We need a new player, can we get Jamie Korab?

That's a poor attempt at a late April Fools Day Joke though it would be nice if we picked him up. On the other hand, he plays lead and I would have to move to second or maybe I can play with Gushue like a trade-off. I'm still surprised at the decision by Gushue as Korab has been with them for several years but I guess change is good sometimes.

Change is coming with our team as well with second Darren Pellerin confirming that he will not return to continue his studies at Concordia University. The search begins for a new second and although we have all summer, its important to find someone who will fit in to our 'wild' ways and make us just as strong or perhaps even better. The three of us did our best and I'm pleased with how it turned out overall.

Another season in the Capital Curling League is over after we defeated Sandy Amey 10-3 on Sunday to finish the post-season with a 2-2 record.

We had a much improved season and there are many things we can look back on and remember with pride although I sometimes wonder how things would have turned out had we beaten John Lilly in the first round several weeks ago. The game was there for the taking but we made too many mental mistakes and a 2-1 advantage became 8-2 in a hurry. A three in seven made the score respectable but the previous two ends killed us and we were relegated to the Consolation Round.

A 6-4 win over Peter Richardson, our seventh in seven attempts against the young squad, was highlighted by the fact I overslept and had to make do with a piece of burnt toast and a Coffee Crisp chocolate bar but I regained my energy and we all played reasonably well.

Darren MacInnis handed us a 10-4 loss the next week which put us in an 11th place showdown with Amey. We picked up super spare Martin Tremblay and played a super game from start to finish to give us the win and guarantee us a winning record. Sandy Chisholm won the playoffs over Hunt Jr. which was ironic because we were a combined 3-0 against them. It truly was a competitive league and anybody can beat anybody on a given day - nobody really has any secrets and to be honest most of the teams are quite predictable in the way they play - which is not a bad thing.

The only other disappointment was the cancellation of the Twin Cities. The real story came out last week that Mayflower and Dartmouth booked the ice thinking the tournament was the following weekend. This seems like a poor excuse as we all know the Twin Cities is never played on the Easter Weekend. With Lakeshore in danger of shutting down, I was hoping perhaps CFB and Halifax CC could pull something off but ultimately they couldn't ice 48 times in just 2 rinks as opposed to 5. Hopefully next season it will be better organized, I get a real rush playing some of the top teams in the city and going around the city.

Before I get into the highlights of the season, I decided to do the team statistics and it was funny that a year ago I stated on here that if we could improve our hammer efficiency to around the 35% mark, we would be above the .500 mark and sure enough that is what we did. The play calling and execution by the boys was far superior than last season. The efficiency rate was 36.4%, a jump of almost 10% while the steal rate was an incredible 40.2% and the force efficiency was 48%. In total, our opposition scored more than 1 point with the hammer just 31% of the time.

Other positives included a 14-2-1 record when leading or tied after 4 ends and a 9-0-1 record when leading after 7 ends. We outscored the opposition 27-12 in the first end and outscored the opposition in the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth ends.

One of the areas that improvement is needed, which was actually a strength the last two years, is our ability to come back. We were 0-9 when behind after 4 ends and it seemed once we were behind we couldn't fight back, perhaps the teams are better now than before but we never had those famous comebacks in years past. The second and third ends were also poor, we were outscored 31-19 in the second and 35-17 in the third. If we can stay focused and not be too relaxed then we will be in the drivers seat.

Without further adieu, here are the highs and lows of the 2006/07 season:

Best Team Performance: vs. Sandy Chisholm [March 4/07 - Won 9-3]

Needing a win to possibly earn a first round bye, we jump out to a quick 3-0 lead on steals of two and one. Chisholm responds with three in the third, but a deuce in four is followed by three consecutive steals. Phil has an excellent hit game and Peter has his best draw game of the season. Chisholm doesn't lose another game en route to the championship.

Worst Team Performance: vs. Greg Hawthorne [February 11/07 - Lost 1-10]

This was a game to forget as nobody showed up with their 'A' game...or 'B' game or even 'C' game. Hawthorne steals 7 points in the first four ends to lead 8-0. We avoid the shutout in five but they take two in six to win in a walk.

