A gift.
Östersund is shrouded in white, a fresh breeze sweeps through the streets and the frost paints the faces of a few passers-by red. That's the case on the morning journey from the hotel to the curling hall, where the sixth round of the Women's European Championship Group B preliminary round has been underway since 8am. The Czechs play against the Slovenes in lane C. We remember the semi-final match two years ago in the same hall, where we won with the last stone of Bětka Baudyšová/Zelingrová and qualified the Czech Republic for the 2023/2024 season in the elite European group. This time it was played to the end and the win was ours again, 7 : 5. This puts us closer to the certainty of qualifying for the play-offs. Our men lost yesterday against Germany (Muskatewitz) and this morning, a bit surprisingly, against the Austrians (Genner). After the lunch break Zuzka, Bětka, Míša, Aneta and Karolína are preparing for the seventh opponent, the Latvians. The Reggae clan clearly dominates Latvian curling. Of the five-member line-up, four are women with the same surname, plus the coach is Ansis Regža. However, we are not impressed and we win quickly, in six ends 11 : 1 and get the letter "Q" in the table (qualified for the play-offs). In the evening, in Lohje, our men lose to the strong Scots (Mouat) and have only one match left in the regular group, against the Norwegians. I am going to the evening training with Elizabeth today and we will test the stones before tomorrow's duel with the Finns.
rnphoto: Aneta in hale