Know when to fold 'em!

As Kenny once said:
You gotta know when to hold 'em
(when to hold 'em) ...
know when to fold 'em
(when to fold 'em) ...
know when to walk away...
know when to run.

Today was one of those days.... of knowin when to fold 'em.

My competitive curling team has endured some hardships recently... mainly due to the fact the not all 4 members can get on the same page, at the same time, stay on the same page for an extended period of time, and go home at the end of the day satisfied.

Lately, it has become such a charade, that I really don't enjoy curling... every time we would step on the ice, you almost had to hold your breath, in hopes that everyone would get through the game still speaking to one another... and often times that didn't even happen.

Its disappointing because we had sooooooo much potential.

After carefully weighing the pros and cons of my options, I realized that I was really the mediator on the team, the person who carried the bottle of glue in her pocket and after each team session I would use it whenever necessary to repair the damage... but this week, the bottle ran dry and today was the day I threw in the towel.

I told the team that I was not into curling in our zone playdowns under the circumstances. Its hard to find four women who get along on and off the ice, and although we thought we had found 'THE' combo... it seems to have fallen apart somewhere along the lines.

Its one of those things that doesn't feel good no matter what you do... if we stayed together as a team, it was bad, and if we dismantled the team, it was bad.

Its a hard thing for me to swallow, because its almost like giving up -- and I don't give up easily. But this team put up a fight (while providing some entertainment for the rest of the curling community), and at the end of day, it just wasn't worth it anymore, for me.

Although we will still have our league games, getting out of the competitive scene was for the best. There is no longer any pressure... and I can go back to curling for the enjoyment, instead of the stress!

Tomorrow is a new day.... and finally I'm looking forward to it!