Behind The Glass

Our time in Kenora

2012-02-06T14:54:00.002-05:00

Team Middaugh had a wonderful time in Kenora, though we wished our results would have been a bit more successful. Sue and Stephie Loewen and all their volunteers put on a first class event. The town of Kenora was very welcoming to all teams and we enjoyed some shopping and some delicious lunches in the downtown district.
We had the pleasure of the services of two of the best drivers, Orlo and Bruce. They went above and beyond the call of duty and remember boys, "what is said in the van, stays in the van."
Brent and his ice crew made sure the curlers had the best and consistent ice all week. It was a treat to play on quick and swingy ice where all shots were possible.
Again thank you to the town of Kenora and all the volunteers for hosting the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, great job.

Jo tours Kobe

2012-01-21T23:05:00.003-05:00

Jo-Ann got a tour of Kobe's, our clothing sponsor, factory. We have had so much fun with Kobe/Fuzion trying to come up with new, out of the box sublimated on- ice jackets and curling shirts. Kobe Sportswear, who are very well known for outfitting hockey teams, want to expand into the curling scene and who better to promote their clothing than Team Middaugh. Please go to their website: kobesportswear.com and fuzionsportswear.com to look at their product.

Team Middaugh and Kobe are also in the works of creating a scarf to raise funds/awareness for two causes that we support: Crohns and Colitis and the Canadian Paraplegic Association. More information to follow once we begin production.

Pictured with Jo are Jamie Vickerman and Bernice Burlingham and then with Chris B., graphic artist at Kobe.

We thank Kobe for all of clothing they have given us and we will be very thankful for our Outdoor Survival jackets when we got to Kenora tomorrow for the Ontario Scotties.

2011 Royal LePage OVCA Champs

2011-11-08T11:02:00.003-05:00

After a weekend off and a disappointing weekend in Winnipeg, Team Middaugh is back to their winning ways. A very successful event in Kemptville having some great games against Ontario teams, a USA team, a team from Switzerland and Mary-Ann Arsenault from NS. We entered the spiel hoping to get some practice against teams that we will see in our Ontario play downs only to see that our first few games were against non-Ontario teams but all three games in the championship round were versus Ontario teams. On Monday we had a measure for the win against Cathy Auld, an extra end win against Laura Crocker and then a great final game against Jenn Hanna. Overall a great weekend as all teams were treated royally by the Kemptville Committee. Thanks to Jim and Bill and all the volunteers for a fantastic event, to Royal LePage as the title sponsor and to all 24 team sponsors. An event of this magnitude could not even be attempted if it were not for financial support from the community and all the volunteers. Thank you to all the spectators who came out to watch, nice to see so many friendly faces.

The team even got some shopping done, some Christmas and some personal, though we didn't get to the craft show as we had hoped. For anyone who is not familiar with the area Kemptville and Merrickville have some incredible little boutiques with some unique jewelry and clothing. We stayed at the Dewars Inn on the River located in Prescott, right along the St. Lawrence River. It is a quaint little hotel with hotel rooms and cottages and highly recommend it.

We have a well deserved weekend off and then on to Brantford for the SunLife. Here's hoping our winning ways continue.

Success at the Southwestern

2011-10-18T10:31:00.004-04:00

What a great weekend for Team Middaugh at the Southwestern Ontario Women's Charity Classic in London held both at the St. Thomas and Highland Golf and Country Clubs. The team qualified out the "A" side, getting a bye to the semi-finals. Beat Horgan and Birt from PEI in the championship round to win their third spiel of the season. The team is on quite a roll with three wins, a quarter-final and semi-final. Cashing a cheque and earning points in all of their events is quite an accomplishment.

Thanks to the organizers of the Southwestern, sponsors, ice makers and of course our hosts, Jim and Sue Waite. It was especially nice to be able to relax at their home instead of a hotel with all the downtime that we had. Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer us on, great seeing everyone again. The curling clinic on Friday night was a success raising $2500 for breast cancer research. Karolyn we wish you a speedy recovery.

Picture compliments of Rory Munro, thanks Rory.

In the flat lands

2011-10-01T14:33:00.002-04:00

Team Middaugh headed West for their third spiel in a row. Nice to play some western teams since the first two events featured mainly Ontario teams.

The team won their pool with a 4-1 record but lost to a fierce Russian squad in the quarter-finals, who eventually went on to win the event. The Schmirler Charity Classic is one of the best events on the women's circuit as the curlers are treated very well with their very own hospitality room plus a pizza/beer night and breakfast Sunday morning supplied by the Regina Inn. Thanks to Amber, Kenda and their committees for all their hard work and especially to the drivers (Herb, Harry, Keith, Doug) who always make us feel so welcome.

It was great to have so much Saskatchewan support from Jim and Sharon, Dave and Myrna, Leigh and Grant and their girls (Alyssa, Kaityln and Brittney) and Zeke and Gladie. It was great seeing everyone again and receiving so many hugs.

Shorty's Win

2011-10-01T14:28:00.004-04:00

Team Middaugh is 2-0 in bonspiel wins to start the season. Sherry, Jo-Ann, Lee and Leigh captured the Ontario Curling Tour in Oakville and then the following weekend beat Team Homan in a tight match to win the Shorty Jenkin's Classic in Brockville.

Thanks to Gord McCrady and all of the volunteers on another successful event. Weather was great so we got to play nine holes with Jim Waite in between games, think we will stick to the ice. Thanks to all that came out to cheer us on including the Zarichny's, the Wiseman's and especially Joanna and Kitty (Shorty's wife and daughter).

2011-10-01T14:21:00.002-04:00

The end of August saw skipper Sherry instruct at a curling camp in Oakville put on by David and Kathryn Gravelle. Sherry had a blast with the Hawkesbury crew during dinner Saturday night and I think even a contract was signed for her to join the ladies on a new team, yikes, too much wine. Pictured is the new team of Christine, Dianne, Julie and Laura.

Nice of Steve and Julie to stop in to support Team Middaugh in Brockville at the Shorty's. Where was the rest of the Hawkesbury crew? Plowing, perhaps?

Brantford Ladies Member/Guest

2011-10-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

Jo was kind enough, and maybe she is regretting asking us, to invite Patti Lank, Leigh and Sherry to the 2011 Brantford Member/Guest. The theme was pirates, hopefully you can tell from the picture, and fun was had by all. We didn't win but I don't know if you will find any other team that laughed so hard from start to finish.

Back from the East

2010-11-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

Team Middaugh, four of five, are back home from New Glasgow. Leigh is still in Charlottetown, heading home today. She was in PEI before Sobey's, came from the Island to curl and back to PEI wrapping up the final details before the 2nd Annual Dominion National Club Championship begins in a few weeks. If the amount of work that Leigh has done is any indication, this event will be a huge success. We are proud of you Leigh.

Not the weekend that we were hoping for, close but not really. Had a great battle against Team Scotland in the "A" semi and again against Team USA in the "C" qualifier but still L's instead of W's. Thanks to Jim, Marion, committee chairs and the 200 volunteers for hosting such an incredible event. It is a shame that this spiel won't be on the schedule next year as it is one of the most popular events on the ladies tour. Driver Bob and all the other drivers who shuttled our team around to various eateries, thank you. Kudos to Greg and his ice making crew on the incredible ice conditions at the arena. Definitely the swingiest ice we have ever seen, Shorty would be proud. Thanks to Team Strong for hosting the non-winners party, fun was had by all but certainly a long plane ride home after the late night.

One of the positives to come from the trip out East was had on Sunday and Monday at dinnertime in the Rizzo and Middaugh households. Can't go out East and not bring home some of the local fare, lobster. Naming the food did not stop Kelly and Emily Middaugh from devouring their seafood. Joe, John, Bob and Fred did not stand a chance against those two hungry kids. Jo-Ann's tip for ridding the kitchen of the fishy smell is to boil vinegar. Thanks Jo.

A few days off to recover, do laundry and practice. Brantford Sunlife starts on Friday and we hope to have more success than this past weekend. Zones starts up Dec. 11 and 12 in Stroud. Keep on cheering, we do hear you.

Happy Halloween from the Harbour

2010-10-30T21:36:00.004-04:00

I know it is a day early but wishing everyone a Happy Halloween from the Harbour by the skipper, otherwise known as the Red Neck Beauty Queen.

London - not what we had hoped.

2010-10-18T10:14:00.003-04:00

One of our favourite spiels did not pan out for us this weekend but we will learn from it and grow as a team. We had some positives that we can take from London and definitely room for improvement for upcoming events.

Thanks to the organizers and all the volunteers and to both St. Thomas and London Curling Clubs for hosting this year's event. Always nice to see many familiar faces and fans that cheer us on in London and we are sorry we didn't perform up to our usual standards. Nice meeting Jessica and Emmalea (see picture) and dad Al who came to cheer us on, or to cheer on Team O'Rourke, not sure which but hopefully it was Team Middaugh.

Speedy recovery to our dear friend. Sorry that our visit was brief but it was great to see you.

A few days off and then off to Winnipeg. Please check results on the curling zone.

Success out West

2010-09-29T11:20:00.003-04:00

Team Middaugh had an incredible time in Regina. We watched the Riders win a nail biter, took in a Pat's game though they lost to Brandon, ate some fantastic meals and thank goodness we came home with a cheque to pay for those meals, plus played in the bonspiel final. We had some close games against some great teams on wonderful ice conditions. Thanks to Amber/Kenda and their committee for another successful event. This spiel treats the curlers very well, lots of perks that we curlers just don't get much on tour any more. Thanks to Herb who was driver number one, with a few fill ins along the way and kudos to Dean and crew for a great job on the ice so early in the season. As for those that were with us late Monday night, can't wait to continue "Name that Curler?" next time we meet.

A special thank you to Jim and Sharon, and Myrna and Dave, who were in the stands all weekend cheering Team Middaugh on. We had you on the edge of your seats for each game. Sorry for all the three enders we gave up but we battled back with loads of steals to put wins up on the board; the four ender in the final just couldn't be overcome. Thanks again for cheering. Team Middaugh loves you.

Ready for new season with new team.

