A team from Hay River will represent the NWT at the Canadian Curling Club Championships, set for later this month in Alberta.
Katrina Delorey, the skip of the team, said they are looking forward to going to the national tournament.
"We had a goal to make it there and we're super excited to be going and representing NT," she said. "It's going to be fun."
Photo courtesy of Davida Delorey
Along with Delorey, the team consists of third Catherine Heron, second Dayna King and lead Ashley Marie Squires-Rowe.
Delorey has played in the tournament several times before.
"This is my first time skipping," she said. "We're kind of a new team."
The skip noted the team formed last curling season.
"We just basically came together because we knew our playdowns were in Hay River and we curled in league together," she said. "And our main goal was to try to go for these nationals, and we made it."
The playdowns, which were held in February, included only two teams, both from Hay River.
"So it was a really small playdowns, but usually we have teams out of Yellowknife and Inuvik," said Delorey. "Every other year, we've had at least four to six teams."
The 11th-annual Canadian Curling Club Championships will take place at the Leduc Curling Club from Nov. 25 to Nov. 30.The tournament will feature 14 men's and 14 women's teams from Curling Canada's member associations — the 10 provinces, three territories and Northern Ontario.
Katrina Delorey's father, Paul Delorey, will coach the Hay River team.
"They're all real good curlers," he said. "You never know when you go to these things. A number of things come into play – the calibre of the teams that you're playing against, the ice conditions can be different than what you're used to, and the atmosphere itself. Some handle it better than others. I'm looking forward to it."
Paul Delorey has also competed in the tournament.
Curling Canada supports the tournament to offer high-level club players a chance to compete in a national event, he said. "It's to keep more interest in the game. You don't have to be like the Kevin Martins or the Jennifer Joneses or the elite players of the world. You still have a chance to play in a national event."
Delorey noted that the tournament has some different rules, such as the curlers who compete one year can't compete the following year.
"It gives more curlers an opportunity to participate in a national event," he said.
The tournament was previously known as the Travelers Curling Club Championships and before that as the Dominion Curling Club Championships.