Cape Cod Bonspiel Game 2: Nutmeg Curling Club

Pink and black between the rainbow spouts.

It was fun times playing with the ladies from the Nutmeg Curling Club. We played on the middle sheet for the first time, and there were a few rough spots literally. The shot of the game in the 4th end which was Marissa's double take out for 3 was almost ruined by a Donna's double take down by the ice. Here's the play by play:

Bond girls were kind of in trouble. Blue had 2 scoring stones in the house, and Red (Team Bond Girls) had a few stones only on the edges. It was Marissa's last stone. Unfazed, Marissa executed a very beautiful take out. Jen yelled, "Hard!" Katie and Donna tried to sweep to hold the line. Halfway down the ice, Donna suddenly goes down and down goes the broom flying straight out in front of her. Katie brushes the broom away (Curling is a team sport...) while Donna continues to slide forward, collapsed on one knee.  Paul from behind the glass watched the whole thing and saw that, unbeknownst to her, Donna was very close to burning the stone with her right hand that was extended outward for some reason. At the last minute, Donna moves her hand out of the way, and the stone's path was clear to complete the take out. This made it an 8 - 1 game instead of a 5 - 3 game.

Everyone was really nice making sure that Donna was okay. It was only a small fall, and there were no injuries.  Jen also had a couple of small "stalls" on the ice prior to Donna's big spill. Sometimes there's patches of frost that forms on the outside in the path where one might be running, and it can be a little dangerous if you are not careful.  I give credit to the super kilts (made by Cindy Wood - Cinsational).  It always makes falls look so graceful even though it sure didn't feel graceful. So get one today if you want to look good: http://www.cinsationalshop.com/curling-gear.html

Bond Girls are having a great time at the spiel.  Now, looks like we have to go all the way. The next game is at 12:00 noon EDT in the semi-finals. Good curling, Everyone!

Signing off,
Domino

Cape Cod Bonspiel Game 1: Curlfriends

So our game against the "Summer Sisters/Curlfriends" went very well. Our opposition's team members were Coco, Jackie, Annie, and Paula from various clubs, and they came together after meeting each other at the Friendship tour. It was a pleasure to curl against them. Here are a few memorable moments from the game:

- Katie threw the first rock of the game, and it ended up exactly where it needed to be. Stone cold throw. Great job, Lead!

- Marissa threw a great run back in the 1st end to score our 1st point.

- Katie and Donna sweeping Jen's stone furiously. Marissa asks, "Where is it?" Donna yells, "I hope it's a 2!" It actually ended up around the 1-2 area. Go Super Sweepers!

- Coco Commentary: "Good news is I have last stone. Bad news is I have last stone."

- Jen did an awesome hit and roll to tuck away our stone behind the guards.

Having a whale of a time!

It was a lot of work trying to keep up with the fast ice. I know I had at least a couple stones that went through the house in the beginning. I find that I have to focus harder to get the weight down, and we have to sweep harder to guide the stones in the house especially at the last few feet. There were straighter parts on the ice, but at certain speeds especially toward the scoreboard, the stones will start hooking a lot at the last minute. It was quite a tricky sheet, but Marissa did a great job reading the ice. Oh, I should mention that it was a comfortable 60 degrees. No extra layers necessary. I love summer curling.

The final score ended up being 9 - 1, Team Bond Girls. It was a nice start to the bonspiel, and hopefully we can keep up the momentum.

Tomorrow, we hope to receive our new jerseys from Foxglide. Hopefully, we'll get them in time to show them off. We'll take lots of pictures.


Our next game is 2:30 PM EDT. We have great motivation to win since loser plays the next draw at 7:30 AM. Wish us luck!

Curl, Baby, Curl!

Signing off,
Domino

Kicking Things Off At the Cape

Team Bond Girls are finally at "The Cape"! Of course, we miss our favorite Third, Cindy, who couldn't make it, but overall we are mostly intact with Marissa, Jen, Katie, and me - Donna on the beat once again).  To kick things off, The Cape Cod Curling Club in Falmouth, MA hosted a clam bake. This was my first clam bake ever, and for all those who do not know what that is I've looked it up on Wikipedia:

"The New England clam bake is a traditional method of cooking foods, especially seafood such as lobster,^[1] mussels, crabs,^[1] steamers, and quahogs. The seafood is often supplemented by sausages, potatoes,^[1] onions, carrots, corn on the cob,^[1] etc. Clam bakes are usually held on festive occasions along the coast of New England."

There was a lot of food! Here's what was on my plate:
Shrimp
Lobster
Clams
Corn
Potatoes
Watermelon

I haven't eaten lobster in a very long time, and so I got a refresher course from the Connecticut Mixed Team on how to properly crack it open. I have to say it is easier than eating a crab, and it was deeelicious. I also have had my 4th clam chowder since I've been here in Boston, and each one has been better than the last.  Gotta get it while I can! We're just storing up some energy for the big day tomorrow. Our first game is at 2 pm EDT, and thank goodness since most of the girls flew the red eye and walked part of the Freedom Trail before driving to the Cape today.

