All proceeds will help our team offset costs to compete in the Club Nationals in Mankato, Minnesota starting this Saturday, March 5th.

-----
If you are fond of the 2010 Logo, we made a fresh new batch in various sizes (Black/Dk. Grey). for $15 as well.

www.bondgirlscurling.com

FUN FUN FUN-drasier

2011-02-28T12:28:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we held our Casino Royale Fundraiser. Despite, record cold weather and spurts of rain, slushy snow, and YES! hail (it's a novelty here in Burbank), many Team Bond Girl supporters still showed up and had a great time. Here's a quick summary:

Brent's Deli supplied the delicious assortment of sandwiches, chips, and other snack items. Delicious!

We had a total of 19 poker participants, all who played their heart out. We started the actual tournament at around 6:00 PM, a slight delay because of the weather.

Karl and Kate Preusser was celebrating their anniversary with us so we baked them a special cake.

Poker Tourney consisted of Texas Hold 'Em with increasing blinds every 20 min. We were also introducing another element to the game called "Headhunter" where a prize would be given to the poker player who "takes out" the most poker players.

WINNERS:

1st Place - Matt C.
Blu-Ray Player Prize Pack

2nd Place - Sean

3rd Place - TJ

4th Place - Joey

5th Place - Karl

Consolation Prize - Andrea (taken out by a Team Preusser Sandwich.)

Headhunter - (Most Poker Play "kills") - Matt C.

(Pictures to come soon)

Congratulations to all our winners and participants. We couldn't have done it without you.

- Domino

2011 Club Nationals Information At-A-Glance

2011-02-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

This is just some information at-a-glance for all those interested in following along our journey to the 2011 Club Nationals.

Team Bond Girls Arrival:
March 5 at 7 am (Yes, we are taking the red eye)

Dates of Tournament:
March 5 - March 12

Schedule of Events:
Saturday March 5th

5:00 p.m. Welcome Reception- Mankato Curling Club
6:30 p.m. Practice Session 1 AK, MI, NJ, CO, CA
8:00 p.m. Practice Session 2 NJ, CA, MI, CO, OR

Sunday March 6th

8:30 a.m. Practice Session 3 IL, MN, WI, ND, WA
10:00 a.m. Practice Session 4 IL, ND, WI, MN, WA
11:00 a.m. Team Meeting
1:00 p.m. Opening Ceremonies

Saturday March 12th

5:00 p.m. Closing Ceremonies- Mankato Curling Club
6:00 p.m. Social Hour- Best Western Garden Inn
7:00 p.m. Banquet & Awards- Best Western Garden Inn. - Entertainment to follow

Location of Tournament:
Mankato Curling Club
600 Hope Street
Mankato, MN 56001-4321
(507) 388-3335

Public Admission to watch games:
$3/draw
$5/day
$20/week

Saturday Banquet (2/12) for dinner and entertainment: $25

Schedule:
To Download Draw Schedule

Team Bond Girls Updates:
Webstream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals

Twitter: http://twitter.com/teambondgirls

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bondgirlscurling

Blog: www.bondgirlscurling.blogspot.com

Website: www.bondgirlscurling.com

Brent's the Best

2011-02-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

Team Bond Girls eat at:

http://www.brentsdeli.com/

For the 3rd year in a row, food for our poker tournament participants will be generously provided by Brent's Delicatessen & Restaurant...delicious.

If you haven't been to Brent's, you're missing out because it's amazing. The portions are generous, and the flavor is....Well, it's no wonder people's mouth start to water at the mention of Brent's. They've been serving Southern Californians since 1967, and they're still going strong. Their food has been featured on the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." If this doesn't convince you, then maybe you should give it a try in person.

There are two locations:

WESTLAKE VILLAGE
2799 Townsgate Road
Westlake Village CA 91361
(805) 557-1882
Open daily 7am to 9pm

NORTHRIDGE
19565 Parthenia Street
Northridge CA 91324
(818) 886-5679
Open daily 6am to 9pm

Stop by for a real deli treat, and let them know that Team Bond Girls sent you!

Thank you, Brent's, for your help and great food. We love it!

**Check out their fancy website at: http://www.brentsdeli.com/

Sew What

2011-02-23T17:44:00.000-08:00

Team Bond Girls would like to introduce:

http://www.sewwhatnow.com

Ever since the "adoption" went through 2 years ago at the 2009 Utica Club Nationals, Team Bond Girl's uniforms have undergone a transformation, doubling maybe tripling in size in fact. It's all because of their Utica Mom, Liz, who along with Joe adopted us that year as our New York host family. We were very spoiled because she just happens to run her own embroidery business, Sew What Embroidery by Liz. You may have seen some of her work in our numerous photos: cute customized bags, sweatshirts, pants, shirts, hats, etc.

Fact is: You can't have enough pink or black!

This year is no different. When we decided to give our uniforms a fresh look, we turned to Liz to help us with our embroidery needs. You can see her awesome work on our new on-ice and off-ice jackets and pants.

Check them out as we try to curl Team Bond Girl style at the Mankato Curling Club March 5th - March 12th.

Pictures coming soon.

Thank you, Liz!

Team Bond Girls love everything you do for us!

**Check out Liz's website: http://www.sewwhatnow.com to see what she can do for your customized embroidery needs.

Hello, ALO

2011-02-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

We are very proud to announce our sponsor:

www.alosport.com

This year at the Club Nationals pay very close attention to Team Bond Girl's really cute, slate and white off-ice warm up jackets. They have been generously provided by ALO Sportswear. We have done a lot of research on a few different companies, but this one stood out above the rest. We are very proud to have them as a sponsor. Here's why:

1) LA Based - We have to represent something from our neck of the woods, of course!

2) Great Philisophy - ALO stands for Air, Land, and Ocean

This is high performance clothing made out of minimal impact and recycled materials such as modal, bamboo, organic cotton, and recycled polyester. Also the company within does all it can to reuse, reduce, and recycle.

In short, Alo is made for active people with a great message to all who wear it and see it.

3) VERY CHIC!

Men's or Women's wear doesn't matter. They are all very fashionable. Who says you need to sacrifice style to be environmental? You can see for yourself.

All these elements screamed Team Bond Girls. We feel that this new jacket will fit nicely with our uniforms especially now since this year's T-shirts can be purchased in a new dark gray color.

Thank you ALO!

Team Bond Girls will wear your jackets with curling pride.

*Check out what's new and cool on www.alosport.com and feel free to let them know The Bond Girls sent you.

Curl Power

2011-02-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

A lot of good things happen when curlers come together and "bond." One of our readers, Kevin, has a blog that promotes women curling. He just recently added an article about Team Bond Girl's fundraising efforts. You can find this article here:

ENTER: Curl Power

The Bond Girls are very honored that you chose to highlight our team in your blog. Hopefully, this will help open doors for more curling support and sponsorship.

Thank you, Kevin!

Please visit Curl Power regularly for more updates.

Casino Royale

2011-02-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

Preparations for the 3rd Annual Casino Royale Poker Tournament are underway. There are still about 6 more slots open; so make your reservations as soon as possible.

If you can't make it to the tournament, but want to still participate, you can get a proxy to play for you. Plus, of course there are options to donate online

Fundraiser Link

Just follow the instructions...

and/or buy a new Team Bond Girls T-shirt (available in black or gray). We just sent the designs to the printers; so we'll have a new and improved logo as well as access to buy T-shirts of the very popular old logo by this Friday.

Will keep you updated with photos and instructions.

Go Team Bond Girls!

- Domino

"Maxie-mized" Training

2011-02-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

Team Bond Girls have been pretty lucky to encounter a few guardian angels all across America who have taken them under their curling wings. One of which is Fred Maxie from Arizona. He has been one of our coaches following and advising us from the very beginning. We were honored with his presence in California last weekend as we spent some time practicing and drilling at the Orange County Curling Club. We took some extensive notes of curling strategies and training methods. I'd like to share a couple of our cool experiences here with you.

1) Between the Stones

Not sure what Fred calls it, but I'm giving it a quick and easy title. Fred lined up two stones parallel to each other with a space in between that was slightly bigger than a stone. It was located about a couple of feet away from the hack. Fred gave us a stationary broom to aim at that was either slightly right or left of the center line. He expected us to do a full delivery with a stone between the two stones without touching them. At first, it seemed like a really daunting task. The space is really, really small. And you have things like a broom sticking out, legs extended, etc. BUT if you do it right, you will perfectly deliver the stone without touching anything, and it's feels really great. This teaches you to draw back the stone without giving it a sideways motion. It helps focus you on your line. It keeps all the weight in the hack with shoulders square, and it makes you tweak your delivery until everything (rock, hips, leg) is one straight line. It's an awesome drill that all curlers should try.

2) The Short Game

At the end of our 1 1/2 hour practice, we played a short game. We split the team into groups of 2 (back end vs. front end, or random). We put all the stones right behind the hog line using only end of the sheet, and we "played" a game using different scenarios. For example: yellow team is down by 1, with the hammer in the 9th end. We could slide stones from anywhere behind the hogline as long as our foot doesn't cross the hogline. We had some really good lessons with strategy and working together as a team deliberating on the best shots. Fred would guide us with what the "normal" strategy would be at this point, and other options we could take depending on the situation. One important lesson we learned was that we have to know how to miss. Sometimes being too short or too long or hitting hard or too soft could affect the outcome of the game. This is something we have to keep in mind when making our shots. Overall The Short Game lesson was fast, easy, and fun.

So even though ice time is very limited for our "on-ice" training, Team Bond Girls had used each second to it's "Maxie-mum." We are so grateful for this experience, and it'll bring us one step closer to doing Hollywood Curling and Fred proud. See you on the ice!

Good curling!

-Domino

The Search For Sponsors

2011-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

In the past, Team Bond Girls have had a few "sponsors" who have kindly donated items and money during our fundraising period. These people include our ever faithful family and friends who have always been our constant supporters buying T-shirts, stickers, or a baked good here or there, no matter how extensive the pink may be.

This helps offset costs of traveling to Club Nationals which usually is held at a very far and very cold place for about one week. Without this support we wouldn't have been able to afford to participate otherwise.

This year is no different. Planning is well underway to another fun whirlwind of fundraising. Here are our plans:

1) NEW T-shirts - New T-shirt designs are being developed by our own Cindy. She's working double time to get them in time for printing. Also, we will probably be ordering a batch of some of our old shirts since we have received requests for them. We'll update you all as soon as things are finalized.

2) Internet Sponsors - Gotta love technology! We are trying to set up a section on our website that enables people to choose different levels of sponsorship and send in their donation. All sponsors will get a special Team Bond Girl gift basket according to their sponsor level.

3) Poker Tournament - We're trying to host an event on Feb. 26th. There will be be prizes, raffles, and lots of fun. Let us know if you are interested. We're sending invites with the information this Saturday.

4) Online Program - We are collecting ad messages from family, friends and businesses who would like to send their good luck messages to the team. We're putting it together online so that every can see it and have access to it at any time. It can be as simple as a couple sentences/your name, "business card" sized, or if you really want to get crazy, a "full page" all to yourself. For more info., send us a message.

5) Other Team Bond Girl swag, like stickers, bags, clothing, etc.

6) Lastly, the never fail, good 'ole bake sale. You'll find us at league games with a whole bunch of treats. Don't forget to look out for us.

So we're hoping that with all these efforts, Team Bond Girls will be all set to go. If you are interested in participating in any one of these fundraising events, either as a sponsor, a donor, or just a cheerleader, please let us know.

Wish us luck! Good Curling!

- Domino

The Hunt for Pink & Black Tartan

2011-02-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

For the past 2 years, Team Bond Girls have worn their signature pink and black kilts, designed and sewed by our own Vice-Skip, Cindy. They have served their purpose well during our competitions. This year, we are on the hunt for a new tartan, and our first stop is Downtown LA's Fashion District. This is THE place to go for your fashion needs. There's everything from silks to cottons, fleece, lace, spandex, upholstery...you name it, they've got it and for a very good price.

