As most of Central Otago celebrates signs of spring, the country’s top curlers are heading for the Northern hemisphere winter to compete and continue their training.

Courtney Smith and Anton Hood successfully defended their title at the New Zealand Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Naseby last weekend, and both look forward to extending their winter as they test themselves against the world’s best.

New Zealand Curling Association secretary Lauren Becker said Courtney will represent the country in three international tournaments: the mixed team at the World Mixed Curling Competition in Aberdeen, Scotland, in mid-October; the women’s team at the Pan Continental Curling Championships in Kelowna, Canada, in late October through early November; and back to Scotland in early December to compete with Anton at Dumfries in the World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event. 

Anton Hood and Courtney Smith celebrate once again winning the New Zealand Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Naseby last weekend. 

“We think she is the first curler to represent New Zealand in three international competitions,” Lauren said.

Courtney plans to head to Scotland on September 18 for an eight-month stint of curling, basing herself in Kinross.

“I’ll be working at the rink and just fully immersing myself in the sport,” said Courtney, who has given notice at her job as a paediatric nurse in Christchurch to focus on her sport this year.

Having grown up in Naseby, Courtney learned her love of curling from her father Richard Smith, who curls outdoors.

“Dad loves the outdoor games so when I started playing the indoor games, he helped me to do better,” she said. “I still play the wee game outdoors when I’m home - it’s quite fun to just play the game without the pressures of the indoor competitions.”

She won’t have to wait until December to reconnect with mixed doubles partner Anton, as he will also be in Kelowna, Canada, for the Pan Continentals, as part of the men’s team with Ben Smith, Brett Sargon and Hunter Walker. 

Anton plans his own extended overseas stint as Team Hood has about 10 scheduled events outside of its New Zealand representative games. He starts his journey this week and will be based out of the Calgary Curling Club from the first week of September through until April.

“We will get the end of the summer in Calgary,” he said. “Last time we were there, we got three or four days of 20 degrees Celsius-plus temperatures, then it snowed and the next day it was minus-20.

“The Pan Continentals is the big one for us as that’s our qualification for the world’s in Switzerland in April.”

He and Courtney also have something to prove at the mixed doubles, after a last-stone loss to the United States prevented them qualifying for the world championship in 2021.

Courtney said the two had known each other since childhood and first played doubles together for two seasons when she was about 16 or 17. That partnership stopped when Courtney went off to university, and they reunited for the 2020 world championship, which weren’t played until 2021 because of Covid.

“That was my first world’s and we played really well together,” Courtney said. “The more that you play together, the more you understand each style and ways of communication.”

For Anton, advancing to the world mixed doubles is definitely in his game plan.

“It’s just about going and completing the mission,” he said.