What if?

It’s such a short phrase, but one of those word combinations that can string out thoughts that could probably circle the globe 1,000 times over.

As I watched Sherry Middaugh and her Coldwater and District Curling Club rink lose to Alberta in extra ends recently at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Regina, I was left with a sense of bitterness.

Somebody out in the vast universe just doesn’t like Sherry Middaugh.

To spend any kind of quality time as I have with the Victoria Harbour mother of two daughters is to be in the company of a lady who is upbeat and is passionate about life inside and outside of curling.

She talks about the friends she has made through curling and the fact the sport helped her visit parts of Canada she might not have seen otherwise.

But she also talks about the rigours of travelling, the hotel stays and the time away from family.

However, moments later, her eyes also light up when she talks about how much fun her older daughter Kelly is having competing at cheerleading events.

As a mom, she also cherishes the time she can simply read books with Kelly and Emily.

It’s a life in balance.

When she came up an inch short of winning the 2007 Ontario Scotties title in Mississauga, it definitely played on her mind for weeks after the final rock had come to rest.

But she knew there were too many other things far more important to let one curling game spoil her enjoyment of life.

This year, she took that extra step with teammates Andra Harmark, Kirsten Wall and Kim Moore by capturing the Ontario title and advancing to the Canadian championships.

As one veteran curler indicated over the weekend, think of the hundreds, if not thousands, of other Canadian rinks that didn’t get to Regina.

Only one Ontario championship banner was handed out at the 2007 provincial Scotties and it will be hanging later this year in the Coldwater and District Curling Club. Right beside it will be the 2008 Ontario banner won by Coldwater clubmate Glenn Howard and his rink.

Still in the Middaugh household, you have to feel a little sympathy for Sherry’s husband Wayne.

His own adventures at the Ontario finals were rocky to say the least, highlighted by a Friday midnight playoff game in Waterloo.

All the months of planning that goes into a provincial curling final and who in their right mind schedules a playoff game for midnight?

Just ask Wayne’s mother Judy and she’ll be the first to provide you with rapid commentary on the saga that unfolded in Waterloo in the wee hours of March 8-9.

Wayne and his St. George’s Golf and Curling Club rink lost the game 9-6, and with it, their chance to win an Ontario title.

But it’s a wonder anyone was able to keep their eyes open at 2 a.m., spectators and players included, when the rocks were rolling in the fourth end.

Yes sir, Wayne will be thinking about that one for months to come.

But just like his bride, he’ll also brush it off with ease and await the next curling challenge.

Not so long ago during a conversation I had with Wayne, he talked with fondness about looking forward to seeing his daughters take up golf in the near future, hopefully cultivating the same passion for the game he has.

On an official ‘School Snow Day’ not so long ago, Sherry and I chatted after she had spent an hour or so playing in the snow with her daughters.

This is clearly a curling couple with eyes focused on the most important things in life, namely health, family and friends.

Given their very-public curling lives, questions will be asked by fans and friends in the curling world.

There might be shades of disappointment now, but there’s too much excitement ahead for either Sherry or Wayne Middaugh to live in the past.

They are living proof life is never boring and given their scrappy nature, we definitely haven’t heard the last of them in the curling world.

Not by a long shot.