Most Satisfying Game: vs. Paul Hunt Jr. [January 14/07 - Won 6-4]

Hunt Jr. had won seven consecutive matches after an 0-2 start but a three pointer in the first sends us on our way. We never trail throughout and a steal in the sixth end puts us ahead by three with two ends to go. Hunt Jr. takes one in seven but we run them out of rocks and move to 6-3-1 on the season while Hunt Jr. starts a four game losing streak.

Most Disappointing Game: vs. John Lilly [March 11/07 - Lost 5-8]

We were favorites to advance and held a slim 2-1 lead at the midway mark. I thought we were in control but a light draw led to a steal of three in the fifth and a further steal of four ended the match as a contest. We were out early and had to play out the final three games with nothing really on the line.

Most Controversial Game: vs. Greg Hawthorne [November 12/07 - Tied 6-6]

We lead 6-5 in the final end as Peter Boudreau throws his final stone. Hawthorne lies one but a draw to the four foot would all but seal the win. Spare Yvon Desormeaux gives up on the brushing towards the end of the rocks rotation leaving Hawthorne with a chance to win the game. He misses but the extra effort would have probably given the Cadiens the win. The dropped point proved crucial as it was by a single point that the Cadiens missed out on a top four spot.

Weirdest Game: vs. Gary Welsh [November 5/07 - Lost 7-9]

Welsh takes a 9-3 lead after six ends but Boudreau elects to continue playing. A two pointer in seven is followed by crazy last end as Welsh second Joe Morrison and mate Paul Hunt Sr. combine to miss three straight takeouts. Peter Boudreau's draw to the rings put the Cadiens laying four leaving Welsh with the dubious effort of trying to remove one of the stones. An improbable result was on the cards but Welsh managed to move two rocks leading to a steal of just two.

Wildest Game: vs. Bill Newell [January 28/07 - Won 10-6]

The game that didn't want to end. It shouldn't have been that way as we took a 7-1 lead after three ends which was highlighted by a five in the third end. Newell chipped away with three in the fourth and a steal of two to make it 7-6. Newell was actually sitting two in the next end which forced Boudreau to draw to the four foot to salvage a single. He did this and we led 8-6 and we took two in the seventh to have it wrapped up or so it seemed as Phil missed his last takeout and Peter missed with his first takeout to put Newell sitting two which would soon be three. Luckily, Peter made the takeout on his last shot to avoid the extra end to complete the two-and-a-half hour marathon.

Best End: Third End vs. Bill Newell [January 28/07 - Won 10-6]

We lead 2-1 and have hammer in the third when Newell misses a draw attempt by crashing out front leaving Peter with a difficult semi-pick shot for five. He appears to be inside the broom but some great sweeping from the front end knocks the opposition stone out of the rings leading to the five. This is one of just three five enders scored in a Cadiens match this season.

Worst End: Fifth End vs. John Lilly [March 11/07 - Lost 5-8]

A close match sees us ahead 2-1 but Lilly threaten in the fifth and lie three. A draw full into the eight foot gives us a single and it doesn't seem hard but the rock has to travel through a frosty patch requiring a lot of weight. The weight is very light and despite some frantic sweeping it fails to hit the rings and Lilly takes three to go ahead 4-2 and eventually take the first round playoff match.

Shot of the Season: vs. Paul Comeau [January 27/07 - Won 7-5]

There have been many memorable shots in the game - Al Hackner's angle double versus Pat Ryan in the 1985 Brier Final and Jennifer Jones magical shot to win the 2005 Scott - but Boudreau's pick shot to defeat Paul Comeau in the first round of the Gold Star Bonspiel rates right up there. The game is tied 5-5 in the last end but Comeau's rock is at the edge of the button with a centre guard covering 95% of the stone. Peter has to somehow pick that stone out to score the decisive point or face an early game the next morning. The shot appears to be slightly outside but comes back towards the end and slides by the guard perfectly to knock the stone out and give the Cadiens two and the win. Spectators at the Clare Curling Club roar their approval and Boudreau is the talk of the bar.

Peter Boudreau's shot versus Paul Comeau at the Gold Star was worthy of winning any match.

Ready for the next step?

