Pebble Water 22.0

In this episode of "A Pane In The Glass Podcast" there is a question posed by a listener about how curlers can remember the different speeds and paths the rocks take, a comment about the back line rule, a group of sound bites regarding the recently concluded "Masters" golf tournament and a wrap up by Joanne Courtney of "Rock League". Enjoy!

Transcript

Ice Paths?

The back line rule

Sound bites about "The Masters"

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Welcome to another episode of a pain in the glass podcast. This is your host, Bill Shearhart, chartered professional coach coming to you from my home in Grand Bend, Ontario, on the ancestral land of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nations. Well, as you can see by the title, it's going to be a group of topics, not too many. And the first one is an answer to a question that was sent to me using the hyperlink available to you. Then I'm going to make a comment about the backline rule. I have a number of sound bites referring to the recently concluded Masters Golf Championship from Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia. Most golfers, I think, would say it's probably one of their favorite tournaments to witness, and some have actually been there. And so these sound bites are about sort of the inside aspects of the tournament. And then Joanne Courtney, whose voice is very familiar to curling fans, gives us a quick rundown of the playoff round of Rock League. So enjoy Pebble Water 22.0. Recently a question was sent to me by using the hyperlink. That's the your turn statement at the end of the show notes. And this person resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. And a very good question. And here is the question. How do brushers remember the different speeds of the different paths? I try to pay attention, but it's a lot to remember. Are there any tips or strategies you can share for helping brushers improve path speed memorization? Well, you certainly have identified something very important if a team wants to compete at the higher levels, understanding that a sheet of curling ice is like a topographical map. Now, just to back up the bus a little bit here, and I'll use a personal example. When I was the national development coach in Calgary, Alberta, at the Calgary Curling Club, uh still one of the busiest curling facilities uh on the planet. The ice technician at the time was Jamie Barassa. And he and his crew, it's an eight-sheet facility, he and his crew worked all night to prepare the sheets for the next day. I played in a competitive senior league on, I believe it was on Wednesdays, in the morning, and if we had the first draw, in other words, if our game was played at nine o'clock after Jamie and his crew worked all night on the sheets, it was like briar ice. The ice was very uniform. There were no excessive curves, either clockwise or counterclockwise, on any of the paths. And of course, because the pebble was fresh and nipped, there were no different paths of rocks coming down the ice and the varying speeds that go with them. In other words, as the skip of the team, I knew I could call, we might not make the shots, but I could call any shot, uh inside out, outside in, uh, whatever speed was required. And that was if we played at nine o'clock in the morning. On occasion, I would be asked to spare, perhaps for one of the teams that were in my program at the High Performance Center, if I would spare for a 9 o'clock PM game. And lo and behold, it might have been on the same sheet that I was on 12 hours earlier, 9 o'clock in the morning. I would have to play a very different game because five games of curling had been played on that sheet from when I started at 9 o'clock in the morning. And there were different paths with different speeds. There had been five opportunities for the ice technician to pebble, so there was pebble buildup. So paying attention to what the ice is telling you, and that's the key. So to the person who asked the question about how do you remember, well, the ice will help you with that. But here's a little bit more of a practical suggestion. The two front-end players, I think this is a really good job for them, with a stopwatch, probably using hog the hog as the timing system, and paying attention to the number of rocks that were delivered down similar paths. So if the lead on the team was responsible, say for the four foot stripe, the middle portion of the ice, and his or her counterpart, the outside, so outside from edge of four foot to the sideboards on either side, paying attention to the speeds, especially if the other team was shooting, because you've got an opportunity to watch the rocks down those paths and time the rocks and then compare the paths and the times, and pretty soon just your simple awareness will help you remember. It's kind of an automatic system. So I think that's probably the best advice that I can give is the division of labor. And again, front-end players that leave in the second, I think, are very appropriately posed to gather this information for you. So again, thank you very much for asking the question. Okay, now I have a question for you. Under what circumstances is a stone to be removed from play immediately? And the operative word in the question, of course, is the last word, immediately. So you might want to hit pause and give this some thought. Well, I would imagine you would have gotten two out of the three. Well, here are those circumstances. The first one is if a rock is touched, a running stone is touched