World Mixed Curling Championship Team Canada hails from northwestern Ontario

A curling team from northwestern Ontario will trade in their green and gold uniforms, for a maple leaf on their back.

The Trevor Bonot rink, which curls out of the Port Arthur Curling Club in Thunder Bay, Ont., will represent Canada at the World Mixed Curling Championships in Champery, Switzerland. The event, which has 38 teams from acros the globe, takes place October 6-14.

The foursome, with skip Trevor Bonot, third Jackie McCormick, second Kory Carr and lead Megan Carr, will leave for the event on September 30.

Bonot said the team has been doing whatever it can to curl throughout the summer - a challenge when regional curling clubs shut down for the season.

"We've been on the road basically for the last five weeks, travelling every weekend to get ice time, because we don't have ice here in Thunder Bay at this time of the year," he said.

"So, we've been to Winnipeg, Calgary, Minneapolis, anywhere we can find ice basically, just to get ready."

The team won the Canadian mixed championships last year, and have been ramping up for the international competition ever since.

Bonot originally hails from Stratton, Ont., west of Fort Frances. His sister, Jackie McCormick, the team's third, still lives in the small community.

He said there has been incredible community support for the team. When a Canada 150 celebration took place this summer, the team was part of it.

The competition

One challenge at playing at an international event is being unable to easily figure out the dominant competitors.

Bonot said Canada has many good curlers - while the numbers are a bit more slim in other countries.

"I'm sure other countries are like that because they have a smaller picking pool than Canada does," he said.

"The other countries are not sending their top athletes, because they're training for the Olympics. So, I know even one of the players on the US team had to back out because she's an Olympic hopeful."

Bonot said it's an honour to represent Canada, and while he would like to medal, he's also realistic.

"Let's make the playoffs and go from there."

The team will have a fundraiser Friday, September 29 at the Port Arthur Curling Club at 8:30 p.m.