Honey!CFUR Exclusive interview with underground bunny rocker

After many weeks of late night bartering which included exchanges of rare 78's, cardboard boxes, and exorbitant amounts of carrot soup, my orange tinged fingers were able to sit down with" Honey Bunny", the elusive creative genius behind the best pop-up barn dances and noise hop basement parties in the north.

"Honey bunny" is a manic multi-instrumentalist, playing with bands that emerge for one night only and disband instantly. HB often leaves immediately after shows, preferring a night of burrowing to social contact.

In a rare act of social gesturing, or simply because my carrot soup had ginger in it, Honey Bunny agreed to an interview. This is it.

Jill Wagg: Honey, thanks for sitting with me. Yes go ahead, you can nibble on my laptop. Anyways, lets just get this out of the way. Your hair. Speak to that.

Honey Bunny: I knew that was coming (chuckle). Well most people like to think I was influenced by Mike Score and A Flock of Seagulls. But I wasn't even born then. I just had a crazy night one time, in Vanderhoof I think. Ya, Vanderhoof, after a insane math-rock set. I just wanted to burrow. I burrowed so hard I clawed my way into a family of marmots. Those kids know how to party. They had never seen blonde fur before and were stoked. We drank willow root sap and chewed dandelion all night. There was some wrestling. One guy ended up with a pretty hilarious beet juice tattoo of his wife on his hind quarters . When I left the party and finally surfaced around dawn in Burns Lake, my hair just kind of stayed up. It stuck. Nothing else to it.

JW: Well it looks great. Tell us about your influences, you are known for your appreciation and talent for a variety of genres.

HB: I grew up listening to classic rock. You know my mom was really into Jefferson Airplane. I'll never forget that bass. White Rabbit was my mom's anthem growing up, you know when rabbits were finally surfacing in the music scene. Whenever I went to bed, all I could hear was Grace Slick's voice. I thought, hey, that'd be cool to do one day.

Then I got into some indie stuff in my early 20's. I went to the Academy of Rodent and Critter Arts down south. It introduced me to so many new people and music. I was a huge fan of Neutral Milk Hotel, what Jeff Magnum was doing at the time was unlike anything I heard.  Then I met a really great friend of mine, Flop. Flop loved hip hop. We hopped all night to Dead Prez, a new dance was even created that night on campus called herpppin. It was kind of weird.

My mind was blown when I heard "White Rabbit" mixed into these beats. Living Legends, Rabbit Hole. Changed my life to hear such an influential song so fresh.I thought, if these guys can mix genres, I can too. So I bought an electric guitar. I learned how to play "Snake" by Frightened Rabbit, some indie folk about lost love or a really great pet, I still don't know. Anyways, after learning that song I never looked back. Then I started playing root rock and it just came together.

JW: Wow what a story.

HB: Ya.

JW: Ok well I don't want to keep you much longer. Who are you diggin right now?

HB: Probably the coolest most unique sound I've heard in a while is Old Time Honey, from Montreal. Jugs and crackely sounding things, waltzy folk and a hint of gospel. Strong vocals. A guy named Speedy. I've always had good times with guys named Speedy. They'll be at some pub or something, Nancy O's . I would go but I got a good burrow route picked out.

JW: Awesome. Well thanks so much Honey Bunny.

HB: Party On.

That was an interview with underground bunny rocker Honey Bunny. To see Honey's favourite new band, Old Time Honey, catch them on July 27th from 8-11 at Nancy O's in Prince George.

The Neatest Thing Ever

Cranbrook area web magnate/ viral superstar "The Neature Nut" gets a new meme! Don't know what I'm talking about? First, check out the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm3JodBR-vs

Then check out the meme below ;)

Pretty Fly Weekend at Arts on the Fly

CFUR's Music Department took the backroads through valleys and ranchlands down to Horsefly, BC last weekend for the 10th annual Arts on the Fly Festival. Though the campground was full, we lucked in and set up camp in a nearby field surrounded by ripe saskatoons, which provided an added boost of antioxidants each morning. Yum!