before it reaches the hog line, it is to be removed from play immediately. Once the rock crosses the hog line, you do not remove it because the non-offending team has some options, but I'm not going to get into that at this point. So that's number one. Number two, when a rock touches a sideline or side board or foam, whatever it happens to be, as soon as it does, it is to be removed from play immediately. So there's the second. And I would suspect that there's a lot of you out there listening to this that are thinking, oh, is there a third? Well, as of a few years ago, the people that make the rules for curling changed the situation at the back line. And I've talked about this before, and I won't try to bury the lead here. There's a loophole in the rules, and I'll explain that loophole in just a moment. But the other time that a rock is to be removed from play immediately, is when it crosses the back line. As soon as it crosses the back line, it's to be removed from play immediately. Now, what's this loophole? Well, the loophole is because that's not a very practical rule. I know that the rules committee, at least the best uh uh knowledge that I was that was shared with me, was that they wanted to treat the back line like a sideline. Now, if we go back to that sideline situation, it basically says as soon as a rock touches a sideline, sideboard or foam, whatever it happens to be, it's removed from play immediately. So they wanted to treat the back line the same. There's only one problem with that. A rock that touches a sideline, I'll just stick with the word sideline, it's the leading edge of the rock that does the touching. On the back line, it's exactly the opposite. It's the trailing edge that is the part of the rock that's in question here. Now, from a practical perspective, in normal play, there's you know, really not what's the problem, Bill? In other words, as soon as the rock crosses the back line, it's to be removed from play. Well, if that rock is moving towards the back line, it's on the back line, and the trailing edge is approaching the back line, it could be moving rather slowly, with the uh skip or the third of the opposition madly you know trying to brush it to get it out of play. And as that trailing edge gets to the back line, it does what Russ Howard likes to call that gear effect. And and just before it actually comes to rest, it gears back and comes to rest. And upon inspection, well, it's still in play. But my friends, that's not the rule. So if if if a member of the other team and you decide, well, looking down at it, it's you know, it's it's it it hasn't crossed the the back line, you can see it's it's come to rest. But again, not to sound like a broken record, that's not the rule. It's to be removed from play immediately when it crossed the backline. So what's gonna happen if there's a disagreement between the two teams? And one team says it did cross the back line before it geared back, and the other team says it didn't. And it could gear back, not just to be inside a part of the stone inside the hog or the back line, sorry, it could be now touching the rings. That's the loophole. If it's in a non-officiated play, like in your curling facility, well, you're just gonna have to work it out with the other team. But if it's a rather important competition, like the Olympics, for example, and it could be for the gold medal, and it could be that the score is tied, well, you see where this is headed. And I asked the person on the committee who I know instigated this rule change, and and I'll I'll call him Fred. I said, Fred, what are you gonna do in a situation like that when one team insists that it didn't cross the back line and the other team says it did cross the back line, and it could be the difference between the winning point and a gold medal game for the entire world watching? What are you gonna do? And his reply to me, and and and we're good friends, we're still good friends to this day, but I was stunned when he said, Bill, that's never gonna happen. Really? So so you're gonna have a rule that you recognize has a loophole, and you think that it's never going to happen. Well, I may be long gone before it does happen, but I'll can just about guarantee it's going to happen. I see that as a definite flaw. I don't know why they did that. Uh, there is a solution to this, and I'll talk about that another time, but when you're when you're playing, that's the rule at the back line now. As soon as the rock completely crosses the back line, regardless of how quickly it's moving, it's to be removed from play immediately. Oh, Bill, that's never gonna happen. Yeah, right. I have some sound bites for you, and they're about the Masters. And I think most golf fans, uh whether they play or not, if there's one tournament that catches eyeballs, it's the Masters. It's one of the Grand Slam uh tournaments. It is the first tournament of the four each year, all except for the COVID years. But there is a mystique about this tournament. It is very different from the others. Um, first of all, it's the only Grand Slam tournament that's played on the same course every year. So you really get to uh know the course and all of the nuances about the masters, and there's certainly lots of them. So, what I've done here is I've gathered some sound bites where uh folks have talked about uh the the inside stories about the masters. And so uh again, for those of you who are non-golfers, I apologize. You may want to go to another part of the of the episode. But here we go with sound bites of the masters.

