While we had just one curling game today, our day was full of surprises and fun times. We had a tight game against Great Britain this afternoon. Our lineup was changed a bit again today as we had John Benton resting and Chris Plys taking the Lead position. We’re excited that things have worked out so that Chris has been able to play in a few games. What a great team effort. Unfortunately for our guys, the game didn’t turn out as we had hoped. We needed a steal in the tenth end to tie, but the skip from Great Britain made a perfect draw to win the game.
We have all been enjoying the Olympic experience. One activity that is quite popular is pin trading. There are many people who have pins to trade or give away. VISA for example has pins at every store. If you make a purchase using your VISA card, you receive a pin. There are official Vancouver pins representing every sport that are sold at each venue, or on the giant pin wall at the Hudson Bay Company store. Many sports also have their own pins. We have our Team USA 2010 Curling pins that people have been after. They will trade almost any of their pins to get one. We have a hot commodity! We’re almost out of pins as we also hand them out to the young U.S. fans that attend the curling games.
We’ve been fortunate to be able to spend quite a bit of time in the Proctor and Gamble Family Home. We’ve met current and former Olympians who have been gracious about having photos taken and signing autographs. Tonight the P & G Home was energized by the U.S.A. Hockey win over Canada. Several of the players came in after the game to visit with family and were greeted by applause from all of us in the house. Very cool! Again, support Proctor and Gamble products; what they are doing for our Olympic athletes and families is truly special.
Go USA!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Two In A Row - Submitted by Carrie
Another big win for Team USA today! We played well today with another different line up configuration. Everyone is contributing in a true team effort and we’re so proud of all of them!
All of the next group of family and friends have arrived. We had a great time at the curling game this morning. The newcomers in the group enjoyed the atmosphere of the curling venue. From the opening video that displays scenes from the Olympics, to the supportive chants of U.S. fans all over the venue, to the bagpipes piping the teams out to their respective sheets of ice, the experience brings home the fact that we are at the Olympics! Curling in a packed venue of 6,000 screaming fans is not something we experience in the U.S.
The city is really buzzing now as people stream in for weekend events. While every place we go is congested and lines are long, it is fun to meet people from all over the world. The city has done a fantastic job of hosting the Olympics by utilizing volunteers from all over the world including the U.S. There are over 3000 police personnel from all over Canada keeping us safe.
Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers All Pro tight end arrived on Friday! He met with the men’s and women’s teams having been previously named the U.S. Curling Team Honorary Captain. Both the men’s and women’s teams have won two games in a row since his arrival. Mr. Davis was very personable and tolerant of all the fans who wanted his autograph and picture. What a great guy!
Big game tomorrow! Go USA!
All of the next group of family and friends have arrived. We had a great time at the curling game this morning. The newcomers in the group enjoyed the atmosphere of the curling venue. From the opening video that displays scenes from the Olympics, to the supportive chants of U.S. fans all over the venue, to the bagpipes piping the teams out to their respective sheets of ice, the experience brings home the fact that we are at the Olympics! Curling in a packed venue of 6,000 screaming fans is not something we experience in the U.S.
The city is really buzzing now as people stream in for weekend events. While every place we go is congested and lines are long, it is fun to meet people from all over the world. The city has done a fantastic job of hosting the Olympics by utilizing volunteers from all over the world including the U.S. There are over 3000 police personnel from all over Canada keeping us safe.
Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers All Pro tight end arrived on Friday! He met with the men’s and women’s teams having been previously named the U.S. Curling Team Honorary Captain. Both the men’s and women’s teams have won two games in a row since his arrival. Mr. Davis was very personable and tolerant of all the fans who wanted his autograph and picture. What a great guy!
Big game tomorrow! Go USA!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A Big Win! - Submitted by Carrie
Our guys played a strong game today to come up with a nail biting win! Tied up again in the tenth end, but this time it ended there with Team USA in the win column! We’re proud of all the guys on our team, and win or lose feel they are representing our country well.
It was a busy day in our household as the first week’s guests are leaving and the new guests are arriving tonight and tomorrow! A whole new batch of people to explore the beautiful city of Vancouver and experience the Olympics.
