I sing of curling, and the man...
...who, forced by fate, and the haughty hatred of losing, left the curling ice victorious. Today was a monumental day. In eight years, when I am standing on that podium at the 2014 Winter Games in (location to be determined by the IOC in 426 days) and listening to the national anthem with a single tear glistening on my cheek, I will think back on this day where I first savored victory and be amazed that there was ever a time in which I wasn’t on a Wheaties box. Today, for the first time in the course of all human events, I was on a victories curling team.
It appeared that the fates would be with us from the very beginning when we won the initial coin toss and claimed the hammer for the first end. But this day was to be one for the history books, and it would be very much less epic if we just came out and decimated the other team from the beginning. So much like the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS, we came out of the gates sucking so hard that it looked like all hope was lost. Despite our having the hammer (last rock thrown) in the first end, the other team scored a point. Less than ideal. Since we didn’t score we retained the hammer, but then neither team scored in the second end. The suspense was rising. Hammer in hand for the next end, tragedy struck. Somehow we managed to let the other team score 3 points. We were now down by 4. It was time to get serious.
The next end we fought back hard knowing that if we were to have any chance of winning we could not fall farther back in the hole. But alas, when the last stone came to rest on the ice, we found that they had us edged out by maybe a ¼ of an inch. To come so close to turning things around, within millimeters, only to fall short. Truly decimating.
Lesser men probably would have given up, and no one would have blamed them. The outlook was grim. After 4 ends, in all of which we had the advantage of the hammer, we were down by 5. But then again, we were not lesser men. And we had a cause for which we were struggling. You see, after last weeks loss our famous talk show host skip promised us free t-shirts from his station for our first victory. The t-shirts seemed beyond reach though, but we refused to despair. We would not go gentle into that good night. We raged, raged to get our free t-shirts.
With only 3 ends left, we wished we weren’t in this situation. But then we realized, so do all who curl to see such matches, but it is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the ends that are given to us. And so we surged. I, throwing in the third position for my team, cleared the house of the opponents’ rocks while leaving both of mine. My skip also left both of his for a 4 point end. We were back.
Now down only by one with 2 ends to go, we had new life. But we no longer had the hammer. While we were back in the game, we would still need flawless curling to prevail. Everyone on my team started making great shots, leaving two in the scoring area for the opposing team’s skip to deal with for her last stone. She had been flawless all day, and it was with great apprehension that we watched her stone coming down the ice. She knocked one, trying to leave her own closer to the center that our other one. But it rolled too far. We scored the point.
The score is now tied going into the final and deciding end. The advantage was still on the side of the other team for having the all important hammer. But we had the momentum. We got some rocks in the house early and went about putting some guards up. When it came down to the final rocks, we had one rock near the center, and one lying on the very edge. We had the center one well guarded until the other teams skip took out the guard with her first stone. We tried to put it back with our final stone, but it curled a little out of the way. Our center rock was vulnerable.
Again, our hearts were in our throats when the other team’s skip was lining up for her final shot. If she hit our exposed rock it was over. Our other rock was on the very fringe and she would have no trouble leaving her own rock inside of it after taking out the center one. Her rock away, I felt a sense of dread wash over me as it appeared to be on course. But shoving me fear aside, I readied myself to leap to action to sweep if it came to it (Being the third, I am the acting skip when the actual skips are throwing their rocks and can sweep away an opponent’s stone after it crosses halfway through the house). The rock continued on its collision course and our doom seemed inevitable. Until the rock started to curl.
The sweepers were sweeping madly trying to keep the rocks course straight. It passed by our poorly placed guard without a problem, and the world held its breath as it approached the all important center rock (if you found yourself unable to breath for a few seconds this evening that’s why). But the stone kept curling and passed within a hair’s width of the stone. You could not fit a sheet of paper between the two stones. But her rock passed by, leaving ours untouched. We had won.
In such moments of triumph, there is a second in which you feel a sense of detachment, like you are merely an observer looking in from the outside. Time stands still. But then the moment comes crashing down on you and you are hit with the full magnitude of your victory. We had earned our t-shirts.
