The Thrill of Victory The Agony of Defeat

Wayne Wallwork won gold with a last bowl trail.

Larry Wales advanced to the silver medal game on his last bowl draw to the jack.

The opposition in both cases was the Brian McCartney team. If Wallwork doesn't grab the jack, McCartney/Wood/Jefferies/Laporte defend their 2007 title.

If Wales doesn't fine the exact line and weight , the early Jefferies draw in front of the bowl keeps the Cornwall/Ottawa area team alive for a repeat trip to the Canadians.

Literally the pendulum swings with delicate application.

Brian Fowler pushed the McFadyen team shot through the head with his last bowl. But Mark had one of his own, used the seagull for his line and reclaimed the victory.

Laila Hassan played an over and removed an opposition bowl promoted inadvertently by a teammate. Gold was the prize.

I simplify of course. It was fours not singles. Head building, position bowls, power when needed sustain the momentum necessary for success. It is the recipe that gets a team to the point of last bowl heroics.

I saw the above examples. I heard about the JoAnne Bugler team win.

Apparently JoAnne's last bowl drive did a bit of erractic pathfinding to eventually move the jack enough to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

It is not rare in bowls. The stakes in this case are what buckles your knees and twist your heart.

Strangely it is a shared sweet and sour dish for skilled teams.

The losers were about to sit down to a long anticipated feast until their chairs got pulled out from under them. The jolt is real.

The winners got a last minute invitation but it doesn't taste right. You are apologetic and subdued, whether expressed or not, in what is a significant victory.

I once had to confront a perceived commotion on our doorstep in the middle of the night.
Darkness doubles the volume of sound and reduces your courage by half.
Losing a Canadian qualifier in Ontario is twice as hard to digest because your odds to be in the same situation are similarly reduced.
Gord Terwilleger, who is a top notch bowler confirmed by his participation in the Canadian Seniors in 2004, has been trying for 39 years to secure his first trip to the Majors.

But the beauty of sport is that the experiences become our lifes lessons.
Accept and adjust. Realize we don't control fate. Tuck it into your memory bank because you will discuss it in the future ( the losers much more than the winners). Get up and get on with your next opponent. Be assured you too will have the opportunity to be on the other side of the tossing coin.

Oh, by the way. The doorstep fight was a radio alarm gone awry tuned to an evangelistic speaker.
Things aren't nearly as bad as they sometimes first seem.