On Friday at sunset, we watched the Little Horsefly Country Band jam out with Horsefly residents Pharis and Jason Romero (who are known not only for making custom banjos but also for their kick-ass string plucking). They were joined on stage by silhouetted Horsefly neighbours bear, moose, crow, goat, rabbit, and wolf.

Miss Quincy and the Showdown took the stage  next and, as usual, wowed the crowd with their raunchy blues and mesmerizing stage presence. The show ended and the crowd definitely wanted  more.

Luckily, they had two more shows on the 'Tweener stage (a.k.a "in between" acts) the next day: a solo act from Miss Quincy highlighting her country and bluegrass roots from up in the Peace, and another act late Saturday night that drew just as much crowd as the mainstage.

Headlining Friday night were fiesta band Entangados. On the Canadian festival circuit this summer all the way from Argentina, they donned clown suits and bounced on stage with their groovy mix of ska, rock, and cuarteto.

Saturday was a scorcher. 35C and sunny/smoky. We started the morning with a refreshing swim in nearby Horsefly Lake and quickly realized that between acts, most of the festival-goers would be found cooling down in the Horsefly River. Secretly, we wished the acoustic stage would wander down to the shore and play for us while we basked in the river.

Another tactic to stay cool included finding whatever shade is available. Experimental artist and festival MC Doug Koyama did just this, choosing a nice, contemplative spot next to the mainstage where this introspective sign helped us remember which direction is "sky" and which direction is "earth." In case we get dehydrated, start seeing mirages and lose track of time and space.

Mid-day, Lexi Marie of Lillooet, BC took the stage and roused the crowd with her powerful vocals and soulful folk. The audience listened thoughtfully to her stories of adversity, resilience and strength.

Although we were lost on the backroads of the Cariboo-Chilcotin on Friday night and missed festival favourite Sam Tudor's set (come to think of it, we were so lost that we decided to turn around when we passed his remote hometown of Gavin Lake and realized for once and all that we were definitely headed in the wrong direction), we were lucky enough to catch him again on the 'Tweener stage Saturday afternoon. Even more lucky, he played our favourie song, "Modern New Year." We've pretty much been listening to it on repeat here at CFUR for the last month straight.

After the dinner break, the temperature finally cooled enough for Drum and Bell Tower to get everyone up and dancing. Brent Morton's psychedelic folk-rock was the perfect kickstarter to the festival's evening finale. The entire crowd sang along to his anthemic, "Very Star." And that was that, we were swept into the festival's oscillating rhythm.

The evening continued with a bang, especially when Quesnel's own Bottoms Up Burlesque burst onto the stage, dotting it with layers and layers of shiny outfits and wearing the most creative pasties we've ever seen (i.e flower petals and bananas). To top it all off, they ended the show with a chainsaw spraying glitter. If you ever get a chance to see them, they rock.

Next up was Dawn Pemberton. She had everyone gettin' funky and groovy and her authentic demeanour made us hope she could stay on stage forever and emanate more warmth. We danced and danced and danced. It seemed we couldn't get enough of the 'Tweener stage this weekend because the highlight of the night was Salty Jo and Co.'s bluegrass reunion, which included Sam Tudor, fiddler Tegan Wahlgren, Marin Patenaude, and Brent Morton. They took a rowdy turn back to a 1950s country sound and we all sang along to mischievous tunes of whiskey and cocaine.

When the night ended, we had no energy left for an after-party. Completely ready to hit the sack. This was good timing because some much-needed rain arrived just as we got into our tents and it didn't stop until morning. The party did continue for a large group of 16-21 year-olds who flock in their trucks to Arts on the Fly each year and celebrate with a laser bush party. We never saw them at the festival, but word is they show up every year and party alongside Arts on the Fly partiers. We got along great and had fun sharing the river and sharing tunes. Horsefly's calm, homesteading atmosphere returned Sunday morning when we woke up to deer passing by as we packed up our tents.

Missed Arts on the Fly? You can always catch it next year, or head to one of many festivals around northern BC, like Artswells or Bella Coola Music Festival or Robson Valley Music Festival or Music on the Mountain. Most of the bands who played Arts on the Fly are on the summer circuit so they should be easy to find on stage somewhere. Cheers from CFUR and the next stop for us is Artswells!