FASHION DISTRICT INFORMATION

Our first lesson in fabric shopping is never use the term "tartan." No one in this area has any roots in the Scottish culture. "Plaid" is the best way to get results. Otherwise, people will just stare at you blankly.

The second lesson we learned is that there's not ton of plaid out there. On top of that, pink and black plaid is extremely rare, even for the Fashion District.

Lesson Number Three: You always find the right fabric in the first store you go into. Amazingly, we saw some plaid fabric on display by the doorway of store called Natalie's. Hidden under yards and yards of fabric, we found a more black than pink plaid. It was of good kilt-making material. We had really good luck to find something so rare on our first try. Although, we did want to find something a little pinker; so we visited a whole bunch of stores nearby with a swatch of the original plaid material to show the vendors what we were looking for.

We walked up and down the block in the rain. Sometimes it was easy. Plaid wasn't really something everyone carried; so in and out we went. Some stores weren't as organized as others; so we had to squeeze through fabric pathways and dig under rolls and rolls of cloth. We found some patterns that were really close...a few pink and black tartans tottered on the edge of being purple. It wasn't exactly what we were looking for; so we hesitantly put them back. It was a futile search because the fabric back at Natalie's was waiting for us to take it home.

There was a bonus as well. The cost for the material to make all our new kilts ended up equaling the cost of what it would have been for 1 kilt at another fabric store. We came home with a steal. Thank you, Fashion District!

The hunt for pink and black tartan is now over. Team Bond Girls are very excited about their new and improved uniforms. We will send updates on our progress.

- Domino

Episode 23 - Case of the Hitchhikers

2011-01-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

So this Sunday, January 30th, Team Bond Girls had a field trip to take their team photos at the Lake Hollywood Dog Park. Here's some information to all those making a trip to Hollywood sometime in the near future.

LAKE HOLLYWOOD INFORMATION

This is one of the best places to get a photo of the famous Hollywood sign. We thought that since we were representatives of the Hollywood Curling Club, we should at least have it featured somewhere in our team photo. I don't think it could get any better than this.

Well, it was a very cloudy day. There was actually rain drizzling on this sleepy Sunday morning. The Bond Girls coerced Matt, husband of Jen (2nd) and member of Team Zissou, (not to mention, this day was also his birthday...yes, we made him get up really early in the rain to work on his 29th birthday) to be our photographer. Thank you, Matt, for a spectacular job!

After about 30 photos, negotiating the best route around dog poop, and trying different poses and facial expressions, we finally got it! We had in our hands the perfect photo or photos...There were a few good ones. I'll have to post some of the good ones that didn't make it to the finals. We only had one faux pas. Matt, our ever-focused artist, took a misstep and found himself some smushy dog poop...all for the love of capturing Bond Girl smiles. BUT it was all worth it. Right, Matt?

We were all packed up into our cars ready to caravan to the fabric district to pick out some new kilt material, when Matt was flagged down by a couple, a man with a walking stick and a woman with blond short hair. I was in the back seat; so I couldn't hear the entire conversation. All I know is that the doors flew open, they hopped into the back seat with me, and Matt started driving in the opposite direction. Marissa, in another car behind us, also watched the action. She was probably wondering if we got carjacked.

Apparently, this couple lived "around the corner," and asked if we could give them a ride. Usually, they walked this path everyday, but today wasn't a good day to walk in the rain. So Matt very kind-heartedly drove around the corner, up a slight hill, around another corner, down a small hill...So it was slightly longer than around the corner, but time passed quickly. We chit chatted. We were dressed in our jackets, so they were wondering what we were involved in. Finally, a mansion appeared and it took my breath away. It was an old Spanish style house with a beautiful pool and new, expensive cars in the driveway. It was gorgeous. I wish we could have stayed longer to see more of the house and maybe drop a hint or two about needed sponsors for our curling team. Regardless, it was really cool to have met them and get a rare glimpse inside a Hollywood home. In the end, I'm sure Matt just got a shot of good karma for this good deed, and maybe it'll rub off on the team.

We wonder who was this mysterious couple, and maybe we'll never know. We never had time to delve into personal details; so for now, this will be known as Team Bond Girls' "Case of the Hitchhikers," another unexpected Bond Girls adventure into the back hills of Hollywood. I guess you never know who you'll run into on a rainy day.

- Domino

Information From the Inside...

2011-01-31T20:32:00.000-08:00

So we got an agent in Minnesota feeding us some inside scoop.

Here's the latest report for your eyes only.

Apparently, we have confirmation that it could be "pretty darn" cold in March. We've got a recommended list as far as some of the essential items we're going to need for this mission:

Warm gloves for outside and on the sheet
Long johns
Fleece
Bring your ski jacket!
Bring a decent pair of boots, however hikers will do
Bring a scarf and you will be fine

These will all be on the Bond Girl's checklist. And off course, we can't forget our fancy, important kilt.

Here's a bonus list...FOOD. We can't go to a new place without any recommendations on where to eat. Looks like we're going to have more choices than time to try them all. We'll see how many of them we can get to in Mankato.

Patricks in St, Peter (Tons of good beer, best burgers around)
Olives - Greek food, great lunch buffet
New Ulm - Schells Brewery tour and very Authentic German food in New Ulm town (where New in Town was filmed)
Westwood Marina on Lake Washington - Out on the lake check out some ice
fisherman! Great atmosphere, OK food.
Dinos Pizza - Great Italian
Mazatlan - Mexican
Buffalo Wild Wings - Good wings and beer

I think we got a good head start as far as preparing for this week. If you have any more suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or more.

We want to extend a very warm Team Bond Girls thank you to our "Agent" Scott who sent us all this information. We can't wait to meet you in person and to curl at your club. That's all for now!

- Domino

The Competition

2011-01-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

The pictures are posted for the Club Nationals participants. You can get a glimpse of a Team Bond Girl pose at The Granite Club during playdowns.

PHOTOS

Click on
"2011 Club National Championships"

Tentative Draw Schedule - 2011 Club Nationals

2011-01-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

This is off the www.usacurl.org website.

Where Oh Where is Mankato?

2011-01-24T16:10:00.000-08:00

The one thing unique about curling and curling competitively is that sometimes, you end up in places you've never heard of or would have never thought of visiting. In 2009, we traveled to Utica, NY (I've never been even been to New York, New York). In 2010, we competed in Madison, WI (Well, at least we have some relatives that are kind of close by.) This year, the 2011 Club Nationals will be hosted by the Mankato Curling Club in Mankato, MN. I can't say that it's been on my top 10 list of places to visit, but it looks like I'll be going there before I visit Japan or again New York City.

I've been keeping an eye on the daily weather forecast in Mankato. Last Thursday, it had a high of 0 degrees F and a low of -26 degrees F. Looks like this born and breed Hawaiian child is going to freeze her fancy kilt covered butt off. It is a small city located in the Southern part of Minnesota. Population is about 35,000. According to Wikipedia, there's a ton of Indian history associated with this city. And you've probably heard of Mankato from "Little House on the Prairie" which is where it was referred to as "the big town" where everyone journeys to for shopping. I don't think I'm going to do much shopping there. I just found out after talking to the woman trying to make hotel reservations that the sales tax is around 10.375%. That's even more than our crazy California tax at 9.75%, not by much though.

After visiting Utica which is pretty far North and Wisconsin which is generally in the same mid-west region, I think Mankato would be about the same, a bit chilly, flat spaces, cute houses, lots of trees. I'm hoping to hear some really cool, genuine "Minnesoota" accents. I think we're going to see a bunch of Vikings and Wilds fans. Maybe I should leave my Green Bay Packers and King's hockey colors at home. I'm also trying to figure out what kind of food is associated with this area. We ate a lot of pasta when we were in Utica and toured a brewery. Wisconsin seemed to have a lot of German influences. Plus, we found a mustard museum there. What adventures are we going to have this year?

So Mankato, The Bond Girls are getting ready for you. Are you going to be ready for us?

See YOU on the ice.

- Domino

NoHo Curling

2011-01-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Our friend Matt wrote a fun blog about us and our cosmic connection to Katy Perry.

Check it out and like NoHo Curling on Facebook!

NoHo Curling: California Curls

California Curls

Playdown Summary

2011-01-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

And now...the end of the first half of "Team Bond Girls: License to Curl Renewed"

So this playdown didn't go exactly how I had written it. Like all good stories, real life is always so much more dramatic. "Team Bond Girls: License to Curl Renewed" already has a very Hollywood feel to it. Most of it was a blur, but here are the highlights.

GAME 1
GAME 1:
Team Bond Girls vs. Team Oregon

Thievery would be the one word to describe this game against Oregon. Team Bond Girls steal their way without the hammer throughout the first five ends gaining an 8 point lead. Eventually, Team Oregon finally gets into the game and on the scoring board with 1 point in the 6th and 3 points in the 7th. Unfortunately, it was a little to much of a deficit for Team Oregon to fight their way out of. Team Bond Girls has a great start to the competition. Final score: 8-4

GAME 2
GAME 2:
Team Bond Girls vs. "Shot Rock Girls" (aka Team San Diego)

It was a rough start with Team Bond Girls losing 3 in the first end and another 1 in the 2nd. Finally, Team Bond Girls got their stride gaining 3 in the 3rd end, and they tied things up in the 4th end. The girls in pink pull away in the 5th and 6th ends leading the score by 3. Team San Diego finds curling magic by completing 2 difficult shots, an angle take out 2 times in a row, to oust Team Bond Girls from shot rock position. They tie things up in the 8th end. Now, the ladies must play an extra end to determine the winner. After a grueling match, the Shot Rock Girls pull away with winning point. This game was a heartbreaking loss for the Bond Girls. Final Score: 7-8

GAME 3
GAME 3:
Team Bond Girls vs. Team Arizona (aka "flashy pants")

Team Arizona returns again to challenge Team Bond Girls for a playoff spot. In last year's Playdowns, they were the only team that threatened Team Bond Girls chances to move on to Club Nationals. After 3 matches, Bond Girls proved their curling skills, and beat Arizona, 3-0. This year, Arizona came prepared. Team Norwegian inspired "Shagadelic" pants clashed with pink and black kilts. It was war. Unfortunately, Team Bond Girls put on their fashion blinders and took the lead by scorning 2 in the first end and 1 point in the second end. Team Arizona comes back into the game scoring 1 point in the 3rd end. Team Bond Girls responds to their attempts with a 4 pointer in the 4th end. Team Arizona squeaks in a point in the 5th end. In the 6th end, Team Bond Girls secures their win with 2 more points. Despite the potential "fancy pants" distraction, the Bond Girls shook off the shock and curled a great game. At the end, both teams took a colorful picture together. Final Score: 9-2

GAME 4
GAME 4:
Team Bond Girls vs. Team San Francisco

This game was crucial for Team Bond Girls. If they win, they secure a spot to go to Nationals. If they lose, they must reschedule their flight home and play tie breaker games, including a back to back game with Team San Francisco. They did not want to even think about the possibility of losing. The Bond Girls start off well playing a cautious game and scores 1 point in the first end and jumps 3 more points in the 2nd end. San Francisco scores 3 points in the 3rd end to cut down the Bond Girls lead within 1 point. Bond Girls score 2 points in the 4th trying to pull as far away as they could. It was frustrating in the 5th and 6th ends where San Francisco kept scoring points again cutting the lead within reach. Team Bond Girls breaks free with 3 points scored in the 7th. It was a nerve wracking end as blue stones stacked in the house in the eight. At one point, San Francisco had enough rocks to maybe tie Team Bond Girls' score. 2nd to the last rock, Team Bond Girls miss their take out. It was up to the last and final rock to determine Team Bond Girls' fate. Marissa calls for another take out. If successful, Team San Francisco would run out of rocks. Marissa executes her shot beautifully. She takes out 2 of San Francisco's rocks and cuts down their shot rock count to 1. Final Score: 9-6

Team Bond Girls ends the playdowns with a 3-1 record, defending their title (Co-Champions with Oregon 3-1) for the 3rd time in a row. Both they and Oregon will move forward to the Club Nationals in Mankato, Minnesota which will be held from March 5-12, 2011. Good curling!

