Monday at the Trials

Some observations after my first day in Edmonton:

The women take warm up a lot more seriously than the men. I’m not talking about on the ice, but everything that happens before that. You seen them stretching and jumping around, doing something to get their heart rates up, I guess. The men mostly look around and tell jokes with each other.

Kevin Martin walked out for his second game today and quickly doffed his jacket to reveal that he’d put on Jules Owchar’s shirt with the name on the back. He walked around for about 10 minutes before someone pointed it out and he went and changed.

The day after I had a story on just how great Hans Wuthrich is at making ice, the guys came off after their draw saying how tough the ice is. “We’re better than this,” said Glenn Howard. It should be pointed out that he has full confidence that the guys will fix things up before long.
Oops. In fairness to me, I wrote the article on Hans well before anyone had curled on the ice here at Rexall Place. It was more of a general article on Hans and his past successes. Still, timing is everything isn’t it”

If you’re coming to Rexall Place to take in a game, eat beforehand. A slice of pizza is $6 – makes me think Rogers Centre is actually reasonable.

When we’ve been living in the balmy fall-early winter conditions in Ontario, it’s awfully tough to get used to -25 degree temps here in Edmonton. You have to dress in expedition wear just to walk over to the patch. I haven’t made it yet. Yes, I’m a wimp.

There are only eight teams in each draw. So why is it two of them get stuck wearing these bile-green coloured jackets?

Old curlers don’t fade away – they become reporters. Sitting on the bench behind me here in Edmonton is the reigning World Seniors champion Eugene Hritzuk, reporting for a radio station.