European Mixed and Champery

Well we never really did a final European Mixed blog. There were other priorities.

In a quick rundown of what actually happened in the competition - Switzerland beat Germany in the final and got a well deserved gold medal. In the bronze game, the Czech Republic beat Denmark in a close game.

Anyway, here is the official photo of us looking smart in the very well tailored blue blazers.

The Closing Banquet was extremely good. Especially when the food came. I don’t want to be too dramatic, but I was very close to death through famine. Bob Geldof was even on the phone asking if I wanted him to organise another Band Aid. I turned down the offer. 

One of the highlights of the banquet was a Spanish man dancing. Might sound unusual, but it was very funny and I am sure anyone who attended will agree. It did get quite freaky when he was half naked and a Czech guy was whipping him with a belt.... but it was all good!

The old husband and wife couple made the choice to go back to the hotel on the last set of buses. This was at 1am and we had to leave for our flight at 5am. Myself and Kerry were not so wise and stayed until the death. I was back in the hotel for 3am thanks to Eric – had a solid 90mins sleep – packed everything in the room – then left. If you guessed the following 7 hours in airports/aeroplanes followed by 2 hours of driving was not going to be a pleasant experience, you would be correct. When I arrived home, I realised that I had made a really really really good job of packing and had acquired a Phillips TV control from the hotel. Thankfully, the room was on David’s credit card.

That was the European Mixed. It was fun.

Next weekend we are away to Champery, Switzerland. This time we have Colin and John  back. We are in a group of 5 teams, the top team qualifies for the QF with the second place team having to go through playoffs if they want to make the money. Our group includes Edin(SWE), Pescia(SUI), Sik(CZE), Kirikov(RUS). Tough group, but we will see what we can do.

This is the website. http://www.curling-masters.ch/

Wish us luck.

Good day,

Team Edwards

EMCC 2011 Copenhagen - Thursday

This morning we had an early start for the first time this week and the girls had us up at the crack of dawn.  Well they tried, but being stereotypical males we left it to the very last minute before we dragged ourselves out of our pit and down to breakfast.  Needless to say Louise was tapping the table in reception like she had to be somewhere while we finished off our breakfast with plenty of man time in hand.

The caveman in Dave and Scott came out this morning when it was time to get up

Now I don’t really like talking too much about the games, but we saw something in this morning’s game against Russia that I’ve never witnessed before.  Having played a yellow stone they tried to take it back down the ice and play it in place of another stone that apparently had a crack on the running band?!?  Kerry was straight on the case and with a face like thunder escorted the stone back up the ice much to their surprise.  I stayed out of it for probably the first time in my life and let the umpire rule that they had to play all eight stones during an end.  In the end the guys made look good by leaving me a run back double in the 8^th end to open everything up and when the Russian stuffed his draw through the back we just had to hit the paint for the win. 

Scott should have been an artist with skills like this describing the triple in the 8th.

It’s now time for me to highlight Kerry’s quality moment of the day, which relates to the big cheques on display in Tarnby ice rink.  Having spotted one of these cheques Kerry comes out with a classic, “Having a cheque for that much money would you just not cash it?”.

The owners of this cheque have obviously been careless leaving it lying around!

Lunch today was quite funny as Scott’s order, a number 90 for Louise was mistaken for a number 19.  Now I’d just like to highlight that a number 90 is a children’s portion of tomato spaghetti!  Instead she ended up with a tuna and prawn pizza, which wasn’t ideal given she’s not a fan of either.  Face tripping her she managed to force down two slices with the topping scraped off before conceding defeat and leaving it for the boys supper this evening.

We won this evenings game against Spain although they made us work really hard for it.  The first couple of ends weren’t going to plan as they came out with all guns blazing, but we stuck in there and eventually the tide turned.  There was a little controversy in the 7^th end when the Spanish burnt a rock, but we decided to replace everything as it seemed the fairest thing to do.  The steal of two in this end proved the decider in the game.

We’ve had a little less time today and tomorrow so apologies if the blog updates dry up a little or become much shorter.

It’s the old man’s 60^th birthday tomorrow so we’re heading out for a meal at the Italian round the corner with the Scotland fans we found at the ice rink.

We finish off the round robin against Norway and Romania at 8.30am and 4pm tomorrow.

Vi ses!

EMCC 2011 Copenhagen - Wednesday

Well to coin a now famous Iain Dowie phrase, we got up this morning looking for bouncebackability against Sweden.  Thankfully we came out of the traps like a greyhound chasing a rabbit, and score 2's in the 1st and 3rd ends to secure a 4-1 lead at the break.  We decided to spend the next 4 ends hitting some red handled granite very hard and secured a 6-2 win in the end.