-Domino

4 Women and a Little Plum

2011-01-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

This year, Team Bond Girls has the pleasure to introduce an honorary 5th team member during the Regional Playdowns. Though you might not have seen this new participant, s/he been present throughout the entire competition. (Maybe this presence could have been a major factor in our team's performance.) No, we weren't cheating. This new member just came along for the ride. S/he is only as big as a plum right now, but just watch it grow...maybe we'll find ourselves with a new junior curler one day.

Here's all you need to know about Baby Mendoza:

Mom: Donna Umali Mendoza (Team Bond Girls - Hollywood Curling) aka "Domino Vitali"

Dad: Paul Matthew Mendoza (Team Zissou - Hollywood Curling)

Age at time of Playdowns: 13 weeks

Features: Big head, "balloon," currently has eyelids and forming organs, strong heartbeat

Sex: Unknown until age 20 weeks

Favorite food: Bananas and french fries

Favorite song: "Fireworks" by Katy Perry

Hopes to learn:
Theater trivia from Auntie Marissa
Pastry and crafts techniques from Auntie Jennifer
Antique cars and sewing from Auntie Cindy
Piano from Mommy
Hockey from Daddy
Curling from Everyone

Favorite thing to do: play with his/her hands

Expected Birth Date: July 25, 2011

Thank you for letting Baby Mendoza curl, slide, and sweep along in the tournament. It was so much fun!

- Domino

The Competitive Curling Life

2011-01-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

It's a typical overcast day in Seattle, no snow...yet. Temperature is 53 degrees F with lows of 40. Granite Curling Club looks great as usual. Ice is clear, fast, and curling. Company is friendly. It's like a mini reunion with our favorite people. Plus, there's some new faces in the playdown circle. Excitement is high. Colors are COLORFUL. It's another great, fun-filled, sore-muscled curling weekend.

(All this was very hard to type on an ipad with no keyboard. So I gave up. I apologize for posting the blogs late.)

I was talking to a friend about this competition and what it's like when you move on to Club Nationals, and I told him it's like a self imposed torture. You have to push yourself mentally and physically. You have to deal with all sorts of pressure situations. Sometimes it comes down to the last rock in the last end, which actually did happen in our game against Team San Diego...a heartbreaking loss.

It's kind of hard to explain why anyone would put themselves through this process. Maybe it's the bragging rights. Maybe it's the feeling of victory after overcoming so many obstacles. For some, it could be the satisfaction of doing something new, something that you never thought you could do before. That's how I felt when I did my first take out and later on, a double take-out. I'm looking forward to the one day I get to do a triple. I'm not usually in the position to do take-outs. As a Lead, I throw the guards and the draws. Take-outs are usually reserved for everyone else. So when called upon to do those crucial moves, I get really nervous. I miss more often then I'd like to admit. When I actually do hit it and hit it exactly the way it was called, I feel extreme pride and gratification. It's the best feeling in the world. Of course, when I miss, it's the worst...we are always the hardest on ourselves. Thank goodness there's 4 people on a team; so when someone is feeling down, there's always someone else to pick them up.

In curling, it's not really what you did during your one shot or two shots in the game. For example, the skip wouldn't have to make a miracle shot at the end, if things were going smoothly from the beginning. The game has to be perceived in it's entirety: communication, sweeping, watching line, thinking ahead, setting up, capitalizing, psychological aspects, preventing mistakes, etc. The sum of all this and more determines what the playing field is like (which seems to be constantly changing), and we just have to work best we can with what we've got. Curling is an extremely complicated puzzle, and we, crazy competitors, are all addicted to solving it.

So here we are again, the third time in the MoPAC Club Regional Tournament. It gets better and more competitive every year. There's a lot more at stake and maybe a little more reward. So what is it that attracts all these curlers, sucks them in and traps them in a world of cold temperatures, heavy rocks, and a lot of HARD work? I'll speak for everyone participating in the Regionals, and I hope they all agree. Despite aching muscles, bruised bums, highs and lows, the competitive curling life is the kind of life to lead.

-Domino

We made it!

2011-01-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

We are here in Seattle and ready to get on the curling ice!

Made a quick stop at the Granite Club last night to say hi to "M" and wish him luck in his league game... Then we checked into the hotel and got our beauty rest.

First game today at 2:00pm against the Evergreen Team from Oregon! We are looking forward to it. Now we are off to eat and go scout the other teams at the club!

Follow the action at - http://www.curlingseattle.org/competitions/event.php?event=2011ClubState&disp=teams

Bond Girls 3: License to Curl Renewed

2011-01-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

So it's that time again. Team Bond Girls are gearing up for some Club National action starting first with the Playdowns January 15-17 in Seattle, WA at our favorite Granite Curling Club. We anticipate playing against 4 other women teams that we must defeat in order to qualify for the Club Nationals which will be held in Mankato, MN from March 5th to March 12th. Let's recap.

2009 - our first year as a team, we qualified automatically to compete in the Club Nationals which were held in Utica, NY. (This is where we were adopted by Liz and Joe. We miss you guys!) After 9 grueling games, we placed 7th...not bad for our first major competition.

2010 - Team Bond Girls beat Team Arizona to become the MoPAC Regional Champs and move on to Madison, WI where we placed 8th under heavier competition. Not to mention a lot of snow driving by the short, Hawaiian, thin-blooded Filipino girl.

This year there might be a little pressure on our team to perform well and to renew the title we've held 2 years in a row. I think, there's just more excitement to be curling on dedicated ice again and to have a higher level of competition. Plus, we get to visit our friends at the Granite Club, and maybe we'll see a little snow.

Over the course of this year, especially during the Wisconsin Club National experience, Team Bond Girls have grown leaps and bounds. We also had a special treat when a group of charming Scottish men, clad in those familiar kilts, came down to LA to participate in Hollywood Curling's Summer Blockbuster Bonspiel. We were lucky to engage in some friendly curling, a touch of scotch, and bonding together with both Scottish teams. We kicked butt and as well as had our butts kicked. In true Hollywood curling fashion, it was a lot of fun. 2010 ended sweetly, as Team Bond Girls were able to play in both championship games during the last league of the season coming away with 2 medals (1st place-League, 2nd place-Club).

"Bond Girls 3: License to Curl Renewed" has had a great beginning, and if I were to keep the story going, this is how it would go.

Team Bond Girls arrive in Seattle ready for action. They are faced with 4 adversaries all with special skills and abilities. Team Bond Girls must fight each one using all the skills and experience honed by their previous curling masters. Coach Joel, observes and tracks their progress from afar using advanced video technology. Mysterious "M" also watches on the sidelines. Team Bond Girl Fans don their T-shirts and powerfully pink kilts. Team 1 goes down with a little resistance. Team 2 uses a slightly different strategy, and makes Team Bond Girls nervous. Team Bond Girls channel their inner Bond and pulls out a strategy that overcomes Team 2's advances. Team 3 pulls various trick shots trying to throw Team Bond Girls off their game, but in the end, no trick is tricky enough to fool them. Team 4, the hardest and most challenging team, brings on their best players and curling. Team Bond Girls must follow each move with a better move of their own in order to win. They are neck and neck, and it comes down to the last 2 rocks. The 2nd to the last rock didn't go far enough....oh no! Now, it's up to the last and final rock to draw behind multiple guards, past the opponents shot rock in the house and settle nicely into scoring position. The skip is very nervous, but she takes a deep breath. She slides. She lets go of the rock. The sweepers sweep...HARD! The rock glides over the hog line. Will it squeeze through the port between all the guards? Will the sweepers sweep hard enough to drag the rock to scoring position? Will the skip yell loud enough? Will Team Bond Girls win Regionals and qualify for Club Nationals? Will the Filipino drive in the snow?

Sorry, guys, I have to make things dramatic...

Tune in next weekend, January 15th-17th.

Same Team Bond Girl Place, Same Team Bond Girl Channel.

Check back for more updates.

--Domino

Hollywood Tri-Color & Silver

2011-01-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

These are the colors of the 2010 Hollywood Curling 1st Place Winter League Championship and 2nd place Winter Club Championship medals which starts Team Bond Girl's medal collection. Here are some highlights for this season:

- Marissa: Making it to the semi-finals in Vacaville and going champagne tasting with the team... And us all meeting Debbie McCormick and finding out she had heard all about the Bond Girls!

- Cindy: Had a blast at the Crush bonspiel, this having been the first bonspiel away with the girls. This season I vowed to be more involved at the HCC, becoming Vice president, and part of various committees. Found out I'm going to be an aunt.......and crossing my fingers to hopefully get another curler in the family!

- Jennifer Gamboa: Sometimes life gets in the way of curling, and a number of times this past league we found ourselves playing with only 2 players! It was a mental and physical workout, as we were thrust into new positions, we lost some and won some, including a big win against the boys in the finals!"

- Donna: I had my first beautifully executed "crotch and squirt." This is when the stone I throw hits "the crotch" right between two stones that are parallel to each other with a little bit of space between them. They get hit out of the house. My stone "squirts" out behind them.

Two major battles were waged between the "husband" team, Team Zissou. Even though Team Bond Girls gave them a good whooping in the league championships, they got their revenge to win the club championship title in the end. No matter...medals are medals, and we'll hopefully add more colors to the collection. We got our eyes set on GOLD.

Curling season is well underway, and Team Bond Girls are gearing up for the upcoming Curling Club Nationals Playdowns and Spring League. Wish us luck!

Crush

2010-09-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

"Crush" is how my head felt after drinking way too much Fireball and beer after our last game. Also, I guess the margarita at the end didn't help and was the kicker to this noxious mixture. I found myself unable to walk straight or keep my eyes open for a good part of the afternoon. Luckily, I felt well enough to witness the last few shots that determined the winners of the Vacaville "Crush" Wine Country Bonspiel. It was followed by lots of cheering, a vuvuzela (a noise maker from the World Cup brought all the way from South Africa. Thanks, Ryan!), and finally a moment where I could rest from a very exciting day. It was about 3 pm. Apparently, I had partied too hard and too fast to keep up with myself. What a great Bonspiel!

Personally, this was my 2nd showing at this particular bonspiel, and I've always had a really good time. There's great company, good curling, fantastic raffle items/baskets, and memorable memories. This weekend is no exception. I don't think I am going to forget this weekend for a while especially after the body aches (from all the curling. I've been a little out of practice.), my intestines and stomach getting turned inside out, and the long sobering shower that washed away the remnants of my "fun." Not all bonspiels end up like this, but once in a while there's one that sticks out. I guess it was the combination of lots of free time and lots of opportunities to celebrate and maybe even lick some wounds. After a very deep "cleanse" and some rest, I actually felt pretty refreshed, I could even manage some solid food. In hindsight, I overall had a really good time, but I probably won't do it again for at least a little while. And maybe next time, our team would be even better to make it into the finals and really have an excuse to celebrate. We've learned so much and interacted so many wonderful people. It can only get better. Here's to the future! It looks very bright and promising even after a very long and brutal weekend.

- Domino

Game 2 - Quick Observation

2010-09-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Today, we lost our game against Team Seeger. It was a very bad loss, but basically, we just weren't consistent. It comes with the game, and that is always something we try to strive for. When Marissa asks each of us, including herself, for a shot. We are all expected to come through regardless of ice conditions, how we are feeling today, or any obstacle that might come in our way. Because if we don't, then we miss out on opportunities and could be forced to fall back on other plans. It just make things more complicated to get out of tough situations, which is what happened today. Of course, giving Marissa what she wants all the time is very HARD, but we try our best, and one day, she will ask for something, and we will be able to do it more than 75% of the time. That would be a good game.