I met some great folks from NBC today at the curling game. As many of you know, I tend to pace a lot during curling games. On one of my trips around the arena I sat down for a bottled water and began to chat with some gentlemen who are here working for NBC. They were very nice guys who were excited to be seeing curling for the first time. They gave me two tickets to the ice dancing competition tonight! Friend Kim and niece Cailin went to the ice skating venue and were thrilled with their awesome seats. Thanks NBC!
We have two members of our group will be going up to Whistler tomorrow to watch the Bobsleigh competition. Athletes and families often times have access to tickets for events if available. They don’t know what tickets are available or how many until the day before, so it can get complicated with schedules. It worked out that Kim and Lori can go to Whistler after our 9:00 a.m. game. The rest of our group will likely explore the city, check out the Olympic sites, and visit the P & G Home for the first time.
Keep those positive thoughts coming out this way. We appreciate your support very much.
Go USA!
It was a busy day in our household as the first week’s guests are leaving and the new guests are arriving tonight and tomorrow! A whole new batch of people to explore the beautiful city of Vancouver and experience the Olympics.
I met some great folks from NBC today at the curling game. As many of you know, I tend to pace a lot during curling games. On one of my trips around the arena I sat down for a bottled water and began to chat with some gentlemen who are here working for NBC. They were very nice guys who were excited to be seeing curling for the first time. They gave me two tickets to the ice dancing competition tonight! Friend Kim and niece Cailin went to the ice skating venue and were thrilled with their awesome seats. Thanks NBC!
We have two members of our group will be going up to Whistler tomorrow to watch the Bobsleigh competition. Athletes and families often times have access to tickets for events if available. They don’t know what tickets are available or how many until the day before, so it can get complicated with schedules. It worked out that Kim and Lori can go to Whistler after our 9:00 a.m. game. The rest of our group will likely explore the city, check out the Olympic sites, and visit the P & G Home for the first time.
Keep those positive thoughts coming out this way. We appreciate your support very much.
Go USA!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Things Olympic - Submitted by Carrie
Hard to write tonight. Another tough extra end loss today. It seems that the "curling gods" are not on our side so far. We are proud of our guys and how they are handling this difficult and unexpected situation. They are truly inspirational to all of us here watching them as they are not quitting. They are looking forward to the next game with an expectation of winning it. Go USA!
We had an opportunity to explore the city a bit more today. Spent some time at the P & G Home, did some shopping, and went to see the Olympic Flame! It was incredible to see the flame and the Olympic rings at night. Really brings home the feeling of the Olympic Games. Wins and losses are part of it, but it is so much bigger than that. To represent your country in international competition like this is truly an honor.
During our shopping trip we stopped by a small jewelry shop where we met the artist who designed the Olympic Medals for the Vancouver Games. I purchased a jewelry piece she designed with similar design elements to the medals. It was interesting to hear her describe the creative perspective behind the design concept of the medals.
In addition to the small shops, we also visited the Hudson Bay Company store in downtown Vancouver. It took 30 minutes to get into the store. Once inside it was a jungle of people, merchandise, and more lines! Again though, people were friendly and helpful and the experience was actually quite fun.
It continues to amaze us just how much we are enjoying meeting new people from around Canada and the world! There is a camaraderie among the fans that is really neat. While there is competition, we are all supportive of each other and excited to meet one another.
Go USA!
We had an opportunity to explore the city a bit more today. Spent some time at the P & G Home, did some shopping, and went to see the Olympic Flame! It was incredible to see the flame and the Olympic rings at night. Really brings home the feeling of the Olympic Games. Wins and losses are part of it, but it is so much bigger than that. To represent your country in international competition like this is truly an honor.
During our shopping trip we stopped by a small jewelry shop where we met the artist who designed the Olympic Medals for the Vancouver Games. I purchased a jewelry piece she designed with similar design elements to the medals. It was interesting to hear her describe the creative perspective behind the design concept of the medals.
