Old curler's letters to his nephew

TO HIS NEPHEW
3
11
the thirteenth hole was the crucial one, as the
player who won that hole generally won the
match. Similarly, in a close curling match
I have generally found that the tide usually
turns one way or another about the same
period in the game. I mention this simply
to warn you to be specially wide awake about
this time.
There is one further small matter which I
feel that I should allude to, and that is never
stop in the middle of a game to go and have
a drink of any kind with your
vis-d-vis,
especially if the pressure is beginning to tell
and you hold a slight lead at the time. By
all means have a friendly glass with your
opponents after the match is finished and
fight your battles over again, but be content
with that. By going out for a drink in the
middle a skip certainly breaks the sequence,
but why he should so often also alter the run
of the game is one of those mysteries which I
have never been able to understand.
Your affectionate Uncle,
R
OGER.