Memento from last nights game, With the league championship on the line the box score speaks for itself. ------------------------------------------------ | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ------------------------------------------------ | CTFS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | x | x | x | x | x | ------------------------------------------------ | 6Pack | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | x | x | x | x | x | x | ------------------------------------------------ They say you have to make it to the big game a couple of times to learn how to win... and did we ever learn. Game started out with the usual 2 to 3 people missing from the CTFS squad, spares for the big game were Mark "McQueen Where Are You" Pioli and George "4ender" Jensen. First lesson for next year - find different spares Normal pre game rituals were upheld at beginning , Shannon and Mark having pre game beer, Mauro and George showing up 1 minute before the game starts Second lesson - have more beers before game The opponent for the big game was a veteran group 6Pack full of experience. First order of business was to psych us out , they arrived all wearing matching jackets and pants Third Lesson - need matching team uniforms, if you look good you will play good Game started out as per usual losing the coin toss. Fourth Lesson - next year flip 2 headed coin and call heads. With hammer the veteran savvy group took a pair and stole another in the 2nd. CTFS still had hope as 6pack was due to start missing at least one shot and we were due to start making at least one shot Fifth Lesson - get the lead, and make shots. Then came the dreaded THIRD end, the end that will go down in CTFS curling history, with what was on the line-league championship game, this was CTFS's worst end ever played. The end was capped off with a mauro raise to the button. As the raised rock sailed through the button, it was over, shockingly we gave up 5. (if they didn't show pity and measured the outside stones it could of been 6) down 8 after 3 ends. Sixth Lesson - don't ever give up 5 points in one end. Then there it was, as silence and shock hung over our heads like a black cloud, the historic pep talk from our skip that i will never forget a rally cry no-one will forget, one that will go down in infamy Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is-Vince Lombardi Believe you can and you’re halfway there-Theodore Roosevelt Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision- Muhammad Ali If we give up a point next end we are shaking hands - Mauro Nuccitelli Seventh Lesson - need better inspirational speech True to his word we shook hands after the 4th end, which is a full game for George, please don't tell him games are usually 8 ends. After the game I had a peak in the dressing room and saw what it took to win. 6pack took off there matching jackets, they looked like they just came back from war, they pulled off their tensor bandages, skip packed up his shooting stick( "Wonderstick") a team that knew how to win. Eighth Lesson - we are all shooting with sticks next year Not even nachos could ease the pain of the loss, as we were upstairs at 6:30 and had to look at the scoreboard for 2 hours until 50/50 draw. Ninth Lesson - take embarrassing score down pronto. Last moment of glory maybe just maybe we could win 50/50 draw..ha, as the number was drawn from the bucket the night end on the proper note. 10th lesson - buy more tickets. Mark Pioli