SPEAKER_11 14:32

Here are 10 ways you can play Augusta National. The first, you gotta get invited by a member.

SPEAKER_09 14:36

Yeah, it sounds easier than it actually is. I think there's only 300 members total at Augusta National. The next way is you can work or volunteer at The Masters.

SPEAKER_11 14:44

I actually know someone that did this one.

SPEAKER_09 14:46

Really? I feel like it's really rare.

SPEAKER_11 14:47

He's got some connections. I don't know. This next one's an interesting one. You could write a book about Augusta. I'm gonna write a book, I'm gonna get invited.

SPEAKER_09 14:54

I feel like after us saying this on the video, everyone's suddenly an author and they're gonna write an Augusta National book. Okay, the next way, Zach, is you can play Augusta Country Club. This is the course that sits directly next to Augusta National.

SPEAKER_11 15:05

Does that count, though?

SPEAKER_09 15:06

Is that gonna get you on Augusta National? So this is probably the rarest of all of them on the list, but it's been known that Augusta National have called next door to see if there's a single player that would be willing to come over to Augusta National and play. I think it would be a pretty easy decision.

SPEAKER_11 15:22

Yeah, be willing. Yeah, I'm sure. Next one is you befriend a master's champion.

SPEAKER_09 15:26

Oh, yeah, let me just call out my buddy Rory McElroy and see if I can get a T time. The next one wouldn't work for us, but you can join the Augusta University golf team. Team members have been granted playing opportunities in the past. So that is a way onto the golf course.

SPEAKER_11 15:39

Never too late to go back to school, Will. Next you can win the media lottery, which I think you might do this year. Fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_09 15:45

This next one is kind of a favorite of mine. You can become a caddy at the club, and only the trusted ones get rare chances to play it in the off-season.

SPEAKER_11 15:53

I feel like in the off-season's as good as in season. Probably not as fast, a little easier of a course. You could work for a major sponsor, so top partners occasionally receive exclusive access tied to the masters.

SPEAKER_09 16:04

Imagine having the power to invite people to play Augusta National through like connections at work. And then the last one is never gonna happen for a lot of us, but qualify for the masters. If you earn a spot in the field, it's obviously a guaranteed opportunity to play Augusta National.

SPEAKER_11 16:18

You just gotta soak it in. Listen, again, we got 10 ways to do this. Well, we'll figure it out.

SPEAKER_09 16:25

Here are 15 perks that every Masters champion gets. Let's hear them. The most obvious one, probably for everyone: the green jacket that they get to keep for one year before it stays at the club. But I heard they can't even wear it around, like in casual places. There's very strict rules in what you can and can't wear with the green jacket. The next one is the engraving on the Masters Trophy. That's pretty cool. That's like the Stanley Cup. Pretty cool. And this one stays at Augusta National because you get a replica of the trophy to take home with you. So is that another perk? You get a little replica? You get a replica and it's about 40% of the size of the actual Masters trophy. I'll keep this in mind for in 10 years when I win. Then the next two, you get a master's gold medal and a gold locket. A gold locket, yeah. So it's a little necklace, and it traditionally is presented to them at the champions' dinner the following year, and it's actually meant for their spouse. Ah, gotcha. Okay, that's pretty nice. I like that. Number six, I kind of just mentioned, is the invitation to the champions dinner. I've heard there's been some bad masters dinners. Number seven is an honoring membership to Augusta.

SPEAKER_10 17:23

I absolutely love that one. That one might mean the most to me if I ever won the Masters.

SPEAKER_09 17:27

Okay, the next one is a locker in the champions locker room. This is probably one of the most special lockers you can have in all of a sport.

SPEAKER_10 17:34

I would assume that it is the most special locker you can have.