Article by Alycia Mutual

Smoke's Rant: New CFL Rules are AWESOME

The CFL came into the new season with a handful of new rules that were meant to inject some more excitement into an already exciting product on the field. The CFL is forever fighting the battle of legitimacy because of our neighbors to the south having a larger than life football entertainment. A new set of rules voted in by the CFL board of governors aim to do just that. If you are not up on the rules; here's a rundown:

1) Holding the five interior players at the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked: What the heck does that mean? Well, it means that the center that snaps the ball, as well as the two players on either side of the center have to stay where they are until the ball is kicked from the punter. CFL vice president of officiating has stated that this rule change gives more time to the punt returner, less "no yards" penalties, and less illegal blocking by the returning team. This new rule is aiming to give the returning team a better chance to make a fantastic run before being mauled by their opponents. Unless your name was Cory Banks, you were not going anywhere after you caught the ball on a punt return last year. Teams were on the returner like white on rice, which made for a much more boring play. Now the field has opened up more for the flashy runners to gain some more yards.

2) Illegal Blocking on the Defense: No longer can the cornerbacks harass the receivers after 5 yards. This rule is for pure entertainment and high scoring affairs. The board of governors found that there was too much grabbing and obstructing from the cornerbacks and safeties against the receivers. After the receivers get past five yards from the line of scrimmage, defenders are not allowed to push, grab, or obstruct the receivers ability to catch the ball. The defender will have to try and knock the ball out of the air or have a brilliantly timed hit that will cause the receiver problems holding onto the ball. This rule was on full display when the B.C Lions took on the Roughriders last Friday at BC Place Stadium. The Roughriders Kevin Glenn was able to complete 23 of 29 passes for 271 yards, but the most impressive part of his play was that he connected with Weston Dressler on numerous occasions including 2 wide open touchdowns that made their opponents defense look completely silly. The Lions QB Travis Lulay did pretty darn good as well with a 77% completion record with an astounding 400 yards passing. Lulay finally found the openings that he had been searching 3 quarters for, as he roared back from a two touchdown deficit to force overtime. All this action would not be possible without the blocking rule change for defense.

3) Longer Field Goals and Short Two-Point converts: This may not seem significant, but it definitely is for a couple reasons. The first reason is that the point after is no longer an after thought. Most of the time, when fans are watching the game, the extra point is so close to the uprights that everyone expects the ball to go through. One of the biggest reasons that people watch sports is because the athletes are challenged on every play or every shift. The board of governors understood this particular problem and decided to bring the extra point back from 5 yards to 25 yards away. As the vice-president of officiating, Johnson, stated, "the likelyhood of the kicker making the point after goes from 99.6% to around 80%" (MontrealGazzette.com). People will now covet the point after as entertaining instead of routine. Second, the reason this rule change is significant is because now there will be more two-point conversions. Last year teams tried a two-point conversion only 30% of the time after a touchdown. Now, the CFL predicts between a 40%-50% likelyhood that teams will go for the extra exciting play instead of kicking it through the uprights.  Much more strategy is being implemented when you have to plan whether you wan to take a chance on another endzone play or kicking the football. Another aspect of this new rule that coaches have to factor in is, the starting point for a two-point convert is now even closer to the endzone. Before, teams would have to start their conversion on the 5 yard line, now they are starting it on the 3 yard line. Johnson stated that they wanted to make the extra point harder and the two-point convert easier to make the more exciting play more appealing to the coaches. This was again in full display at Friday's entertaining match-up between Saskatchewan and B.C. Lions kicker Richie Lionne made , what many thought to be a crucial missed extra point (after the Roughriders completed a couple of two-point converts), before making a clutch 54 yard field goal to push it to overtime. An amazing play made possible by intelligent rule changes by the league.