The regular season portion of the Capital Curling League is over and we missed out on a first round exemption by a single point.

It's been an eventful last few weeks - a truly terrible fortnight - followed by a good string of results that puts us in a good position heading into our match with John Lilly this Sunday.

Perhaps we thought we only needed to show up during our games with Gary Welsh and Greg Hawthorne and it would be two wins but the exact opposite happened. Losses of 10-2 and 10-1 dropped us back in the pack and forced us to go back to basics. Considering it was our first real slump, I stated to the boys that it was better we go through this now instead of later.

This proved true as we rebounded to paste Sandy Amey 10-1 in five ends and though we suffered a tough 8-7 loss to Lilly two weeks ago, I thought it was tough on us and we showed good character to win 10-7 over Peter Richardson in our make-up game later that day.

Last week, we faced Sandy Chisholm, needing a win and help to secure fourth place and a first round bye. Phil was battling a bruised tailbone after a fall the previous night so I was worried how we would perform but he stepped up and played a great game as did our fearless leader, Peter Boudreau.

Chisholm had already clinched the bye so he didn't have much to play for but games against the Cadiens are adjacent to Flames versus Oilers in the NHL so a lack of passion would not be an issue in this one. The key to beating Chisholm is to put a lot of rocks in play and force him to make difficult shots and this is what we did.

Steals in the first two ends put us 3-0 ahead and although Chisholm took three in the third, we managed a deuce in the fourth and stole the next three ends to go out 9-3 winners. Again I have to pay tribute to Peter and Phil for playing an excellent game, the former made some great draws and both Phil and myself made the majority of our hits and that's all you can ask for.

A 9-7-1 record and a fifth place tie is about where we deserve to finish. Neil Whyte and Stewart Slaunwhite finished first and second respectively as they were the class of the league this season. Paul Hunt Jr. and Chisholm tied for third on 20 points and we tied Hawthorne on 19 but lost the tie-breaker as we lost the season series.

The turn-around in fortune this year as been maintaining our excellent steal record of 40% and increasing our hammer efficiency from 27% to 35%. I had stated at the end of last season that if we could get this percentage into the 35-40% range we would have a winning record and this hypothesis proved correct. We have also forced teams into taking a single point almost 50% of the time when they had the hammer which is outstanding.

So now its John Lilly in the first round of the post-season. We split the two games this year with the good guys winning 6-4 in November and the recent 8-7 setback a couple weeks ago. I think if we can play at the level we displayed last week then I truly believe we can advance but its important not to look ahead.

We've made many strides this year and it would be a shame if it came crashing down with a big thud. We just have to take things one end at a time and the rest will work itself out.

We have a great playoff record in the CCL going 6-2 the last two seasons so lets hope we can build on that history and make a run at the title.

Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling

Please don't drive off with our equipment!

To say the Gold Star Bonspiel was eventful would be the biggest understatement of the century even though the century is just seven years young.

We weren't sure the trip to Meteghan would be possible because a storm was supposed to be heading south from Cape Breton early Friday morning. The night before we tentatively decided to call the whole thing off but come the morning there wasn't a lick of snow on the ground so we took the risky decision to go after all.

It was to be a wise move on our part.

Peter and I did manage to make it a couple of hours before our 10:20 PM match with Paul Comeau of Clare but Darren and Phil arrived mere minutes, no seconds, before we were to start. Comeau's team graciously waited while the boys got ready and the re-match was set to begin.

I say re-match because it was Comeau who knocked us out of the Gold Star last year in the Consolation Semi-Final to the tune of 11-4. We always seem to draw tough opponents in our first games of tournaments and this was no exception.

We exchanged singles through the first four ends but steals in five and six put us up 5-2 but we played a poor seventh end and Comeau came back with three to tie it up coming home.

Although we had the hammer, Comeau had his blue rock about 90% buried in the four foot which made Peter's attempt at picking it out very difficult. He came close with his first attempt but that looked to be the ballgame as Comeau had a chance to guard any second attempt he would have.