Despite our loss today, I noticed that coming back after such a long break didn't phase my "routine," which surprised me. I was shocked at how automatic everything came. Get my stone, clean the bottom, clean the ice, look at Marissa, see and understand the signs, spin my stone (This helps in "filling" the imperfections on the stone itself with ice), breathe, put on "blinders" and focus on the broom that Marissa holds for me to direct my shot, set my toe in the same direction, prepare my grip on the stone and set the curl (in turn or out turn), left foot goes forward and slides back, push off keeping focus on the broom, let go with the proper curl. Now, this is all a LOT of stuff to remember. A long time ago (3 years), I would focus on each step, and it would take a long time. Now, it comes really naturally, and I can concentrate on other things like making sure I set the correct weight on my stone's delivery and making sure I let go the stone at Marissa's broom for the correct line.

So consistency will come eventually. Each time we curl, we make an observation here or an adjustment there. I know that with each tournament our team competes in, our level of skill and experience just gets better and better. We meet different people, styles, systems, and attitudes. We just have to keep the chin up, the fun times rolling, and the granite stones curling. One by one, it'll all fall into place, and hopefully, the Bond Girls could take their place in one of the top spots. What a great day that would be.

Keep it up, girls!

- Domino

We're back!

2010-09-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

The Bond Girls curl again at "The Crush" Bonspiel (tournament) in Vacaville, California. It is so nice and so amazing to be back in the action with my girls again. I've missed them so very much, and at first, I was really nervous to start curling after such a long break. I haven't curled since our Hollywood Bonspiel during the Memorial Day Weekend. I didn't want to let my teammates down. I also thought that it might be challenging to get my head in the game because there's been so many difficult hardships that have occurred in my life just recently. I have to say that it was a very smooth transition to get back into the swing of things. It is definitely easier to focus on trying to do our best curling than it is mope around the house. So I fully embrace the path that is before me, and I thank God for the blessings in my life to get through each day. I have found something more than just a reason to exercise in a cold place during a hot summer. It's more than just an opportunity to win medals. It's more than just cool brooms, perfecting sweeping techniques, having good form, practicing good communication, and praying for "no picks." It's a place where there are friends that support and care about each other both in and outside of curling. It's a reason to drink and be merry. It's an outlet where I can feel myself again. I think this is a very important process in my healing as well as some practice time to get better and interact with the people I love. So bring it on!

Today was a good start: 10-6 against Team Millar.

Tomorrow we will play Team Seeger (From San Francisco) at 10:30 am

We'll keep you updated.

Back in Pink & Black!

-Domino

2010-09-03T12:12:00.001-07:00

Ok - this is technology in action.

Test blog to see if Team Bond Girls can update our blog via text.

If this works - Team Bond Girls are officially fancy.

Bond Girls - Ready to be back on the ice!

2010-09-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well - it's that time again!

The Bond Girls are going to be back out on the ice together for the first time since Memorial Day Weekend. I guess we like to get together for these big 3 day holiday weekends and stay cool on the ice. This time we are headed up to Northern California for the Crush at the Wine Country Curling Club.

Should be fun... lots of friends will be there curling - including our best curling pals - Team Zissou.

We'll do our best to update the blog on our progress... make sure to follow us on Twitter @teambondgirls and on our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/bondgirlscurling

And don't forget to follow the Team Zissou boys @NoHoCurling and keep up with the blog at http://www.nohocurling.com

Also Bond Girl Jen G. is making some totally amazing curling themed baby clothes - so keep your eye out for that stuff. It is so freaking adorable. I know my new baby nephew Tyler is going to have a whole curling themed wardrobe to sport now!

Later curling fans!

Skip Messier

The Club Nationals Aftermath

2010-03-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I am missing the curling life right now. It's really interesting to take a week out of reality to go to a cold place where you spend most of your time basically exercising and socializing with people. I think my friend count on Facebook had a spiking increase during the time I was in Wisconsin, and I wouldn't be surprised if more trickles in within the next month. So after 10 days, 9 games, 1 news interview, 800 photos, 2 cheese and macaroni pizzas later, here we are.

Honestly, I am not sure why but for some reason curling keeps calling, and we keep hearing that call. I was talking to my husband, Paul, the other night about curling and life. It's very interesting that I don't have time to really focus on a lot of things that I want to do or keep consistent. BUT the one thing that has been consistent in the passed couple of years has been curling.

It's not really my intention to keep curling in the forefront. I really want to jumpstart my screenwriting career as well as take the next step in my Mary Kay business. I've actually tried to quit curling on numerous occasions to move some of that winning bug into other areas, but I couldn't do it. First of all, it's something that I do with my husband, and I'd miss that time too much if I didn't curl with him. Secondly, I feel that I am actually progressing in something, and I feel quite proud of myself when I have accomplishments. Plus, it's another way to have goals and look forward to new and exciting experiences. The taste of medal/trophy winning sounds so enticing that I can't wait until our shining moment finally happens. I think it spurs from childhood memories...gold stars for each piano song mastered or a certificate for good attendance. If there's an award, I'm there! Finally, I just plain need exercise. After the wedding festivities in June, I really didn't have any reason to workout as intensely as I did until Club Nationals came along. It just comes down to: I need curling, and curling needs me. (There's not too many Hawaiian Filipinos in this world; so I'm breaking some barriers here.)

I think of all the things that would not have happened if Paul and I hadn't watched the 2006 Olympics which inspired us to google "curling"...curling friends, tournaments, Paul's McDonald's commercial, my pink hair...what's next? I find it kind of funny that one's perception of life can be changed by a single event. Look ma! I'm a curler!

So reality here I am, but not for long. There's a gold medal to be won and exciting experiences just waiting for us in the future.

-Domino

Bond Girl Prayer for Good Curling

2010-02-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

So I wasn't really going to share this with everyone, but I think it might help if I send this out into the world. Maybe the world might send us some winning positive vibes back. I wrote this prior to coming to Club Nationals, and I read this out-loud before one of the games for inspiration. (That's why we had the mic off, Liz) I think tomorrow is the moment where we need this the most so here's to you Team Bond Girls:

Dear Bond Girls,

You belong to an exclusive group of amazing women formed to represent the Hollywood Curling Club and curling in the Southern California Region. You’ve been given a formidable task, and you return to the Club National Competition proud, prepared, and pinker than ever. Though pressure may be high, shots might be tough, ice unpredictable, and the competition rough, all you can do is your best. Your curling “toolbox” contains your entire experiences, drills, memories, and dummies handbook, all of which you can access at any moment, especially in time of need. You are each endowed with special talents and skills. Use them to the best of your abilities. We’ve formed a tight “bond” which is stronger than any super spy, and together we can move mountains one stone at a time.

This is my blessing to our team to keep close to our hearts, clear our minds, and remind ourselves a laugh or two:

May your pink streaks guide your way
To a steady, balanced delivery,
With enough ice,
A good weight,
Beautiful curl,
Hard, quick sweeping,
Consistent draws,
Wonderfully executed take outs,
And impeccable sportsmanship.

May your sheets be clean,
Brooms as light as carbon fiber,
Ice melting under super sweeping,
And arms never feel like jelly.
Let no dirt or hair neither nick nor veer each stone off its path.
And if it does, may it be lead to an ideal scoring position

May your shots always be confident
With a Plan B, C, D, E, and F in mind.
And if you must do a Hollywood “stunt”
May it be fancy in Matrix slo mo,
And you get up again and again.
Despite bruised bums,
Give the fans, your best smile and wave.

Most importantly,
Let no stone ever be burned.

May your kilt always be ironed, pleats in straight lines
And your socks fun and scarves fuzzy.
Everything perfectly coordinated pink spectrum.
Make the world see how you see it,
curling en rose.

At the end of each game,
May your beer mugs be full,
And your head held high.
Take each moment in.
Learn from the dips and valleys, sharp and narrow curls.
Breath in, deep calming breaths.
Trust in your team.
Trust in your self,
And your rocks shall not be lead astray.

- Domino

No Wins Today

2010-02-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

Today was definitely an off day for everyone. We played against Illinois first in the morning and then Minnesota #2 in the evening. I think we are hitting our downward point where everyone's tired, sore, and sick. I am sure that giving up points didn't help our morale. Tonight, we are focusing on a different strategy for the players tomorrow. Sorry, I can't share them online for all the fans, but hopefully you'll see the results. I am definitely going to work on my delivery. Sometimes when I make my throws, I have little or no handle, and that skews where the rock ends up. I think I am releasing my rock before I fully complete the rotation. Basically, you start holding the curling rock handle at around 2 o'clock or 10 o'clock depending on what kind of curl you want to put on the stone, and you would release it at 12 o'clock. So I think I am releasing it early like around 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock. Another factor is trying to pin point my weight. I seem to be flying right off the hack, and I think it's because my legs are tired and to compensate for that I'm pushing harder to get the momentum I think I need. Then, my delivery becomes too slow. I should be "oozing" out of the hack, and then I wouldn't have to readjust as I am coming down and over doing it.

So those are the things I'm going to be fixing in my sleep. Mental Drills!

You know the first 3 days of competition were quite amazing. We've accomplished so much and shown so much improvement from our last year's performance. I am proud of our team from just the very first day. Whatever it is that we were doing or thinking or channeling when we almost bet the Minnesota #1 team and when we got our 2 wins, we need to find it again. We do have that potential to make our shots. We've proved that it is inside us somewhere. In order to really get through tomorrow on a positive note, we need to curl like we've never curled before...I'm hoping that we'll be able to find the inspiration we need.

-Domino

Do it, Do it, Do it, and Do it Again...

2010-02-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

That's one of the lines in the Black-Eyed Pea's song that we play in the mini van on the way to each match. It's been really motivational to get our routine down so that we can focus on "doing it again." Tonight, we are celebrating our 2nd victory against Team New York. We had a really good start...a pretty even match. We were able to pull out ahead, and of course in the 8th end, we had a little bump. Luckily, we were able to pull it together and still come out on top. We won with a final score of 12-7. So we took our coach, Danger Dietz, out for some pizza especially since he had donned the pink Coach shirt that we bought him. He's been a really great sport putting up with all our craziness and girlishness; so of course we had to make up for it. We had heard that somewhere out there was a restaurant that served macaroni and cheese pizza, and we were determined to find it. It's from Ian's located on State St. in Madison. We also had BBQ beef & fries pizza and Jen ordered a fritos pizza. All DELICIOUS! You should try it. Joel also showed us some of the sites like the Capital building, a Frank Lloyd Wright structure, a frozen lake, etc. It was a ton of fun.

Well, I'm going to lather myself in some bengay so that I can function tomorrow. I am hoping for a win...if Marissa can do it at least one more time, she gets banana pudding from someone. I am not sure of the terms of this agreement. I guess don't ask don't tell. All I know is that Marissa was really excited about it; so we have to at least give it a Team Bond Girl try.

Signing Off!

-Domino

Under Pressure

2010-02-22T23:26:00.001-08:00

So today's Colorado game was not my best performance. I was coming off the hack too fast and did too much over compensating on my shots. I felt awkward in my delivery each time, and I was soooo stressed out. One thing that I am very proud of was how my entire team pulled me through my ordeal, and made me get out of my head. They were always encouraging and brought my stones that could be used into play. Eventually, my shots returned, and I even got a take out. I just have to keep focus, and not let things get to me. I think I need to play more of these games so that I can deal with all this pressure better. For some reason, playing against the #1 and #2 seeded team did not make me as sick to my stomach as playing against Colorado. I guess I didn't want to disappoint anyone on my team and our coach and people watching at home. It was also really important to get this win. So...now that this game is out of the way, I know that tomorrow's going to be another day. We'll be playing at 2:00 PM Central time against New York. It's going to be featured on Wisconsin's webstream with mics and multiple cameras. Please visit: http://www.2010clubnationals.com/webstreaming/

Thanks, everyone, for hanging in there and showing your support.