Unlike rule changes from other leagues that sometimes don't pan out the way the board of governors would like, this has been a breath of fresh air. The fact that we even give a damn about the extra point, is something spectacular. The fact that we get to see more highlight reel plays from our star player, is a sorely missed aspect of the game over the last year. The fact that Travis Lulay hasn't shattered like glass over the first couple of games has been a huge bonus to Lions fans everywhere. I am Smoke Stark and this has been my informative rant on the new CFL rules. Thanks for reading, and, in the Game of Thrones, you win or you die.

Smoke's Rant: Really Racist Teams

Now, I have been pissed off a lot with sports politics and general antics that come with some professional sports ie crime in the NFL, crime in the NBA, corruption in soccer, and the white hot lights beaming on Connor McDavid despite not playing an NHL game yet (too much pressure for a young guy); but one issue that has pissed me off for a while is the racist names for some sports teams. I am looking straight at you Washington and Cleveland.

U.S district judge Gerald Bruce Lee decided to uphold a ruling by the Trademark and Registration Board to cancel the trademark on the name "Redskins" due to the fact that it's blatantly racist against Native Americans. Thanks the Gods someone high up in American society has a brain and a more bone in their body. How would Caucasians like it if there was a team called "the crackers" or "the pale people"? It's time for owners of sports teams to get a grip and make sure that their names are culturally sensitive. It's not like anyone is trying to tell them to change it from the Washington robots to something else; YOUR NAME IS OFFENSIVE! Owner Dan Snyder has come out and tried to explain to the media and anyone who cares to listen, that the name is rooted in tradition and historical significance. The tradition he is talking about is the fact that no one has had the brains to change the name. The historical significance is that George Preston Marshall, who founded the team, was known as the biggest racist in the NFL while owning the team. During his tenure as team owner, he refused to sign any African-american players while others were signing and even drafting players in the early 1940's. He tried to play it off saying he wanted to pander to the southern market as a reason for not signing African-Americans; no you're just a terrible person. To have a person with the societal standing of Snyder saying that he respects this tradition, commissioner Roger Goodell needs to give him an ultimatum; either change the name or sell the team. Just from a business standpoint, your brand is being rightfully dragged through the mud. Your sales will plummet because no new fan is going to want to be associated with a racist name. Taking emotion right out of the equation, change the name and while you're at it, grow a heart.

Now, despite Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins are getting all the negative attention, there is a team in baseball that is even worse. Not only does the MLB team from Cleveland have a very racist name "Indians", they also have an even more racist logo. Everyone with half a brain knows that "Indian" is a derogatory name for First Nations and Native American people (despite the Canadian government still using the term in a very significant piece of legislature), not to mention the fact that you are grouping a very proud people in with people of a similar skin color that are halfway across the world (India). Lets now focus on the logo, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How on earth are people lighting torches outside Larry Dolan's house trying to force him to change both the name and the logo. The logo originates from a caricature of Native American people entitled: Chief Wahoo. A rather alarming business fact is that when the caricature logo was put on to their hats in 1986, the sales went through the roof. Yeah, consider me a little shocked and offended too. At least the Redskins logo is somewhat respectable illustrations of a strong looking Native-American who is ready to kick some ass in battle. The Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL have shown the world how to actually represent the Native-American community with dignity and respect. Their logo is of a proud Blackhawk warrior and is used a symbol of strength throughout the city of Chicago and beyond. In multiple surveys of sports teams logos, the Blackhawks have consistently been voted as having the best logo in North American sports. The one positive aspect of the Cleveland Indians is the fact that Larry Dolan is not as ignorant to societies stance on inappropriate logo's as, since 2014, his team is using a "C" in block lettering as their primary hat logo. Bravo Larry Dolan, now wouldn't it be easy to just either phase the logo out all together or do a re-imagining of the logo?

You must now be thinking, what name should the Redskins use instead? Or, what logo and name should the Cleveland Indians use instead? Well, here is some options:

Options for the Redskins name change:

1) Crows: A fierce and noble tribe of Native Americans all over North America.

If they change the logo, it could be either:

   or       (Jon Snow in GoT)

2) Change the name and logo all together:

Name: Washington Orcas: Orca's are one of the national animals of Washington and they are pretty violent creatures.