In addition to the small shops, we also visited the Hudson Bay Company store in downtown Vancouver. It took 30 minutes to get into the store. Once inside it was a jungle of people, merchandise, and more lines! Again though, people were friendly and helpful and the experience was actually quite fun.
It continues to amaze us just how much we are enjoying meeting new people from around Canada and the world! There is a camaraderie among the fans that is really neat. While there is competition, we are all supportive of each other and excited to meet one another.
Go USA!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Go Team USA! Submitted by Carrie
We began today relaxing and exploring our neighborhood. We were glad to find a shopping mall within walking distance (just a few blocks!). We don’t have a rental car as everyone is discouraged from renting cars because you can’t drive to/park at any of the venues.
One of the primary stores carrying official Olympic merchandise is the Hudson Bay Company. Their downtown store has had lines two blocks long to get in! We found a “Bay” store in the mall by our house and were able to purchase a few fun souvenirs. We still intend to stand in line at the “big store” but on another day.
We headed off to the venue at noon for our 2:00 p.m. draw. Another capacity crowd was in attendance despite the fact that Canada didn’t play in this draw. The crowds have been amazing and we’ve met many new friends. What an incredible experience!
We have been handing out our team pins to people we meet from the U.S.A. and to folks who have befriended us during our games. In addition to the U.S.A. fans, we’ve given pins to two priests from Great Britain who are curling fans, lots of Canadians who have been so kind to us, and some fun fans from China who sat by us the other night. Everyone seems pleased and excited to get one of our pins! It brings a whole different kind of energy to game day!
The game didn’t start off too well today as the guys struggled a bit, but we sure made a comeback by scoring an important deuce and then further capitalizing on opportunities to take the lead in the late ends. We held the lead going into the tenth end, but a win was not meant to be again today as we lost in another extra end game.
Our guys are doing well and maintaining their confidence. It was great to be able to spend time with them after the game. The entire team came to the Proctor & Gamble Home for dinner with all of us family and friends. It was nice to relax with them and visit with them for the first time since our arrival. I’ll say yet again that it is hard to believe what Proctor & Gamble is doing for the athletes and families.
We met hockey legend John Mayasich at the Proctor & Gamble Home! What an honor! We are hoping some of his Olympic magic rubs off on us – Silver in 1956 and Gold in 1960 for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team!
Keep the good thoughts and messages coming. We all appreciate your support very much! On to victory tomorrow morning! Go Team USA!
One of the primary stores carrying official Olympic merchandise is the Hudson Bay Company. Their downtown store has had lines two blocks long to get in! We found a “Bay” store in the mall by our house and were able to purchase a few fun souvenirs. We still intend to stand in line at the “big store” but on another day.
We headed off to the venue at noon for our 2:00 p.m. draw. Another capacity crowd was in attendance despite the fact that Canada didn’t play in this draw. The crowds have been amazing and we’ve met many new friends. What an incredible experience!
We have been handing out our team pins to people we meet from the U.S.A. and to folks who have befriended us during our games. In addition to the U.S.A. fans, we’ve given pins to two priests from Great Britain who are curling fans, lots of Canadians who have been so kind to us, and some fun fans from China who sat by us the other night. Everyone seems pleased and excited to get one of our pins! It brings a whole different kind of energy to game day!
The game didn’t start off too well today as the guys struggled a bit, but we sure made a comeback by scoring an important deuce and then further capitalizing on opportunities to take the lead in the late ends. We held the lead going into the tenth end, but a win was not meant to be again today as we lost in another extra end game.
Our guys are doing well and maintaining their confidence. It was great to be able to spend time with them after the game. The entire team came to the Proctor & Gamble Home for dinner with all of us family and friends. It was nice to relax with them and visit with them for the first time since our arrival. I’ll say yet again that it is hard to believe what Proctor & Gamble is doing for the athletes and families.
We met hockey legend John Mayasich at the Proctor & Gamble Home! What an honor! We are hoping some of his Olympic magic rubs off on us – Silver in 1956 and Gold in 1960 for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team!