Amazingly, Comeau hogged his final stone and we had another shot. The rock looked outside but came back on line and squeezed past the front guard and knocked their stone out for two and the victory. We were the last game to finish and the crowd of close to 100 were impressed and let us know when it was over. On a side note, Comeau would not lose another game, as he rattled off four straight wins to take the B Division Title.

We were happy to win, not only because we advanced but we wouldn't have to play until 1:30 the next afternoon as opposed to 9:15 AM if we lost, we ended up not getting back to our cottage until after 2 AM due to the slippery conditions but we didn't care and the boys had a couple of drinks to celebrate our big triumph.

Our next game pitted us against Doug Glenen from Bridgetown. It was here that a major disaster was avoided in the nick of time.

Darren's Father dropped off his son and Phil but forgot to pop the trunk and drove off with their equipment. Peter had to run out of the club, get in his car and chase after him. Luckily, the Father is a slow driver and Peter got to him and got back to the club in time.

The Glenen match was our best of the weekend. We trailed 4-1 after three but we were unfortunate to be behind. I always thought we could come back and sure enough we answered with four to go up 5-4. The teams traded deuces in five and six and we held Glenen to one in seven to leave the match deadlocked 7-7 as we entered the final end.

We had the hammer but we wouldn't need to throw the final rock. Glenen's team couldn't get anything going and we either made the hits or did the come-arounds. The Bridgetown skip had to try a circus shot with three of our stones in the rings. He missed and we were in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row.

It was a great achievement to get back to this stage but Phil was starting to feel really sick and our next opponents, the Armstrong rink from Middleton, had won many Gold Star Patches over the years. It was also ironic that they were staying at the cottage next to us.

As it turned out, we were outclassed from the first rock, they were on top of their game and we lost 8-1 in five ends. To top that off, we got back to the cottage and there was no toilet paper, a perfect end to a perfect day.

This put us in the consolation semi-finals where we took on Bill Newell of Yarmouth. It was a crazy game but it didn't start that way.

We led 2-1 in the third end when Newell missed a hit and roll to lie shot. Peter had a tricky shot to the far right to take four. The shot was perfect and the shooter stayed in for five and a 7-1 lead.

Whether we got nervous or it was the other team playing better, perhaps both, they cut into the lead and made it 7-6 after five ends. Newell had a chance to steal two and take the lead in the sixth, but 'Mr. Clutch' made the draw to the four-foot to give us the all important two point lead.

A steal of two in seven put us four up and we ran them out of rocks. It was a good test of character for us to hang in there when things started to look bleak.

We were all overjoyed to make the consolation final. Due to the fact that we were behind schedule, the break was just 15 minutes long.

Dean Ring of Digby stood between us and a coveted Gold Star Patch. Despite the lack of rest, we played fairly well and had a chance to tie the match at four in the fifth. But Peter's attempted split came up just a touch light and the end was blanked.

We did make it 4-3 but a three pointer in seven stretched the gap to four and it was lights out. To come just one win shy of a patch is disappointing, but considering the circumstances with Phil's sickness and Darren having not played for six weeks it was a great run for us.

I managed to come out of the whole thing with a cooler from the prize table and a pile of memories as well as a valuable lesson - if you plan on staying a good ways from a store, make sure to bring some damn toilet paper for emergency purposes!

Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling

Darts, Catfights and Clem Harvey.

We started 2007 on a high with an impressive 7-3 win over Darren MacInnis on Sunday. It was our first ever win over this team and speculation that our skip Peter Boudreau was throwing darts at a photo of MacInnis the night before has been furiously denied.

I can say we controlled most of the six ends we played. After they stole a single to start, Peter made an open takeout for two and the lead, we then jumped ahead 3-1 after MacInnis missed an open hit. They took one in four to narrow our advantage to a single point but a fantastic fifth end put us in with a chance for four which Peter converted and it was pretty much lights out.

MacInnis took a single in six but decided to shake, in fairness we were on top of our game on this day and it would have been hard for any team to beat us. The result allowed us to move up to fourth at 5-3-1 and we trail first place leaders Paul Hunt Jr. by just three points.

We have two more league games before we head off to Meteghan and to say they are tough ones is an understatement. First up is Hunt Jr., who have won seven straight after losing their opening two games. They don't lose too often but we have held their own with them and I feel we can give them a good match. A win would boost our confidence even more and put us in even better shape to gain that all important first round bye when the regular season ends in early March.