2010-09-07T15:14:00.004-04:00

2010 DEKALB Super Spiel Champions

The 2010/2011 curling season is shaping up to be an exciting one. Team Middaugh is set to take the ice this weekend in Oakville, unfortunately not with the full squad as Lee and Leigh are in Edmonton at the Saville Centre for LaRaleve training. Jo-Ann and Sherry are teaming up with Kirsten Wall and Jill Mozar to get some ice time before jetting off to sunny, let us hope, Regina at the end of September.

Off to Oakville

2009-01-24T12:35:00.002-05:00

Team Middaugh starts the Ontario Scotties Monday, Jan.26 with the finals on Sunday, February 1st. Results can be found on either at http://www.ontcurl.com/ or www.oakvillecurlingclub.com/hearts or better yet tune into Rogers for full event coverage. Team Middaugh will be featured Tuesday at 10 p.m. versus McCarville and again on Thursday at 2 p.m. versus Reddick.

Come on down to the Oakville Curling Club to cheer on the defending champs.

Hi to Hamiota, Manitoba

2009-01-23T19:24:00.002-05:00

Team Middaugh would like to say hi to the grade 5 kids in the curling program in Hamiota, Manitoba. Remember to have fun, always smile and don't flick your in turn.

A Day of Discovery, well a day and a half

2009-01-23T19:19:00.003-05:00

Sherry and Wayne, along with Julie Columbus and Danielle Loney were called upon to assist Allan Nursall of Science in the City on the Discovery Channel. Why for do you ask? Well tune in February 23-26 at 7 pm and again at 11 pm to learn about the effects of sweeping, why a curling rock curls, different ice conditions and releases.

Wild, Wild West

2008-10-01T08:56:00.003-04:00

Sunny, beautiful Regina and that is exactly what it was this past weekend. Team Middaugh, with a bit of a spin as Kaitlyn Lawes from Winnipeg filled the big shoes of Kirsten who is relaxing at home, don't think so with a 22 month old and a new born, arrived late Thursday night to the welcoming arms of their 2008 Scotties driver Kenda Richards.

The format of five pools of six teams was great if you liked getting a guaranteed five games but not so great if you were one of the unfortunate ten teams in tie breakers for the last three spots. Thankfully Team Middaugh won their pool and avoided the Saturday night shoot out. The girls did very well with an overall 5-1 record, losing a close battle in the quarter-finals to the pesky Kleibrink squad, who went on to win the bonspiel.

Thanks to Kaitlyn Lawes who played fantastic, swept like a 20 year old energizer bunny should and was a joy to be around. I hope she enjoyed her weekend with the "mature" girls of the team, as many laughs were shared. You are number one on the speed dial if a spare situation arises again. Good luck in the rest of the season Kaitlyn as you defend your Canadian Junior Ladies title.

Thank you to the incredible organizing committee on a fantastic job. The curlers were treated to a pizza and drink night, Sunday brunch and a hospitality room downstairs all weekend. Dean Moulding did a wonderful job on the ice, not an easy feat in September. Thank you to all the handsome gentlemen who drove the team to and from the rink, great to see so many familiar faces. The committee was proactive in changing their date from late November and their efforts paid off with full entries and a very strong field. Great work.

The team would also like to thank all the supporters for cheering on the team all weekend, even the morning draws. Kim's relatives were aplenty, and even brought treats, thank you Auntie Bunnie: Uncle Gerry and Auntie Bunnie from Regina; Auntie Georgetta, Uncle Jim and Auntie Edna from Selkirk; Auntie Anne from Perth, Ontario; cousin Betty Ann from Saskatchewan. Sherry's dad, Jim and Sharon as well as the subdued Grandma McIsaac (if you knew her you would know that this is not possible), Auntie Joyce from Rosetown were also in attendance. Kaitlyn's mom, Cheryl, was on hand to take down the details of all the games so that coach Andrea would get the gist of the weekend. Thank you to Cheryl for doing all that work, much appreciated. Hope you and Kaitlyn had an uneventful flight home Tuesday morning.

See you next year Regina. Go Riders Go.

The way to go is through Espanola.

2008-02-08T12:29:00.000-05:00

I’d be lying if I said that any member of the Middaugh team had come back down off the clouds we are flying. What a great week at Espanola. To get us kick-started, three of the team attended the Dominion of Canada General Insurance hosted CPA (Canadian Parapalegic Association) Charity event held earlier in the week at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. I am still bowled over by how much money they were able to raise (even higher than last year’s target!) of $150,000. What a great event, they treat the curlers so well and it really puts things into perspective for us as a team and connects us with our love of the sport, as well as with the people at Dominion who help make this season happen for us, and of course also allows us to help a truly special and worthwhile cause. A very special thank you goes out to Douglas Hogeboom , who was generous enough to pass on his ‘pick 6’ winnings to our team in support of our quest for reaching the Scotties. The generosity of such people is truly amazing and we were all very touched by his gesture.

Then onto the grind we went, knowing the field was one of the best at a Ontario Provincial Scotties every team was looking forward to some really good competition. Team Middaugh did our thing, got into our routines (starting with our lovely driver Evelyn who took us wherever we wanted to go!), put our head down and won our way to first place post round-robin. Then came the 1-2 game vs McCarville, and the nerves somehow settled in. In hindsight, we were in a good position even after we lost that game, as it placed our semi-final onto the same sheet as the final game, and gave us an opportunity to work out any remaining kinks. After our semi-final win vs Goring, we faced Team McCarville again. This time, an feeling of excitement and anticipation rather than nerves set in, we set out with a game plan and executed. Even though they kept it close and tied it up in the 10th, forcing an extra end, we felt confident and knew that we could bring it home in the extra. Keeping the four-foot clear allowed Sherry a nice “routine” draw to the eight foot, and wouldn’t yah know it stopped on the pin. What a ride.
We have lots to look forward to in the next few weeks before the Scotties Tournament of Hearts starts in Regina, and we wanted to take a minute to say thank you to our sponsors; M&M Meatshops, the Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, as well as the product support from Balance Plus. Without them this journey would not have happened, cliché though that sounds we know how true it is. And our final thank you goes to our family and friends, who have supported us by cheering us on whether in person or via internet, we just can’t tell you how much your support means and it is also what makes this so much more special. Keep an eye on us in Regina, Team Middaugh is most definitely on a mission

Middaugh Rink Wins Sobeys

2007-12-04T13:22:00.000-05:00

From the Chronicle Herald - Monday, December 3, 2007.

NEW GLASGOW — It was Quebec versus Ontario for the big loot in Sunday’s final of the $54,000 Sobey’s Curling Classic before 400 fans at John Brother MacDonald Stadium.

A hot-shooting Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., seeded No. 8 in a 32-team field, beat No. 29 Marie-France Larouche of Levis, Que., 6-4 in the championship final. The four-time Ontario women’s champion and 2003 Canada Cup winner claimed the $14,000 top prize with Larouche, the 1999 world junior bronze medallist, taking $10,000.

It marked the first Grand Slam of Curling women’s event for the Maritimes and the first of a three-year deal for the Slam event in New Glasgow.

Middaugh, a 40-year-old full-time mother, won seven straight games facing elimination after an 0-2 start. Larouche, a 27-year-old teacher, was 6-0 heading into the final.
The Ontario skip robbed Larouche’s team blind, stealing four consecutive points in the middle ends for a comfortable 6-1 lead.

Read the whole story here.

C26th ANNUAL COLONIAL SQUARE LADIES CURLING CLASSIC 2007

2007-11-05T15:34:00.000-05:00

(by Sharon Spence of Aquadeo Beach, SK)

The Colonial Square Ladies Curling classic was held October 26 – 29th, 2007 at the Nutana Curling Club Saskatoon.

Sherry, Kirsten, Kim & Andra arrived in Saskatoon Thursday, Oct 25th at about 8:30 p.m. after a very quick turn a round in Winnipeg. They were chauffeured off to the Colonial Inn & Suites. The rooms are nice and very reasonable at $69.00 per night. Another bonus – they were fairly close to the curling rink for those early morning games.

Their first game was Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. against Martineau – a team from Lloydminster, SK., Team Middaugh won this game in 6 ends. Not quite so lucky in their next game against Team Galusha formerly Kerry Koe from the NWT. Team Galusha was very hot and our girls were just medium hot. It was a good game and it came down to the 10th end for the Galusha win. None the less we were now in the B Event.

Team Delanoy from Edmonton proved to be a very worthy opponent but was defeated by Team Middaugh and we were now waiting to see who would win between Michelle Englot and Cathy King. We would play the loser. We are now playing Cathy King at 4:30 p.m. We came on strong and out played and out shot Team King all the way. Chantel Eberle was our next challenge Sunday noon. (much better time of the day to get up and watch curling). Chantel was good but not good enough – although all of us wizards behind the glass were wondering if Sherry was playing for Team Eberle in the 7th end when she had 5 possible calls and she called the 6th shot. This certainly could have been the turning point in the game – but fortunately for us – Chantel did not take advantage of the situation. Team Middaugh was now playing at 4:30 Sunday afternoon against Team China.

Team China is a force to be reckoned with – they are technically strong in every aspect of the game. Our girls had their work cut out for them. If you watched the line scores of this game – you would wonder if anyone wanted to score. Team China’s coach was sitting next to us video taping the game. He was quite excited to be playing against Team Middaugh. He advised us that he had taped many, many games over the last two years to use as training tapes and most of them were of “Sherry & Wayne Middaugh”. We made the comment to him that we “hoped they hadn’t learned too much”. Fortunately, our girls were victorious over Team China and we had now qualified for the Championship round and were $2500 richer than when we started.

8:30 a.m. on Monday morning comes very, very early – but the winning team would play three games back to back today. Unfortunately for Team Middaugh they came up against Team King again and this time Team King was out for blood. The score was 5-0 after the first 3 ends for Team King and it never stopped. Team King went on to play the final game against Team Lawton, only to loose but still went home with $5,000 while Team Lawton walked away with $9,000. Congratulations to Stephanie & Team.

It is always a tough time for Sherry (and team) when she comes to Saskatoon as there are so many friends, relatives and acquaintances waiting for their turn to welcome her back and say hi. Thanks to Team Middaugh for the time we got to spend with you. It was a fun weekend and a lot of good curling (especially from the “wizards behind the glass”).

