Teamwork and Leadership
January 6, 2024 – Correlating with Curling
I’m not sure why curling is my sport… but it is. I was in the curling rink as a young child… a rink rat, shall we say, but curling style. I loved going to the rink. I have fond memories of hot chocolate, cinnamon Dentyne gum, and bugging my dad on the ice for more money to get a bag of Cheezies. No wonder I was wooed to the sport as a teenager. I started curing in Grade 8 and started skipping my own team in Grade 9. I was such a novice skip and player. I remember playing in the McCracken Bonspiel, a spiel for junior players. I was playing in the finals in the B-event and we were playing a Grade 11/12 team. A long story made short, we gave up an 8-ender and our opponent won a trip to Hawaii. They even brought me back a souvenir T-shirt.
I stayed in the sport and became a provincial champion and runner-up in Grade 12. I enjoyed the sport and considered continuing to play during my university years and young adulthood, but the flow and commitment were not there. Over time, to be a “competitive curler” became an unattainable dream. The year I was pregnant, I closed that door. I’ve curled on and off since having my kid. I loved playing ladies night and I played mixed in a bonspiel or two. Bonspieling was the extent of my competitive play for the next decade or two. I’ve won a few prizes and trophies with my teams and I loved the comradery, travel, and teamwork. We always had a tonne of fun.
Don’t get me wrong. I am competitive too. I remember one curling team I skipped with my sister, her friend, and my friend. We were kind of a “meatball team” but we just gelled. My sister’s friend was a beginner. She played lead. My sister played second and my friend played third. We were playing in a local cash spiel and we were playing in the finals against Nora’s team. I loved Nora. I considered her to be my curling-elder. She was amazing and fierce as a curler. I remember it was the last end and there were a tonne of rocks in play. We had last rock and I had to make a miracle shot. It was a double raise take-out. The raises were long, thus a low percentage shot. That’s all we had. Win or lose… make the shot or not. What I loved about this team was, they were all in. GO FOR IT and we did. We made the shot and won!!
I remember that feeling. We called the shot, the team was on board, and there was no self-doubt. Clarity, really. The praise or celebration afterwards did not matter (despite winning the cash and the game). It was a good feeling. My team was amazing!! It’s tough to find that gel on a curling team. You change one player and you change the team. I remained on and off curling throughout the years and gradually I become more recreational. When I first moved to Prince George, I did not curl for a few years. Post-pandemic, I opted to sign up. The rink changed from 8-sheets to four and I threw my name into the hat for Friday nights (aka. the fun league. I joined a team with a couple and another woman. It’s an open league. I play third.
Joining this curling team in 2021 was serendipitous. We decided to play together last year and now this year. Last night was the first game of 2024. Our win-loss record this season has been our worst with only one win in 2023. Normally in past seasons it was the reverse (at least over 0.500). Doesn’t matter. We are having fun. I was feeling grateful for our team. I had a huge appreciation for the unconditional “love” for teamwork and doing our best one rock at a time. Then, I thought about my love for curling. In grade 9, I won a science fair on “the Science of Curling.” I remember using a spring scale to measure the force of rocks in Newtons sliding up and down the ice. A random memory during the 5th end, but I was brought back to my love for the sport.
My skip last night injured himself in the fourth end and stopped playing after the 5th. Guess who stepped in as skip? We were now a team of three, but the game must go on. It was weird because I have not skipped in years and I had to learn the ice in the rocks remaining in the game. We kept with a draw game so that I could learn about the ice and in keeping with the 5-rock rule. The opponent’s skip was making amazing shots during the game and me stepping in did not change her momentum. We gave up one-point in the 6th and one more point in the 7th. We still had the hammer coming home with a one point lead. The score was 6-5. We got one rock in the house and we spent many rocks trying to guard it, and the other team trying to get it out. My first rock was a dud. I took the other turn and hogged my rock. The other skip made an amazing shot, got around the guards, and was just shot rock. OY. Miracle shot. Tie the game or win? Here we go. Hack weight, around the guards, and hit the opponent’s rock on the inside for 2-points. BOOM. We did it!! We won the game!!
I had that feeling again. There was an audience and everything. Players were waiting to play the next game but we managed to squeeze in 8-ends during the first draw. I was not distracted by them and told my lead before I got into the hack that they could wait. “We have a game to play.” Again, we put the broom down, we were all on board, and we made the shot. CLARITY, again. It was an amazing feeling. Although my teammates would say that I made the shot, I believe that WE made the shot. It took all of us. My lead swept the rock, I called the line, the second was there in the house to sweep and assist. We all had a part in our success. To me, this is leadership.