The second is against Stewart Slaunwhite who is in third place with a 6-3 record. They started off 5-0 then dropped three in a row, although Slaunwhite missed two of the games, but won last week. We have held our own with them as well including that famous 7-5 win against them in the quarter-finals two years ago.

These matches will go a long way in deciding whether we are a contender or just an early season feel good story. We have beaten them before and there is no reason to think we can't do it again, the difference from a year ago is that there is more self-belief, but we shall see how it plays out in the long run.

The big story in Canadian Curling circles at the moment is the decision by skip Jennifer Jones to sack lead Dana Allerton just before the Manitoba Provincials. This despite the fact that the Jones rink are the money leaders on the cashspiel circuit.

Allerton, who played with Jones at the Nationals back in 2002 and was dismissed once before, decided to come back to play with the lawyer again this season. But despite contributing to what was a certain lock to be in the last three or four at Provincials, she was dismissed for not being the 'perfect fit'.

But Allerton has contended that the dismissal was a shock and was in part to a last minute decision by Jones to enter a bonspiel in Switzerland. The lead, who is a parent, could not make new arrangements on such sort notice and would not be able to go.

One thing led to another and Allerton was asked to be the fifth or leave the team. She chose the latter and Janet Arnott is the new lead with former Jenn Hanna second Dawn Askiw the new fifth. The irony is that it was Hanna that Jones defeated to win the Scott two years ago with the shot heard around the country or around the world if you live in Manitoba.

The Jones team, consisting of second Jill Officer and mate Cathy Overton-Clapham, have a demanding schedule and this is in part the reason former player Cathy Gauthier decided not to come back after the Worlds two years ago and now it has reared its ugly head again.

Take it for what you will but if I was in this situation, I wouldn't be happy. She should have been kept until the end of the year. If she was dismissed because of Switzerland it's nothing short of a farce and the fact that the Jones team haven't flat out denied this leads to more speculation that this was the reason.

Jones hopes to mend the friendship with Allerton, but if her recent behaviour is what the definition of a friend is then perhaps friendship is over-rated.

The Cadiens don't have that problem at the moment, although I have started playing more Poker on-line and I may play some tournaments. Perhaps I'll be the next two sport star like Bo Jackson...fat chance!

I was stunned to see the exact same Clem Harvey Curling Rock Decanter at CFB the other week. It was in the trophy cabinet and I was half tempted to ask why it was locked away.

The decanter I have at home is in mint condition and was discovered eight years ago when I moved into a new house that I was renting with my Mother. The decanter was discovered in the basement next to a few old Playboys...but they were the sucky ones where the centerfolds were photographed in black and white.

So I decided to keep it and I wondered if it was worth anything. I look on ebay from time to time and see these decanters fetch about $15 or $20 but this recent discovery makes me wonder if I am sitting on a little treasure.

I will certainly keep you posted for sure!

Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling

Top Ten Rajun Cadiens matches of 2006!

As we get set to ring in 2007, it’s time to look back at some of the memorable matches played by the Rajun Cadiens in 2006.

There were many to choose from but here is my Top 10 list:

10) April 9, 2006 vs. Neil Whyte (Won 8-4)

We were eliminated from the CCL Playoffs the week before, making this match meaningless but a composed display turned a 4-3 deficit into an impressive victory. Steals occurred in two of the final three ends.

9) October 29, 2006 vs. Peter Richardson (Won 7-1)

The opening game of this season saw us steal the first four ends to lead 5-0. Richardson took one in five but a deuce in six led to handshakes. This improved our record against Richardson to 5-0.

8) April 2, 2006 vs. Jared Newcombe (Lost 3-6)

A re-match from two years earlier at the Twin Cities when the Cadiens upset the Super League team but there was to be no repeat here. It was a game of very few mistakes but a missed take-out by skip Peter Boudreau gives Newcombe a pair in the fifth to break a 2-2 tie.

7) November 19, 2006 vs. Sandy Amey (Won 8-3)

The Cadiens finally pick up a win against the CCL team. Amey leads 3-1 after two ends but a deuce in three is followed by three consecutive steals. Darren Pellerin and Peter Boudreau deliver excellent performances.