It is unfortunate that I will be unable to reap my reward until two weeks time when we get to curl again. Apparently some people felt that their mothers were somehow more important that their curling. But if we must endure a lull in curling, it is so much better to be facing it with the taste of victory fresh on our pallets.
It appeared that the fates would be with us from the very beginning when we won the initial coin toss and claimed the hammer for the first end. But this day was to be one for the history books, and it would be very much less epic if we just came out and decimated the other team from the beginning. So much like the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS, we came out of the gates sucking so hard that it looked like all hope was lost. Despite our having the hammer (last rock thrown) in the first end, the other team scored a point. Less than ideal. Since we didn’t score we retained the hammer, but then neither team scored in the second end. The suspense was rising. Hammer in hand for the next end, tragedy struck. Somehow we managed to let the other team score 3 points. We were now down by 4. It was time to get serious.
The next end we fought back hard knowing that if we were to have any chance of winning we could not fall farther back in the hole. But alas, when the last stone came to rest on the ice, we found that they had us edged out by maybe a ¼ of an inch. To come so close to turning things around, within millimeters, only to fall short. Truly decimating.
Lesser men probably would have given up, and no one would have blamed them. The outlook was grim. After 4 ends, in all of which we had the advantage of the hammer, we were down by 5. But then again, we were not lesser men. And we had a cause for which we were struggling. You see, after last weeks loss our famous talk show host skip promised us free t-shirts from his station for our first victory. The t-shirts seemed beyond reach though, but we refused to despair. We would not go gentle into that good night. We raged, raged to get our free t-shirts.
With only 3 ends left, we wished we weren’t in this situation. But then we realized, so do all who curl to see such matches, but it is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the ends that are given to us. And so we surged. I, throwing in the third position for my team, cleared the house of the opponents’ rocks while leaving both of mine. My skip also left both of his for a 4 point end. We were back.
Now down only by one with 2 ends to go, we had new life. But we no longer had the hammer. While we were back in the game, we would still need flawless curling to prevail. Everyone on my team started making great shots, leaving two in the scoring area for the opposing team’s skip to deal with for her last stone. She had been flawless all day, and it was with great apprehension that we watched her stone coming down the ice. She knocked one, trying to leave her own closer to the center that our other one. But it rolled too far. We scored the point.
The score is now tied going into the final and deciding end. The advantage was still on the side of the other team for having the all important hammer. But we had the momentum. We got some rocks in the house early and went about putting some guards up. When it came down to the final rocks, we had one rock near the center, and one lying on the very edge. We had the center one well guarded until the other teams skip took out the guard with her first stone. We tried to put it back with our final stone, but it curled a little out of the way. Our center rock was vulnerable.
Again, our hearts were in our throats when the other team’s skip was lining up for her final shot. If she hit our exposed rock it was over. Our other rock was on the very fringe and she would have no trouble leaving her own rock inside of it after taking out the center one. Her rock away, I felt a sense of dread wash over me as it appeared to be on course. But shoving me fear aside, I readied myself to leap to action to sweep if it came to it (Being the third, I am the acting skip when the actual skips are throwing their rocks and can sweep away an opponent’s stone after it crosses halfway through the house). The rock continued on its collision course and our doom seemed inevitable. Until the rock started to curl.
The sweepers were sweeping madly trying to keep the rocks course straight. It passed by our poorly placed guard without a problem, and the world held its breath as it approached the all important center rock (if you found yourself unable to breath for a few seconds this evening that’s why). But the stone kept curling and passed within a hair’s width of the stone. You could not fit a sheet of paper between the two stones. But her rock passed by, leaving ours untouched. We had won.
In such moments of triumph, there is a second in which you feel a sense of detachment, like you are merely an observer looking in from the outside. Time stands still. But then the moment comes crashing down on you and you are hit with the full magnitude of your victory. We had earned our t-shirts.
It is unfortunate that I will be unable to reap my reward until two weeks time when we get to curl again. Apparently some people felt that their mothers were somehow more important that their curling. But if we must endure a lull in curling, it is so much better to be facing it with the taste of victory fresh on our pallets.
posted by boywondre at 8:00 PM
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