Training day for women.
After a good breakfast we took the bus to the arena where our competition will be played. Once there, we realized that we knew the places. We played the 2011 Women's World Championships here. Specifically Anna and Terka. The four-lane track where the European Championship B's are played is a bit reminiscent of our arena, but doesn't have such a nice interior design. Mark Callan, who is the icemaker here, told us that they had some difficulties with the installation. This was confirmed during the training session itself. The ice is slower so far (about 14 to a tee), but the swing is over six feet. The atmosphere at the championship is somewhat tense due to the so-called "brush moratorium", which in practice means that all "sponges" that a team is going to use for competition are inspected and if they pass, they are marked with Keith Wendorf's initials (competition director). If a team were to use unmarked equipment in a competition they would risk punishment (warning, banning of a player, removal of a stone, etc.). Some sponges have already failed, ours are all ok. The issue is that some materials cause ice damage when thrown, a technical advantage that eliminates trained skills. At the extreme, some type of material used along with a certain throwing technique can slow the stone down and change the swing level by up to a few feet. The team meeting was nerve-wracking, and some teams quite rightly argued that they only found out about the issue when they couldn't do anything about it. Re: the WCF apologizes, but that's just the way it is. Afternoon Vietnamese restaurant together with the chief (T. Egyhazy). In the evening we go to watch the first matches. The boys will have a proper program from tomorrow - training and team meeting. It is still windy and rainy.