March 19, 2024 – World’s Women’s Curling

I never thought that curling would bring me such joy and help me make sense of the world. Here I am taking photos of my TV of Team Canada playing in the worlds. I am able to catch a few games and I love watching them play because it helps me to confirm what I am exploring… “the perfect curling shot.” After a conversation with a colleague, looking online for some more information, and borrowing a friend’s thesis that used autoethnography as a methodology has set my heart on fire. I have opted to use my blogging platforms as a means to reflect on my lived experiences to make sense of “the real world” (i.e., my practice and profession).

Today, Team Canada played two teams who were also undefeated so far in the round robin. The first game went into an extra end and the second game ended in the 8th end after a 4-ender in the 7th. Team Canada won both games. Woohoo. Aside from winning, I am observing the team dynamics and how they are playing. What does it mean to throw a perfect curling shot and be consistent? I love watching the skip of the team. She is a powerhouse. Focused, calm, consistent. One rock at a time, the goal remains the same… to win the game, of course.

I don’t want to reduce the goal or purpose of what Team Canada (or any other curling team) is trying to achieve on the ice. That’s the nature of sport… to win. When you listen to post-game interviews, every player on Team Canada focuses on LEARNING. They love playing for the Canadian audience and they are having fun on the ice. The quality of the shots they are making are AMAZING. They are always communicating, clarifying, and collaborating. From my perspective, they are all making the shot. The clarity of the skip and the confidence and positionality of all players on the team, the FLOW they established is enduring and steadfast.

Team Canada broke their opponents 42-game win streak. What kind of mental, emotional, and physical endurance is required not to be spooked by that statistic? One rock at a time, they play the game with a clear objective. I love how this team communicates with each other. There is mutual respect, shared expertise, and shared purpose. The result… the perfect curling shot. Each player, in their own way, offers a type of leadership. Leadership is not limited to the skip. The team’s consistency persists until the very end of the game. I love that when the game does end, either after the 10th end or handshake, the team smiles and highfives.

When I think about my game on Friday, we found our flow again as a unit. I was still skipping the team and our spare played third. We did not play a “perfect game” (because were are Friday night fun league), but we did play well together. We had flow. We tried to make the best of each shot. And, we communicated. There is always a “learning element” during our games and we are not spending our time judging or blaming one another for our misses, but celebrating the shots made. Much like Team Canada, we played one shot at a time with a common goal. We have mutual respect, we’re trying our best, and we’re having fun. We won 6-0.