After a shitty week, I was lured out to the Oval against my wishes last night

As of Thursday evening, I had successfully eaten 1.5 meals since Friday at lunch. To say I feel incredibly weak from not only being sick, but being unable to keep food, and a complete loss of appetite as a result is a wee bit of an understatement.

For me, it extra sucked because this week was the last week of my /curling leagues, and although my team was playing for 3rd in both leagues, I was sad to have to bail on Monday's game, not only resulting me in not playing, but in my team forfeiting the game. I had left work early yesterday in the hopes that maybe a nap would cause me to wake up, magically have energy and/or an appetite. When that didn't happen, I shot off a quick email to my team, and a text to Tony, who runs the leagues to give him a head's up.

This was Tony's response:

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I'm going to take a step back, almost two years ago before I continue. The impending move to San Francisco was around the corner, and I was looking for positives that would come out of the move. I had left my previous job of a lack of desire to move to California, but this time, I was a lot more invested in the company, and the product. I was willing to give it a shot this time.

Now, I've always loved curling, as a spectator. I have fond memories of watching on TV with my mom growing up, and being slightly jealous of the high performance curlers I grew up with. In my first real job out of college, when the team was looking for holiday party ideas, every year I'd suggest curling. Every year, it was shot down. Two months after I move to the US and leave, what do they do as their holiday party activity? Curling. I'm not bitter.

When I moved to Seattle, I was technically in Redmond, not Seattle. There's a club in Seattle, but being car free, getting out there what a 2.5 hour each way time commitment by bus, and the learn to curl classes and beginning leagues would not have worked out for me. So, I shrugged it off, streamed the events back home, and talked my ex's ear off during curling season.

Moving to Salt Lake City the first time, I saw there was curling, but in an even more not public transport-able locations. I sent off an email to the organizers asking about carpooling or pick up from the closest light rail station, and heard nothing back. Work got busy, fast, and I never really thought about it again.

I've now got an apartment secured, the move is about a month away, and I'm researching things in the neighbourhood I was moving into. I found an ice rink, and thought maybe I'll ask my parents to send my skates down and at least get some free skating in from time to time. Instead, I discovered something wonderful. They have curling.

There was curling 3 blocks away from where I was going to be living.

And, there was a learn to curl lesson series starting a couple weekends after I move. I signed up, without thinking twice. Each lesson was about 90 minutes in a "class room" (aka a locker room), and about 90 minutes on the ice, while league was going on. Afterwards, we joined the league players for broomstacking at a bar not too far away.

I think this was the moment that I realized a few things:

  • These were the first not-work people who were nice to me in the Bay Area
  • I was signing up for league as soon as I could
  • Curling was everything I wanted it to be.

I was only in Oakland for 9 months (almost to the day), but the people in the curling club are some what I miss the most. Because I lived so close, I would occasionally join them at the bar on nights I didn't curl, or would get called upon for a last minute substitute player. In the end, leaving my curling family in San Francisco ended up being harder than leaving a job I had loved.

When I had a firm-ish date for when I was moving back to Salt Lake City, I signed up for leagues, determined that I would not give up curling. This time, rather than sending an email and waiting for a response that never came, I signed up, then sent an email asking about carpooling, and explaining why someone from California just signed up for league in Utah.

This time, I received a response, only saying they'd get back to me before league started, which was fine, that was still 6-ish weeks away.

Once I was in back in town, I sent another email, once again with no response. The club in San Francisco has spoiled me, there were multiple people to turn to when you had questions, and "we can help arrange carpool" was in almost any email that wasn't about curling in Oakland.

Due to a mix-up, league actually started a week earlier than advertised, so the first email I actually received about league was that it started that night and not a week today. So, I when home early, grabbed my stuff, got a Lyft, and made my way out to what was probably the furthest out of downtown I had ever been. All without knowing whether I had a team.

Immediately upon my arrival, I noticed a couple big differences between the Bay and the Oval:

  1. Only two people were helping set up (the Bay club requires you set your own sheet up at minimum)
  2. People weren't really talking outside their teams.

Over the next few months, drama occurred, there was a change in how things were run, and my offers to volunteer with the club were heard.

I also bought a car. I bought a car so I could go curling.

As the drama, subsided, a new club was formed, and we became members of USCA in October:

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source


Back to last night.

Over the last year, I've collected a few medals from the Oval club, ranging from the annual Haunted houses and Winter Games mini-bonspiels, and a trophy (not pictured, it's on my desk at work) for coming in first place for Summer league.

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That's Derpy McDeprington wearing my medals

I've ended up on the club's advisory board, travelled for a couple of bonspiels (and a couple more to come), taught a bunch of learn to curls, and corporate events, taught people in league to help set up (it's amazing how much faster it goes with 12 people helping set up than 2, and how much more curling time you get), tried to be social with people in the various leagues, helped set up for the couple of social events we've had. Basically, being selfish and trying to make our club in Salt Lake City more the type of social club and positive community that I had in San Francisco.

Last night, I was oblivious as to what Tony was planning after the medals presentation. I figured there was an email or something I missed over the week, and didn't really think twice about it. I left a note on our company Slack letting people know I'd be out for a bit.

Well, this happened.

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Honestly, I wasn't expecting it. I've always been the type of person who helps friends when they ask, no matter the task, and since I was welcomed into the curling family in San Francisco, it further cemented my desire to share my love of the sport.

I realized this morning that the only thing I said last night was :

This is what I got out of bed for?

With a giggle and a quick thanks. Like I staid, I've been sick, and quite out of it this last week.

Curling is a team sport, and I've been really quite please with some of the changes I've seen over the last year at the Oval. It's definitely not all about me doing all the things. So many people do small things that make a huge difference-- letting a new player feel the difference between a club broom and our personal brooms, playing with a learn to curl group even though they came out for personal practice, giving corrections with a positive twist, making sure that equipment is in good condition for use, and kept in good condition. I'm excited for the club's future, and the community we (re)build.

As for my team's game, we came in third place. Although we were not medal worthy, we did receive curling Christmas ornaments:

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Oh yeah, and if running on ice and throwing rocks wasn't dangerous enough, my club does Cosmic Curling, for your Friday night entertainment needs:

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If you need me tonight, I'll be on the ice.

See? I can't shut up when it comes to /curling.