Hacking and coughing

"Good Try!"

Yes, my friends, still coughing. Fortunately, our men are performing well at the Men's World Curling Championships. I am taking the time to watch, have a nice time with with hubby and Sady, the cat, and recuperating until I get back to my normal volunteer work. (Oliver, of course, doesn't like curling. But he's been out hunting for hours and is quite konked out.)

I love having an excuse to just sit and watch TV. I remember the days when we limited the kid's TV watching. When I'd have reading to do for work, or marking of papers. This is quite the luxury.

Firstly, the men are all gentlemen. They remind me of one of my students. We nick-named her "Good Try". Darned if I can remember her name! I think it was 2004 or 2005! An able athlete, and an avid basketball player, she was very positive with her less-able peers. Always encouraging, never discouraged the kids who simply didn't have ball-handling skills. She respected both peers and the few kids taller and stronger.

But, back to curling...
 Norm Gould, brother of Steve (linebacker!) Gould, who had been seen inhaling nachos on TV. Next day he was shown with veggies and dip. He was ribbed mercilessly about this. The Twitter posts were cute! I guess Norway's skip felt pity for him. Then there is the shot of the Norway team presenting our Canadian team's coach with a pizza. He is a marvellous coach, organized, makes preparations for the team so that they just have to show up at the right time with gear clean, ready to go, water bottles filled and labelled.

Stu Brown, Emcee at the 2011 Ford World Men's Curling Championship interviews Team Norway's skip, Thomas Ulsrud in this One-To-One interview.



The standings are amazing. Canada's Stoughton is doing so well.

Then there is the humour. Niklas Edin, makes a shot that misses all targets, slides down the rink hitting nothing. He rises, does an imperial wave to the huge crowds, and takes a bow, as if he'd made the curl of the century. They make self-depracating jokes, and love our large crowds. They are human, and show us how to both be good winners and good losers.