Kerry spent yesterday in the city centre with her mum and it appears they spent most of the day tracking down Scotland fans in Copenhagen.  During their visit they went to the see the Little Mermaid and Queen Margrethe II.  I don’t think they were invited in for afternoon tea and cake with the queen, but apparently the place was swarming with Scotland fans.  Great you might think, but then comes the sudden realization that the Scotland fans are infact the Danish Royal guards.

"The Scotland Fans"

At least Kerry and Jane managed to successfully navigate Copenhagen on the Metro, which is more than can be said for my parents who really should be fitted with a tracking beacon.  Scott’s parents arrived yesterday and he was happy to hear his mum and dad had made it out here safe and sound.  He was a little less happy when his mum announced that their accommodation was right next to a swingers club.

We found this lot at the ice rink. and we think they're supporting us?!?

The lads decided to make up for the food they missed on Monday evening by eating enough for a family of 10 between them at lunch today.

Scott and his Copenhagen version of a bargin bucket

Apparently Scott had seen smaller babies than Dave's calzone!

We’ve spent a few hours here and there with the various members of team Ireland and they’re really good craic, although James does seem to spend a heck of a time in the bath.  We're just heading off to support them in this evenings game as they had a tough one this morning and we wish them the best of luck tonight.  I’m going to share a little story they told us last night about one of their teammates. Picture the scene you’ve one of these nice new shiny bathrooms with one of these new fangled taps that operates both your shower and sink.  You’ve just had a shower, got dressed and need to clean your teeth before you head off for today’s adventures at Tarnby ice rink.  Then there’s this horrible realization that you’ve turned on the tap while cleaning your teeth only to find that the water isn’t coming out of the tap and you suddenly think you’re standing outside in the rain.  I won’t name the individual, but I have been advised that they’ve soaked themselves more than once!

It’s been a long old week out here with only one game a day so far, but for the next two days we have two games, which we're all looking forward to.  Russia and Spain are on the agenda for tomorrow so fingers crossed we can push on from the positive result today.

Vi ses!

EMCC 2011 Copenhagen - Tuesday

Well I woke up this morning to be told by Scott that I had been shouting “for god’s sake stop the screaming” during my sleep last night.  Maybe I was thinking about the noise Scott was going to make if I started to eat him given how hungry I was after missing tea last night.  I’ve never been so excited to have two bits of toast and a spoonful of beans on my plate this morning.  I do have a picture, but I may have to add this at a later date as the camera is on tour this evening.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid was this mornings light entertainment movie before the game at 12pm.  If you love a bit of thoughtless humour I can definitely recommend it although I’m not sure it would be up there in Barry Norman’s all time greats, but it was a worth a watch if you’ve nothing better to do.

The game didn’t really go to plan today although all credit to the Dutch team who played really well throughout the match.  We were all square coming home and had a half stone peel to win the match.  Unfortunately I was a little tight and the target stone jammed on a back stone having removed another of our counters.  It wasn’t a great performance today so we’ll just need to make sure we bounce back tomorrow. 

If the RCCC are reading this, we may have to put in a request for some bigger shirts for “the destroyer” Macleod.  Apparently he can feel his shirts getting tighter after each sweeping effort.

The girls went into town with the parents after the game, and the lads went to the Italian for a Chimichanga before hitting the gym.  These Chimichanga things really are magnificent!

Today's lunch yummy!!!

I have to be honest the gym was a little scary this evening as we seemed to be training with some Mr Universe wannabes.  We obviously didn’t feel out of place being such muscular specimens ourselves, but these guys really were Ronnie Coleman look alikes!

Ronnie : Models himself on Scott and Dave

Scott has just announced this evening that he’s been eyeing up the men (honestly he did say that!) so I may go to sleep with one eye open this evening.

Sweden up tomorrow at 12pm Danish time (11am UK time).

Vi ses!

EMCC 2011 Copenhagen - Monday

After breakfast the team decided to hit the gym as we had the morning and most of the afternoon off before our 4pm game with Wales.  In scenes akin to Rocky IV the Scots battled it out with the Russian squad in the hotel fitness room on a belly full of Danish bacon.

Dave put in a sparkling performance

Scott was showing good form if a little sweaty

The Russians knew they were second best when Kerry started on the bench press.

Kerry’s mum Jane arrived this afternoon to add to our growing fan base out here.  You may think we only have three supporters out here so far, but we did some early groundwork to try and ensure that Scotland are also a favourite with the local residents.

A massive Italian pasta/pizza/burrito/chimichanga lunch came and went and before we knew it, it was game time.  So it was Wales up today and they put up a very tough fight.  The difference was that we made our twos with the hammer when they scored singles.  Best of luck to Wales for the rest of the tournament as we had great fun with the guys after the game.  Adrian has nicknamed Scott Macleod (not Andrews Mr LIB) “The Destroyer” although I’m sure that was more to do with his eating skills after the game rather than the delicate hit weight he displayed during it.