Logo:    or   

As for the Cleveland Indians, here are my suggestions for a complete re-branding:

Name #1: The Cleveland Lebrons:

Lebron James is probably the only good thing to happen to this rust-belt city in its history.

Logo #1)

Name #2: Cleveland Rockers:

Cleveland is home to the Rock-and-Roll hall of fame. Every game could have a upstart band rocking out during the 7th inning stretch.

Logo #2:  or      

Let me know what you think of the article, name changes, or the logos. My name is Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on two of the most racist teams in sports. Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!

Old Time Honey!

Nancy O's Restaurant  Monday, July 27

8:00pm - 11:00pm

Old Time Honey is organic and raw, taking it back to where good music began by defining their own jug band and cajun sound. Born on the streets of Montreal, in the form of sultry banjo playin' (Aly), one-of-a-kind washboard percussion (Squirrell) and joining them for this tour, Prince George's very own purveyor of musical rapture, Scott Dunbar on the washtub bass! Fans young and old agree, Old Time Honey's soulful singing and danceable rhythms make for a live music experience not soon forgotten. Whether playing a large festival stage or an impromptu street corner, this trio knows how to captivate and animate a crowd. The trail they leave behind of smiles and scuffed dancin' shoes grows larger every day!

Smoke's Rant: Winners of NHL Free Agency

Christmas comes early in late June and early July as the NHL Entry draft transitions into the Free Agent Frenzy that keeps hockey fans glued to their television, tablets, and phones to see how many changes that their favorite team makes. Fans of the the top teams are hoping that their GM can just keep the team together, while fans of bottom feeders hope that their team gets a shakeup to turn their fortunes around. Since the dust has settled a little bit from all the off-season action, it is my sworn duty to tell you which teams have gotten better and which have gotten worse. Here are the NHL's two biggest Winners of the the off-season so far:

1) Calgary Flames: If the Flames were not already scary enough because of what they did last season, they got even more scary. At the draft, they pulled off the best trade that has been seen in some time trading away a 1st round pick, and two 2nd round picks in exchange for young star defenceman Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins. Some would say all those picks are a steep price for one player, but it was the missing piece to a pretty awesome puzzle in Calgary. When they played against the Ducks in the second round of the playoffs this past season, they were very vulnerable in their own zone and as well as against the transition game. Dougie Hamilton gives the team a young guy that can contribute a little bit offensively, but on the defensive end of the puck, Hamilton is as solid as any young player can be. He always makes the safe play up the board, or makes an outlet pass to let the forwards charge into the oppositions zone with a head of steam. Critics of this addition to the Flames might say that he is not a game changer or that they have never really noticed him as an integral part of the Bruins. THAT"S THE POINT!!! Hamilton will never wow you with making highlight reel goals, he might not even be very noticeable at time, that's because he is doing his job properly. A good defensive d-man is one that nobody notices unless they make a great defensive play or when you look at the score sheet at the end of the game and realize he has a great +/- record. In 2013-14, Hamilton played 64 games, got 23 points and was an astounding +22, one of the best in the NHL. The Flames needed to get a young pillar that they form their defensive core around, they found one of the best young defenceman in the entire league. The Calgary Flames also added some secondary scoring, picking up Michael Frolik from the Jets in the free agency market and locked him up for 5 years. Frolik not only brings you exactly 42 points a season (exact same points that last couple of seasons), he also gives the Flames some much needed Stanley Cup experience, which they will need when they try to make a long run in the playoffs next year.

2) Edmonton Oilers: The Edmonton Oilers are finally moving in the right direction. They went from looking like the goat of the league to a young dragon destined to become a devour-er. The stellar off-season started in April with the luckiest lottery pick in a decade. Facing insurmountable, the Oilers got their name called to pick the 1st overall pick. On June 27th, the Oilers made if official by drafting Connor McDavid, but that was more luck than skill for the Oilers brass. The true work came after the 1st pick when they got Cam Talbot in a trade with the New York Rangers. Now, I am not completely sold on Talbot as a legitimate #1 goaltender. His numbers this past season were great, but he was just covering for an injured Lundquist. Talbot is going to have to face the scrutiny and media that surrounds the Oilers. Next, Peter Chiarelli went into free agency and targeted his team's other weakness by snagging Mark Letestu from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Andrej Sekera from the Kings. Letestu was a solid secondary scoring option for the Jackets with 34 points in 64 games in 2013/14. At only $1.8 mil per year for 3 years, he is low risk good reward. Sekera is the prize signing fore the Oilers, who has very particular stats that interested Chiarelli. When Sekera is on the ice, his team