Keep the good thoughts and messages coming. We all appreciate your support very much! On to victory tomorrow morning! Go Team USA!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
First Day of Olympic Competition - Update by Carrie
While the wins didn’t come today, the first day of competition was very exciting! We were ready to cheer our team on in their first two games of the Olympics.
The morning began early…suggested arrival to venue was two hours before the game which meant 7:00 am. We fudged a little and got there at 7:30. It was good to get there early as by 8:00 it was taking 45 minutes to get through the security check points and into the venue. If you got there after 8:00 you missed the first few ends. We actually enjoyed getting there early and meeting up with more family and friends. Highlight among the family was Patrick Plys (Chris’ Dad) with his face and head painted Red, White, and Blue! The rest of us sported face stickers, U.S.A. flags and plenty of patriotic bling!
Our first game was against Germany. Andy Kapp and crew have been around International competition for a while. We’ve heard they are favored for a bronze in this competition. Andy had an awesome game at skip and took advantage of every opportunity by making some great shots. It’s always fun to watch good shot making in curling, even if it isn’t by your own team.
After the game we made our way down to the Proctor and Gamble USA Home where we enjoyed another nice lunch and met up with the rest of our curling family and friends. We hung out in the internet café and connected with the folks back home via facebook and email. Again, what an awesome facility that Proctor and Gamble sponsors for us. So nice to have somewhere to relax between games.
We headed out early to the 7:00 p.m. draw against Norway as we heard that there was to be an official opening ceremony of sorts at the curling venue. We were able to see most of the ceremony which included both the men’s and women’s teams from all of the countries competing here in Vancouver.
The game against Norway was well-played by both teams. A very fun game to watch. While we would have liked to come away with the win, it was nice to see our guys play well and have fun with the game they all enjoy so much. The arena was incredible with chants going through the crowd for all teams at various points throughout the night. And people say curling isn’t exciting! Wish everyone could have seen the games we saw tonight and felt the excitement in the arena. Amazing!
Go U.S.A.!
The morning began early…suggested arrival to venue was two hours before the game which meant 7:00 am. We fudged a little and got there at 7:30. It was good to get there early as by 8:00 it was taking 45 minutes to get through the security check points and into the venue. If you got there after 8:00 you missed the first few ends. We actually enjoyed getting there early and meeting up with more family and friends. Highlight among the family was Patrick Plys (Chris’ Dad) with his face and head painted Red, White, and Blue! The rest of us sported face stickers, U.S.A. flags and plenty of patriotic bling!
Our first game was against Germany. Andy Kapp and crew have been around International competition for a while. We’ve heard they are favored for a bronze in this competition. Andy had an awesome game at skip and took advantage of every opportunity by making some great shots. It’s always fun to watch good shot making in curling, even if it isn’t by your own team.
After the game we made our way down to the Proctor and Gamble USA Home where we enjoyed another nice lunch and met up with the rest of our curling family and friends. We hung out in the internet café and connected with the folks back home via facebook and email. Again, what an awesome facility that Proctor and Gamble sponsors for us. So nice to have somewhere to relax between games.
We headed out early to the 7:00 p.m. draw against Norway as we heard that there was to be an official opening ceremony of sorts at the curling venue. We were able to see most of the ceremony which included both the men’s and women’s teams from all of the countries competing here in Vancouver.
The game against Norway was well-played by both teams. A very fun game to watch. While we would have liked to come away with the win, it was nice to see our guys play well and have fun with the game they all enjoy so much. The arena was incredible with chants going through the crowd for all teams at various points throughout the night. And people say curling isn’t exciting! Wish everyone could have seen the games we saw tonight and felt the excitement in the arena. Amazing!
Go U.S.A.!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Family & Friends Arrive in Vancouver
After months of preparing, family and friends of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Curling Team are arriving in Vancouver just in time for the first draw of the competition on Tuesday, 2/16. I am Carrie Benton, wife of John Benton who plays Lead on Team U.S.A. I will be posting a daily blog, and from time to time will have other family members and friends submit to the blog as well. We’ll try to give you an idea of what we as family members and friends are experiencing here at the Olympics.