-Domino

Next game

2010-02-21T23:41:00.000-08:00

Check us out tomorrow: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals

California vs. North Dakota 12 pm

Pink Power

2010-02-21T23:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a link we want to share with you all.

NBC15

ENJOY!

You win some... you lose some....

2010-02-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

Ok - so round robin tournaments like Club Nationals are tough when they seed the top teams against the bottom teams at the very beginning. We came into the tournament seeded 9th out of 10 teams (which was a small victory in itself cause we thought we would be seeded 10th!) That means today we play #2 seeded Wisconsin and #1 seeded Minnesota. So we had our work cut out for us on day #1!

The Wisconsin team was such a group of nice girls to play against. They were really sweet and encouraging throughout the game - especially when we had a few rough ends at the beginning. Since this was our first time back out on the ice together as a team since Playdowns in early January - we had some rust to kick off. Sure we missed some shots, but not all of them. Every one of us had some nice shots too. We started to get back into the flow towards the end of the game and I know every single game we will continue to get better. Since we don't get lots of time on the ice - especially real curling ice, we cherish every moment that we are out there and are always working on our skills. We face another really tough opponent in Minnesota this evening, but they are super nice and great group of ladies - so it should be a fun game. We'll just work on improving ourselves from the last game and get better one step at a time!

The big event was after the game when all of us ended up being interviewed by a local news station. They wanted to interview some curlers who found the sport of curling in an interesting way... and I guess Hollywood Curling fit the bill! It was the local NBC affiliate and it was fun to have our brief moment in the sun. We aren't 100% sure where to look for the story, but hopefully we'll be able to find a link to it to share. They also had me wear a microphone during the Opening Ceremonies - which was kind of funny. I tried to get in as many shout outs to the Hollywood Curling Club as I could. :) We got a lot of cheers during the opening ceremonies, which was fun. We even got a special shout out from the News Anchor who was the emcee for the event. She said "When I saw that there was a team from Hollywood, I expected to see Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock out here curling." Then she made a comment about how awesome our shoes are and that they are going to make the news! :)

We'll try to post some video and pictures from the Opening Ceremonies later. It was a nice event - we got our special Club Nationals pins, which are super cool - Madison Curling Club has been putting on a classy event so far. We are enjoying it!

After opening ceremonies - we went to the Hubbard Avenue Diner, which was a recommendation from our curling pals Casey and Jessica. They said we had to go there for the pie! That place was delicious and a great way to wind down after the morning game and opening ceremonies. After lunch we couldn't resist hitting up the National Mustard Museum, which was right next to the diner. They had over 500 flavors of mustard... that is right - that much mustard exists in this world. Jen G and I sampled a bunch of flavors. Good stuff!

Now we are chilling out before we head back to the club shortly for our 7:00 pm game!

We'll keep you all posted on how it goes! And you can always watch on:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals

Later!
Skip Marissa

Last Minute Notes Before Bedtime

2010-02-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

So we tested out the live streaming equipment and the feed. It looks like things are all in working condition for tomorrow's game. Unfortunately, we shut off the broadcast tonight; so you won't be able to see anything until our game tomorrow morning at 8:30 am. Here's the link to the stream again for all those who need it. See you tomorrow!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals

Musical Jeopardy

2010-02-20T19:33:00.000-08:00

Okay, everyone guess which is each Bond Girl's song. Each of them submitted 4 songs:

1) Gangster Love by Snoop Dog
2) Don't Stop Believing by The Glee Cast
3) Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf and Lil' Wayne
4) Right Here, Right Now by Fat Boy Slim
5) My Life Would Suck Without You by The Glee Cast
6) Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
7) Killing in the Name of Rage Against the Machine
8) Baba O'Reilly by The Who
9) Carry Out - Timbaland by Justin Timberlake
10)Pump it by Black Eyed Peas
11) Take It to the House by Trick Daddy
12) Friday I'm in Love by The Cure
13) Shewolf - Shikira
14) I've Got a Feelin' By Black Eyed Peas
15) Uprising by Muse
16) Anything Can Happen by Mary Poppins
17) I'm Alive by Next to Normal

We will be posting the answers later this week. Good luck!

Interview with Jennifer Gamboa

2010-02-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

We have a little bit of free time to kill; so I am conducting an interview with Jennifer Gamboa. She's my guinea pig since Marissa's out and about and Cindy's on the phone.

My first question...so what's up with the pink hair?
"I think it's more like a fun way to commemorate a moment...because that's the only thing I can change consistently about myself, and I am known for changing my hair. So I have fun with it, and pink is fun."

Did you in a million years every thought that you would be a curler?
"No. I didn't even know what curling was until 2 years ago. And now it's part...it's a prominent part of my life which is amazing. It's surprising what can happen in a short amount of time."

How does it feel curling with a whole bunch of other crazy women?
"Fantastic! It's always a great experience and um good times!"

What is your favorite curling experience?
Curling was a life experience in itself... a bonding experience, and finding a little more of me, which is nice when you get older.

How do you feel about the "Bond Girl T-shirt" experience where people take photos of your shirts and posts them on your facebook?
"It's kind of surreal because it's like laughs, it's like grasping...don't know what to say, it's kind of grasping what we are, having fun and showing support. "

What does your husband, Matt, feel about all of this, the club nationals, your involvement in curling, etc?
"He's very supportive because he...His commitment is more so than mine. He's been a big part of me striving to be better. And he is more committed and passionate than I am and that pushes me to be a better curler because he is proud of me and of my accomplishment. I know that he'll make it to nationals in no time, and I'll be able to mimic his support as well."

Since you belong to the Hollywood Curling Club, I felt this question would be appropriate: What hollywood movie would you like your life to be?

"The Princess and the Frog"...because you have your life as you want it to be, but then things happen to you. When you see change and you accept that change and in the end it's the same outcome, but now you're sharing it, and you are happy. You learn that not you don't always be get what you want the way you want it. I also want an alligator that plays a trumpet, and it had a cool villain.

---
Thanks, Jen. Looks like we've killed enough time. Off to the meeting.

Snow Driving with Hawaiian Shoes

2010-02-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

Watch out, Wisconsin! The Hawaiian girl is behind the wheel with her fancy mini-van. Not only is she short, but she is Asian. To make things worse, IT'S SNOWING. What were the Bond Girls' thinking?!

There was only one bump in Domino's driving record so far. As Joel was leading our minivan to the club, he made a left turn at the stoplight when there was a yellow light. Since this was Wisconsin and not Los Angeles, Domino did not do some evasive driving to scare the locals and beat the light. Therefore, we lost Joel. He slowed down his speed and gave us directions via cell phone for us to catch up. We sped down the highway trying to find him again, and we ended up passing Joel behind. Domino said she didn't spot him behind the big rig that was blocking her way. In the end, both Bond Girls and Joel made it to the club in once piece.

Here's driving advice from Cindy who was Vice/Navigator for the car ride and our veteran of the cold weather: "Don't tramp it! You'll spin out in the snow."

So far so good. Buckle up your seat belts, everyone. Enjoy the ride!

We're Here!

2010-02-20T13:13:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Madison at 9 am via way of Cincinnati. It was a very smooth trip with a little turbulence. We ate Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, and it was very yummy. MMM, chicken and biscuits. We were greeted by Joel, our coach, at the airport, and made our way to the hotel. The Crown Plaza is a very cool hotel with an indoor pool and jacuzzi and a 5 million dollar renovation. We are sharing it with weight-lifters, wrestlers, and junior basketball players; so it should be interesting. We were so happy to see some familiar faces from Club Nationals last year, Mary and Stephanie. Can't believe it has been almost been 1 year since we last saw them!

Practice was at 12:00 pm, and we saw the Madison Curling Club for the first time. It was amazing! There are 6 sheets. All dedicated ice. Big lockers in the locker rooms. For practice, we spent 12 minutes per sheet from sheets 2 - 6 throwing stones of both colors back and forth. We had a good feel for our deliveries, and made fast adjustments. Coach Joel gave me a few things to adjust, and it worked like a charm.

After a quick bite at KFC, we're chilling at the hotel. "The Prince and Me" is on.

5:30 pm is a meeting and reception at the club.

Will keep you updated!

-Domino

Injury Report

2010-02-20T13:06:00.001-08:00

Domino did it again! Her left middle finger has been sliced and diced with a 1/8 inch cut from trying to prepare broccoli for dinner on Thursday night. Luckily, no blood was shed on the food. Given her track record she should stay away from sharp objects and explosive devices for the duration of the competition. With the help of "crack care," her recovery has been fast. There seems to be no hindrance on her practice today. Looks like this is only a minor injury that should not affect the rest of the competition.

5 Days to Go!

2010-02-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

With the start of the Olympics, I am starting to get jitters. I was able to watch the opening ceremony and various events. I saw Hannah Kearney on the Moguls pull off her almost flawless performance to get her gold. I felt the adrenaline rush as she completed each of her jumps. I waited in anxiousness to see her scores. I yelled and screamed and shared in her victory. It was amazing! I listened to stories of athletes' hardships and heartbreaks. J.R. Celski (a fellow Filipino) could have severed a major artery, and here he is in his Olympic debut with a Bronze medal in Short Track Speedskating. One could not write a better story.

I love what the Olympics stands for, individuals come together to represent their country and show what they've accomplished. I saw a quote on one of the news packages: "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." And I know that each one of these athletes started with an interest, and they built upon it. Perhaps they started competing in tournaments such as the one we'll be going to this weekend. They took their interest to each next level, learned from their experiences, strove for perfection. I can understand why people look up to these athletes as heroes. They've accomplished something that only a small percentage of the world get to do. They push limits of the body and imagination. I am truly awestruck.

So for this Club National Competition, I'd like to think that we are participating in our own Mini-Winter Olympics. It's kind of appropriate to feel this way, seeing that our tournament is happening at the same time as the 2010 Olympics. The whole world might not be watching. We might not have huge sponsors or cool montages. What we do have is a lot of heart and PINK! We'll take each day and each game one step at a time. We know that the competition is steep, but we've learned so much within these 2 years. We're not coming to Madison to do just enough. We're coming to Madison to do the best we could do, and I believe the only way to do that is to strive for a medal. Who knows where this could take us? One stone at a time...

-Domino

Oh Girls Just Want to Have Fun

2010-02-10T18:57:00.001-08:00

This blog post is to get you reacquainted with Team Bond Girls 2010, the inside scoop. There's more to us than just 5 girls with goofy pictures and pink kilts. Let's start with the skip.

Marissa Messier...Skip
Don't let this blond bombshell, softball player, Disney producer fool you. She holds a plethora of musical information. Now, I am not talking strings and percussion. I'm talking about the kind of musicals that has jazz hands and chorus lines, swearing puppets, and stage blood. Marissa is our go to person for all that is wickedly performed in front of a live audience. She holds a poster and autograph collection that fans would die for, and knows show tunes by heart. I dare you to test her skills not only on the ice, but on obscure trivia that only the true thespian of the song and dance would know and appreciate. Break a leg, Marissa!

Cindy Wood...Third
Cindy is who we call our "ringer" from Nova Scotia. She has over 20 years of curling under her belt, outside of curling she is our architecture master. She left Canada studying snow affects on building structures to sunny California with our earthquake reinforcements. One day, she will design our Southern California dedicated curling facility. Plus, Cindy's an expert with the needle, on the sewing machine that is. She creates anything from bags to pillowcases to iPod covers and even our beautifully coordinated kilt and broom bag. She'll always be there if you need her for a stitch.

Jennifer Gamboa...Second
Gamboa has a plethora of hidden talents. She can do your taxes, design a cake, knit you a hat, and curl right handed (she's a lefty). There's nothing that Jen can't teach herself to do. If you have any doubts, just ask to see her hot dog cake. Yes, you read that correctly. With her chic hair style and pink streaks, you better watch out, curling world. This spunky renaissance woman has put curling at the top of her list to master.

