The country's top curlers are spending the weekend in Dunedin, competing for gold at the New Zealand Championships.
But while most are sweeping for national honours, one team has their eye on a higher prize.
It's shaping up as a busy season for the national men's curling team.
After next month's Winter Games, they'll be heading overseas to compete at invite-only tournaments in China and a Grand Slam in Canada featuring the who's who of curling.
"It's just good practice for us," says New Zealand men's curling skip Peter De Boer. "It's a great experience first and foremost, and we get some great practice against the best teams. And when you're playing the best teams it really puts you under pressure to raise your game."
The quartet is under pressure after narrowly crashing out of last year's Pan Pacific champs. That ended hopes of automatic qualification for the Winter Olympics, forcing them to put work on hold and hit the road.
"Everybody has jobs," says curling team member Scott Becker. "Everybody's begged their employers for time off, and myself, I'll be leaving. They already know that, hopefully!"
Funding from High Performance Sport and other grants have eased the burden of getting more international practice as a team.
"That's what it all boils down to," says Beacker. "It's two months of curling, two months of training, a lot of dedication to go for it. But it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Just two spots are left for the Winter Olympics. They'll be decided at a tournament in Germany in December.
"And we know that when we're playing well, we're as good, if not better, than these teams," says De Boer.
The team hope to start the winning habit this weekend, with men's and women's national honours on the line.
The tournament continues tomorrow.
3 News
source: newshub archive
