Day 10 - Game Over
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 and the playoffs - one game ahead in the standings.
The crowd was great. Team Scotland had their supporters and so did we -- a full house! Great atmosphere and a really good curling match. Eventually, the story would be one of lost opportunities. After giving up points to "Steals" we clawed back to even. In the 7th we blanked the end to give us a chance down 1 with the hammer to tie or win in the final 8th end. After a miracle raise by Scotland the Scots were lying 1 but there was a glimmer of hope as a take out and stick would give Canada 2 points and the victory. As they say, "curling is a game decided by a fraction of an inch". Unfortunately, lady luck once again did not smile upon us -- and Scotland scored 1 clinching their victory.
A very good effort by Canada -- the team could keep their heads high as they played a good match against a team that played very well.
Without getting into the details -- Team Canada's fate was worse then just a close loss. It also meant their tournament was over with no playoffs. In a twist of cruel fate, a loss by Team USA after they led the Slovaks 7-2, set up a 4 way tie for 7th (including Canada - one spot out from the playoffs). This meant a complicated, "tie-breaker", formula decided that Canada would drop to 10th place. A disappointing result with unfortunate consequences.
After a tournament with so many great experiences and memories, the final standings unfortunately are a bitter pill to swallow. But the wounds of this result are not permanent and will heal. There are so many positives I take away from the experience -- more on that soon with my final blog posts on my experience coming soon.
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 and the playoffs - one game ahead in the standings.
The crowd was great. Team Scotland had their supporters and so did we -- a full house! Great atmosphere and a really good curling match. Eventually, the story would be one of lost opportunities. After giving up points to "Steals" we clawed back to even. In the 7th we blanked the end to give us a chance down 1 with the hammer to tie or win in the final 8th end. After a miracle raise by Scotland the Scots were lying 1 but there was a glimmer of hope as a take out and stick would give Canada 2 points and the victory. As they say, "curling is a game decided by a fraction of an inch". Unfortunately, lady luck once again did not smile upon us -- and Scotland scored 1 clinching their victory.
A very good effort by Canada -- the team could keep their heads high as they played a good match against a team that played very well.
Without getting into the details -- Team Canada's fate was worse then just a close loss. It also meant their tournament was over with no playoffs. In a twist of cruel fate, a loss by Team USA after they led the Slovaks 7-2, set up a 4 way tie for 7th (including Canada - one spot out from the playoffs). This meant a complicated, "tie-breaker", formula decided that Canada would drop to 10th place. A disappointing result with unfortunate consequences.
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