I arrived in Vancouver on Sunday with our two family friends Kim Leppanen and Lori Klingelhoets. Our trip started off with a packed airport and slow lines at Minneapolis St. Paul Airport, but employees were helpful and full of excitement when we told them of our reason for travel! Our plane included many folks traveling to the Olympics.
We arrived to find the Vancouver airport decked out in Olympic fare, so the excitement started to build. We were finally in Vancouver! Media were everywhere and crowds had gathered. We were pretty sure they weren’t there to greet us…we just happened to arrive moments before the Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey Team!
The welcome we’ve received has been wonderful. Everyone at the airport was very helpful. There were volunteers every few feet it seemed! They helped us navigate our way through customs and the airport and out to the Canada Line train that took us to our rented home. We, like many Olympic families, have rented a home in Vancouver. Our home is lovely!
We explored Vancouver a bit today. We found the Proctor and Gamble Team USA Family Home which is a venue where U.S. athletes and their family and friends can meet up to have lunch or dinner, watch the Olympics in viewing lounges, enjoy a massage, use the internet café, hang out or even do your laundry! We met Theresa Miller, mother of the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team goaltender Ryan Miller and were able to applaud Bryon Wilson, who won the bronze medal in Freestyle Skiing-Men’s Moguls, when he arrived at the P & G House. It’s going to be great to meet other Olympic athletes, families, and friends! What an awesome gesture of support by Proctor and Gamble. Be sure to use their products!
We found the U.S. Olympic Store which sells all of the U.S. Olympic clothing you’ve been seeing on television. We saw the Official Olympic Store, but the line to get into the store was a city block long! We’ll head to that store early some morning before the lines get too bad. We want to see the large Quatchi mascot they have in that store!
We ended our day by checking out the curling venue. There were passes available for family members to watch the closed practice session. It was neat to see the venue before we actually begin play. There were other family and media in attendance, and Princess Anne even stopped by!
We’ve navigated our way around the city fairly well using the Canada Line Train system along with a lot of walking. We’re resting up tonight anticipating our early morning tomorrow. Spectators are encouraged to get to their sport’s venue up to two hours before game time as all venues have security check points to go through. With a 9:00 a.m. game scheduled, we’re in for an early morning.
I arrived in Vancouver on Sunday with our two family friends Kim Leppanen and Lori Klingelhoets. Our trip started off with a packed airport and slow lines at Minneapolis St. Paul Airport, but employees were helpful and full of excitement when we told them of our reason for travel! Our plane included many folks traveling to the Olympics.
We arrived to find the Vancouver airport decked out in Olympic fare, so the excitement started to build. We were finally in Vancouver! Media were everywhere and crowds had gathered. We were pretty sure they weren’t there to greet us…we just happened to arrive moments before the Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey Team!
The welcome we’ve received has been wonderful. Everyone at the airport was very helpful. There were volunteers every few feet it seemed! They helped us navigate our way through customs and the airport and out to the Canada Line train that took us to our rented home. We, like many Olympic families, have rented a home in Vancouver. Our home is lovely!
We explored Vancouver a bit today. We found the Proctor and Gamble Team USA Family Home which is a venue where U.S. athletes and their family and friends can meet up to have lunch or dinner, watch the Olympics in viewing lounges, enjoy a massage, use the internet café, hang out or even do your laundry! We met Theresa Miller, mother of the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team goaltender Ryan Miller and were able to applaud Bryon Wilson, who won the bronze medal in Freestyle Skiing-Men’s Moguls, when he arrived at the P & G House. It’s going to be great to meet other Olympic athletes, families, and friends! What an awesome gesture of support by Proctor and Gamble. Be sure to use their products!
We found the U.S. Olympic Store which sells all of the U.S. Olympic clothing you’ve been seeing on television. We saw the Official Olympic Store, but the line to get into the store was a city block long! We’ll head to that store early some morning before the lines get too bad. We want to see the large Quatchi mascot they have in that store!
We ended our day by checking out the curling venue. There were passes available for family members to watch the closed practice session. It was neat to see the venue before we actually begin play. There were other family and media in attendance, and Princess Anne even stopped by!