I’m writing this having had nothing to eat since the game as everything seems to shut at 10pm in Kastrup and that includes all take away shops.  I'm so hungry I could eat Scott had he a little more meat on him.  I’m blaming Kerry (again), as she seems to think that her surname means she has to stay at the “Barr” most of the night.

Kerry was very happy after these beers.......

Hope you’re all enjoying the blog and next up is the Netherlands at 12pm Danish time tomorrow.  Rhiann that’s 11am UK time just in case you’re a little unsure.

Vi ses!

EMCC 2011 Copenhagen - Sunday

Sunday was our day off so we decided to pop into Copenhagen for a little bit sight seeing. 

The chosen mode of transport for the day was the Copenhagen Metro, as there’s a station just around the corner from the hotel and the M2 line fires straight into the city centre.  Scott showed that he is definitely not a descendant of Captain James Cook as he made his way towards the airport train that would have been heading the wrong way.  So we board the correct train and as we embarked on our epic journey into the city centre it became clear that Kerry didn’t want to be out shone by Scott in the comedy stakes today.  “Why do all the stations have the same name she announced?” It was at that point she realised that “Udgang” actually means exit!

Dave looking drunk and Louise looking a little excited!

Believe it or not we actually did make into the city centre, and after Kerry had used her fantastic sense of smell to work out the direction of the sea, we set off.  Less than 1km later we approached the canals and decided that the best way to see Copenhagen was from onboard one of the canal boat water tours.  Now I won’t bore you with all the details of the tour, but there are a few things we found out today that we never knew about the city.  The slightly excitable guide announced as we were passing the Hillerod battleship that it was famous for the “oops missile”.   What’s the oops missile you may ask?  Well apparently the only missile it ever fired was by accident into a bunch of friendly summer houses that didn’t entirely enjoy the encounter as I’m sure you can imagine.  A little later on the guide told us that the water in Copenhagen wasn’t safe to drink back in the day so the sailors were entitled to a barrel of beer a day to cover their hydration needs.  You might now be drawing your own conclusions as to why the missile hit the summer houses!

The Hillerod battleship (Thankfully it chose not to fire at us!)

We had a nice lunch in town before heading back to Kastrup where the tournament is being held.  Those of you who know Kerry might want to ask her about her experience with a 2 kroner coin and an old lady before the trip back.  I would give you a little more detail, but she’s the only one that do this story any justice.

The kids give Copenhagen the thumbs up!

A little bit of exercise for some of the team was followed up with dinner alongside my parents who arrived today.  I really do wonder if they’re safe to be let out sometimes as they explained their escapades at the airport over a nice Chinese meal.  Meanwhile Scott was making strides to eat his own body weight in food as he consumed four plates of food from the buffet plus and ice cream chaser………nice work chunk!

As we’re clean living individuals it was protein shake and bed for us last night (as it has been every other night ;-)), but before we hit the sack it was time for a couple of hands of cards.  Louise made a good effort to end our marriage after a period of just 2 months with her ruthless UNO play.  I did think my 1^st round score of 132 was a record that would be hard to beat only for Kerry to come romping home in round 2 with a score of 178.  Those of you who have played UNO will know this isn’t good so I won’t elaborate any further.

We play Wales at 4pm Danish time tomorrow so we’re looking forward to getting back on the ice after a long break.

Vi ses!

Oslo Cup

We competed our first of the Champions Tour event of the season in Oslo on 22-25 October. The event was held in the Snaroya Ice Hall in somepart of Oslo. John, Scott and Colin heading out on the Wednesday via Amsterdam with Greig and David coming out on Thursday via Stavanger.

We had two short practice sessions in Oslo before the tournament started on the Wednesday night and the Thursday morning along with a lot of other foreign teams. Dave and Greig missed both of these because of their flight times.

Our first game of the weekend was against Kalle Kiiskinen of Finland. The skip was part of the Finnish Olympic team who won Silver in the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. So he is pretty decent. It was a scrappy game with us giving up a steal of 2 in the 3rd end. We took a 2 in the 6th end and with Kiiskinen flashing an open hit for a blank the 7th, things it started to go quite well. With us 1 up without in the 8th end, Kiiskinen had a difficult hit for 2. After a measure, it ended up with Kiiskinen scoring a 1 and the game going to an extra end. We managed to keep it clear in the final end and took a straightforward point in the extra for the win.

