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The local community is reaping the benefits of the Maniototo International Curling Rink at Naseby.
It has broadened the horizons of Ranfurly schoolboy Luke Steele, who is skip of the New Zealand curling team for the Junior Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria, next January.
Since the indoor rink was built in 2006, the best teams in the Asia and Pacific region have played at the centre. It has also given local curlers a jump start as they strive for selection in New Zealand teams for international events.
Steeple (17) was introduced to curling by his school mates from the Maniototo Area School.
"We go to the Naseby rinks on a Friday night and have a good time," Steele said. "I kept going and got pretty good at it."
He will be joined in the New Zealand team by his Ranfurly mate David Weyer and Auckland girls Kelsi Heath and Eleanor Adviento. They were selected after the trial at Naseby last January.
There will be 1000 competitors at the Junior Winter Olympics, an event that covers all the winter sports. It is the first New Zealand curling team to attend the event.
"It will be my first time overseas and I'm pretty excited," Steele said. His long-term goal is to attend the main Winter Olympics.
Steele comes from a talented sporting family. His brother, Josh (14), has made the New Zealand luge team.
Luke is also talented at cricket and was selected in the Otago Country under-18 team as a legspinner last year.
He has a handicap of eight in golf and was named in the New Zealand area schools tournament team last year.
The New Zealand curling championships continue at the Dunedin Ice Stadium today. The semifinals start at 9.30am tomorrow and the final is at 1pm.