Donna Umali Mendoza...First
Donna does not fit the image of a traditional curler. She's too short, too thin blooded (being born and raised in a tropical environment), too busy...yet curling does not discriminate and has somehow found it's way into her life. Donna has spent the passed few years of her life trying to "make it" in the entertainment industry, and now that passion is shared with trying to "make it" in the curling world. Look out competitors, she's got her eyes set on the gleam of medals.

Joel Danger Dietz...Coach
For the first time, Team Bond Girls have registered an official coach. The Bond Girls met Joel at last year's Club National Tournament in Utica, NY. Joel showed his dangerous side when him and his team from Wisconsin took first place. Joel works as a Lab Technician, but he has also served his country with a tour in Iraq for the National Guard. Joel, Team Bond Girls is very honored to have some of that "danger" rub off on them.

Jennifer Lindsay...Fifth
Lindsay will not be able to join Team Bond Girls in person at the competition this time around because of scheduling conflicts, but she will be there in spirit. Jen is a GPS Cryptologic Systems Engineer by day and a talented musician by night. She pursues her passion by being a member of the youtube orchestra and is promoting her new cd. You're looking at the next American Idol perhaps...or Supreme Commander of the Satellite Armada.

Additional Bond Girls Support Team:
Jon Wilson "M" - Every Bond needs a superior.
Fred Maxie - Behind the scenes strategist and motivator.
Paul Mendoza - Donna's Husband, also a member of Team Zissou.
Matt G - Graphics whiz, logo designer, Jen G's Husband, also a member of Team Zissou.
Justin Roussie - Cindy's fella and #1 fan
Nick Kitinski - President of Hollywood Curling Club and die-hard Bond Girls supporter
Ryan Berdan - Hot tub provider, loyal friend and fan, Team Zissou Vice
Liz Nolan - Adoptive Mom of Team Bond Girls, Owner of www.sewwhatnow.com
Joe Cosentino - Adoptive Dad of Team Bond Girls

All of our amazing friends and family who give us tons of love and support. We love you all!

Yoga-tastic!

2010-02-10T01:02:00.000-08:00

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....

Injury Report

2010-02-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

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.

2 Weeks & Counting

2010-02-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

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

Some pix of the Bond Girls with John Shuster

2010-02-05T12:02:00.001-08:00

John Shuster - Up Close & Personal

2010-02-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

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

Twisted!

2010-01-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

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

Revamping Bond Girls Curling Website

2010-01-27T12:27:00.001-08:00

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

Curling sweeps elegantly into his life - latimes.com

2010-01-20T11:02:00.001-08:00

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

Where is Matt G?

2010-01-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

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

Team Bond Girls and Team Zissou

2010-01-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

Good looking group of curlers....

We are the champions!

2010-01-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

It feels good to say that every once in awhile....

Team Bond Girls had a fun weekend in Seattle vying for the MoPac Women's Team spot at the 2010 Curling Club Nationals. We were in best out of 5 tournament with the Beki and her team from Arizona. They were an awesome group of ladies and we had a lot of fun playing them and getting to know them better.

We had 3 games scheduled on Saturday, which is a whole lot of curling in one day.

First game was bright and early Saturday morning at 9:00 am. We dusted off the kilts and tried our best to remember what it was like to curl on actual, real dedicated curling ice together. Starting line-up for game #1 was Donna as lead, Jen G as second, Cindy as vice/mate, and me skipping. It took us a few ends to get back into the rhythm of curling on sweet real ice – but suddenly we got on a roll! Everyone was making some really nice shots – Donna quickly distinguished herself as the Bond Girl with perfect draw weight. Her weight was actually on for all three games! And man oh man can our front end (and vice) sweep well! They were on fire! They can definitely teach me a thing or two about how to use my broom. :) They really carried some rocks and kept them on line so well. We won the first game 14-4, which got us off to a big, exciting start.

Second game was at 1:00 pm. After the Team Zissou boys sweetly went and got us sandwiches for lunch - we had a quick bite to eat and went back onto the ice! Line up for game #2 - had Donna as lead, Jen L as second, Cindy as vice/mate, and me skipping. We were on Sheet #2 this go around and once again the whole team really came together and played great. And some more exceptionally good sweeping this game! We won this one 10-2.

Third game of the day was at 6:00 pm after having some time to relax at the club, sit and chat with the Arizona team and make a quick trip to Albertsons for some snacks. We were feeling a bit of soreness from the first two games, but we were excited to go out there and see if we could pull out one more win of the day.

Game #3 was on sheet #5. We got off to a bit of a slow start, but once we found our rhythm - we were good. We had an exciting 5 ender in the 4th end, which was very cool. Good shots from all the girls and they swept through the soreness. :) We ended up getting 3 more points in the 6th end and we ended up shaking after that. Final score was 10-3.

It felt great to have the team back together and real ice and it really felt like we've improved from where we were last year. We don't have a whole lot of access to practice time and no access to real, dedicated ice, but we make the most of what we get and we have a lot of fun doing it! We feel so fortunate to have a chance to go back to Nationals this year and give it another go! We know we'll learn a whole lot more and make some great new friends.

It was also a real treat to be up there with the Team Zissou boys. They didn't have quite as much luck as we did out on the ice - but they are getting so much great experience and you can see how much they are really coming together and developing as a team. Those other MoPac men's teams better watch out next year cause Hollywood will be unstoppable. We had lots of laughs and good times off the ice with the boys and will be sad not to have them in Madison with us. There will definitely be something missing.

Well - I guess that's all for now. You can find out info about Nationals at: www.2010clubnationals.com

And you can keep following the Bond Girls here, at our Facebook page, and on Twitter!

Go Team!

"Skip" Marissa

Countdown begins....

2010-01-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

Ok - practice time this morning for me, Jen G, and Ryan went super well. To have a chance to spend 3 hours out on real curling ice was an arena ice curler's dream come true! And we were lucky to have Jon Wilson helping us fine tune our skills. We'll see how sore the three of us are tomorrow.

We picked up Tim from the airport around 1:00 pm and then went down to Pike's Place Market - got to see some fish being thrown around, ate some chowder in a bread bowl, bought some chocolate covered cherries. The things real Seattle-folk do, right? Jon was our guide and kept us out of trouble.

Then a quick nap and back to the Granite Curling Club to see if we could sub. Only Tim ended up playing for Jon - so he was able to get his practice time in on the real ice. His team held their own against tough competition. Jen Lindsay joined us at the club and was able to see the end of the 7:30 pm draw. Sadly none of us got in to the 9:30 pm draw to sub, but that's ok - we'll still be ready to shine on the ice.

Right now Donna, Cindy and Matt are flying in - they land in about 15 minutes. Team Bond Girls will be all back together and ready for good times on the ice! First draw time 9:00 am. We play 3 games tomorrow and possibly two more on Sunday. It's gonna be a busy weekend in curling land.

We'll keep you posted. Go Team Bond Girls and Team Zissou!

Marissa

I Married a Team Zissou Curler

2010-01-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would be saying "I married a Team Zissou Curler." I'm sure most people would ask, "What does this even mean?" I can only say that's exactly what happened...I married a curler, Paul Mendoza, and his team name is Team Zissou. Plus, I am not the only one who shares this honor. Jen Gamboa, my teammate, is married to a Team Zissou Curler as well.

This year both our husbands will be keeping us company and showing their support by competing along side us in the Men's Playdowns for Club Nationals.

I remember the first time, we went up to Playdowns and Nationals, and we were the "new kids on the block." We didn't have a practice routine before. We weren't familiar with all the rules. Heck, we aren't used to playing 10 end games (the norm is about 7). It's kind of nice returning with more Hollywood Curling representation and our significant others. Plus, the boys are lucky that they'd have a cheery support system here for their first playdowns. I feel that they won't find anyone more happy to see them succeed. With all the positive vibes, the plan is for both the men's and women's teams to make it to Club Nationals.

GO TEAM HOLLYWOOD CURLING!

-Domino

Packing for Seattle Club National Playdowns

2010-01-15T00:20:00.001-08:00

So I thought that should share our packing list conversations for this trip...As you can see we've got quite a few options for our uniforms. There's only 2 days of competition, and we're ready for 10...It's a Bond Girl thing. (Thanks especially to our Utica Adopted Parents: Liz and Joe who have tripled our pink garments. We love it!)

1. Kilt
2. Black Bond Girls Vest
3. Light pink undershirt
4. Dark pink undershirt
5. Black tights
6. Pink sweatpants
7. Pink sweatshirts that Liz embroidered (we can get a picture of our whole team in them to send to Liz)
8. Curling shoes
9. Broom
10. Cindy - can you bring your stopwatch so we can work on timing?

Donna - are you going to bring your camera to get lots of sweet new curling shots of us!

I think that is everything, right?

Marissa

RESPONSE: Donna

We'll need:

1) Bond Girl Jackets
2) Jen G.'s bringing hand warmers
3) Jen G.'s bringing her fancy tissue holders =P
4) Rain stuff?
5) Ibuprofen
6) Ryan I believe has a whole vat of icy hot
7) Bond Girls T-shirt
8) We should bring our black undershirts as well, just in case something happens
9) Bathing suit stuff to use in the hot spa
10) Name tags?
11) Should we get some hollywood curling pins?

RESPONSE: Cindy

i was planning on bringing my black undershirt just in case anyways. I've got the pink eyeshadow...........check and check

--Domino

Time to Qualify for Curling Club Nationals

2010-01-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again.... Team Bond Girls is heading up to Seattle to the Granite Curling Club this coming weekend to compete to qualify for the 2010 Club Curling Nationals. It will be freezing cold for us Southern California types who have gotten used to the 70 degree January weather we have been having.

We are playing a team of our pals from the Arizona Coyotes Curling Club, which will be really cool. It's a best out of 5 tournament with 10 end games. So lots of curling and lots of fun in store for us I'm sure! It will be the first time Team Bond Girls has been on real curling ice together since Utica, NY last year. Crazy!

This time the Team Zissou guys will be up in Seattle to compete to qualify for Club Nationals as well. Wouldn't that be awesome to have 2 teams from Hollywood representing in Madison next month!

We had a really successful Poker Tournament fundraiser with the Team Zissou boys this past weekend. Thanks so much to all of our friends and fans who showed up and/or contributed to the event! We are a lucky bunch!

Can't believe the Winter Olympics are right around the corner. We can't wait to get our fill of watching Team USA compete and hopefully we'll have lots of new curlers show up to the Hollywood Curling Club to learn how to curl!

Anyway - stay tuned to the blog to follow our results in Seattle and we'll keep you posted on everything Team Bond Girls!

Marissa

Curling like rock stars....

2009-11-09T21:46:00.001-08:00

Ok - so things finally started looking up for the Bond Girls last night as we racked up our first win of the Hollywood Curling Club Fall 2009 Season. It felt good after some tough losses in previous weeks. Plus it's always fun to play the Team Zissou boys - (ok maybe not always.... like when they pulled a big come from behind victory at our Memorial Day bonspiel this year) - but curling with good friends (and a few husbands) makes being out on the ice a whole lot more exciting.

After the previous week's loss, we decided to focus on the basics this week - concentrate on hitting the broom, not pushing the rock, making good sweeping calls.... It worked - everyone had some excellent shots and stayed very consistent throughout the game. I was so proud of the team. And for the first time this season I wasn't super stressed out on the ice and just let myself have fun, which makes a big difference and I've got to remember that. I don't know where I got such a huge competitive streak, but I'm trying super hard not to let it get the best of me. I can't be more thankful to play on a team of such supportive gals with such positive attitudes and who love curling as much as me.

It was a close game towards the end - we got off to a good start, but those Zissou guys are tough and fought back as always. I started to wish I really had bribed them or resorted to some sort of Bond Girl trickery to throw them way off their game. :) But truly I think they have a great shot at making Men's Club Nationals next year, which would be so well deserved. Cindy made a clutch take out that saved us in the second to last end. And thank goodness I didn't miss my last shot of the final end to keep us from having to go into an extra one. I was so excited that we put one in the win column - and it is fun to give Zissou a hard time about it. But the boys were good sports about being "runner-ups"..... (yep, that is for you Ryan).