Game No.2 was against Niklas Edin of Sweden. This was going to be a big game. They were favourites to go through top in our group and are one of the best teams in the world. We were forced to 1 in the first end and were extremely lucky for Edin to only score 1 in the second when it was looking like we were going to lose a big end. We had a tough shot in the 3rd for 4 but unfortunately only got 1. Solid 4th end that lead to Edin trying a ridicous runback to prevent losing a 2, which he missed. We then exchanged 2's and played a pretty poor 7th end that gave Edin a difficult double for 3. He missed and conceded the game. A very good game to win early in our season.

For the 3rd game we were on a wild sheet of ice against Thomas Lovold of Norway. Everybody struggled with draw weight in the early stages of the game, but we took a 4 and manged to keep it comfortable until the end.

Last group game was against Bartsch from Hamburg. We ran out to a 6-0 lead after 3 ends and won the game 8-2. Poor ice again but was an alright performance for our only game on the Saturday.

With our team draw shot result of 38cm, we were ranked No.1 of the group winners. We went back to the hotel and let all the teams slog it out in the playoff games to see who we would have in the Quarter Finals.

It turned out we would be playing Tom Brewster. He did quite well last year so we thought it was probably going to be a tough game. It was. We didnt do anything ridiculously bad, we had a few opportunities, but we didnt really take them. They played well and deserved the win. Team Brewster ended up losing the final against Niklas Edin. Because we beat the winners, I am sure that makes us the best somehow? Right? Oh well, it was good. 8000 NOK in the bank.

Much needed money for the European Mixed Curling Championships in Copenhagen which Dave, myself, Kerry Barr and Louise Edwards will be attending next week.

Our next event as a team will be in Champery, Switzerland in the middle of October.

Have a good day,
Team Edwards

Summer Training

The blog has had a massive layoff over the summer months. This has been in part due to my laziness, as well as it being the summer, therefore not too much happening on the curling front. Despite this, we have still been training hard on and off the ice.

On ice sessions have taken place in Kilmarnock, Stirling and Greenacres throughout the back end on of the summer racking up massive fuel bills and repair costs for our vehicles. Our new tops for the season got their first outing at the Greenacres Training week which can be read about and viewed here http://skipcottagecurling.blogspot.com/2011/08/world-class-insight.html. We were there for a total of 5 days. Throughout the time we were doing some sweeping training, learning what weight control was and just some other technical stuff to make us amazing. We were able to put this into practice in a couple of bounce games against Team Murdoch and Team Gray. In the first game against Murdoch, we started very well by stealing a 4. Unfortunately, that was as far as our dominance went as we ended up losing the game quite comfortably. We were missing Colin for our second game as he was tutoring the up and coming Brewster rink from Aberdeen at the CCT event in Baden. Colin did well and lost the final to Sven Michel from the Alps. While he was away gallivanting in Switzerland, the rest of us with, the addition of Billy Morton, had the practice game against Logan Gray. This was a better game for us and we ran out 5-0 winners I think.

With the season about to actually start, our first competition as a team is the Oslo Cup which runs 23-25 September. I am struggling to remember who we have to play , but I think it includes Niklas Edin, Thomas Lovold, a German team and a Finnish team. Lead, Second and Third are flying out on the Wednesday before the tournament via Amsterdam, Schipol. The Skip and Coach are flying out the day after via Stavanger. This has reminded me that we now have a coach.

Greig Henderson has agreed to be our coach for the season which we are all very pleased about. Soren Gran told us he owed a favour to the Hendersons as part of the deal in seccuring Greig for the coaching post on Team Edwards. A curling session with Soren will be auctioned off at the Aberdeen Ladies Invitational this year. We appreciate the sacrifice you have made for us, Soren.

In other good news, we are now attending the Champions Curling Tour event in Champery this year. We are happy to have opportunity to earn a few thousand CHF. This weekend will also be good preparation for the European Playoffs that follow this competition.

I will attempt to update this more regularly from now on.

Have a good day,

Team Edwards

First Post

Well, this is the first post on the Team Edwards blog.

So far this season we have had several on-ice sessions at The Peak in Stirling. It has been good to be back on the ice throughout the summer. It has also been good to learn how technically awful I (Scott) am at curling. My delivery is straight out the text book now though........ ha

We also received our new shoes courtesy of the SIS. I will be tearing up the ice with teflon next year.

We are now trying to get on the media band wagon as we have created a Facebook page, a Twitter and an email address. So if there is anyone out there who has a spare couple thousand pounds and are looking to make a smart investment in a curling team, you can contact us at TeamEdwardsCurling@gmail.com

If you are not that confident about just handing that amount of money over, you can find out a little bit more about us on our Facebook page which is https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Team-Edwards/226244187402890 or on our Twitter which is http://twitter.com/TeamDEdwards.

This is all I can think of posting for today.

PS we will accept smaller amounts of sponsorship than a "couple thousand pounds".

Thank you
Scott