By Dave Goosselink
New Zealand's top curlers are doing it tough at the Pacific-Asia Curling Champs in Naseby.
The men's and women's teams were both medallists at last year's tournament, but this week they're battling to make the semi-finals.
The men's team - last year's silver medallists - have so far managed only a single win this week, struggling to fire against teams fresh from international competition.
“We're playing against some very good teams,” says skip Peter De Boer. “We had a good run last year, but some of these teams are professional colours and we're still four guys that get together as often as possible in the only ice rink in New Zealand.”
The team placed a solid fifth at April's World Champs, but they need to finish top two at this regional tournament to guarantee themselves a return trip to next year's World Champs. That's the only place where teams can earn vital Olympic qualification points.
“We need to start winning, and we need to start winning fast. We don't want to rely on other people winning for us, so we need to start winning,” says De Boer.
They were beaten by tournament leaders China this afternoon by one point.
Meanwhile their female counterparts are still adjusting to a new team combination. The women managed a tie this morning against Korea to push their game to an extra end, but couldn't hold on for the win.
“Every year the teams get better and better, so I mean there's a little bit of luck involved but obviously skill as well, so it just depends how you play on that day and how your team plays,” says women’s skip Bridget Becker.
And with two days of round robins left to play, both sides are hoping their luck will change.
3 News
source: newshub archive