6) April 23, 2006 vs. Gary Welsh (Won 6-0)

A second consecutive 3-1 post-season record is achieved with a comprehensive win over rivals Gary Welsh. A deuce in the opening end then sees steals of one in the second and third and a steal of two in four as Welsh says he’s had enough. It is the Cadiens first ever shutout.

5) March 12, 2006 vs. Sandy Chisholm (Won 8-4)

The last game of the regular season portion of the CCL. A game that has no bearing in the standings but the Cadiens gain revenge for a loss earlier in the campaign. Chisholm takes two to start but seven consecutive points sends the Cadiens in to the playoffs on a high.

4) January 27, 2006 vs. Gerald Oliver (Won 11-7)

This was the opening game of the Gold Star Bonspiel. Oliver gets three in the first but we battle to tie the game 5-5 after five. The Bridgetown skip faces four Cadien rocks the next end but his draw is light and we steal four. The teams trade deuces the rest of the way and we march into the second round.

3) February 2, 2006 vs. Collin Atkinson (Won 10-7)

A tough start as Atkinson tallies five in the opening end. We score two in the second and manage three straight steals to lead 6-5 after five. Atkinson takes two in six but a deuce of our own sets up a thrilling last end in which we steal two and take an improbable victory.

2) January 28, 2006 vs. Bob Murphy (Lost 5-6)

A spot in the semi-finals of the Gold Star is on the line. We lead 3-2 after four ends but Murphy tallies three in the fifth to go up 5-3. Murphy’s third tries to pick an argument with Phil Dunville regarding the measurement but the latter keeps his cool. We trail 6-4 in the last end but sit two forcing Murphy to take out one of our rocks to win which he does and we bow out of the main draw as the match doesn’t end until after 1 AM.

1) January 22, 2006 vs. Paul Hunt Jr. (Won 9-6)

Its top versus bottom in the CCL and things are going according to plan as Hunt leads 5-1 after four ends but a takeout from Boudreau gives us three to cut the deficit to one. A steal of two in six puts us ahead but Hunt gets one in seven to tie. Needing to take out a Hunt stone with his last shot, Boudreau ends up making a double and we take three for the win. This win turned things around for the team and got us on a good run for the remainder of the year.

Happy New Year everybody!

Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling

Time to hibernate for a while!

We've now hit the XMAS Break and although we have dropped our last two games, I'm quite pleased with how things are going so far.

It took us until mid-January to win our fourth game but we've done that already and sit with a 4-3-1 record, which is good for fifth place and just three points out of top spot in the Capital Curling League.

Has you probably know now, second Darren Pellerin has left us to grace the hallowed halls of Concordia University, he's a Stinger now and I hope he kicks some serious butt in his studies and perhaps the curling rink, but here's to hoping the ladies can recognize the Acadien/Herring Cove French he speaks.

An 8-5 victory over Sandy Chisholm on December 3 was our third in a row and put us into second place. It wasn't a pretty game but we started off strong and got four in the first and stole one in the second to lead 5-0. At that point, there really was only going to be one winner, even when Chisholm got his points, he had to work hard to get them.

This set us up nicely for a big grudge match with Neil Whyte and though we didn't know at the time, a win would have put us top. It was Darren's last game with us in league play but it was a disaster as we lost 10-0 in five ends. This was the first time we were shutout as a team and it was humbling. Nothing went our way and the difference was that they figured out the ice and we didn't. It was just one of those days and you get those sometimes.

Our most recent game was with Jamie Mills and we fell 8-4. We didn't play badly except for the second and third ends when we gave up five points and were down 6-0. A pair in four was followed by a great chance to steal in the fifth as we had four red rocks in the rings but the skip made a nice draw and took one.

Another two in six made it 7-4 but we simply ran out of time. Mills took one in seven and we ran out of rocks. It was a tough one to take but I think we'll be all right and we seem to hit our best form in the New Year. We will have to be sharp as we have tough games to come versus Darren MacInnis, Paul Hunt Jr. and Stewart Slaunwhite. Mills and MacInnis are now the only teams we haven't beaten in three years of CCL play and we want to change that.