Teams that were once floundering have now become the envy of most teams with a dominant off-season of change. I am Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on the NHL winners this off-season. I am the best at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice. Thanks for reading Sports Fans!

Summer Festival Guide - north/central BC 2015

OK! It is officially the mid-point of summer. It is officially time to scrunch all 8 months of summer dreaming into the always down to party running around flailing in fields best friends of the year months of July and August. If your winter dreams include big skies accompanied by acoustic guitar, dancing barefoot like a pirate to accordions, eating from food trucks and car trunks, setting up tents at dusk, sipping sweet Wells scotch, and walking beneath big owl heads on stilts, look no further than some of the stunning summer music festivals of northern/central BC. This list is not exhaustive but will get the ball rolling!

Midsummer Music Festival – Smithers BC, July 3/4/5

Local favs: Black Spruce Bog, Rachelle Van Zanten, Miss Quincy & The Showdown

From afar: Pick a Piper, Adrian Glynn & Fringe Percussion, Napoleon Skywalker

Website: http://smithersmusicfest.com/

Arts on The Fly – Horesfly BC, July 10-11

Home town legends: Pharis & Jason Romero, Bernadette Ducharme, Marin Patenaude, Little Horsefly Country Band

Must see: Sam Tudor, Sober Becky, Blocktreat, Dawn Pemberton, Power Duo

Website: http://artsonthefly.com/

Atlin Arts & Music Festival - Atlin BC, July 10th-11

Holy macaroni: Ian Tyson, Death, Dana Sipos, Soda Pony

Visual Art: Jeanine Baker, Emma Barr, Mary Beattie

Willow River Daze – Willow River BC, July 11^th

Black Spruce Bog! And best Chili making contest! CHILI!!

Prince George 100^th Anniversary Celebration Lheidli T'enneh Park July 17 - Prince George BC

Music in a Park:The Pucks! Black Spruce Bog!

Pucks and Bogs ! OMG Canada.

Canolafest - Taylor BC, July 18^th

Headliner: The Roadhammers – Juno nominated country

Local Favs: Lorissa Scriven, Folky Strum Strum, CC Brooks and The Dog Pony Show

Website: http://canolafest.com

Bella Cool Music Festival - Bella Coola BC, July 18th/19th

Oh me oh my: Fred Penner, Barney Bentall, Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, Logan Staats, CR Avery, Miss Quincy & The Showdown

Website: bellacoolamusic.org

Grassy Plains Music Festival - Grassy Plains BC, July 17^th-18^th

PG Proud: Kym Gouchie, Black Spruce Bog

Hootstock Music Festival – Forest Grove BC, July 24-25

Must see: Winona Wilde, Twin Peaks, Joey Only, Red Haven, Doug Koyama, The Grid Pickers, Dead Body Juice

Stomping around dancing bands: Saturn Alien, Tax Free Liquor, Devil In The Woodshack, Folky Strum Strum

http://www.hootstock.com

Artswells Festival of All Things Art – Wells BC, July 31-July2

You may have heard of: The Wooden Sky, Rodney DeCroo, Copilots, Sarah Burton

BC Favs: Bend Sinister, Colin Cowan & The Elastic Stars, Kym Gouchie, Navaz, The Chimney Swallows, Twin Peaks

Website: www.artswells.com

Robson Valley Music Festival  – Dunster BC, August 14-15

Check Out: Compassion Gorilla, Buckman Coe, Quique Escamilla, Old Time Honey

If you missed them earlier: Twin Peaks, Black Spruce Bog, Dead Body Juice

Website: http://www.robsonvalleymusicfestivalbc.com/

Music on The Mountain – Fort St James BC, August 21-23

Say goodbye to summer with: Drum & Bell Tower, Liz Stringer, Annie Becker, Barefoot Caravan, Dave Soroka, Devon Cayote, Dido Ne Drum & Dance