The Pinball Queen unleashes the “Double Wick”

2007-11-01T09:19:00.000-04:00

Sports fan, this one was a doosy (for lack of a better term). Picture this, the semi-finals 10th end of a whirlwind match, Team Middaugh having just battled back against supposed disaster (down five and taking a three, stealing one, and laying two shots buried for the potential steal and win) and we can be secure only in the knowledge that we had done all we could. The rest was up to fate and Eve Belisle, who for now on will remain in our somewhat still astounded minds as the Pinball Queen.

After careful deliberation we came to the conclusion that the only shot to leave Eve was the draw through a somewhat negative port with the swing. The ice was most definitely getting sludgy and the port to the four-foot was almost un-navigateable, so we decided to block off what we considered the much-easier angle tap to the four-foot with backing. It is hard to know if this decision was actually our undoing, as there would be very few who would make a call otherwise. We made our choice and executed, took away the raise and left her what we thought was the considerably more unlikely draw.

At the hogline, we knew it was hot. Through the rings hot. Not slowing down for nothin’ hot. Next thing we know, Eve’s last rock starts to move. We hear a soft “Ping” off the corner guard, “Ping” off the backside of a rock sitting center-line, full twelve….and there it goes, rrrroooooollllllling into the four foot. Never did we think that the double wick would be our downfall. The double wick. This is something we must now consider as a crutial blindspot in our examination of Belisle’s arsenal.

The double wick. A deadly weapon against any team, something to bring out when your opposition least expects it. We now know better. We have seen its devastation and know it is almost impossible to guard against it. Beware the double wick, my friends. You too could be in a battle against another Pinball Queen and not even know it.

Calgary Flames. Enough said.

2007-10-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

The weekend started off superb, cozy in our beds at the Westin without having lost our brooms on our flight in. All was seemingly good. And the first three games were no exception, a string of wins and A-side qualifier here we come!! That’s when somehow things started going downhill. A tough loss against Holland turned into tougher losses against Lawton, and then finally Kleibrink. All well-played and with no “W” at the end of the day.

Our one salvation was being able to returned to the comfort of our Westin rooms to soothe our frustrations. Thankfully, though, we have lots to take away from this spiel. Team Middaugh has a way of pulling together after just such a tough weekend as this. Guts, grit, & determination are truly the foundation of this team and is what makes us so different from any other. We have a tendency of pulling out of disappointment with way more good stuff than bad, and is what makes us so much more focused and determined the next time we get together on the ice. Which is also why you should feel somewhat badly for the poor souls who we get to play against in London this coming weekend. Out of the fire, comes a new, stronger, and more determined Team Middaugh.

BDO Galt Curling Classic has quickly become a Team Middaugh favourite!

2007-09-28T12:38:00.001-04:00

The first tourney of our year, and what a great event to start with! This exceptionally run speil has everything teams could want in the beginning of a season – lots of games, great ice conditions at both the arena & club, fantastic facilities, attentive organizers who worry about what the teams need and want, involved sponsors, media-covered Final games, and a whole lot more!

As a newly re-united team we were anxious to get started and head back to the ice after a seemingly short but productive summer as well as a successful 2006-07 season. The discovery that Cambridge now also is home to a Cora’s restaurant help make our weekend, as it’s now a Team Middaugh staple following last years stomach-stuffing daily ritual to Cora’s during Dixie C.C.’s Provincials. To top it off, another team favourite dinner at the Keg (joined by the new Mike Harris rink, whom we are sad to say would not flip a coin for the bill!) and the fact that all of us this year ended up with a bed to sleep on and more than one light in our rooms, we knew this was gonna be a good one. Seeing how Sherry didn’t have to go in search of a missing bed (“ Sorry Maam, but I’m just not sure where your bed might be!”….”Well don’t you think the headboard and imprint in the carpet might tell you there was one here a minute ago??!”), meant the weekend was a success from the start.

A semi-final finish with lots of plus’s from the weekend was a strong start to the season, we are looking forward to heading out once again to Calgary on Thanksgiving weekend for some turkey & another great tourney. Many thanks to Byron as well as the AMAZING ice crew who put in long hours to make sure all us curler’s were happy. For sure we’ll see you next year Galt!!!

Saturday, March 11th, 2007

2007-03-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

The Coldwater and District Curling Club, Team Middaugh's home club, hosted the 4th Annual Curl for the Cure, a curling fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. 16 teams of ladies dressed in various shades of pink and elaborate costumes raised $19,707.00 for a very worthwhile cause. Kate, Andra and Sherry were honored to curl with the teams that raised the most money. Thanks to Karen Stiles for organizing the event, Jim Stiles for acting as the official photographer, Deb Stone for all the effort she puts into the club and of course to all the curlers who tirelessly go out and get donations year after year. Being piped on for every draw put this event over the top.

Headed to Canada Cup

2007-03-02T14:23:00.000-05:00

Thank you Kelly Scott and company, otherwise known as Team Canada for winning the 2007 Scotties for the second year in a row. While Team Canada is off to Japan, for the Women's World's, Team Middaugh will be curling in Kamloops, B.C. in the Strauss Canada Cup. We all watched the STOH final with our finger's crossed knowing that if Team Canada won Team Middaugh would get the "phone call" to come to Kamloops. After a disappointing provincials, I know many people think coming second in your province is pretty darn good, but really second does suck and there is no sugar coating that. It almost seems like we are starting the second part of our season and looking forward to the Canada Cup March 13-18 and the Tour Championship in Calgary in April. Time to get back on the ice to practice and get those competitive juices flowing again.

January 19 - Canadian Paraplegic Association Fundraiser

2007-02-23T15:52:00.000-05:00

Kate, Andra and Sherry along with Teams Howard and Base and their sponsor Dominion of Canada General Insurance curled the day away at St. George's Golf and Country Club to raise funds for the Canadian Paraplegic Association. It was an incredible day starting off with a curling clinic, fun filled curling games, banquet and silent auction. 96 curlers helped raise a total of $145,000 for the Canadian Paraplegic Association of Ontario. All proceeds from the event go to support the important services necessary to assist persons with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities.

January 17 - Huronia Fundraiser

2007-02-21T00:14:00.000-05:00

Kate and Sherry along with their friends Wayne, Glenn, Andrea, Tim, Kent, John and Jeff spent the day with curlers from the Midland and Penetang area to raise money for the Huronia Hospital Foundation. Through pledges and the Pros Hot Shot competition $18,000 was raised, $55,000 over the three years of the event, with the money being used to purchase vital health care equipment for the Penetanguishene General Hospital and the Huronia District Hospital.

Abbotsford

2006-11-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

Home after a long day of traveling back from Abbotsford. Kate decided to stay a couple of extra days to spend time with her friend Robyn but the rest of us headed home early Monday morning, never a flight you like to take because that means it wasn't a very successful weekend. Great competition, wonderful ice conditions, excellent host committee and a very supportive cheering section. Thank you to Anna, Walter, Pauline and Nelson for coming to watch our games and taking us out for lunch.

A very special thank you to our hosts: Tom and Jane, Trevor, Lia and Jarris. We were made to feel so welcome as you invited us into your homes; thankfully the power did come on, our last day but it did none the less. Next year we will make sure we get a dip in the pool and the hot tub.

We look forward to two weekends off from competition, spending time with family and friends before we head into zones in December in Elmvale

Don't Get Lost On Your Way To St. Mary's

2006-11-17T20:46:00.000-05:00

After a well deserved week off the team traveled to St. Mary's for a weekend of curling. St. Mary's you say, where is it? Well Kim and Sherry got a bit lost but finally found their way to the quaint town near Stratford. The girls put together six straight wins to claim their second victory of the season. Although it wasn't a huge cheque the games and the competition will be a wonderful warm up for Abbotsford this upcoming weekend.

A special thank you to Gerry Guerts and Rob Lamont for an excellent job of organizing, running and everything else they did from running the bar, the kitchen and ensuring everyone had a fantastic time. Thank you to Gary and Joanne Hamer who drove all the way from Port Elgin to cheer us on once again Thank you for the delicious cookies Gary, keep them coming.

After a very early game Saturday morning the team went to Waterloo to take in the first two draws of the National Mixed. It was great to see friends from all across the country, we didn't know who to cheer for but of course cheered for good shots.

Good luck to our webmaster Rachel Vandervelde in her zones at Midland.

Saskatoon travels

2006-11-07T17:21:00.000-05:00

Nov. 1

The girls arrived back from Saskatoon a bit tired, nine games, but happy with their performances once again. Four qualifiers out of four spiels, very consistent and now leaders on the money list at $19,700. It was great to see friends and family, thank you very much for all the support. Great job by Scott Matheson and his crew, the team sure loved the treats in the van even though I don't think all that chocolate helped their performance in the evening games. A very special thank you to Wayne Kiel of Regina for spending the weekend with the girls. Your comments were invaluable and we hope to get the opportunity to work with you again. This sport is unique in the fact that resources are shared and utilized for the improvement of the sport.

Curling for Breast Cancer Awareness

2006-11-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

Oct. 17

Team Middaugh comes home with the winner's trophy, great job gals. It was an incredible final against Patti Lank from the USA, going an extra end. The crowd watching said it was the best final ever and the players can attest to that. The team would like to thank Jim Waite for spending some time with them at the Highland Thursday night for a practice and also for observing a couple of their games. Your insight and suggestions are very much appreciated Jim.

London is a very special bonspiel for a number of reasons and that is why it is one of our favorite stops on the tour. The message behind the spiel is breast cancer awareness and over the years much money has been raised for research and awareness. Kate, Andra and Sherry curled in the ProAm Thursday night and fun was had by all. Thank you to all the curlers for collecting pledges and making it a very memorable evening.

Happy Thanksgiving Calgary!

2006-11-07T17:16:00.000-05:00

Oct. 10

Gobble, gobble but no Thanksgiving dinner was had by Team Middaugh in Calgary. No complaints though as the team qualified out of the "C" event, losing a close quarter-final to Cheryl Bernard. Thank you to Bernice Merrick for an excellent job hosting one of the longest running bonspiels on the ladies circuit. Thank you to the Weston Hotel for incredible service and a first rate hotel, see you next year we hope. It was such a wonderful weekend because of all the friends and family that traveled great distances to come cheer us on. We didn't get a whole lot of time to visit as we spent most of our weekend on the ice, but I guess that is why we curl isn't it? We did get a chance to do a bit of shopping and bought some team belts, home and away, and my do they look snazzy. See you next year Calgary.