Also, we brought along a small but powerful cheering section with us. Team Bond Girls are accompanied by Paul Mendoza (my wonderful husband and Skip of Team Zissou), 2 Baby Bond Girls (Leianna who just turned 2 years and Halia, our newest addition at 3 months who has got a great set of lungs), and we can't forget Katie's Dad, our gracious host.

Ice analysis:
So there are a few factors to keep in mind for tomorrow's game...
1) It's really humid here at the Cape.
2) The Mixed Spiel will be ending in the morning. Will there be time for a scrape?  This might affect the speed of the ice; so we'll see what the ice guys end up doing before the Women's Spiel begins.
3) We've witnessed the ice to be very fast.  Adjusting to the weight difference might prove a little challenging since we haven't done one of these in a while...During times like this I always refer to one of my learn to curl sessions, "just ooze out of the hack."

Finally, I want to give a quick shout out to a few people who made it possible for us to get situated in Cape Cod, Carolyn Ryczek, who was so patient with my million of emails back and forth and checking in on some of our details.  Also, I wanted to thank Liz Abeltin who we met way back at our first Club Nationals Tournament in Utica and is an awesome host to me and my family. We wouldn't be here without her. There's also Katie's family who are housing the rest of the gals at their beach house.

Team Bond Girls are so excited to be curling again at the long awaited Cape Cod Spiel. We are looking forward to the great ice, fun people, and lots of fresh seafood.  I'll keep you posted on our progress.

See you on the ice!

- Domino

New Sponsor Highlight

Team Bond Girls is proud to add The IN Turn in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada to the list of 007 sponsors who have accepted the mission of supporting us to spread curling love in the world. 

The IN Turn has been in existence since the 60's and has been in it's current location since the 70's. It's gone through three owners and three names: The House of Granite, On The Rocks and now The IN Turn.  Aside from the curling clubs themselves, they are one of about a dozen curling stores in the world dedicated to curling supplies and carry almost every curling brand.  In the summer, they also carry lawn bowling supplies to fill in the gap but still carry curling equipment throughout the summer, too.  

I had the opportunity to get to know Michelle, owner of The IN Turn, better and would love to share some interesting "top secret" information. For your eyes only...

• Michelle is a super woman managing the store with a 6 month old, Emily, and 2.5 year old, Mason.  Like mother like daughter, Emily "works" at the store 3 days a week.
• Michelle found out about Team Bond Girls from a retweet from one of our loyal followers. Thank you, social media! 
• Michelle's curling roots were planted in Nova Scotia where her grandmother represented this notable curling area twice in Women's play as well as her grandfather and aunt in mixed competitions several times. Her mother was a major influence in getting the whole family curling. Now, even the youngest curler in the family at 6 months has curling shoes! 
• What Michelle likes about curling: "It's a social sport that can be very competitive.  You can play on a team, or against a team, of all different skill levels and ages.  Most sports get segregated by age and ability."  
• Michelle's favorite Bond Girl is Halle Berry: "She was tough and sexy but not in the same way previous bond girls had."

If you are interested in contacting Michelle at The IN Turn: 
The IN Turn Curling & Lawn Bowling Supplies Ltd.

4249 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC  V5C 2J5

604-294-4044

sales@theinturn.ca

www.theinturn.ca

Like us on Facebook:

facebook.com/TheINTurn

Follow us on Twitter:

The_IN_Turn

Thank you, Michelle, and The IN Turn Curling.  The Curling World is Not Enough! This is Domino signing off...

Disney Bracket Champions!

It was a great weekend for curling at the Hollywood Blockbuster Bonspiel. It was hot as heck; so it was a good thing, we found ourselves mostly on the ice.  After 5 games, Team Bond Girls found themselves at the top of the C Bracket (Disney Event) beating the Lionel Richies with a dramatic game.  Team Bond Girls were down by 1 point going into the 8th end with the hammer, and we were able to pull it off. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without the Hollywood finish. Arena ice tried to play it's dirty tricks with some negative ice and opposite handles, but we were able to adapt and overcome.  We had a few tricks under our sleeves as well.  We had a special broom for the frosty ice.  Little Yoda was keeping watch over our games.  Marissa's Red #8 stone (Marissa's sponsored stone) on B sheet was good luck. And on top of it all, we had a few fans that sent positive energy our way. We couldn't have done it without ya'll!

Also, we have to send some love to our boys, Team Zissou (The Bond Boys, as I like to call them), who were the overall champs of the bonspiel. Great job, guys!