And our lucky charms for the evening were the amazing new pink sweatshirts that Liz embroidered for us! She is our angel as always and we looked extra fancy all matching and everything. :)

Plus - we had a blast burning the midnight oil chatting and laughing (and rubbing it in just a little) with Team Zissou (and TJ) at Barney's. A good way to finish out the weekend.

The Bond Girls take on the Magnificent 4 next weekend - hoping to add to our wins and have a shot at the playoffs!

"Skip" Marissa

Bond Girls vs. Team Zissou

2009-11-06T23:39:00.001-08:00

Ok - so the Bond Girls might be off to a bit of a rough start this Fall Curling season here at the Hollywood Curling Club, but that just means we are going to finish up the season with a bang.

We play our favorite competitors - Team Zissou - this coming Sunday. Donna and Jen's husbands are on the team so we will have our extra competitive hats on. And we'll be willing to pull out every trick in the book to take them down. :)

HOLLYWOOD CURLING CLUB OPEN HOUSE

2009-09-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Come to the Hollywood Curling Club this Sunday September 13th from 6:00 - 8:30 pm to learn how to curl! Several of the Bond Girls will be there in person. Don't miss out!

Check out www.hollywoodcurling.org for more info.

This would have been a Hollywood ending...

2009-03-13T21:39:00.001-07:00

So tonight Team Bond Girls chatted with Patti Lank - who just finished curling in the US Olympic Trials and her team came so close to being the US Olympic team. They faced off against Debbie McCormick and ended up losing to her in the final. So sad!

Patti agreed to take a photo with us and then she switched our final ranking to the top spot on the leader board - which we all thought was totally hilarious! She rocks!!

Here is the photo proof:

Live and Let Curl!

2009-03-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

I thought that the title of this blog was appropriate. Today, we played against Washington in our 9th game of this curling competition. So far, we have played more games in one week, than back at our own curling rink in two months (since we only play on Sunday nights). During this game, we came so close to making a few essential shots, but we just couldn't always get the exact weight or line at the right moment. We nearly came around the guards or took things out or drew around guards. There were moments where I felt that we swept harder in this game than any other game during this whole competition, and I'm going to quote Cindy, "My arms felt like jelly." One good thing that I'd like to highlight from this game was that I was finally getting my most of my guards up. Finally! That's for you, Marissa! NO FAIL!

We took a lot of beating, and in the 7th end, we finally scored 2. They stole another one in the 8th. We decided to go and curl another end despite Washington's lead. Marissa slid down and said, "You ready for one more?" Of course, we were! And I'm going to give you 3 reasons: 1) We are resolved never to give up 2) Mathematically, until we run out of rocks, there was still potential that a miracle could happen (It could happen. We are from Hollywood.) 3) We love opportunities to curl on dedicated ice and this will be the last game...at least for a while. We ended up scoring another 2 points in the 9th end! I think we all would have enough strength for even another end (especially if we scored 3 or 4 points) even though we couldn't feel our arms anymore and there were aches in our legs. BUT to us, those last 2 points represented that our effort was enough. We finally shook.

I admit, today was not our best game. We definitely needed a little bit a tweaking here and there to be perfect. Plus, the score does not reflect how close we came to getting some of these hard shots or the amount of effort we put in trying overcome all the obstacles in our way. We have learned, grown, and curled together which was our goal coming to Nationals. There's a great improvement in our curling, thanks to Utica. We have made some great friends, learned how to curl in a professional tournament/environment, picked up some great advice, and learned the etiquette of good sportsmanship. We won 3 games over exceeding our expectations coming into the tournament, and we're placed 7th in the Women Club Nationals. Now, we are all ready to soak in the tub and take a few ibuprofen, but this has been a extraordinary week.

Here's just a few wishes for the future...Even in that last hour, when it looks grim, may there always be smiles on our faces. That we will always let go our disappointments and heartaches, find the inner strength to keep going, support each other in every win, and learn from each loss. That we will never have a uniform malfunction, and once in a while pull a really great Hollywood stunt. I hope that we will never change, except of course to get better.

Live and Let Curl, Everyone!!

Utica Club Brewery Tour

2009-03-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well.... after our game this morning we had delicious breakfast at Liz and Joe's house that Liz made for us - yay Liz! Then we treated ourselves to shoulder massages at the club and on the recommendation of some of the local Utica folks, we headed off to the Utica Brewery for a tour. I've never toured a brewery before.... beer is hard to make - it takes a long time.

We ended up at the brewery at the same time as Team Minnesota #2 and had such a blast hanging out with them and chatting in the bar area for an hour or so afterwards. They are a great group - lots of laughs!

It was fun to get to see a bit of the sights around town and not be preping or resting for our upcoming curling game.

Here are some of the highlight photos:

Team Bond Girls and Team Minnesota #2

7th in the Nation

2009-03-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a quick blog that we lost our game this morning to Washington 11-4. It was tough - we hung in there and made some really great shots, but a lot of things just didn't fall our way. Oh well - that's the way of the curling world. But we aren't disappointed... we came here to learn and get as much experience as we can on dedicated ice, but most of all to have fun curling with good friends and making lots of new ones. We had some outstanding wins and some losses, but we took advantage of every moment we had out on that ice to practice, get better, and take in as much as we can. I don't regret a single moment and I think we got out of this tournament so much more than I ever originally imagined.

We had a great week and had such an amazing time nothing could bring us down. We came in hoping to win at least one game and we ended up winning three which ranked us #7 in the tournament (and as a friend of mine pointed out... the 7th best women's club curling team in the nation) - I really like the ring of that!!!

Like I've said all week - I couldn't be more proud of the team or more excited to have gotten the chance to spend time with such a great group of girls who I can count as very dear friends. Everyone kept their heads up, always had fun and a willingness to learn, and were always great sports through the good moments and bad. We keep saying how lucky we are to have found each other - and how we can't wait for all the curling adventures that lie ahead!!

Special thanks to Jon Wilson, Fred Maxie, and everyone who took the time to give us coaching, advice and tips to help us grow as curlers. They help brand new teams like us grow leaps and bounds and are helping to grow and expand the sport of curling in so many great ways. Bravo to them! And to all of our fans - it meant the world to us that you followed us all along the way. We're so excited that the Wisconsin men helped us figure out the live stream over the internet and give people a chance to watch.... through all of our ups and downs.

Thanks again! That's all for now...

Marissa

Love our Morning Breakfast

2009-03-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

Delicious dinner with Joe and Liz

2009-03-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Joe and Liz took us out to dinner at Joey's Restaurant in Utica tonight... it was so much fun. Amazing food, cut atmosphere and we had tons of laughs! They are the best!

Game 8 Update: California vs. North Dakota WIN in extra end

2009-03-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is Domino as promised updating the blog about game 8 even though we have to wake up early for the very important Washington game at 8 am (Eastern Time). Here's the website if you need it to watch the live stream: http://www.mogulus.com/bondgirlscurling

So Marissa did give a little teaser about this game in her blog about Illinois. It indeed was a Hollywood ending. With a little bit of pain, suffering, disappointment, and nervousness, we overcame with a happily ever after with a score of 10-9 in the 11th end.

So forgive me if some of the information was incorrect...Things are a little fuzzy since we were so intensely involved with the game.

It was a rough start in the beginning with North Dakota in true curling fashion scored 2 points with the hammer in the first end. We came back and scored one in the 2nd end. We tried so hard to score more, but we couldn't pull it off. We ended up stealing 1 more point in the 3rd end and 4th end. I'm sure some fantastic things were going on this end...a lot of supersweeping and a lot of draws. North Dakota scored 2 in the 5th end. They did have a chance to score 3, but I think their draw crashed on a guard. There was a lot of drawing to the button behind the guards, and there were a few attempts at hit and roll. After the 5th end, I was totally not paying attention that we were allowed to go on break. (Hehehe, It seems I remember my awful moments quite clearly.) Marissa gave us a really great prep talk. She told us to keep calm, and that we were doing great, and as always to have fun.

After a very tough 6th end, North Dakota scored another one making the score 5-3 ND. In the 7th end. We used some back guards and kept drawing into the button and then try to protect them with guards. North Dakota was able to peel the guards away, but we just kept putting them back. Some of ND's take outs and draws missed, and we took advantage of that. At one point, there were 3 rocks in the button, and there was no way that North Dakota could take them all out. I think they were able to hit one of them out, but in the end, after Marissa's last shot, we were lying 3, and took the lead (6-5 CA). North Dakota scored another 1 point in the 8th, tying it up. In the ninth end, we pretty much did the same thing as the 7th end. We took advantage of the rocks in the back of the button, and drew on top of them as well as draw behind the guards. Jennifer Lindsay did 2 really beautiful draws behind the guards. Cindy overwhelmed them with her freeze against a yellow rock in the back 4th area. Marissa threw a guard up, and they I think peeled it away. We took advantage of missed takeouts and draws. And Marissa had to draw into the house to try to score 3. At first, I thought that her rock would be a little light and would end up as a guard, but she said, "No, you can bring it in. I believe in you. Super Sweepers!" Something like that in a more excited and encouraging, but yelling curling fashion. So we swept our hardest, and pulled that rock right in there. The power of Super Skips!

The 10th end was a really tough end, and I know Marissa is really hard on herself about it, but it definitely made things exciting. I threw my rocks through for my first 100% for that end!! It was fun just lopping the rocks through, and North Dakota put a guard and one in the house. There were a lot of really great take outs, and the we ended up missing a couple of take outs. We had to make North Dakota run out of rocks, but they were able to place 3 in the house, and Marissa with shot rock just missed taking 1 of them out. It became another tie game, and it put us into extra ends. That's the way things go.

In the 11th end, I missed both my shots, after Marissa stressed the importance of the corner guards in our break in between ends. FAIL! For some reason, especially towards the end of our game, I was throwing rocks through the house or over compensating and the guards don't end up where they needed to be. I'll definitely work hard on that. I told myself that if I couldn't throw those darn guards, I will sure as hell sweep! I feel that all of us try to put our best effort in the sweeping, and tonight I felt like we did sweep, and pretty well. This end was an intense game of seeing who could draw behind a guard first and then protect it. It was good that we had the hammer coming into this end. I think it was Cindy and Jen who put rocks in the house, and all Marissa had to do for her first rock was to throw a guard...I could be in the wrong order, since it is getting late. I remember North Dakota trying to draw in...Honestly, I couldn't watch most of this half. I was incredibly sick to my stomach with anxiety and nervousness. I'm sure all my teammates were feeling the same thing. Well, in the end, North Dakota couldn't do it, and we took the 1 point for the win.

It was an incredible feeling to finally have the game over. I know some people on the team were shaking as well as myself. The best feeling though was walking into the viewing room, seeing all those people clapping and cheering because it was probably an intense game to watch for them as well. We all hug each other and Liz and Joe as if we had won the Olympics or something. I think that for all that it's worth, winning a third game exceeded our expectations. In this game, we stuck in there, try to calm each other down when things got tough (10th end), supported each other to get the stones where they needed to go, and yelled really intensely to get that extra chi POWER to sweep and sweep hard. I am PROUD to be part of Team Bond Girls and all of our accomplishments. North Dakota always put us on our toes and did not make this an easy win, but I think we got a lot out of this game and all our other games.

I know it's late, John. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

One more thing, together, us Bond Girls, need to gather up everything we've gone through and learned with each throw, each end, each game, against each team, and make it all come together for this really tough Washington game. It's going to be good!

Tune in for our live feed just in case you missed it at the top:http://www.mogulus.com/bondgirlscurling

Forgive my spelling and grammar. No time to proofread! Going to sleep and signing off - Domino

Current Leader Board... It's fun to be in there in the middle!

2009-03-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

Illinois vs. Team Bond Girls... a distant memory....