Mall Curling to kick off the season

2006-10-15T16:37:00.000-04:00

Team Middaugh finally got on the ice for some competition this past weekend. The BDO Galt Curling Classic held at the Galt Curling Club as well as in the Cambridge Shopping Centre was a great start to the season. The team played four games in their pool, the pink pool, and won all four finishing first in their pool. On Sunday for championship play they won their quarter final game against Heather Carr but lost the semi-final in a close match against Allison Goring.

Team Middaugh would like to congratulate Byron Scott for his attention to detail in organizing such a successful event and the team will be back next year. It was wonderful playing on arena ice and in a mall setting as well. Kudos to the ice crews at both venues for consistent ice conditions and for all the hours they put in getting the ice in place and maintaining it for the entire week and weekend. Thank you to all the sponsors, too many to mention and we wouldn't want to forget anyone. A good weekend was had by all and for those that are looking for a spiel in September the BDO Galt Classic is a first class event, enter early next year or you will be disappointed.

So long and thanks for all the fish

2006-03-01T18:49:00.000-05:00

Do you remember the old circus act where a couple of clowns get inside a horse costume and storm around the arena? The laughs often come when the front end wants to go one way and the back end another, hilarity ensues and a good time is had by all.

Well, the Webguy is pained to report that the good horse that has been Team Middaugh since February 2000 is splitting up, with the front end going one way and the back end another. No hilarity involved, not a bit.

As far as I know, Sherry Middaugh and Kirsten Harmark are staying together and getting a new front end. No idea what Andrea Lawes and Sheri Cordina are doing but they are both pretty good curlers and any good rink should be lucky to have either one of them as team mates.

My small role in this drama is going to be taken up by another actor just as soon as Sherry can find someone to tickle the keyboard for her. I hope they have half the fun I have had over the last 6 years, I really do.

I know it must seem like you are all alone when you read this blog or view the website, it certainly is a lonely endeavour when I write this stuff. Without any feedback it is hard not to feel like you are WKRP on a bad night, broadcasting into the ether and wondering if anyone is listening. Well, I am here to tell you that it is not so, not at all.

Sherry Middaugh has a great following across Canada, and while I don't keep statistics for the blog, I can tell you that this season alone, our web server answered over two hundred and fifteen thousand requests, over twenty three thousand individual page requests and dished all of that out to over five thousand individual computer hosts. I know our blog did much more then that, all of which makes me enormously proud of the Team which was the focus of all this attention. People don't follow losers or jerks. They are attracted to and love to be a part of class acts and friendly people. Team Middaugh has been all of that for the past 6 years.

The message is that you, friend, fan, family, have not been alone and that your time, your attention and your loyalty, has always been noted and greatly appreciated by all involved with Team Middaugh.

I am going to miss this team and look forward to joining Pat Reid Behind The Glass watching whatever incarnation the new Team Middaugh takes up. I wish them good curling and lots of giggles wherever they go.

I want to thank Sherry Middaugh for the opportunity to join in on the fun all of this time, she and her teammates always made me feel welcome and a part of their crew and I will never forget their kindness.

Sherry Middaugh is a classy lady with a great head on her shoulders who inspires and earns tremendous loyalty in her friends and team members. It is not misplaced, this loyalty, and I predict even better things to come for Team Middaugh.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

The WebGuy

Sherry weighs in.

2006-01-27T15:04:00.000-05:00

(Always eloquent Sherry writes)

The team and I were saddened but not surprised by Pat's decision. Pat has spent countless hours over the years working with various teams, the Canadian Curling Association, Women in Sport and with the Canadian Olympic Association. Our sport has been enriched by her dedication and hard work.

Our team recognizes Pat's special contribution to Team Middaugh and we are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have worked with her, one of the best coaches in the world. She is highly respected by our team, other curlers, coaches in the sport of curling and in the sporting world. We would not have had the successes nor the opportunities we have enjoyed without her contribution and our only regret is that we were unable to win her a national championship.

The great thing about our sport is the friendships that are built and our relationship with Pat is no exception. We wish Pat the best in her future endeavors and know that her time will be well spent with her husband Bob, the rest of her family and especially her new grandson Owen.

Kampai! Domo ariagato gozaimass Pat.

Rumours & Lies & Truth

2006-01-27T14:43:00.000-05:00

I have often felt it is not a coincidence that the words "Rumour" and "Tumour" are only one letter apart. Both words describe entities that have remarkably similar characteristics.

Each can be relatively benign and, while not exactly a trivial thing, they can be just harmless heralds of news that there is more to come, more to the story then meets the eye or ear or scalpel.

Each can also be destructive and malicious, growing at an uncontrollable rate and gobbling up the good bits of life and truths in turn, racing around like a puppy at a food fight just waiting for some tidbit to fall on the floor. In each case, swift, preemptive action is the treatment of choice.

It is with this in mind that I hasten to pass along the news that our beloved coach Pat Reid has decided to retire from the field of coaching effective right now. This is news that needs a more studied and thoughtful release however and I expect to post a more thoughtful rendering of it in the very near future on our website as well as on this blog. For now though, I want to hurry to both help inform the interested reader and put a spike in any rumours that would inevitably blossom in the absence of factual information from an informed source.

Pat has chosen to do this on her own terms and at a time of her choosing. Some of her own well chosen words might be helpful in making this important point.

"I have made a decision to retire from Coaching"
"I am NOT moving on to any other team"
"I am not divorcing the team, nor are they booting me out"

Pat has chosen to move on after a wonderful run as coach, mentor and great friend to the members of Team Middaugh and a long list of friends, family and fans. She will be sorely missed and we wish her well.

Webguy

Our Gals....

2006-01-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

..... competitive season came to an abrupt end this morning when Jennifer Mooij drew the button against two of our counters with the last rock in the 10th end. Tied coming home without, our ladies played a great end but it wasn't quite good enough to extend this season of highs and lows.

Curling is a character building exercise at the best of times and there are days when you need all of your intestinal fortitude to smile and hold out your hand and say "Nice Game, Good Luck" to the nicest of opponents. Our gals did this with class today and I am proud of them.

They had an exciting and challenging season, but it is over and the sun don't shine right now, right here.

Tomorrow, we get better, then we start getting over it, which might take a little longer. Thank you ladies for a great ride.

Thanks also to all of the Middaugh Marauders who read this effort for all the support and the chuckles. It don't mean nothing without you all out there.

There are starts...

2006-01-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

.... and there are starts and our gals started out this Challenge Round with a loss to Alison Goring in their Friday night game.

I wasn't there to cheer so I am partly to blame, I will be there in the morning however when they play Jennifer Mooij of High Park so things will be different. They win or NO BISCUIT!!

Tomorrow in Milton.

Challenging is an .....

2006-01-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

....understatement when describing this weekends competition. Sixteen of the best womens teams in the Province in a catfight over the last two spots in the Provincial Final which will be held in Fort Frances from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4.

Above you will find the draw for this weekends play and our gals open against former Canadian Champ Alison Goring tonight at 6:00. Clikking on the image should get you The Big Picture.

We will be reporting from Behind The Glass whenever we get the chance.

Errata

2006-01-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

I have made a small change to the previous post to correct an error. Our gals were 1 up without coming home against Kim Moore. Or, to put it more clearly, Kim was one down with.

Wish I could say it was just a typo, I knew the right information after all, but it was just a little brain cramp that affected my hands and I apologise. I will do some research and see if it can be blamed on my brand new peanut allergy.

TTFN

The Road to the Roses...

2006-01-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

...goes right through Milton, Ontario this year and our gals will be there this coming weekend (Jan. 13/15) to take another kick at the cat in qualifying for the Ontario Scott in Fort Frances.

The Team went out to curl against the Issler rink yesterday morning and a basketball game broke out before they finally called it quits with our gals leading 12-7 after 9. At one point our side were up 9-1 but the tough little skip, Jen Issler from Guelph, just kept coming and made a game of it, great fun to watch.

In the afternoon game against Kim Moore our gals turned in a great performance but couldn't seal the deal as they coughed up a deuce to Kim when coming home 1 up without. Kim made a really great hit and stick for the win around an almost but not quite perfect guard Sherry had put in her way. It was a tough loss but a great game.

So, on to Milton for the Challenge Round which will be a much tougher field as the 16 teams represented there are the third and fourth place finishers from all over Southern Ontario and every one of them is angry and looking for someone to beat up. Two teams will qualify out of this double knockout competition.

Milton is also home to two of the nicest people in curling, Knud and Jennifer Harmark, parents of our third, Kirsten (Spike) Wall, so we are hoping for some smoked Lutefish for snacks while we watch the games. No peanuts and nothing pachydermish allowed all weekend.

Stay tuned folks, it ain't over yet.

Webguy.

3 & 1 and looking strong

2006-01-08T00:27:00.000-05:00

Our gals won both games they played Saturday, defeating old foe Karen Bell and then the very tough Nielson rink from Ilderton.

3 more games on Sunday to come out the B side of this slugfest and win a trip to Fort Frances, where they may have a statue of a Sturgeon that got run over by a Sea-Do but I don't expect they have ever seen an elephant.

Speaking of elephants, as we spend more time here, I am becoming more enamored of all things elephantine and developing a strange craving for peanuts. I am also twitching uncontrollably at the sound of a train whistle.

Our gals looked good today and Sherry had two exceptional games. Looking forward to an early start and wrapping things up around 9:00 PM on Sunday night.

We will be in touch.

1 & 1

2006-01-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

It is Friday night in St. Thomas and our gals are 1 & 1 for the regions so far. This little statistical twist is possible because they lost their opening game, tied, coming home without, to a great draw to the pot by a determined Kristy Russell from Orangeville.

Our next game, scheduled for 8:30 Saturday morning was against a Bye in the draw so our actual next game is at 4:30 PM and I am happy to be here with lots of time to go bowling, or maybe visit the Jumbo the Elephant memorial.

Depending on who(m) you ask, Jumbo (here on a whistle stop with the Barnum & Bailey Circus) charged a train to save a little girl with braces on her legs who was stuck on the tracks, or a cute puppy that he had befriended, or just got into the fermented oats and thought he was about to get lucky with a great big She Elephant who smoked and whistled at the same time, I think I have had that same fantasy at some time or other. As a consequence he is buried here and they make a big deal out of it.