We’ve navigated our way around the city fairly well using the Canada Line Train system along with a lot of walking. We’re resting up tonight anticipating our early morning tomorrow. Spectators are encouraged to get to their sport’s venue up to two hours before game time as all venues have security check points to go through. With a 9:00 a.m. game scheduled, we’re in for an early morning.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Getting Down to Business
Hello all! It's been a busy competitive season and that's kept me from getting new posts out here for a while. I plan on trying to keep this more up to date now that we're just 45 days away from Vancouver!!! It's time to get down to business!
Actually, we made that assertion about a month ago and really started to put things together for our Olympic push!
After struggling through most of our early WCT season, we started to make some progress starting at the first Grand Slam in Ontario. This was a tough event and we played a number of teams that we were likely to see in Vancouver. Our record was 2-4, but we were just a couple of shots away from being 4-2. After that event we met as a team with our coaching staff and came up with a clear plan of what needed to improve in the time remaining before the Games.
From there we played in WCT events in Brooks-Alberta, Duluth-MN, and Brantford-Ontario. In each successive event we seemed to get closer and closer to playing at a top level. In fact, we started to beat some teams that many might say that we had no shot against. But we again failed to qualify for the final 8 in any of them. Missing out by just one game in most cases! Doing our best to stay positive, we moved on with the ultimate prize still in mind.
Finally a breakthrough! It was at one of our favorite events in the U.S. .... the Curl Mesabi Classic in Eveleth-MN. After a disappointing loss in our first game, we rallied and rattled off 6 wins in a row to win the Event! Our last three games were our best of the season and we feel like we're really starting to click again!
Coming off of our most successful outing of the year we headed to Green Bay for our last camp before "The Big Show". This camp involved a ton of media appearances and a trip to an elementary school to speak to some kids! What an experience! We also met with coaching staff to start finalizing plans and schedules for Vancouver. Pete Fenson's team also made the trip and agreed to scrimmage us for three games. We again had a rough start in the first game, but came back to win the next two...giving us bragging rights for the weekend! Thanks to Pete and his team for making the trip! It was a great camp and sets us up well for the last two events of our season.......both are Grand Slam WCT events in Canada, which is the level of competition we need to be seeing heading into the Games.
First up is "The National" in Guelph, ON and second is the "The BDO Open" in Winnipeg, MB. Both look to be great events and we're looking forward to surprising a few people as we head into our final stages of preparation.
I should also mention the crazy fun of being involved with many, many, media events and appearances over the last few months! At some point all of us have had newspaper or TV interviews with local and national media. Some of us have also been involved in appearances on National TV shows. It's hard to imagine it being much more fun than this, but we are all sure that in 45 days it will be!
More to come from the road....until then.....good curling!!!
Actually, we made that assertion about a month ago and really started to put things together for our Olympic push!
After struggling through most of our early WCT season, we started to make some progress starting at the first Grand Slam in Ontario. This was a tough event and we played a number of teams that we were likely to see in Vancouver. Our record was 2-4, but we were just a couple of shots away from being 4-2. After that event we met as a team with our coaching staff and came up with a clear plan of what needed to improve in the time remaining before the Games.
From there we played in WCT events in Brooks-Alberta, Duluth-MN, and Brantford-Ontario. In each successive event we seemed to get closer and closer to playing at a top level. In fact, we started to beat some teams that many might say that we had no shot against. But we again failed to qualify for the final 8 in any of them. Missing out by just one game in most cases! Doing our best to stay positive, we moved on with the ultimate prize still in mind.
Finally a breakthrough! It was at one of our favorite events in the U.S. .... the Curl Mesabi Classic in Eveleth-MN. After a disappointing loss in our first game, we rallied and rattled off 6 wins in a row to win the Event! Our last three games were our best of the season and we feel like we're really starting to click again!