SPEAKER_09 17:37

Number nine, there's a champions only driving range. All the best players in the world getting balls together. Imagine the stripe show that's on display on that one. Number 10, a lot of people know, is a lifetime invitation back to the Masters.

SPEAKER_10 17:48

If I were a professional golfer and I won the Masters, I would keep coming back and attempting to win.

SPEAKER_09 17:53

All right, number 11 is you get a ton of world ranking points. That one makes a ton of sense. The winner's check is$4.2 million, so a nice little payday for four days of work. That's a chump change. And then 13 and 14 is you get five-year exemption to the other majors and to the PGA tour.

SPEAKER_10 18:07

I mean, the Masters really pays off for you.

SPEAKER_09 18:09

And then the last one is a special tea time so every past champion gets to return annually and play Augusta with a guest Sunday before the tournament begins.

SPEAKER_10 18:17

Imagine bringing your future kids to the Masters every Sunday as they grow up. That's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

We are counting down 10 unwritten rules that govern every move at Augusta National. Rules you will not find in any official handbook. From how patrons must stand and speak to the invisible enforcement system holding it all together. Each entry reveals a tradition shaping the most controlled event in sports. Some will surprise even lifelong fans. Starting at number 10, we begin with the one rule you can actually hear. In the tenth place, silence and stillness settle over Augusta National like a ritual. Nowhere is this more pronounced than at Amen Corner, where even the faintest whisper feels out of place. As a player steps to the T, marshals raise green paddles and press a finger to their lips, signaling to thousands that it is time to hold their breath. The hush is not just etiquette, it is tradition. Tracing back to the 1930s when Bobby Jones insisted that golf's most dramatic moments deserved absolute quiet. Today, internal logs keep track of every verbal reminder, reinforcing a standard that is policed less by threat than by shared reverence. Tiger Woods once said the silence at Amen Corner is louder than any crowd noise. This pause, this collective stillness, is the sound of respect, a living boundary that sets the masters apart from every other tournament, and the baseline for every other unwritten rule to come. Number nine, the ban on phones and on-course photography draws a hard line between modern convenience and Augusta's sense of tradition. Since the early 2000s, Augusta National has escalated its device policy from a simple restriction on recording equipment to a total prohibition on all mobile phones inside the gates. Every entrance is equipped with a locker system. Patrons receive tags and are required to check their devices before stepping onto the grounds. Security scanners and random bag checks reinforce the rule, and marshals are trained to spot even the smallest infraction. In 2026, former major champion Mark Kalkavecchia was ejected after a hidden phone rang during a gallery walk, making headlines and sending a clear message: no one is exempt. This zero-tolerance approach is not just about eliminating digital noise. It preserves the uninterrupted atmosphere that defines the masters, ensuring that every moment is experienced firsthand, not filtered through a screen. In eighth place, movement at Augusta National is choreographed with the same care as the course itself. The rope lines, though their exact distance remains a closely held club detail, are set to keep patrons, never called fans, at a respectful remove from play, shaping sight lines and ensuring no one impedes the action. Collapsible chairs, permitted only if they fit within narrow industry standard dimensions, line the fairways in orderly rows, each one a silent marker of claimed territory that cannot block another's view. The term patron entered official club language in the early 2000s, a deliberate shift that recast the crowd as stewards of decorum rather than mere spectators. This culture of controlled presence traces back to the days of Arnie's army, when the board first debated how to channel the energy of growing crowds without sacrificing the tournament's quiet order. At Augusta, even where you sit and how you move become acts of respect. Number seven, every competitor. At Augusta is measured not just by their swing, but by the way they carry themselves from the first T to the last green. The unwritten expectation is clear. Composure is non-negotiable. Outbursts, fist pumps, or drawn-out celebrations are kept in check, echoing Bobby Jones's old standard for pace and dignity. Players are expected to address the ball within 45 seconds, a guideline that became more than tradition in 2022 when Marshalls issued the tournament's first public slow play warning to a senior trio taking too long between shots. Such moments are rare, but they send a message. Respect the pace, respect the field. Enforcement rarely comes from officials alone. A glance from a fellow competitor or a quiet word often does the job. This culture of peer-policed etiquette sets the tone for patrons and caddies alike, reinforcing the sense that, at the masters, how you act matters as much as how you play. Number six, the caddy tradition at Augusta National is more than just a visual cue. It is a living symbol of club culture and control. Since 1983, only caddies approved by the club selection committee are allowed on the bag, a rule that transformed the role from local guide to staff ambassador. The iconic white jumpsuit introduced in 1990 turns every caddy into a walking emblem of Augusta's standards, blending anonymity with authority. Each caddy undergoes rigorous training, not just in etiquette, but in equipment control, responsible for logging every club and ensuring no prohibited devices make it onto the course. In 2005, a caddy's attempt to use a laser rangefinder ended with the device confiscated and the caddy escorted off the grounds. A reminder that the staff enforces tradition as firmly as any rulebook. At the Masters, the Caddy's uniform and conduct are as much a part of the sectical as the green jacket itself. Number five, autograph etiquette at Augusta National is governed by strict timing and location. Official patron conduct guidelines specify that autograph requests are only allowed at two designated fences, one near the 13th T and another by the 15th Fairway. Those fences are open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during practice and the first two rounds. Patrons are forbidden from approaching players for signatures while a round is in progress. Volunteers and staff monitor these zones closely, redirecting any spontaneous requests back to the authorized areas. This approach protects the competitive rhythm and shields players from distractions. The same conduct packet reinforces the club's no-tipping policy, making it clear that services included in the ticket price and gratuities are not permitted. At Augusta, every interaction, where you stand, when you ask, how you think, reflects a culture that values order and respect above all else. Number four, media conduct at Augusta National is governed by a blend of strict credential limits and an unwritten editorial code that shapes every broadcast. Only 27 on-course media passes are issued each day, a figure confirmed by the club's press office and guarded as closely as the tournament's most storied traditions. Reporters without a pass remain confined to the broadcast tower or hospitality areas, ensuring that only a select few witness the action up close. The club's 2005 communications memo, ANCOM Guide, explicitly bans live microphones on the 18th green in any area where a camera is positioned. This policy was cemented after the 1999 NBC incident, when an unsanctioned microphone picked up private player conversations, prompting Augusta to tighten its grip on narrative control. Enforcement is swift. Credential revocation is the ultimate sanction, and even seasoned broadcasters tread carefully. By limiting both access and audio, Augusta preserves the mystique of the masters, ensuring that the story told to the world is as carefully curated as the course itself.