In any event, we lost one, (sort of) won one and I will stay in touch.

TTFN

Here is the draw.

2006-01-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

Here is the draw as an image. Clik on it to make it bigger.

OTAY, back to curling

2006-01-02T13:54:00.000-05:00

"Otay", as our fave 'Our Gang' member, Buckwheat, was wont to exclaim, back to real curling.

Our gals play in the Southern Ontario Western Regional playdowns this weekend, Jan. 6/8 on one of their favourite ice surfaces in St. Thomas Ontario (200 Kliks). Follow the link to download the PDF file of the draw. Yes, I know having the draw up in PDF is bush league but you get what you pay for these days, er! No as a matter of fact you don't but I guess that is another story. In any case see the draw, be the draw, discuss.

For those of you who happen to live in a part of Canada far from THE CENTRE OF ALL THINGS, I offer the following: NOTE: People of Ontario, do not read this is for THE OTHERS.

In Ontario, at least the Southern version and for the distaff side, it goes like this.

# The thirty-two (32) winners of the sixteen (16) zone playdowns, which shall be double knockout, shall meet in two (2) regional playdowns, which shall be double knockout. Each regional playdown shall declare two (2) winners.
# The four (4) winners of the regional playdowns and the two (2) winners of the Challenge Round shall advance to the Ontario Scott Tournament of Hearts.

So, there is an East and a West Regional Playdown which collectively send 4 teams and then a Challenge Round, or Last Chance for the Zone and Regional non winners (see, I can do NewSpeak!) which sends two more to the Provincial (combined North/South) Scott where the 6 teams representing the south playoff against 4 teams from the north for the right to represent Ontario (North/South) at the STOH.

People of Ontario, jump back in here, the headache part is over.

In any event, our gals play Friday night at 6:00 PM to start things off and we hope to be there to cheer. The folks at St. Thomas are terrific and always good hosts so everyone looks forward to going there. If any of you have ever met Jim Waite whose home club this is, they are all like him. Nice.

The Provincial Final will be in Fort Frances, which is a little bit of a longer drive, 1,702 Kliks to be exact, Jan. 30 to Feb. 4. Might have to get a room for that trip.

We will observe and report back.

Humbug

2005-12-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

Some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you.

I am sad for our girls that they did not quite reach their long held goal of representing Canada at the Olympics. They worked long and hard for this chance and came up a little bit short, which is not hard to do in our beloved sport.

I am pleased for our girls that they had a pretty good week, curled well for the most part, Top scoring team, Top ranked Skip, and they finished much higher then all of the prognosticators and poll takers had forecast.

There were 6 other very good teams who would have chewed off an arm to be able to be throwing rocks today. There is some consolation in that somewhere but I can't hardly see it right now cause my eyes are a little fuzzy. Maybe next week it will become clear.

Good luck to Stefanie Lawton and her team, safe home for our gals for a well earned rest and then a regrouping for the Regionals in St. Thomas January 6th where hopefully they can get their groove back and put up some big W's.

Team Middaugh are still Champions in my book.

Miracle shot

2005-12-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

That was a fantastic shot Sherry made to save the game against Colleen Jones. I don't think anyone but her and her team mates saw it, certainly neither I nor our fave TSN analysts gave her much hope but Sherry made the shot and even though the old #4 eyeball measuring device thought that it was not enough the real measure said it was our gangs rock for shot and my heart started again.

Tie-Breaker against hard to handle Stefanie Lawton at 7:30 AM EST on TSN and then the Semi-Final at 1:00 PM against Shannon Kliebrink.

I may have to Google Map the nearest Church and see if I can pay someone there to put in a good word or two.

I wonder if they sell votive candles at Safeway?

W5

2005-12-08T02:14:00.000-05:00

The Run for the Bling is coming down to the wire and 5-3 is hugemungous in this competition but most importantly our heroes looked real good doing it. They started the game a little bit slowly but with Sherry's leadership and steady shotmaking they stayed close and managed to turn it up a couple of notches in the last 5 ends and played with confidence and style.

No matter what happens the rest of this tournament, I am very proud of the way they won this game tonite.

Now we play our old nemisis Colleen Jones in her home town swan song appearance. She could be tough but we need to win to clinch a playoff or at least a tie-breaker spot.

Shannon Kliebrink, our competition for the #3 spot in the playoffs, has, on the surface anyway, a tough game against Stefanie Lawton who, as we witnessed tonite has every kind of shot in her game bag and is going to be spitting mad after tonite's game.

I'm betting the organisers were breathing easier after the possibility of 7 teams being tied for 2nd place disappeared.

Hang on to your toques folks, this could get interesting.

L3

2005-12-07T13:37:00.000-05:00

Well, now it gets complicated doesn't it?

While I have confidence that Coach Pat has it figured out it hurts my CPU to consider all of the possibilities so I'm just going to stay a passenger on the good ship Team Middaugh and trust the ladies to put it together and do what has to be done.

We got lemons, it's time to make lemonade.

PS: While Vic said last night that tonight's game would start at 10:30 PM EST the schedules all say it starts at 10:00 PM. Sometimes Vic gets tired and methinks he just mispoke.

W4

2005-12-06T23:32:00.000-05:00

Three games to go in the Round She Goes and as it should be the gals have their fate in their own hands. All alone in third place with Kliebrink, Lawton and C. Jones to come over the next two days. Win all three and end up in first place. Sounds easy, rolls right off the tongue, really, really hard to pull off in this tough crowd where everyone seems to be getting better every game.

Kliebrink seems to have awakened her inner tiger and has been curling extremely well, backed up by the irrepressible Amy Nixon she is still a big threat. Stefanie Lawton is an awesome competitor and will be very tough to handle and there is lots of fight left in Colleen Jones who will want to go out swinging in what could be her last game in front of her home town crowd.

Our gals game against Lawton will be the featured matchup on TSN's delayed broadcast Wednesday night starting at 10:00 PM EST. It's pins and needles time for those of us who stand and wait.

There have been a few instances of what I would consider poor sportsmanship in the last few draws and I suppose it is a direct result of the tremendous pressure that must accompany the quest for Olympic glory. The stakes are high, emotions run riot.

On the other hand, it makes me even more proud of the sportsmanly manner our own ladies and so many others play the game and conduct themselves. They look and act like Olympians should and I remain extremely proud of them.

Gogetem

L2

2005-12-05T21:28:00.000-05:00

Thank God for Tuesdays because if it's Tuesday it means that Monday is behind you and you can get your groove back. "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down" , now I get it.

L

2005-12-05T11:51:00.000-05:00

Our gals slipped a little this morning and were trounced by Jennifer Jones who grabbed a 5 end in 8 to put a spike in what otherwise looked like a very competitive game. This was entirely my fault, (see below) and I apologise.

We will be back after a little self flagellation and ready to cheer on our gals against the Winnipeg expatriate Kelly Scott. This game will be the feature game on TSN 's late draw broadcast (6:30 EST) and will likely decide first place as both teams are 3-1.

Harrrdrrr

Dear Granite Gods

2005-12-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

OK, I am very, very, very, sorry I mentioned the "Force" thing. I won't do it again. A 4 end yesterday, a 5 end today and not one "Force" against JJ is, I fervently pray, enough punishment for a tiny bit of hubris. Please restore the previous version of reality.

Humbly submitted

Webguy

W3

2005-12-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

Wow, wasn't that impressive? I suppose if you shut your eyes during the 8th end it was an almost perfect game. Top of the Leader Board is a great place to be in a competition like this, especially with only a 3 team playoff format.

Staying on top will be tough however and first up tomorrow morning will be J. Jones of Winnipeg who is 2-1 and then in the evening draw the Scott team, also at 2-1 who have been picking the pockets of everyone they play. However our gals have a very high force percentage (forcing opponents to one) and after the game this afternoon qualify as equal to the task of stealing points from good teams so I hope they televise this one.

It's getting exciting, hold on to your seat cushions.

CurlTV

2005-12-04T09:42:00.000-05:00

For those of you who may be curious I thought I would report on how CurlTV is living up to it's potential. I have been playing with it for a few weeks now and up until Saturday I would have told you it was a big mistake. I was willing to put up with the fairly Lo bandwidth delivery which makes for either a pretty good 3" picture or a very blurry full screen reproduction of the action as a tradeoff for being able to view the morning draws that the dinks at the CCA, TSN, CBC or whoever is responsible took away from us.

Last week however I noticed a little bit of fine print which said that CurlTV did not have permission to broadcast any games from the Big Three, Trials, STOH, Briar, but would broadcast interviews. Humbug!

However, they seem to have overcome this problem and yesterday I watched Colleen thump Marie France and it was pretty good, as I keyboard interface, I am watching John Morris give a lesson in building an end to Randy Ferbey, I am really pleased to be able to watch these and even more pleased to find a company that Under Promised and Over Delivered.

I still have issues with their use of DRM (Digital Management Rights), which every geek worth his salt hates, to protect their data stream and I think it is kind of cheeky to get all proprietary over the ownership of content which I don't think they are paying the main players (actors) for nor, to my knowledge, have they asked for permission to make money off of the backs and reputations of any of these curlers.

However, for about $70 I am getting something that those other turkeys (see acronyms above) deemed too much trouble to deliver and I would pay more to stick it in their eye and I am really looking forward to morning draws from the STOH and Briar.

All in all, a good purchase and there is much more potential if they get their act together and figure out the full capabilities of the technology and straighten up their current technical problems. Right now it seems they are in a little bit over their heads.

Gotta run, Morris is just about to pick up a 3 end and I want to watch. Hooray!

Huge Honour for our coach.

2005-12-03T21:45:00.000-05:00

The best coach in the land and a great friend to have, our very own Pat "B" Reid was presented with the Presidents Award at the Trials Banquet last night, (Friday) for her many years of exemplar service to the CCA, OCA, the Canadian Olympic Committe and Curling everywhere.

This is a huge and very much deserved honour for Pat who gives and gives to her team, her sport and her country. Pat's razor sharp analysis and her willingness to roll up her sleeves and dig in has long been something that has amazed those who are priviledged to know her or fall into her orbit.

