Hugh Millikin (Australia) and Sean Becker (New Zealand) are mates on the sidelines, but on the ice they are fierce opponents.
The pair will be the most experienced skips at the Pacific Championship starting at the Naseby International Curling rink tomorrow.
Millikin (51), the chief executive of a software company in Sydney, will be playing in his 18th Pacific Championships.
Becker (33), a Maniototo sheep farmer, will be playing in the event for the 13th time.
Millikin is desperate for Australia to finish in the top two and qualify for the world championships in Canada next April.
If this happens, Australia can virtually book a place for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
He skipped the Australian team that finished seventh in 1992 when curling was a demonstration sport at the Olympics at Albertville, France.
"I'm getting near the end of my international career and don't know how many more chances I'll get," Millikin said yesterday.
Becker was skip of the New Zealand team that won the Pacific Championships in 1998, 2003 and 2004 and also skipped the first New Zealand team to compete at a Winter Olympics in 2006.
Becker first competed for New Zealand in 1994 and was the New Zealand flagbearer at Turin.
"To win the gold medal is the ultimate for us," Becker said.
Millikin has been the most successful skip at the Pacific Championship first held in 1991. During his time at the top Australia has won the event nine times, and claimed six silver and two bronze medals.
China has a polished professional team and is rated as favourite to win the championships.
Australia must beat New Zealand to get to the world championships and the Olympics.
"I wouldn't take New Zealand for granted," Millikin said.
"They have the ice to train on and will be tough."
New Zealand is at an advantage by having two world-class rinks in Dunedin and Naseby.
But as every year goes by the Asian countries - China, Japan and Korea - get closer.
"They spend a lot of time curling and some of them are professional curlers," Becker said.
"They are getting tougher and tougher to beat."
Becker rated the Chinese as the toughest opponents because they do everything clinically.
"The Australians have got a lot of experience but we will never lay down on our home turf," he said.
The chances of the New Zealand men's team qualifying for the Vancouver Olympic Games look slim.
"It's highly unlikely that there will be a New Zealand team at the Winter Olympics," Becker said.
"We would have to qualify from this tournament and then finish in the top two or three places at the world championships," Becker said.
"We would also need to hope that some other teams did not rate very highly. But it is a very slim chance."
New Zealand will go into the Pacific championships with an underdog tag, but could surprise.
"We have been training together almost every weekend for the last three months," Becker said.
"But we haven't had the high level of games that the other countries have had. We have a home ice advantage and will have family and friends' support at the championships."
It will not be easy for the New zealand women's team to qualify for the world championships in Korea next March because only the winning team at the Pacific championships qualify.
China has won the women's title for the past two years.
New Zealand gets the chance to host the event every six years, with the championships in Christchurch in 1994 and Queenstown in 2002.
The double round-robin starts tomorrow and continues until Friday.
The best-of-three games semifinals will be played next Saturday, with the final tomorrow week.
Pacific championship
New Zealand teams
Men
Sean Becker (skip), Warren Dobson, Warren Kearney, Rupert Jones, Scott Becker.
Women
Bridget Becker (skip), Brydie Donald, Marissa Jones, Catherine Inder, Cass Becker.
Winners
• Men
1991-97 - Australia
1998 - New Zealand
1999 - Japan
2000 - New Zealand
2001 - Japan
2002 - Korea
2003-04 - New Zealand
2005-06 - Australia
2007 - China
• Women
1991 - Japan
1992 - no tournament
1993-2000 - Japan
2001 - Korea
2002-2005 - Japan
2006-07 - China
