Life: On the Rocks

I read a lot of articles and watched a lot of interviews this season where athletes talked about perspective. Many of them mentioned their spouses and children as being responsible for keeping them grounded through their efforts in the pursuit of excellence in sport. According to what I read and heard, when being an Olympic Champion comes second to being part of a loving family the wins become more special and the losses are easier to get over. That sounds great, but as it turns out I am not a wife or a mother. Heck, I don't even have a boyfriend (but I am accepting applications). I can't tell you what it feels like to come off the ice after being crushed by a devastating loss and be consoled by the love of my life. I've never looked up into a crowd to see my kid cheering me on and felt like no matter what happens in the game I'm still going to be somebody's hero at the end of the day. My perspective comes from somewhere else. One warm summer night about 9 yea...

A little over a week ago I was about to start the biggest tournament of my life - the 2018 Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Considering that I've been curling for 22 years, that is a little embarrassing to admit, but then I think back on the hiatus  and I try to remember that everything happens for a reason. I suppose I should have been nervous for this tournament, but I wasn't. I felt ready . I liked the way I was throwing in practice, my fitness levels were good, and my diet had me feeling fueled and energized. Mentally, I was focused. All of the usual catastrophes in my personal life had been managed. Everything I had worked for, everything my team had worked for was right there in front of us and it was all ours for the taking.  After the team meetings, after the practices, after the banquet, after the opening ceremonies, after the speeches, we were ready to play and we came out firing. If we had been able to play the way we played in our first game for t...