It just couldn't happen to a nicer or more richly deserving person. Pat's husband Bob, a real gentleman, should get an award of his own for the support he gives Pat and for helping her keep her many and varied committments.

Congratulations Pat

W2

2005-12-03T21:38:00.000-05:00

Another W for our gals, this time over former Gold Medalist Jan Betker and the rest of the "Dream Team". Our squad looked calm, cool, collected and in control, really nice to see. They built some big ends and appear to be playing aggressively which is a good thing.

Next up, Sherry Anderson and her tough team from the Wheat Sheaf province. Too bad about that Vanier Cup, looked like a barn burner of a game, maybe next year Carrie.

Tomorrow, Sunday, High Noon in the Maritimes, see you there. Boy I love TSN, great to have LindaRayVic back.

W

2005-12-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Stealing two coming home 2 up without to chalk up a 9-5 opening round win over JoAnne Rizzo is pretty cool.

Our gals have sounded very determined and ready for this competiton for a few weeks now and getting this first win under their belts I am sure will go a long way to cement their resolve to let it all hang out at this edition of the Trials.

From the scoreboard it looks like a very close game and you have to give credit to JoAnne's lead Sarah Jane Gatchell who, up until the 10 end was turning in a 100% performance, finishing up at 98% is a great accomplishment. Our gals stats look impressive and most important, even across the board. You can win a lot of games if everyone is curling in the high 80's.

Tonight at 8:00 PM the Team takes on Jan Betker who got her ass kicked by Stephanie Lawton this morning but should be well rested and feeling mean by tonight.

Can't wait.

For them what was wondering.

2005-11-30T19:23:00.000-05:00

Peter Pan: This won't do. What's the matter with you? All it takes is faith and trust. Oh! And something I forgot. Dust!

Wendy, John: Dust?

Michael: Dust?

Peter Pan: Yep, just a little bit of pixie dust. Now, think of the happiest things. It's the same as having wings.

Peter Pan: Second star to the right and straight on till morning!

It's not about the Bling

2005-11-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

Good morning sports fans all across Canada and in the Allied Nations on the Armed Forces Network and all the ships at sea.

Our gals are about to embark on the last leg of one journey and the beginning of a new one. The end of the road is of course, the Trials, which begin in earnest at 8:30 AM Saturday, Dec. 3rd when our ladies take on the Ontario rink of Joanne Rizzo. The new journey’s direction is yet to be determined but is already guaranteed to be of life changing dimensions.

I well remember that cold January day almost three years ago when Team Middaugh gave notice that they were a major force in the curling universe by defeating the darling of the west coast Kelly Law in the thrilling final of the Inaugural Canada Cup. It was an exciting day and time, the photos were all about the big cheque for $50,000 which marked a major milestone for women’s curling not just for being so large but also for bringing equal rights to women curlers because it was the same size cheque that was given to Randy Ferbey’s foursome for winning the men’s side of the competition. It was a welcome change and it was about time.

However, I thought then and believe even more now that if asked, every member of the team would have forgone the fat cheque for the other prize awarded that day, the honour of being the very first rink to qualify for the Olympic Trials that begin the day after tomorrow. Hands down a shot at being Canada’s Olympian’s in the sport of Curling is the ultimate prize for a competitive curler.

You see, dear sports fans, it is not about the bling, or the rings, or the free Hudson’s Bay retro sportswear, it’s all about the COMPETITION, and their just ain’t no competition bigger then the Olympics. Our gals understand that and God love ‘em, they embrace the challenge with open arms.

An unusual component of the Trials competition is that it stands alone as one where just being there is an enormous achievement. The Trials spots are filled with the best teams in Canada, any one of them fully capable of winning any game on any given day. Consequently, a curious and unusual state exists where the winner of the final game is awarded the biggest prize imaginable for a curler, yet those who don’t finish first, all nine of them, are in their own way champions as well.

I don’t mean the funny labels we paste on folks who come second in these things, “Olympic Calibre”, or “Future Olympian”. I mean that they can be satisfied that they earned their way to the Trials, they showed up and they did their best. That is all anyone can ask and all we can expect. This is a sport, sometimes the rocks roll your way, and sometimes they don’t. All other things being equal, and at this level almost all other things are, it comes down to a tiny slice of indefinable pixie dust of difference, whether it be grit, practice, conditioning, superb coaching or just dumb luck is sometimes just up to the God of Granite.

Fortune favours the prepared however, and our heroes are as ready as good training, great coaching, wonderful sponsors, loving supporters and liberal sprinklings of #9 Pixie Dust can make them.

The next 10 days contain the magic mix of skill, fortune and mental toughness that can lead to a moment that could change their lives forever. We are thrilled to be able to watch, wait, wonder and do our part to cheer on Sherry, Kirsten, Andrea, Sheri, Cathy and uber coach Pat.

So, second star on the right and straight on till morning.

Let’s Roll.

Good Fortune Ladies

Good luck charm am I

2005-11-27T20:53:00.000-05:00

Our gals lost a 1 up coming home squeaker to a hot shooting Susan Marby last night and had to tee it all up again today. They put it all together and trounced Carrie Lindner for the second time just to prove it wasn't an accident, they even threw in a 5 end to make the point, and then showed the aforementioned Susan Marby their A game by opening with a 4 end and never looking back. It was over in 7 and our gals come out of Zone 10 on the B side with 4 great games of practice under their belts.

Next stop on the road to the Big Show is in the team's favourite club, St. Thomas CC, sometime in early January for the regional playdowns. But first a little detour to Halifax for a shot at the Gold bling and the pretty coloured rings.

The team looked great today, it really made my heart sing. I also got a chance to say Happy Birthday to Kirsten who turned @& today. She curled like a champion too.

TTFN

Stay away from Draw Poker

2005-11-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

Our gals drew the wrong card this morning and have to play the extra game tonight. In the first draw, they came out on top of a spirited contest with old foe Carrie Lindner of the Bradford Curling Club. Coming home 2 up without our gals managed to hang on to squeak out the win. This evening at 7:00 PM the gals take on the bye team of Susan Morby from the Barrie Curling Club.

They play tomorrow at 1:00 no matter what so I may have to run up there and recite the Tea Pot poem which is the only one I will admit to knowing and, curiously, as I have gotten older,resembling.

If you can't read it as is, just clik on the picture on the right and it should show up in a new browser window.

Zones this weekend

2005-11-25T14:02:00.000-05:00

STOH Ontario Zones are being held this weekend and our ladies are playing in beautiful downtown Penetanguishene, which I am awfully glad is not my postal address, in what the OCA designates as Zone 10.

There are 5 teams in the Zones this year with two to advance. I am pretty sure that the scores will not be updated at the OCA website but if you take a look at the link attached on say, Wednesday, you may find out the winners.

We will try to post the correct info here as soon as we get it. We may be up there on the weekend depending on the snowfall and if so will post on our return.

I once knew a man in Penetang, (as those in the know call it), who, if plied with enough spirits, would stand in a corner and recite every word of the Robert Service poem, The Cremation of Dan McGee, without stop. Force was then usually applied to keep him from demonstrating his ability to regurgitate the entirety of Mr. Service's writings. 5 teams, double knockout, two days, I may have to look him up and drag him to the rink to help keep the crowd entertained during the breaks.

TTFN

Two more games...

2005-11-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

...two more L's to add to the pile.

It seems that our ladies lost a game to Mr. Darryl Prebble and then lost to the high flying team of Pat Duggan. This latter loss may be costly as the Duggan foursome employs our team member Sheri's beau Patrick Greenman as their third/vice/mate. It could be coldcuts for dinner with cold shoulder for dessert for our boy Patrick.

I am sure if you ask the girls this morning they will say that they had 5 good games this weekend and got what they wanted out of this spiel and that is all that counts in the grand scheme.

12 days and counting.

W for our side

2005-11-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Our gals defeated the mysterious squad from www.slotsland.com who, a little bird tells me, is in real life the hardest working guy in curling, Gerry Geurts of The Curling Zone, The Ontario Curling Tour, The Black Book of Curling and more other stuff then I can count.

The ladies won 7-3 and now wait till 6:00 PM to play the second place team from a contest on the A side between Al Hutchinson and Darryl Prebble.

I am asked to elaborate on the details of a 5 ender our heroes scored in their game last night against Brent Palmer but I am sorry to say that I cannot. Wasn't there, didn't hear about it. I will when I can.

Games they wanted, games they are getting.

And practice they did

2005-11-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

It looks like our gals gave Team Brent Palmer a 9-0 shellaking last night and right now are playing Team Slotland. I don't think that is actually the skips name as his jacket seemed to indicate some allegiance to a gambling site which I would normally think of as being in Vegas but in today's upside down world it just could be in some former "B" racetrack in small town Ontario where the citizens are encouraged to pay the Stupid Tax. You know, the one that you line up to pay.

In any event, there is no end by end scoring and I guess after last week we should be grateful that we got the results from last night before Wednesday. All I can say is if I hear it, you'll read it right here.

Go Fish Pike Lake

2005-11-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

Our gals played Wayne Tuck this morning who strengthened his squads chances by bringing in Mrs. Tuck to play lead. Old friend and all round nice person Kim Tuck, who leads for Team Rizzo and will be in Halifax, did the job and helped Wayne's team to a victory in the opener against our ladies.

We were tied in the rings coming home and Wayne had to throw one to the lid to win the game. He won himself a chance at another game at 3:30 and our gals won a bye until 9:30 this evening. Hardly what you want when you are trying to get in some extra ends against good competition but the ladies promised to go out and throw some rocks on an empty sheet to work on the whole in-turn, out-turn thingy.

We will stay in touch.

Pike Lake

2005-11-15T09:41:00.000-05:00

Pike Lake, which may or may not be a real lake, is the name of a popular men's spiel that our gals are getting organised to play in this coming weekend. It is held in Harriston, Ontario, which is somewhere in the middle of my road map where I have a coffee stain but seems to be straight west of Shelburne, (Fiddle Town, home of the Fiddle Championships) and straight south of Owen Sound which is home to the Chi Chi Mon. Surprisingly, the Chi Chi Mon has no connection to a song by Rastafarian Rapper TOK, ( TOK - Chi Chi Man ... Chorus: From dem a par inna chi chi man car Blaze di fire mek we bun dem! (Bun dem!) From dem a drink inna chi chi man bar) but is actually a ferry, [no wings], that ties Manitoulin Island to the mainland in the warm water season.