Website: http://momfestival.com/

Smoke’s Rant: Team Canada does Nation Proud at Women’s World Cup Despite Early Exit

Sure, some would say that it was disappointing that the Canadian team didn’t go as far as they did in the 2012 London Olympics where they captured bronze, but that is complete garbage. The girls went unbeaten in the round robin, then shut out a very strong Swiss team with a complete defensive game, the likes of which coaches around the nation should look at when trying to make their own minor teams better. Hell, GK McLeod had three clean sheets in five games. Christine Sinclair and company took the weight of a nation on their shoulders and performed on the biggest stage of them all up until the last whistle. Even, when faced with a team that was ranked higher in the world ranking than them, team Canada still went out and dominated the game; unfortunately the result did not go in their favor. So, what happened in the quarter finals against England?

One simple answer: we couldn’t finish. I am not talking about finishing strong in the game, I am talking about the inability to capitalize on golden opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net. The biggest culprit go throwing away chances was striker Melissa Tancredi. Less than 1 minute into the game, Christine Sinclair kicks a beautiful cross to Tancredi and she beats the defender that was on her, but instead of taking the time that she had and placing the ball for a perfect shot, she decides to fire a shot off in a hurried fashion and wings it about 10 feet over the net for a missed opportunity. Just get the ball on the giant net and see what happens! Throughout the game Tancredi had a handful of glorious chances to help get Canada the lead to tie the game when the team was down, but failed on every attempt. Coach John Herdman realized about three-quarters of the way through the game that Tancredi had lost confidence in herself and her abilities and mercifully decided to switch her out for Andria Leon, whom created more chances and looked sharper overall then Tancredi did. John Herdman relied heavily on some players to pull through for him, which ended up being his team’s downfall in the end.

Second simple answer: Sesselmann. For those who watched Canada’s last two games, a one name explanation is all you need. For those whom unfortunately didn’t catch some of the spectacular action displayed by number 10, let me catch you up to speed. Let’s start with the game against the Swiss. Sesselmann appears to have a lack of confidence from the very first kick. Placed at left-back to defend from any crosses that might worry the goalkeeper, it became very clear that the Swiss were targeting her side for entrance into the offensive zone. Everytime the ball crossed halfway, i would close my eyes and predict where there midfielder was going to take it, and without fail, it was always to Sesselmann’s side. Thank goodness John Herdman is not blind. Because halfway through the game, after numerous glorious chances for the Swiss, Sesselmann was put in the center-back position for the remainder of the game. This is not to say that this fixed the problem altogether, but it did reduce the number of chances for the opposition. So, one would ask themselves, why don’t we put another defender in the next game that has confidence in herself and is solid defensively. John Herdman may not be blind, but he might have amnesia, as Sesselmann was put in the starting rotation for the game against the English. Within 10 minutes, after Tancredi has missed a couple of grade A scoring chances, Sesselman coughs up the ball on an easy pass from her teammate this gives England a partial breakaway, which striker Taylor makes no mistake putting the ball past McLeod. It was the second guessing of herself and the errand passes she made all tournament that caused Canada to not go as far as its supporter wanted.

Despite Tancredi and Sesselmann’s lack of stellar play, the overall effort of the team was absolutely incredible. To have the girls even get past the round robin stage, is a feat in of itself. The fact that stepping on the pitch and playing with as much heart as they did inspired a nation of young girls and boys to pursue their passion in soccer, in the hopes that one day they can represent their country like Sinclair and company.

As Andrew Soltis brought up on The Smoke Show, Canada has a great chance to get right back on the horse in August as they represent their country again in the Pan-American Games in Toronto. This next tournament gives them a chance to prove to the world that they are even better than their World Cup result signified, and bring a nation to their feet one more time on home soil.

I am Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on Canada doing us proud at the Women’s World Cup. Thanks for reading and the night is always darkest before the dawn.