André and I met you almost 4 years ago when we started curling. You worked at the Pro Shop at the club, and were responsible for us completely blowing our budget when kitting ourselves out for our first year. But we forgive you, the gear we got was amazing, thanks!
You also ventured out on the ice with Dave to teach us and another beginner the basics of the game. Brave, brave man. You both were patient, careful, and overall exceptional teachers. Again, thanks!
Two years ago, when a teammate of yours broke his collar bone the week before the OVCA Men's Bonspiel you asked if André could fill in. That gave him such a confidence boost, you have no idea. Even the "demotion" to second after your first game (yes, you do need guards where you ask for them, and Rory is far better at that than André is...), the fact that by the end of the tournament you were already talking about the next year and how you and André would need to find some more teammates, made André's entire season. That alone made the chauffeuring of your drunk asses around all weekend totally worth it. Thank you.
We won't speak too much of your going away party, partly cause I'm not sure how much you (or most other people there that night) actually remember. But it was one hell of a night! You have some pretty damn cool friends, thanks for including us in that gang!
And then you moved home, back to Owen Sound (ish). That's far. But you came back for the OVCA Men's with two new teammates and André, and while you boys didn't do as well as you were hoping, it was still a pile of fun. Especially after that last game at Carleton Heights where we all just about laughed ourselves sick discussing the ever increasing elaborate game of curling on the canal with cannons. I still smile to myself thinking about it. And while I still didn't manage to win groupie of the year, it was super fun. Thanks :)
This past week you and your girlfriend made the long trek back to Ottawa to reunite with Taylor, Joel, and André in Team Fail to Fail's second attempt at the OVCA Men's. This year, I was prepared. There were cookies. And mini-pies for pie day (March 14th for those uninitiated in the tradition. March = 3, so 3.14... March 14th... pie day!). And designated driving, and the wave when you guys made your shots, and hugs when you didn't. And the careful reading of the draw boards (ok, win this one so that we don't have to drive all the way to Navan for a 9am draw on Saturday morning!!!). And training your Jen in the ways of team groupie-ness (she's fantastic by the way). All of this might have been enough to finally award me groupie of the year by the rest of the team, but somehow, I think that these might have had something to do with it (even if they weren't quite done when you got here).
All of your curling stuff is green. And the last time we drove past a John Deere dealership you damn near climbed out the window to check out the shiny tractors. And I can still see you standing up on the hacks last year in Metcalf trying to get your feet off the ice to warm up even a little bit. So despite your 6'+ height and size 11 feet, socks seem like not enough of a thank you for all the good that you've given us.
I wanted to make these socks really really special. So I found some awesome people to hold the sock.
Look! Joe (owner of Hogline Pro Shop and generally awesome person) and Dalal (our curling club manager, who in fact does not curl... figure that one out).
Remember I started knitting those socks at the Scotties watching the Homan rink kick some ass? Well, André and I happened to be around during their send off party for World's. With a little bit of help (thanks Joe!) I give you Team Canada and the John Deere sock.
Those girls think that I am probably completely insane. Although Emma said that the socks were sweet. I hope these socks keep you warm in all your curling adventures.
And thanks for being amazing. Love, Jen
No comments:
Post a Comment