SPEAKER_05 26:06

Saw Palmetto?

unknown 26:07

Nope.

SPEAKER_05 26:08

What about Flomax? Nope. Antibiotic? No.

SPEAKER_03 26:12

Coming to the top three, the ceremonial rituals at Augusta National form the symbolic heart of the masters. The green jacket, first awarded to Sam Sneed in 1949, is more than a trophy. It's a visible sign of belonging to an exclusive circle. Each champion's jacket is kept on site, locked away until the champion's return. A reminder that membership in this tradition is both honor and obligation. The champion's dinner, established in 1958 at Ben Hogan's suggestion, gathers past winners for a private evening where only they decide the menu and share stories. Attendance is by invitation only. The menu chosen by the reigning champion often reflects personal heritage, from Nick Faldo's fish and chips to Hideki Matsuyama's sushi. These rituals are meticulously recorded in club ledgers and cherished by champions like Trevor Immelman, who called the jacket a piece of history. Together they codify the unwritten bond that every other rule seeks to protect. Number two, enforcement at Augusta National operates through a hierarchy known simply as the Augusta Way. At the top stands the head marshal, overseeing a network of course, marshals and security officers, each trained to intervene without spectacle. Every infraction, whether it's a whispered phone call or a misplaced chair, is met first with a verbal reminder, logged in a paper record that's digitized each night. If the warning goes unheeded, a written notice follows, delivered quietly to a locker or caddy. Only in rare cases, less than half a percent of all patrons, does the process reach ejection, as it did in 2021, when a coach was escorted out for violating the phone ban. This three-step protocol, outlined in the confidential Marshall Handbook, relies less on punishment than on the steady pressure of reputation and ritual. At Augusta, enforcement is a living system, adapting to each new challenge while sustaining the code that holds every other rule in place. And finally, in first place, digital pressure now tests the very heart of Augusta's unwritten code. Since 2023, the club has quietly partnered with social listening vendors to monitor hashtags like hashtag MastersLive, issuing private warnings to influencers and even revoking credentials for livestream breaches. A confidential memo circulated before the 2024 tournament made it clear: sponsorships and media credentials could be pulled if digital boundaries were crossed. The debate over how much tradition can bend plays out in public relations statements and heated columns, with critics like John Feinstein questioning whether secrecy still serves the master's mystique or risks alienating a new generation. As influencer culture grows and every swing risks becoming cotton, Augusta faces a living negotiation. How much of its past can it protect, and how much must it adapt to survive? The future of the code may depend on where the next hashtag draws the line. Across every tradition, one truth emerges. The masters isn't just protected by rules, it is sustained by a living culture of respect and restraint. These unwritten codes shape Augusta's mystique today. In a world that changes fast, this quiet guardianship is what keeps the Masters utterly unique.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