I've been impressed with the boys play considering the circumstances. Our decorated skip Peter Boudreau, having academic committments, has played well as did Darren and mate Phil Dunville hasn't missed a bit despite missing a couple of games due to a liaison with Angelina Jolie in Toronto. Actually it was job training but Phil has his groupies you know!

Yours truly needs some work on his hitting game but a recent practice session went well and I plan to play in CFB's Hot Shots Competition. It takes place on December 28 and we have to master six different shots - draw to the button, draw the port, hit and stick, hit and roll, double takeout and the raise. My plan is to slip some rum in my pre-game egg nog to wake me up from my post Boxing Day Blues...it starts at 1 PM and over XMAS that feels like 9 AM!

I said in the last column that the new Ana Arce Calendar was now on sale. This guy decided to get one and I have to say on the whole I was impressed. There were some good shots and I will certainly focus a lot more on the careers of Leigh Armstrong and Chrissy Cadorin now that I know a bit more about them (actually not a lot more) but buy a calendar and you'll know what I mean. Meanwhile here's a pic of skip Deb McCormick down below to get you in the right frame of mind.

That's it for now but I'll be back on the weekend with the Top 10 Rajun Cadiens matches of 2006.

Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling

We're hot, they're hot, everybody's hot hot!

Since the last update, we have won two and tied one of our last three games in the Capital Curling League and now sit tied for second with Sandy Chisholm at 3-1-1.

The 6-6 tie with Greg Hawthorne was interesting in that we never seemed to get into first gear. We did pick up a big four points to go ahead 5-3 at the midway mark and led 6-4 with two ends to go but it was a case of nobody wanting to take advantage and I thought the tie was a just result. It was good in the sense that we didn't play well and still got a result so I thought it was a point earned instead of dropped.

Our next game was versus Sandy Amey's quartet, a group we had not won against in four tries. We started off slow again and fell behind 3-1 but we made some minor adjustments in terms of the straighter than usual ice conditions and rallied with seven unanswered points, including the last five on steals to win 8-3. It was a total team effort and it felt good to get the monkey off our backs.

With our custom made jackets ready to be put to use this past Sunday versus John Lilly, we left off the previous match with Amey by taking three straight points, including steals in the second and third ends to go up 3-0. It is quite amazing how well we play without hammer, I believe our steal percentage is well over 60% which is astounding.

But Lilly's group rallied to go ahead 4-3 as we missed a couple of opportunities to put the result beyond doubt. We were in need of a good shot but our skipper Peter Boudreau made a Plan 'X' double takeout, unplanned, and a mistake by Lilly gave us a shot at three. Peter made the takeout but just failed to keep the shooter in and we settled for two and a 5-4 lead.

I was happy to not have the hammer in the last end for obvious reasons and we continued our good run by stealing the eighth to win 6-4 and rise to second in the table. Having a closer look at the stats, we have stolen 14 out of a possible 22 ends and have taken points in 23 of 36 ends over the first 5 games which is a massive improvement from last season.

The schedule doesn't get easier over the final three weeks before the Christmas Break as we face Chisholm, Neil Whyte and last year's playoff finalists Jamie Mills. If we can win at least two of the three this will put us in a good position for the New Year and give us even more confidence as we chase a top four spot and that elusive first round bye.

On another note, I have heard a lot about this Ana Arce Team Sponsorship Curling Calendar that is out for sale and advertised on the Curling News Website.

This calendar features several of the game's hottest young ladies posing for the continuing growth of the sport. The calendar was first devised one year ago but I may buy this year's calendar as it features my favorite female curler, Debbie McCormick. Others posing include Christine Keshen of the Shannon Kleibrink team and former World Junior Champion Linn Githmark of Norway.

Perhaps our supporters will want to see a Rajun Cadiens 2007 Calendar. But between my pale skin, Darren's beer belly and Peter's twinkletoes, we may be lucky to sell ten copies to some trucker girls at the Irving Big Stop. I'll stick to looking at the ladies thank you very much!

Cheers,
Terry
http://www.geocities.com/rajuncadiens/curling