Not much of this has anything to do with the upcoming event, which you can reach through the Link on this post, but it is a slow, rainy day and we are in a bit of a lull while we make ready for the main event coming up in just 18 days in beautiful downtown Halifax. Seriously though, the Pike Lake spiel attracts a lot of good teams and our ladies should be able to find some great competition as they continue their tune up regimen and they may also get a chance to work on their dance moves at the Sock Hop which I am sure is one of the highlights of the event.

Now you have the link, the dates and the location and you have also learned something new, I mean, who knew where Buckwheat learned to talk like that?

We will report on the scores and outcome of the Pike Lake Classic as we get the information.

Team Middaugh welcomes a new Sponsor

2005-11-13T10:40:00.000-05:00

Team Middaugh is delighted to welcome Scotiabank Group as the newest member of the sponsorship Team.

Scotiabank, purveyors of fine money since 1832, were founded in Halifax on March 30 of that year. It is not known if the Bank's founders were curlers but today's progressive management team is obviously well aware of the awsome loyalty that curling fans demonstrate to those corporations who actively support their beloved game.

The Team thanks Scotiabank for their support and looks forward to a long, happy and rewarding association.

Coming home.....

2005-11-12T14:06:00.000-05:00

.....tied without, will get you an early start on your Saturday night dance party more often then not.

It looks like our gals came out on the wrong side of a 5-4 decision this morning. Seems they coughed up a 3 early and fought back to be tied coming home without the granite mallet and the other guy closed the deal.

Next week in Harriston, we rewind the clocks, load up on ASA and do it all over again.

We will be in touch

I've been told .....

2005-11-12T10:20:00.000-05:00

..... that I need to restate a few things, so here goes.

I am reliably informed that Team W. Middaugh did not "SPANK" Team S. Middaugh but rather engaged them in a spirited contest which lasted the full 8 ends and could have gone either way and they were dam(ned) lucky to win.

I have also been informed that despite a proper interpretation of the draw as posted, which actually says our gals are playing against Mr. Widdup as we keyboard interface (Real Men don't type, they keyboard interface.) this does not necessarily bear any resemblance to the draw that is being played at Glendale. It would seem that our gals will be competing against someone named Cory Heggestad at 10:30 AM.

In other news, it seems that in the game against Kathy C-Y her team was skipped by Marilyn Bodogh and included Marilyn's sister and another player to be named later so our gals played an extremely talented and experienced team in the first round. Some might say that they were "stacked", but not me. Marilyn is always tough to beat on the ice and impossible to beat in the spirit department. If she could bottle the stuff that drives her Marilyn could be rich as Rockerfeller.

We have dispatched spies, er, make that trained observers, to the Glendale Club to report back when possible on what is really happening and will strive to keep you up to date.

Looks like a cold supper for Wayne

2005-11-12T01:40:00.000-05:00

Our gals defeated Kathy C-Y in the afternoon and then got spanked by Wayne's foursome in the Beer Night draw. They now play the renowned Hugh Widdup at 8:30 in the AM according to my calculations and any more coming second will send them home early.

I guess there are a lot of teams that might be happy to just have stayed in a game against the blazing hot Wayne Middaugh Team ver. 2005/6 but I bet our ladies aren't amongst them. I don't think I would want to be carrying the broom bag for Mr. Widdup tomorrow morning.

The event web site is somewhere between slow and useless. Thanks to the Harmark's for the update. We will try to keep you posted.

Golden Horseshoe Classic

2005-11-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

Our gals are continuing their quest for challenging competition opportunities as they get closer to the Olympic Trials kickoff coming up in just 22 days.

This weekend it is a men's spiel at the beautiful Glendale Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario. Clik on the Headline or "LINK" below to go to the Ontario Curling Tour website for results and stats. The only other women's team entered is skipped by former World Champion, (with Marilyn Darte/Bodogh) Kathy Chittley-Young. Kathy is a past chair of the BDO event held at Glendale and does a great job for her club.

The team plays Kathy in their opener at 3:45 this afternoon. In what is sure to be a great draw for Beer Night, should our gals win their game they play the winner of a game between former World Champions Paul Savage or Wayne Middaugh at 8:00. Great planning on the part of the cough, cough, "Draw" committee. I suppose it also should be said that it was pointed out to me that they also play each other if they both lose their games.

In any event, it should be great competition, and more importantly, great fun. As always we will strive to bring you the view from Behind the Glass.

Webguy

It's over

2005-10-30T23:33:00.000-05:00

We lost, we are coming home.

The gals just couldn't put it together today against a rink skipped by Nancy Inglis, (I guessed wrong about our probable opponent last post). It seems that Joan McCusker, the chirpy, cheerful gal with frizzy hair of CBC curling announcing fame and front end player for the Jan Betker rink of Regina, has about 32 sisters and of those, I am pretty sure at least 8 of them were skipping rinks at this event. Every other time I asked Pat Reid who someone was out on the ice she just said, "she's Joan McCusker's sister", and that ended that.

Anyway, Nancy and her team bested our gals and it is time to leave all of these wonderful people and head home. The Nootana folks really know how to run a club, and a spiel. I am going to miss Saskatoon, we had a great time.

Later

This is curling.....

2005-10-30T15:47:00.000-05:00

.... and some games you just get your ass handed to you by a really good team playing at the top of their game. Our gals had such a game this afternoon against Stephanie Lawton and go at it again at 4:30 against either Rona Martin or Cathy King.

You can only see up from here. "C" qualifier is at 7:30 tonight so we may be late, leave a light in the window for us will you?

Later

It's Lawton

2005-10-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

The winner of last nights contest for the right to play our gals this afternoon was the Stephanie Lawton team from right here in Saskatoon. Stephanie and her team mates represented Sask. at the 2005 Scott and have a berth in the upcoming Trials in Halifax so we will be seeing them again in just a few weeks.

We are going to have to go early and get seats, Sherry Anderson is playing Jan Betker, Rona Martin from Scotland is playing Cathy King with the winner getting a chance to play the winner of our game, lots of action, hard on the neck, this event is like the STOH without the beer tent.

Later

A Little Short.

2005-10-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

Our team came up just a little bit short this evening against the Cathy Trowell team of Regina who played extremely well against us. We were down 1 coming home without and Cathy had to throw her last rock which provides some kind of twisted satisfaction anyway.

Tomorrow at noon against the winner of a game between S. Lawton and S. Gilmour which is playing out right now.

A continuous parade of really nice people keep talking to us like we were old friends and it is very warm and friendly here at the Nutana. Which by the way, is NOT pronounced as if it had anything to do with acorns, peanuts or cashews as I have been calling it all week. It is pronounced NOOOTANA or NEWTANA for some obscure reason. I feel like a dummy.

More on the dish hunt, there is none to tell, however, Carrie Murdoff is a dish and a doll as well. Sherry has the nicest friends, we should all be so lucky.

Mrs. Webguy and I would look at real estate prices out here but folks were talking about 50 below weather so we may pass. Good news, this may be a great spot for anyone who is losing sleep over the Global Warming scare to escape the coming heat crisis.

Later

Another win and other news.

2005-10-29T16:06:00.000-04:00

Team Middaugh curled exceptionally well this morning to win an 8-4, 9 end victory over a very tough Jolene McIvor rink. It was an excellent game and great to watch. Now the Team advances to the A2 qualifier against the always hard to beat Regina rink of Cathy Trowell. This game is at 4:30 and should be a barn burner.

The Team members are test driving the newest innovation from the fertile mind of Andre' Ferland and his team at Performance Brush, the "P 6 SIGNATURE: Red Carbon with Ultra-Grip coating 1 1/8”", a snazzy red handle which is actually lighter then the original, almost lighter then air, Performance Brush.

Dean Gemmell, former Brier competitor, now hosts The Curling Show, an internet Podcast, and does a great job of interviewing curlers we would all like to know more about, past and present champions and future stars of the game we love. His latest interview is with our very own Sherry Middaugh and you can download that at the link attached to this post.

FYI: A podcast is a geek name for a downloadable audio file in the MP3 format which can be listened to on any computer or copied to a portable audio player like the iPod. It is easy to listen to, just follow the link to the Yellow Brick Road.

One other note of interest, (to me anyway) it seems as if half the population of Saskatchewan either went to school with Sherry, or is a cousin of some kind and they are all here. Marvelous folks every one.

The other half of Saskatchewan can be found behind whatever sheet Sherry Anderson is playing on at any time of day or night.

Later

Squeak

2005-10-28T23:50:00.000-04:00

Our ladies toughed out a win against a determined Patty Hersikorn rink this evening, coming home 1 up with it took Sherry to her last rock to seal the deal. Gals are curling well and playing with confidence, a pleasure to watch these games.

9:00 AM Saturday morning against the rink entered as Michelle Englot's team and now playing as the Jolene McIvor team. Jolene is Michelle's third/vice/mate and took over as Michelle had to bow out.

Jolene is doing a great job and will be a tough competitor. Can't wait.

Great Start

2005-10-28T17:03:00.000-04:00

Our gals had a great start against a sharp opponent in Candace Chisolm this morning. An extremely well played 4th end which could have gone either way resulted in a whopping 5 for our side and after a few more ends the gals shook hands a little bit early and racked up a 7-3 win.

Our Team goes on to play Patty Hersikorn of Saskatoon at 5:30 this afternoon. The Nutana is a very nice 8 sheet club with an extremely active membership of happy, helpful folks. It is a pleasure to be here to watch this competition.

I finally got to meet a frequent email correspondent, Carrie Murdoff of Saskatoon, a long time good friend and former baseball team mate of Sherry's who often acts as a volunteer driver at these events. Unfortunately, this did not result in any local dish as Carrie invoked the old, "what happens on the road, stays on the road" defence and clammed up. So other then a first hand observation that the Nutana has good coffee the gossip well is a dry hole.

Maybe by tomorrow I will have some news.

Here we go!

2005-10-27T22:11:00.000-04:00

The Team arrives in Saskatoon Thursday night for a 10 AM start Friday morning at the Nutana curling club. First opponent is Candace Chisolm from Maryfield SK.. There are 8 games scheduled for 10:00 AM so it should be hard on the neck trying to keep it all in focus.

