Team Canada Wheelchair Curling - World Championship 2019

Thank you.   The phrase is simple and appropriate, yet decidedly does not fully express my gratitude to the Athletes and Support Staff of Team Canada and for the opportunity to be team physician.  I will elaborate further. Thank you to... The Venue: The city of Stirling, Scotland and the venue at The Peak have been great!  A first class facility situated in a charming city with plenty of fun places to explore, eat and have an enjoyable time on my first trip to Scotland. The Volunteers: Fantastic!!! Good job to everyone who was helping host and run this year's World Championships.  No matter the time of day or the request I was always met with a friendly smile and a genuine desire to assist me in any way they could.  Be proud Stirling and Scotland -- your Athletes and your Volunteers represented you very well. The Team Canada Coaching Staff: Thanks to Wayne and Kyle.  You made me feel part of the team by including me in team meetings...

Staff Profile Kyle Paquette - Team Psychologist Preferred Name: Kyle Paquette Hometown: Espanola, ON Prior Team Canada Experience: 2017 Worlds, 2018 Paralympics Favourite Movie: Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen) Favourite Food: Big fan of soups, pho, ramen "If you could invite 3 people out for dinner, who would they be and why?" 1. Gordon Ramsey 2. Jerry Seinfeld 3. Chris Hadfield "There will be no shortage of humour, storytelling, and deep insights on humanity and human potential"

All good things must come to an end -- and as such so did Team Canada's magical run of 5 straight wins -- and by extension their playoff hopes. The day started on a bit of a bad omen, as the normally reliable bus/coach system we'd been using to get to the venue did not show up.  By the time Kyle could track down the organizers, three of our athletes had to wheel to the venue as the mini-van they sent could only fit 2 wheelchairs. A minor snafu -- but a deviation from the normal routine. Regardless, we had a job to do against Estonia -- a win would put us firmly near the top of the standings and in the middle of playoff contention.  Unfortunately we never really got our game going like we had the previous few games -- and as a result the resilient Estonians took advantage -- earning the victory and moving up the standings. After lunch we had a lot of time to reflect and prepare for the evening showdown against the host-country Scotland - who stood between us  an...

Edinburgh Yesterday we went to Edinburgh Castle!  I had afternoon tea and saw the crown jewels.   It was so much fun.  My favourite part of the Castle was the Tea Room.  After we went to a Optical Illusion place. It had a mirror maze and a spinning room. Now I'm going to ask you a few questions and you can answer in the comments: 1. Where are you from? 2. What is your favourite thing to do? 3. What is your favourite colour? (my favourite colour is Pink)

When you're on a roll - you're on a roll.  When a teams starts putting wins together its sometimes hard to explain exactly why -- especially coming off a lengthy losing streak.  For Team Canada the special run they are on may be due to a change in focus from trying "not to lost" to "playing to win".   On this day this philosophy was on full display.  Coming off an impressive win against Russia the night before, Team Canada first faced Germany.  The Germans did their best to keep things close but ultimately Team Canada once again prevailed for a fourth straight win.  This brought their record back to ".500" at 4-4... and back in the middle of the standings. With things clicking for Canada, we took our lunch break where the team was relaxed and comfortable.  We shared some chocolate hearts courtesy of Team Germany (Thank you!), and discussed the merits of controversial British Television shows, and what a "fully accessib...

Staff Profile Steven Macaluso - Team Doctor Preferred Name: Steve ("Doctor Mac") Hometown: London, ON Prior Team Canada Experience: First trip with the team Favourite Movie: Rudy (Love that movie... I get emotional even when I hear the music from it!) Favourite Food: Sushi (Red Dragon Roll) "If you could invite 3 people out for dinner, who would they be and why?" "I'm the one that asked the question, but still this is tough.  Can go several different directions.  Since I get to eat with my amazing wife and 2 awesome kids all the time I'll pick 3 fantasy picks here."    1. "My Grandfather - he was always so supportive and proud of all my accomplishments.  I always looked forward to telling him what was new in my life -- and we have a lot to catch up on" 2. "Rocky Balboa - Favourite Movie 1b... the movies had a big impact on me growing up" 3. "George Carlin - Funny in so many ways.  Smart and wi...

Its been said that good luck is when "opportunity meets preparation". For Team Canada, coming off their first win of the tournament the night before against China, their "opportunity" to get back in the tournament came in the 8th end against Slovakia.    With Canada down by 1, and Slovakia with the hammer, we needed a steal to stay alive.  After Jon suggested a "strategy" in the team huddle before the end, it all came down to the last rock.  With Canada lying 2, the Slovaks came up short on their draw, giving Canada the 2 points and the victory. Game action against Slovakia With that "narrow" victory in the books we hit lunch.  As we digested our food, and the events of the morning, we also learned of the nuances of " Para jiu-jitsu " from Jon, and heard of Mark's "jiu-jitsu match" the night before at the hotel. A sense of relief post game - We enjoyed "Good Luck" Up next was a very good Russian ...

Staff Profile Kyle Turcotte - Team Leader Preferred Name: Kyle Hometown: Winnipeg, MB Prior Team Canada Experience: Consulting with Curling Canada for 5 years.  I've also worked with Team Canada Women's Wheelchair Basketball, Women's Volleyball, and Paratriathlon. Favourite Movie: Depends on mood - I have lots of favourites including all the Star Wars Movies. Favourite Food: I like food, I'd lean towards Italian "If you could invite 3 people out for dinner, who would they be and why?" 1. "Will Ferrell - who wouldn't want to eat with the Lone Wolf" 2. "Dave Grohl - he seems like a down to earth musician who'd have tons of interesting stories" 3. "Donovan Bailey - I'd like to know what it was like to be the fastest man on earth at one time"

With several days of competition in the books, Team Canada and their fans were itching for a win... And Team Canada delivered! The team was playing two games -- afternoon and evening.  Thus, everyone had a restful morning in preparation of a couple big games against two very strong teams - the Swiss and China. After several of us surviving a little Marmite taste test at breakfast (survived but we'll never forget -- my question to the Scots is why??), the team headed to the rink for game action. Why Scotland Why? The Swiss had been playing very well this entire tournament - and this day was no different.  Once again, an opponent put their best game on display against Canada.  For the 3rd of 4 matches the game came down to the last stone - and once again, unfortunately, we came away on the short end of a defeat. Tensions were high as the evening brought a match up with China - the team that beat Canada at the Semi-finals of the last Paralympics on a miracle l...

Staff Profile Wayne Kiel - Coach Preferred Name: Wayne Hometown: Balgonie Prior Team Canada Experience: Team Assistant 2009-15, Coach since 2015 Favourite Movie: To Sir With Love Favourite Food: Sausage "If you could invite 3 people out for dinner, who would they be and why?" 1. "Shania Twain - Love her life's journey" 2. "My wife - For all the many years of support she has given" 3. "My mom - who left this world at such a young age"

"There is no better than adversity.  Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time." - Malcolm X   So was the case today in Team Canada's two games.  The first of which was another "down-to-the-wire" defeat on the last rock of the game.  This time at the hands of a talented Korean team. Unfortunately, that meant after two games in the books Canada was still "Win-less".  The good news was that overall the team had a better performance, and the game could have turned in our favour had any number of things gone our way.  So it is in curling, where there is a fine line between success and failure. We had lunch at the venue -- and Jon "took-one" for the team. The Cheese and "Something?" Sandwich... ...Jon "taste-tested" it for us.  Verdict: Avoid The team used the afternoon to re-group and get some "R+R" (ie. R...