Coming off of our most successful outing of the year we headed to Green Bay for our last camp before "The Big Show". This camp involved a ton of media appearances and a trip to an elementary school to speak to some kids! What an experience! We also met with coaching staff to start finalizing plans and schedules for Vancouver. Pete Fenson's team also made the trip and agreed to scrimmage us for three games. We again had a rough start in the first game, but came back to win the next two...giving us bragging rights for the weekend! Thanks to Pete and his team for making the trip! It was a great camp and sets us up well for the last two events of our season.......both are Grand Slam WCT events in Canada, which is the level of competition we need to be seeing heading into the Games.
First up is "The National" in Guelph, ON and second is the "The BDO Open" in Winnipeg, MB. Both look to be great events and we're looking forward to surprising a few people as we head into our final stages of preparation.
I should also mention the crazy fun of being involved with many, many, media events and appearances over the last few months! At some point all of us have had newspaper or TV interviews with local and national media. Some of us have also been involved in appearances on National TV shows. It's hard to imagine it being much more fun than this, but we are all sure that in 45 days it will be!
More to come from the road....until then.....good curling!!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
GB Training Camps End on a High Note
Time to Blog again!
Last weekend was our last summer camp in Green Bay.
From our first camp in May until now, we've made steady improvements. Lots of ice time and physical training sessions have made a huge difference!
We spent our last weekend tying up a few details and trying to celebrate our accomplishments with a trip to the Green Bay Packers "Family Night" game at Lambeau Field. However, Mother Nature had other plans. We were in our seats (6th row on the 50 yard line!) for about 20 minutes before the lightning storm sent us all scurrying into the concourse! As it turned out, they ended up canceling the event. We did get to watch the fireworks from the hotel though! Not all was lost!
We also got a chance to work with a professional photographer, which was very nice. We should end up with plenty of stock photos to use for the rest of the Olympic run!
As many of you already know, we also launched a new team website: www.teamusacurling2010.com
We're very happy with the site and are looking forward to adding information and functionality there as the season goes on. Included in this will likely be a team store where fans can help support the team and our families by purchasing team pins, apparel and novelty items. Check back there frequently for updates.
Our next step is to finalize our training with a trip to Lucerne, Switzerland where we'll get more ice time and scrimmage against some top European competition. I am personally looking forward to the trip because it will be my first venture overseas!
Things will start getting very interesting in September. The Start of the new WCT season will be upon us and we'll be spending 19 days on the road for competition. First off to the Shorty Jenkins Classic in Ontario, then Oslo, Norway for the Oslo Cup, then back to Lucerne where we'll train for a few days and then head to Basel, Switzerland for another event! Whew!
Well, that's about all for now. As things get moving with our schedule, I'll try to keep the blogs coming.
Thanks to everyone! Only 184 days to Opening Ceremonies!!!
Last weekend was our last summer camp in Green Bay.
From our first camp in May until now, we've made steady improvements. Lots of ice time and physical training sessions have made a huge difference!
We spent our last weekend tying up a few details and trying to celebrate our accomplishments with a trip to the Green Bay Packers "Family Night" game at Lambeau Field. However, Mother Nature had other plans. We were in our seats (6th row on the 50 yard line!) for about 20 minutes before the lightning storm sent us all scurrying into the concourse! As it turned out, they ended up canceling the event. We did get to watch the fireworks from the hotel though! Not all was lost!
We also got a chance to work with a professional photographer, which was very nice. We should end up with plenty of stock photos to use for the rest of the Olympic run!
As many of you already know, we also launched a new team website: www.teamusacurling2010.com
We're very happy with the site and are looking forward to adding information and functionality there as the season goes on. Included in this will likely be a team store where fans can help support the team and our families by purchasing team pins, apparel and novelty items. Check back there frequently for updates.
Our next step is to finalize our training with a trip to Lucerne, Switzerland where we'll get more ice time and scrimmage against some top European competition. I am personally looking forward to the trip because it will be my first venture overseas!
Things will start getting very interesting in September. The Start of the new WCT season will be upon us and we'll be spending 19 days on the road for competition. First off to the Shorty Jenkins Classic in Ontario, then Oslo, Norway for the Oslo Cup, then back to Lucerne where we'll train for a few days and then head to Basel, Switzerland for another event! Whew!