2009-03-12T19:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry we were slow on the posts today... our first game at 8am was against Team Illinois. Getting up at 5:30 am is officially our least favorite part of Utica and the Curling Nationals. But we had lots of energy today. Donna was on the feed calling the game and doing a great job. We were up to about 65 viewers at one point. We all think Donna has a future in sports commentating and they need to bring her to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics to call all the curling games... or at least the ice dancing....

We started off super strong - the 2 rockstar highlights of the game were the 2 amazing triple take-outs by all-stars Jen G and Cindy - those shots have been the talk of the curling club today. Bond Girls rule!!!

The game didn't end in our favor - everyone made some really solid shots, we had a few bad luck ends, and missed a few - but we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and got ready for the 4 pm draw against Team North Dakota.

I'll let Donna our resident beat report chime in about the excitement of the 4pm draw.... (yes - we were up by 3 going into the 10th end and ended up needing to play an extra end when North Dakota took 3.... bad Skip!) But don't worry... it's a Hollywood ending. :)

Our cute bags from Liz and our cute model....

2009-03-12T03:07:00.001-07:00

Liz made us these awesome tote bags that we can put all the pins that we are collecting from the other clubs on! We are very excited. Liz is the coolest!

Injury Report

2009-03-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

Domino here on the beat. As always, I like to write some pre-game commentary just for fun. Here's an injury report for Team Bond Girls:

Looks like we have a couple big bruised knees from accidental "stunts" on the ice, and it's funny that it happened to the twin Jens. Jen G. also has been drinking some joint juice, and they're going to need all the rehabilitating they can get since they have a game tomorrow. The bruises have slowly been healing, and it looks like they should be good to go.

I had a minor eye injury this morning, even no one but the team could tell. There are a couple of theories...maybe there was something stuck in my eye, maybe I scratched it, maybe I was a little dried out from the 2 beers from last night's partying, and the eyelids just wouldn't open up properly. Whatever it is, the eye condition was remedied with a little flushing of eye drops, a few shed tears, and a lot of blinking. It was a good thing that I didn't have to play the early draw. By the afternoon game, the eyes seem to be working just fine, even made a couple of good shots.

Already, Cindy's working on her broom bruise...that's the secret to her incredible sweeping.

There were a few close calls...sweeping, skating, running, even walking on ice are always a risk, and so far there are no major injuries to report. "Knock on wood." Not Cindy Wood, real wood, tree wood. Although, that's a thought, we do need all the luck we can get.

Hold on! This just in...looks like we have a few minor, knee drag bruises to report for both Cindy and Marissa. They are looking a little red with spots, but don't worry, folks, that's a good thing.

This is Domino reporting. We'll see you tomorrow 8 am Eastern time. LIVE: http://www.mogulus.com/bondgirlscurling

Game 6 Update

2009-03-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

The final score against Massachusetts ended up with another loss for the Bond Girls. It took us a little long to get used to the foibles of sheet 6, and after 4 ends we had a lot to catch up. Luckily, in the 5th, we were able to steal 3, and we tried to close in on the gap. In the end, Massachusetts knocked out our rock out, and we couldn't stop them from scoring. Good thing is that sheet 6 is out of our lives forever. Let's hope for red rocks tomorrow. Red seems to be good luck since every game we've won was with red stones.

Tune in tomorrow for the next set of games. Here's the information:

8:00 AM Sheet 4
California v. Illinois
First Practice
Throw Dark Handles
LEAD: Jennifer Lindsay
SECOND: Jennifer Gamboa
VICE: Cindy Wood
SKIP: Marissa Messier

4:00 PM Sheet 5
California v. North Dakota
First Practice
Throw Dark Handles
LEAD: Donna Umali
SECOND: Jennifer Lindsay
VICE: Cindy Wood
SKIP: Marissa Messier

Again there will a live feed. Donna will be the commentator for the morning game: http://www.mogulus.com/bondgirlscurling

In Search of Hollywood in Utica, NY

2009-03-11T10:18:00.001-07:00

Domino here again...just doing another one of my special blogs in between all the curling action.

So this is my 3rd time on the east coast, 2nd time in upstate, NY. The last time I was in upstate it was also wintertime. When I left California, it was cold, and that for me is 60 degrees because of my Hawaiian roots. So far we've been averaging 40s with a really cold windchill and lots of rain. Amazingly, we missed the snow storms, and we can see remnants of that with the piles of brown snow slowly melting away. Luckily, we have not encountered icy roads or else we'd have another way to practice our slide. I am extremely thankful that I am not in charge of driving this time around. Cindy's been doing a really great job. It's hard seeing all the traffic lights (I'll post pictures so you can see what I mean), plus there's no lines on the street, and avoiding all the pot holes is impossible. It's already hard enough for me to see over the dashboard or reach the pedals.

So it's been about 5 days since we saw some California sunshine, and maybe there's a little homesickness settling in. No matter, we will find our Hollywood in Utica! There was a rumor in the club about a Hollywood street that can be found close to the Utica Curling Club. We don't know what this is all about or how it got there, but us, Bond Girls, are on a mission to 1) find this Hollywood 2) Take a picture of it 3) post it on the blog site. We have 4 days left to get this done. We will seek it out. We will find it. We will SUCCEED. And yes, this is one of my cheesier blogs. It's the result of the early morning draws. Time to rest up for our 4 pm game. See you there!

Photo Highlights from the Minnesota Game

2009-03-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

Donna - the "Beat Reporter" getting ready for action

2009-03-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Yogurt for Breakfast...

2009-03-11T10:11:00.001-07:00

Game 5 Udpate

2009-03-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

So after a very long and close game, the Bond Girls lost against Minnesota #2 9-5. It was an extremely exciting game. At the 10th end, we needed to steal 1 to tie it, but luck wasn't on our side. Despite that, all our players made some amazing shots that put us in a really close position. There were some beautiful draws to the button and really nice take-outs. There was a funky thing going on with rock #7 where it didn't curl as much as the others. I feel that we're getting a pretty good feel for the ice compared to when we first started. Live and Learn!

Domino's out. Here's the information for our next game:

4:00 PM Sheet 6
Massachusetts v. California
Second Practice
Throw Light Handles
LEAD: Donna Umali
SECOND: Jennifer Lindsay
VICE: Cindy Wood
SKIP: Marissa Messier

Here's the website: http://www.mogulus.com/bondgirlscurling

Shakin' Our Tails at Utica Night

2009-03-11T03:04:00.001-07:00

The Blues-ettes. Getting ready to twist and shake.

Dance "Blues-ettes" dance!

Dinner!

Donna cracks up at Marissa's lack of ability to Electric Slide....

a few curling pix from our game vs. Pennsylvania

2009-03-10T20:13:00.001-07:00

More to come...

When the Going Gets Tough...

2009-03-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

You gotta play some funky music...

Domino checking in with some pregame information before the big day tomorrow.

So Cindy has burned a mixed cd of our Bond Girl motivational music for us, and we've been playing it since day 1. I dedicate our win today to this cd. Here's a list of a few of our songs:

1) Rainy Day - Coldplay
2) Da Rock Wilder - Method Man and Red Man
3) Hot Stuff - Donna Summers
4) What is Love - From "Night at the Roxbury"
5) Tick Tick Boom - Hives
6) The Howling - Within Temptation aka Donna's kill, kill, kill song
7) Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
8) Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
9) Together Wherever We Go - From "Gypsy" the musical soundtrack
10) Moving Right Along - From "The Muppet Movie"
11) 7 Shades of Black - Smashing Pumpkins
12) Life - E-Type
13) Viva La Vida - Coldplay
14) Best of You - Foo Fighters

I challenge you to figure out whose song is whose. We each picked about 2-3 songs to help us through this tournament, and we've been cycling through them every day. It's kind of funny that we learn new parts of the lyrics with each play. It must have cycled about a hundred times by now. It's definitely an eclectic mix which mirrors our team. I mean where else would you find a Disney producer, Tax Preparer/Pastry Chief, Smallville Assistant Editor, Architect, and Engineer all in one place? That's the only clues you are getting tonight.

I will post the answers tomorrow as well as announce it over the live stream during the 8 am game.

Until tomorrow, this is Domino signing out.

Skip Messier

2009-03-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Getting my head in the game complete with iPod and a cup o' peaches....

Go Team!

2009-03-10T19:58:00.001-07:00

With the leader board... it's fun to have some in the win column.

Yay Liz and Team Bond Girls!!

2009-03-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

Party like it's 1995....

2009-03-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Well we had a great time at the Utica night party this evening. It was a dinner that featured a bunch of the local food from businesses around town - Chicken Riggies, Tomato Pie, etc. Then the Blues Brothers performed and two of the Bond Girls made their debut as "Blues-ettes" and danced up a storm to "Shake a Tail Feather". Plus we all got out on the dance floor to do the Electric Slide (well - I tried to do the Electric Slide.... mostly I just flailed around to the music.) Then they broke out the Macarena and the YMCA and I quickly discovered that the only dance I really know how to do is the "Hand Jive" from Grease, but they never played that song.

There were lots of laughs and everyone was still on a big high from winning our game earlier today. The whole team really pulled together and played so well - we had a good time, kept our cool, everyone made great shots - it was a shining moment for the Bond Girls. We were all very excited.

Well - gotta get to bed because we have the 8am game tomorrow morning. Then we play again at 4pm. We'll post some photos (and the hilarious video of Cindy and Jen G dancing at the Blues-ettes) tomorrow. Just a reminder that the games tomorrow will be available to view at the live stream site: http://www.mogulus.com/bondgirlscurling

Go Team Bond Girls!

Marissa

Game 4 Update: A Win!

2009-03-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Here's a delayed update of today's game. The final score was: 9-6 against Michigan.

Today, we started off with a clean slate. We gained a lot from yesterday's practice and was able to work on draw weight. We took a little advice from the Wisconsin team, and worked on delivery and draws, twirled our rocks, and used "blinders" to focus on the line. Everyone made some really great and crucial shots. We were tied for the first few ends, and after end 5 when we stole 3, we were rockin' and rollin'.

Here are the highlights (Feel free to add more):

- Cindy threw an awesome rocket for a double take out
- Donna almost lost her footing while sweeping
- Marissa had lots of comments on her snazzy pink-striped socks
- Jen Lindsay did some really great take outs

So our final overall score is 2-2. Here's the information for tomorrow's game. Looks like we got another double header:

8:00 AM Sheet 2
Minnesota 2 v. California
Second Practice
Throw Light Handles
LEAD: Jennifer Lindsay
SECOND: Jennifer Gamboa
VICE: Cindy Wood
SKIP: Marissa Messier

4:00 PM Sheet 6
Massachusetts v. California
Second Practice
Throw Light Handles
LEAD: Donna Umali
SECOND: Jennifer Lindsay
VICE: Cindy Wood
SKIP: Marissa Messier

Okay, so wish us luck. We'll see you tomorrow. Here's the website that you can see the the live stream from: http://www.mogulus.com/bondgirlscurling

Tuesday's Game

2009-03-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the information for Tuesday's game:

12:00 PM Sheet 3

California v. Michigan
First Practice
Throw Dark Handles
LEAD: Donna Umali
SECOND: Jennifer Lindsay
VICE: Cindy Wood
SKIP: Marissa Messier

We did a practice again tonight, and we're going to do everything we can to pull off another win! Wish us luck.

Teddy Roosevelt Said So...

2009-03-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

Ok - as the evening "draws" to a close tonight - wanted to post up a quick note. We won one and lost one today, but totally reaffirmed how much we love playing with each other as we experienced the super highs of a win and a bit of the lows of a defeat. You can tell how much we care about each other because we are so tough on ourselves and want to be great for each other even more than we want to be great for ourselves. I am constantly amazed by how lucky we are to have found each other to form this great team. I am so proud to be a Bond Girl.

We're back on the ice for one game tomorrow at Noon eastern time where we are going to have a "Bond Girls blast" out there on the ice and put up another win on the board.

This quote is dedicated to the team - I've always really liked it. Teddy Roosevelt said it....

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."