The odds and the past record may be against it, but the New Zealand men's team is determined to stand on the podium at the Dunedin Ice Stadium this week.
It is an experienced New Zealand team that will face the world's best seniors (over 50) at the first world championships to be held in the southern hemisphere.
Peter Becker (skip), Richard Morgan, Nelson Ede, David Greer and John Sanders all come from Central Otago and are hardened internationals.
Becker (59), a Patearoa sheep farmer, is the most experienced and will be competing at his sixth world senior championships.
"We have the ability to perform with credit.
If we all play well we will be right up there," Becker told the Otago Daily Times.
The opening of the Maniototo International Curling Rink at Naseby in 2005 has made a big difference.
"We have practised there together twice a week for the last three months and are better prepared than we have ever been," Becker said.
Former Otago rugby representative halfback Morgan (Omakau) and Ede (Naseby) will be playing in their second world championships.
Merino stud expert Sanders (Alexandra) will be playing in his fifth world championships and Greer (Kyeburn) in his first.
New Zealand's best performance at a world championships was sixth, but Becker knows that with a little luck it could be a podium finish this week.
But it will not be easy because defending champion Canada will start as a hot favourite.
It has won the title on five of the seven occasions the event has been held since 2002 and finished runner-up on the other two.
The United States and Scotland, the other two countries to win the gold medal, will be competing again.
The other two countries to stand on the podium at the seven world championships are Sweden and Switzerland.
Canada is also the defending champion in the women's event. It has won four gold medals and been runner-up twice.
Sweden has won the women's championship twice (2006 and 2007) and Scotland once (2005).
The other countries to have won medals have been Japan, England and the United States.
The United States has won the bronze medal three times and will be keen to go home with a different coloured medal this week.
The New Zealand women's team has not performed well at the championships in the past.
But it is an experienced team with Wendy Becker (Patearoa), the skip, being the least experienced and playing in only her second championship.
The three Aucklanders have all played in the previous six world championships and are expected to make important contributions.
The most experienced is Liz Matthews, who started curling in 1961.
Christine Bewick began a decade later while Pauline Farra, the baby of the team, started the sport in 2003.
The opening ceremony will be held at the Dunedin Ice Stadium at 10am today and games will be played all week.
The semifinals will be held on Saturday at 9am and both finals will start at 2.30pm.