I will stay in touch and deliver the dish all weekend.

Andrea comes through.

2005-10-21T17:02:00.000-04:00

You can always count on Andrea, always, to come through with the right stuff at the right time. Well, maybe some might consider this slow, but I prefer to think of Andrea as thorough.

Today I received from Andrea a picture of the trophy presentation at Oslo taken with the much better camera belonging to Cathy King. Andrea's has this little wind up thingy and you need to put a nickle in it to take a colour picture, a Brownie or something like that I think.

Anyway, hope you like the photo, I will add it to the website in a few weeks.

On to Saskatoon! Our gals begin play on Friday, the 28th in the AM.

My bad

2005-10-17T16:06:00.000-04:00

I suppose I jinxed the Team by weighing in from the Left Coast at the wrong time but I was excited and happy for them to be in the final again at one of their fave spiels in London. Sorry about that.

Congratulations are in order for Debbie McCormick and her team mates who bested our gals by a score of 10-7 in what looked at times like an, "No, No, After you" affair. Must have been a treat to watch, sorry I missed it.

6 & 1 will win you a lot of tourneys but you gotta win that last one. It was a great outing for Team Middaugh however and all part of the warm up plan leading up to the big event in Halifax Dec. 5.

I think next up is Saskatoon for the Parktown Classic at the Nutana CC. I hope to be there in person and give you all a blow by blow of all the action.

Until then, thank you ladies for a great weekend of entertainment.

Wow

2005-10-17T12:52:00.000-04:00

Our gals make a return appearance to centre court this afternoon to defend their status as champions of the SWOLCC against worthy opponent, former World Champion, Olympian and and all around good person Debbie McCormick. The last time these two met with money on the line it was a barnburner of a game in St. Thomas for a bucket full of greenbacks in any currency.

I would expect the same kind of game this afternoon based on the play this weekend from both teams. Coming off of a narrow win over Anne Merklinger, the seeming "Queen of the Steal", our gals should be wound up and ready to unload.

Debbie had a down to the wire matchup with Jenn Hanna and should be equally inspired.

Wish I was there.

Stay Tuned

I should go away more often

2005-10-15T12:11:00.000-04:00

It looks like our gals are doing just fine in London this weekend. 3&0, they now play good friend Jenn Hanna for a spot in the playoffs.

We will keep in touch.

Road Trip!!

2005-10-08T20:45:00.000-04:00

Just a heads up that Webguy is fulfilling a lifelong dream of spending 4 weeks cooped up in a small vehicle with Mrs. Webguy. <;-) While not exactly team news, it will explain why I will miss the SWOLC in London so reports will be sparse. We will, however, be able to report live from the Parktown Classic in Saskatoon starting Oct. 28, which I consider a huge bonus to our trip.

We will be in touch.

Webby

EVENT WINNERS AGAIN!

2005-10-03T14:32:00.000-04:00

Our gals pulled it off and defeated the Alison Goring rink to capture the Fourth Event trophy which I think is crossed swizzle stix on a bagel. It was a great competition which provided a lot of opportunity to throw rocks in a competitive situation as well as catch up with old friends and trade lies about how everyone's summer went and who(m) was curling with who(m) this year.

There is no dish like curling dish.

Thank you ladies for a lot of entertainment this weekend and good luck in London.

PS: Webby apologises for the tardiness of this report. Blogger Dashboard, which is where you create these entries, has been down for maintainance for long periods of time over the last 5 days. I know it is a free blogging service and one shouldn't complain but we may have to abandon this blog site, and the archives, for a more reliable, paid service in the near future. Suggestions and comments are welcome.

Curling on TeeVee!!

2005-10-02T11:13:00.000-04:00

A reminder that curling returns to Television tonite, (Sunday) at 8:00 PM EST on Sportsnet. The Randy Ferbey Briar winners play 3/4 of the Jennifer Jones Scott winners in what is known in Soccerland as a "Friendly". The Jones rink is joined by new Manitoba resident and team member Georgina Wheatcroft.

This is all part of some deal with a new entity called "CurlTV" who have as their VP one Dave Nedohin and partners such as Rogers sportnet, Asham and some other smart folks who know a good TV thingy when they see it. Check the link attached to this post. It looks like they started taking subscriptions today, (Oct.1) for $5.65 a month you can get your fill of curling events over your Interweb connection. There will also be a weekly show on Sportsnet all about the latest curling dish.

As I write this a preview of the service is being netcast with a junior battle of the sexes from Brandon. Worth a look.

It should be noted that no CCA, CBC or TSN officials were harmed or involved in the production of this blog entry or the effort to bring curling to the fans without all the BS. Now that's nice.

Curling Strategery or...

2005-10-02T08:04:00.000-04:00

...how to pick your spots. Our gals plan revealed itself slowly over the last few days but it can now be said that the goal is in reach and winning the prestigious Fourth Event is now a 50/50 proposition.

After defeating the Delaine Payton rink handily in 6 ends Saturday afternoon, our ladies now face former Canadian Champion and always tough competitor Alison Goring at 2:30 PM for the trophy.

Come early to get a seat or wait there and I will tell you all about it tonight.

The end is in sight

2005-10-01T14:41:00.000-04:00

Our team has set their sights firmly on the trophy for the fourth event and play their first game in that event at 4:30 today.

The Crissy Cadorin rink, who played a great game against our ladies this morning, will continue on in the third event for now.

It is slippery in the mud and playing from the back of the pack is never easy but it does build character. The character bank should be quite full by the end of this competition. Spirits are high however and time on the ice, playing tight games against good opponents is very valuable at this time of year. It is after all, only Oct. 1.

We will be in touch.

On the other hand...

2005-10-01T00:42:00.000-04:00

One & one can look better then one & two which is where our gals find themselves after coming in second in a contest with Karen Bell in Friday nights draw. This could be one of those character building competitions, where you learn lots by coming from behind.

Back at it, down in the mud, Saturday morning at 11:30.

We will be in touch.

One & one.....

2005-09-30T18:35:00.000-04:00

....is not really where you want to be but rocks happen so there we are. Team Middaugh lost a game this morning to Old team mate Janet McGhee nee Brown, well no, actually it was team mate Janet Brown nee McGhee and it is now Janet McGhee who I guess isn't really nee anything anymore except maybe Brown, nee being kind of a stupid word anyway...... ahhh, but I digress.

Janet and her team who(m?), who play out of Uxbridge, won the Shorty last weekend in Brockville, played exceptionally well this morning and won the game. Our gals had lunch and a pep talk and proceeded to hand a defeat to the Stacey Brandwood team from Idunnowhere and therefore they have to play again at 6:30 tonite. I left the Boss, Mrs. Webguy there to cheer while I came home to feed the cat and type this note. Actually, I am not really typing it, you see, Real Men don't type, they Keyboard Interface.

The ice at Weston, which was reported to have a draw time of 16 seconds on Monday is pretty much under control now and back to it's usual excellent. It has a real tendency to fall however with any weight on either handle and requires a delicate touch. Our Sherry found her form this afternoon and played a beautiful game against the Brandwood team.

I will post results of the 6:30 game as soon as I get the word from the Boss.

If It's Friday in late September...

2005-09-30T01:40:00.000-04:00

...and Team Middaugh is curling it must be at Weston. Always great curling at this beautiful club and a terrific spot to start staking out your territory amongst Ontario's best womens teams.

Our gals play at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM Friday and after that the W's & L's dictate the schedule. You can find the results on the link posted her although it is necessary to download an Excel spreadsheet to do so. I will be at the games and post when I can here on our blog.

Oslo '05 Bringing Home the Bling

2005-09-29T09:55:00.000-04:00

Our gals are back and Andrea comes through with beautiful pics. Pictured here flashing the bling with the Canadian Ambassador, Jillian Stirk and her husband Mr. Patrick Meehan. The Ambassador and her husband graciously hosted a celebratory dinner for the three Canadian teams, (Middaugh, C. Jones, Gushue) at the Residence.

More pics on the Team Website.

One more time

2005-09-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

Our Team members strike a familiar pose on the rings. Does a fan's heart good to see pics like this. It is also a good time to point out that the last time Cathy King stepped in as 5th at the start of a season she lead our gals to victory in the Omnium spiel in Montreal. After which, the Team had an absolutely phenomonal season, and yes, contrary to old wives tales, lightning often strikes much more then twice.

Spooky

Pics from Oslo

2005-09-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

Here is Sherry in a familiar pose and now that I have seen a picture I believe that the season is truly under way. I'm sort of from Missouri in that way. Sherry seems to have gotten her fair share of all the sunshine we enjoyed this past summer and it looks good on her.

Webguy

This is also nice.

2005-09-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

Winning isn't everything, but it sure beats coming in second. Team Middaugh starts out their new year with a huge, 8-2, victory over the Swiss team of Silvana Tirinzoni team. Capping off a 7 game winning streak against some of the best teams in the world to claim victory in the Weber Oslo Cup.

Rah Rah Middaugh.

Way to go ladies, now come home safely and lets start taking names.

Happy Webguy

An "Insider" reports

2005-09-25T10:36:00.000-04:00

Had a nice message from our Behind The Glass roving reporter and Andrea's greatest fan, the photogenic and talented keyboardist, Judy Lawes. Judy reports that our gals had a great day on their one game day Saturday as they were treated to a tour of Oslo by 3 staffers from the Canadian Embassy.

Tonight, after the competition is over, all three Canadian teams, Middaugh, Jones and Gushue, are having dinner at the Ambassadors residence. Very posh and nice to hear about some of the good stuff our External Affairs folks do to support Canadians abroad.

Another really nice thing to hear is that Andrea had a meet-up with the driver, whose name is Soren Grahn, that her Canadian Champion 1990 (Goring) team had in Sweden during the Worlds. Nice is good.

Webguy

Bene, bene, tutto bene!

2005-09-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Beautiful, Beautiful, (It sounds better in Italian eh!) Our gals defeat the Italian squad skipped by Diana Gaspari 8-4 and head on to the final against Switzerlands Silvana Trinizona at 4:00 Oslo time or right now here in the EST.

Fingers and toes crossed folks, this is the one for the Colour TV!

Webby

And More

2005-09-25T08:35:00.000-04:00

Now playing in the 5th end it seems we have a very tight game in hand.