This last sound bite is about the Champion's Dinner. And you're going to hear the voices of some of uh golf's uh well-known players who have been part of the Champions Dinner, and some not so much, but you will hear the voices of John Romm, and this particular section was uh recorded when uh he was being honored at the champions dinner. Uh Victor Hovland, the fine Norwegian player, uh Adam Scott from Australia, Canada's Mike Weir, Scotty Scheffler, still the number one golfer in the world, and Max Homer. So let's hear about the Champions Dinner.

SPEAKER_06 30:26

87 prior playings of the Masters means millions of people have come through these gates, and thousands of men have played. Of all those people, less than a hundred have been witness to one of the most special and defining events of Masters Week. Every Masters Tuesday since 1952 at 6 p.m. Sharp, a celebration in honor of and hosted by the reigning champion.

SPEAKER_07 30:57

Well, I was growing up dreaming about being a master champion. I never once thought about what that dinner would be like in the future. I'm a little bit out of sorts because I don't know what to expect.

SPEAKER_06 31:08

It's literally members only, with only past champions and the master's chairman in attendance. It's a very exclusive club to be in, and it'd certainly be cool to be uh Norwegian and a Scandinavian.

SPEAKER_11 31:24

You get a group of champions like that. It's special because of that, and what happens in that room stays in that room, kind of thing.

SPEAKER_06 31:30

The glimpse we get of the scene, a single photo, and usually a post, as the menu is released in advance.

SPEAKER_04 31:39

Oh boy, there's been some good ones.

SPEAKER_06 31:41

We've had a fair bit of variety over the years. Traditionally, it's an array of items served, inspired by the culture of the hosting champion.

SPEAKER_04 31:49

I served elk as the main course. We had uh salmon from the Pacific, and we had Canadian beers and wines.

SPEAKER_02 31:55

Sergio served up paella. I kind of went with what the guys are gonna like to enjoy the evening. Steak, and I served my mum's dessert that I've eaten since I was a kid, and the kitchen did a great job of preparing that, and good wine. Steak and good wine is a big hit in that room.

SPEAKER_04 32:15

Hideki's menu a couple of years ago was so great. We had some great Kobe steak. The sushi was just phenomenal. That's been my favorite meal. It was pretty tough following up Hideki's meal.

SPEAKER_08 32:24

Mine was, I think, more of just like a backyard barbecue type of vibe. The tortilla soup was a little bit spicy for some of the older guys around the table. Outside of that, I think it was it was pretty well received.

SPEAKER_06 32:34

So the food is something special, but the off factor of the newest member is something else. Pretty wild, just sitting around the table again to enjoy that with everybody.

SPEAKER_07 32:45

It's the most nerve-wracking part of the week. It's a champions' dinner. Possibly because past champions I've talked to, they say they ought to give a speech. And some of them said, Yeah, I was fine until I stood up, look to my left, and I see Jack Nicholas, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tiger Woods, Phil.

