Two Steps Forward, One step Back

We lost our "battle" against the US, 16-14. We were up at half time 9-5 but we blew the lead and ended up losing. It was a very tight game and I think we should still feel very good about our chances. If we play against everyone else the same way we did against the US it will definitely be a Canada US final. We just need to keep the intensity up, especially against the Aussies who are turning out to be the wildcard in this tournament.

It was fun to play against the Americans but a bit weird at the same time. They were giving me a hard time for choosing to play with Canada but they certainly weren't bitter about my choice (choosing Canada was the right thing to do). The game was very tightly contested but I think it was especially clean. There were the usual fouls and even some discussions but there wasn't a single argument. Everything was resolved quickly and amicably. The fact that it was such a hard fought and clean game really stands out for me. I really like those guys and I hope we get one more chance at them.

I have to make one comment about the announcer though; if you are going to insult masters players on the loudspeaker maybe you should do it when we aren't around as opposed to during our showcase game. If you pull the same crap during the final, Jon Bar (from team USA) and I have agreed that we are going to pour a beer each over your head. You are now warned.

In other results New Zealand upset the Japanese. That puts the Brits and the Japanese on the outside looking in. Their only hope is if the Brits beat the Kiwis and then it will be all down to point dif.

Today is our rest day against the Germans and the French. Unfortunately the Germans are "Scheise" this year; they were destroyed by the Italians. I don't think the French are much better; I'm hoping that their surrendering arms aren't too tired from all the games they've played.

We are still waiting for our red jerseys to arrive. I have already promised the red jerseys I "have" to some people in trades so I will be extremely annoyed if Gaia doesn't come through with those. Thankfully my trade for the Italian jersey is for one of my whites. Gaia better come through or else I want my money back. Even so, Gaia... you suck!

Since I seem to be ranting I'm going to go off on Team Canada as a whole. Every single other team supports each other. When we were watching the Japanese-GB masters game, the open teams from both countries were watching and supporting them. Every single team in the tournament is very supportive of their other national teams; they go and watch games, they hang out together... except for Team Canada. Maybe it's because all the other teams are Vancouver based and we aren't; maybe it's because the tournament is in Vancouver but it really sucks that we don't have a true Team Canada feel. It's a real shame. I'm still going to go out and support the other teams when I can.

DF