tournament | Mama Cormier

….what can I say but “it’s hot”

My plan was to drive to the cottage today to finally open it up but my husband made a deal with me and promised that we would go up together next week and stay for at least four days.

So instead of being stuck on the highway this long weekend I decided to attend the annual Canada Day BBQ at the Lawn Bowling Club. I’m glad I did.

It’s a very short walk from my house to the club and as I got closer I could see that the place was already decked out in red and white. Canada Day is actually tomorrow but the club decided to host the festivities today.

Even though I hadn’t signed up for the lunch because I thought I’d be away the organizers happily took my money and ensured me that there would be plenty of food. There were about 50 players today and we were divided into 16 teams of 3 players or more. The rules were a little different today and the four closest bowls to the jack were scored, 4,3,2 and 1.

I love this group because everyone is so friendly and supportive. It’s my year playing but I’m quickly learning names and picking up lots of good tips each time I play.

After everyone played we went inside and were treated to some delicious food. Hamburgers, sausages and hot dogs were cooked on the BBQ and the table was overflowing with salads, fruit, cheese and desserts, all donated by the members.

Tickets were sold for a 50/50 draw and Gail who sat with me had to leave early so I held onto her tickets. Didn’t she win the whole thing. It was fun shouting out that I held the winning ticket but I made sure everyone knew it wasn’t mine.

Before the festivities ended the top three scoring teams were announced and each member was given a small prize. My team came in third place and we each went home with $4.00.

The heat today was pretty oppressive for many of the members but we were all encouraged to stay hydrated and the occasional breeze off the lake brought some relief. To all my Canadian friends:

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

…..starting at 7:45 and ending at 2:15

The girls all arrived on time for our last practice before the tournament today.

Practice was grim. Everything we taught the girls seemed to go out the window this morning. The adults in the crowd just shook their heads.

After our 30 minute warm-up, the girls put on their numbered jerseys, grabbed their coats, snacks, water and lunches and boarded one of two cars that transported them to our destination.

The school that hosted the tournament only had one gym which also doubles as the school lunchroom. Ten games, back to back, were scheduled for the day with 45 minutes off for lunch. We knew we were in trouble when our first game was delayed by 40 minutes. Luckily for us it didn’t affect the outcome of the game. The girls looked good and played well. They won with a score of 28 to 8.

We then had to sit out and watch two games before our next match. The delay with the first game threw the schedule off considerably so when it was our turn to play again the school lunch hour was about to begin and all the teams had to go to the library and wait until the lunch hour was over. Unfortunately that meant we had to play two games back to back with no break in-between.

We looked at rearranging the schedule but nothing worked so we agreed to shorten each half to 10 minutes and follow the schedule as it was originally set up. Our next game was against the school that we knew would give us our biggest challenge. It started out okay but as soon as the other team started to pull ahead the girls fell apart and we lost by a considerable margin.

Luckily the next two games went in our favour. In the end we finished close to the time that was originally scheduled and we won three out of our four games. We had to leave before the other teams finished playing but I’m pretty sure we came in second place. Not bad after the sorry practice we had in the morning.

No one was sure how many teams move on to the semi-finals but if it is only the first place team then we’re done for the season. I should know by tomorrow or on Monday at the latest.

The one good thing about coaching girls is that if they lose they always see the bright side. They didn’t focus on the one game they lost, rather they were proud of the three that they won. They were so eager that they were prepared to come to another practice tomorrow morning without even knowing if they move on or not. I needed a break so I begged them not to come tomorrow morning.

Thanks to the parents for their support and my fellow coaches for coming out to all the morning practices. One of my colleagues helped me with the coaching and two student teachers volunteered their time. It was great having so much help and input from these wonderful people. A special thanks to Mr. S who accompanied us to the game today and gave the girls a lot of moral support and great advice during the games. I loved his running commentary throughout the matches. He kept me smiling all day long.

Cheers!