SPEAKER_06 32:58

It's about camaraderie, being shoulder to shoulder with living legends, and hearing the stories of great champions' dinners past.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Listening to Gary Player talk about Hogan gets the entire table's attention. You know, the mystique of Hogan is really strong, even for the guys who were there playing with him. The people involved, uh, who you'd be rubbing shoulders with. And I'm sure there's some pretty awesome stories that you would probably remember forever. When Arnold Palmer addressed the group, I was told that it was very emotional, and to be sitting in a room and hearing stuff like that too would just be surreal.

SPEAKER_06 33:39

For those waiting in the wings, hopefully, all in due time. Until then, John Rom, the table is set for you.

SPEAKER_07 33:49

Being able to share that evening with all these great ambience as one of them is this so special. That's the hard thing to rub your head around, right? Like this is something I will be able to do for the rest of my life.

SPEAKER_00 34:06

The voice you were about to hear is a familiar one in Cerving Circles. It's Joanne Courtney, who was one of the commentators for Rock League's first exposure to the rest of the curving world. And she gives you a very quick rundown of what happened, especially when the round robin portion was over and it got into the flyoff. So, Joanne, take it away.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

In the mixed doubles game, Typhoon took that one. They were trailing by two in the final end, but Typhoon had one on the pin and one right in front of it. Northern United unable to disturb that on their last, so they didn't. Typhoon didn't have to throw their last. They took that win in the men's game. It was such a good game. Nicholas Adine for Typhoon in the fifth end made a double through the port uh to take a one-point lead. Bruce Mallet in the sixth end played a long raise for the blank and got it. But in the seventh end, the last end, it was all typhoon. Typhoon had two rocks frozen on the button. Bruce Mallet made a lightweight raise, perfect weight raised it onto those two rocks, just moved them enough out of the forefront and kept a shooter there to score his single. It went to a shootout for the win. Nicholas Adine put his rock right on the pinhole. Robin Bryden for Northern United threw the draw for that team and just slid off the pin by the tiniest bit. So, because of those two wins, Typhoon won that semifinal in the women's game of note. Isabella Romano tied it up in the last set. They didn't do the shootout though because Typhoon already had those two victories over in the next semifinal. It was Alpine versus Shield. In the mixed doubles game, it was Shield taking the win. Let's see what happened. Marley Powers in the sixth end, she made a hit for three to really take control of this game and seal that deal. They didn't even play all the eight ends over there in the men's game. Alpine was up by four playing against Shield. Shield actually ended up scoring four in that last end, but it didn't matter because the women's game wrapped up first. Carrie Anderson had an open takeout to beat Alina Petz out of team Alpine, and she made no mistake there. So it was SHIELDS taking on Typhoon in the finals, and it was such an exciting draw, you guys. Okay, in the women's game, Typhoon gave up the steal on purpose in the sixth end to be all tied up. Coming home, Anna Hasselberg with the last drop, just had to make a hit for the win. She made no mistake there. In the men's game, the men from SHIELD carried their momentum from that semifinal four in the last end of the game. They stole three in the first end, they stole two in the third end, and they ran away with this one. So it was one to one. It all came down to the mixed doubles game. When went down to a shootout, uh Tori Kowana ended up sliding deep to the back eight-foot area, and then when Schwarz Van Burkle for SHIELD ended up putting his just cleaning it right to the button. So SHIELD wins the first ever Rock League Championship. Um they looked so happy. The competition was fierce. I had so much fun covering this event. Thank you for following me along for this event and for all of the events this season. I've been so busy the last couple of months. It has truly been a privilege to get to do all of this. Um, it's one of the things that brings joy to my life, and I hope it brought a little bit of joy to your lives as well.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

Well, that's it. I hope you enjoyed what you learned about the Masters Golf Championship. And of course, uh, Jordan did a great job in explaining the wrap-up of Rock Bee. A question about uh ice paths and how to remember the different speeds. And that back line rule thing. Um I'd love to hear your comments about the back line rule. So, until next time. Remember those wise words of that great North American philosopher Charlie Brown. Do not focus too much on things that make you sad, because there are so many things that can make you happy. Until next time.