We are very proud of Hollywood and putting on such a great spiel despite adversity and of all the Hollywood teams that participated. We've all come such a long way.  Also, we love the out-of-town participants who continue to support and keep curling alive in Southern California. We hope that you had fun and come back next year.

It's late so I'm going to end this with: Go Bailey Go!  

Domino signing out!

PIC Game One - Biter

Domino sitting out and watching game 1 of the Pacific International Cup. Only one word describes this game, and we've got a biter!  I've got two computers, one running the webstream and another updating the blog. In between pacing between the computers, I've got another handful with Little Leianna.   8 end curling games last about 2 hours, and that's a long time to keep a baby happy. We've got quite a juggling act behind the scenes, but she's doing pretty good considering she's only nine months old.

Team Bond Girls started with an early lead. They had a couple of lucky opportunities which they were able to take advantage of in the first 2 ends. Colorado scores 1 in the 3rd end. Team Bond Girls responds with another point in the 4th.  Colorado climbs bit by bit in the 5th & 6th end, tying the score. There was an attempt to clear the house to start the 8th end with the hammer.  Instead Colorado takes the point. At the end of the 8th end, there's 3 stones in the house. Colorado sitting one in the 2 ft. and team Bond Girls lying 2nd and 3rd in the 12 ft.  A take out and stick to sit 3 would make it a win, but looks like the rock didn't have enough weight. Colorado wins with the final score 6 - 4, but it was a very hard fought win.

Highlights:

- Jennifer lost a sock during the game. It's somewhere by her toes, and could have been a BIG factor in the game.

- Marissa had 2 great takeouts in the row in the 4th





- Cindy also had a great double take out


- Here is our new mascot. We're still trying to figure out his name and story...coming soon

Team Bond Girls had a very good warm up. This is only the beginning...Stay tuned to the next curling match:

Thursday, April 19
10:00 AM - vs. Alaska

Good Curling!

- Domino

Practice Time

All five Bond Girls have arrived safe and sound with enough time to make it to practice. We get 10 minutes per sheet on half of this amazing 8 sheeter. The Richmond Curling Club is beautiful with a great 2nd floor viewing station and bar. The ice is fast as we expected. We hope to adjust quickly to the proper weight to prepare for our first game which will be a few hours later against Colorado. Looks like ice really curls into the center and hangs out on the edges a bit. If we are not careful, the rocks will fly out of play or won't curl as much as we expected.

We had some surprising changes to the weather. It's still cold, but there was actually sunshine and blue skies. There's also another addition to the Bond Girl team, Grandmama Domino, all the way from Hawaii.  This is her first time in Canada, and she's excited to spend it with Little Domino, despite "extreme" weather adjustments.

Also, we are debuting our new t-shirt logo.  Here's what they look like. For all those interested in donning our Team Bond Girls T-shirts and pins, we have them available for sale on www.bondgirlscurling.com  Thank you in advance for your support because without YOU, we would not be able to curl competitively and represent Hollywood Curling/West Coast/competitive women curling. Sending out love to all our fans!

Well, the ice is smooth, the rocks are curly, and the company is sweet! This is a fantastic start to the curling tournament. Up next some highlights of our 1st game...

- Domino Family

PIC - Day 0

It is curling time again! Team Bond Girls find themselves in Vancouver, Canada. It's a cold rainy day. Currently, the temperature is 45 degrees F and expected to stay that way all weekend long. (For all those who prefer metric, 7 degrees C sounds even colder!) Will that affect the girls as they curl for the first time in Canada?  We shall see...This is Domino with a new addition, Little Domino, on the beat! We'll keep you updated with everything you will need to know about the 2012 Pacific International Cup held at the Richmond Curling Club.

Here's a quick schedule of our games:
http://www.picup.ca/draws.php

Wednesday, April 18
5:00 PM -  vs. Colorado

Thursday, April 19
10:00 AM - vs. Alaska
4:00 PM - vs. San Francisco

 Friday, April 20
10:30 AM - vs. Washington 2
4:30 PM - vs.Yukon

Saturday, April 21
8:00 AM - vs. Minnesota
2:00 PM - vs. Washington 1

So it looks like we have a mostly American plus Yukon Women's showdown in the preliminary games.  We have a few familiar faces from previous tourney's such as the Club Nationals.  We can't wait to see them all again. There are also a couple "mystery" teams from Alaska and Yukon who we'll meet for the first time. It'll be fun to get some new competitive blood into Team Bond Girl's mix.

To commemorate the start of this tournament, I have put together a little rhyme.

We're pink and black
And that's a fact
We'll give some bruisin'
Cause we hate losin'
But we always have fun
Even with no sun
Hollywood!
We're up to no good!

Yo, Bond Girls are back in the hack!


See you on the ice!

- Domino & Little Domino

Curling International

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

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