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
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Bond Girl Prayer for Good Curling
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
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
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
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
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Do it, Do it, Do it, and Do it Again...
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
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
Monday, February 22, 2010
Under Pressure
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
Thanks, everyone, for hanging in there and showing your support.
-Domino
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Next game
Check us out tomorrow: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals
California vs. North Dakota 12 pm
California vs. North Dakota 12 pm
You win some... you lose some....
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-
Later!
Skip Marissa
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
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Last Minute Notes Before Bedtime
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
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/team-bond-girls-curling-club-nationals
Musical Jeopardy
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!
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!
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