Well, that's about all for now. As things get moving with our schedule, I'll try to keep the blogs coming.
Thanks to everyone! Only 184 days to Opening Ceremonies!!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Worlds recap and next steps.
Hello once again. I haven’t blogged for a while. The team took some much needed time off after our amazing season ended at the World Championships in Moncton.
We ended up with a 5th place finish at Worlds. After the round robin had concluded our record was 7-4, which was good enough to put us in a 4 way tie for third place. We then faced Norway in a tie-breaker while Switzerland and Germany faced off in the other match to fill out the final four. (Scotland and Canada had already advanced to the number one and number two seeds in the playoffs.)
Unfortunately we just didn’t play very well in the tie-breaker. As it was for most of the week, the ice was quite tricky to read and we didn’t adjust to it very well. On top of that, Norway brought their A-Game to the ice that day and took advantage of every mistake we made. Needless to say, the match ended early and our dream season had come to an end.
As disappointing as it was to be done, we were able to come away from the experience with a number of positives. First and foremost, we didn’t ever play our best game that week and were still in position to make the final four. We feel that bodes well for us and what might be possible in the future. Secondly, we exceeded the expectations of many who felt that we’d finish at the bottom of the standings. I think we opened a few eyes. Lastly, we came away with a good list of things we can improve on....we really learned quite a bit.
So the next step will be to take that list and apply it in our training camps, which start at the end of May. We’ll be spending 2 to 3 long weekends a month at camp and have a great team of coaches to work with. I am really looking forward to the concentrated effort and year round access to the ice that we’ll have this year. Not to mention getting in great physical shape.
In addition to the camps, we’re busy setting up appearances and working on sponsorship efforts. These efforts will help to offset some lost income that the team members will stand to incur over the next year. There is also an effort to help family and friends raise funds to defray expenses for the trip to Vancouver. As it turns out, the Olympics can be a spendy proposition!
We’re also working at finalizing our competition schedule for next Fall and Winter. As I have mentioned previously, it is likely that we’ll be competing in a number of events overseas and in Canada. These events will provide us with the level of competition that we will need to prepare for our time in Vancouver.
So I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that we’re very anxious to get to work! Nobody wants to be on that podium more that we do!
We ended up with a 5th place finish at Worlds. After the round robin had concluded our record was 7-4, which was good enough to put us in a 4 way tie for third place. We then faced Norway in a tie-breaker while Switzerland and Germany faced off in the other match to fill out the final four. (Scotland and Canada had already advanced to the number one and number two seeds in the playoffs.)
Unfortunately we just didn’t play very well in the tie-breaker. As it was for most of the week, the ice was quite tricky to read and we didn’t adjust to it very well. On top of that, Norway brought their A-Game to the ice that day and took advantage of every mistake we made. Needless to say, the match ended early and our dream season had come to an end.
As disappointing as it was to be done, we were able to come away from the experience with a number of positives. First and foremost, we didn’t ever play our best game that week and were still in position to make the final four. We feel that bodes well for us and what might be possible in the future. Secondly, we exceeded the expectations of many who felt that we’d finish at the bottom of the standings. I think we opened a few eyes. Lastly, we came away with a good list of things we can improve on....we really learned quite a bit.
So the next step will be to take that list and apply it in our training camps, which start at the end of May. We’ll be spending 2 to 3 long weekends a month at camp and have a great team of coaches to work with. I am really looking forward to the concentrated effort and year round access to the ice that we’ll have this year. Not to mention getting in great physical shape.
In addition to the camps, we’re busy setting up appearances and working on sponsorship efforts. These efforts will help to offset some lost income that the team members will stand to incur over the next year. There is also an effort to help family and friends raise funds to defray expenses for the trip to Vancouver. As it turns out, the Olympics can be a spendy proposition!
We’re also working at finalizing our competition schedule for next Fall and Winter. As I have mentioned previously, it is likely that we’ll be competing in a number of events overseas and in Canada. These events will provide us with the level of competition that we will need to prepare for our time in Vancouver.
So I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that we’re very anxious to get to work! Nobody wants to be on that podium more that we do!
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