England and Scotland will be represented by English-born players supported by the British Curling programme as the World Wheelchair Curling Championships and World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Champs gets underway this weekend at the Richmond Curling Centre in British Columbia (4-12 March).
The presence at the event of Yorkshire-born Jo Butterfield, who switched allegiance to adopted homeland Scotland while previously competing in athletics and London-born Stewart Pimblett, who has joined the Stirling-based British Curling programme while still representing England, is the latest demonstration of the growing popularity of the sport on the back of Olympic and Paralympic exposure.
ParalympicsGB gold medal winner Butterfield has revelled in the team environment since joining British Curling last year and is set to make her World Championship debut in the traditional team game alongside experienced colleagues Meggan Dawson-Farrell, Gregor Ewan, Gary Logan and Hugh Nibloe.
“My overriding thoughts are of pure excitement, genuinely I can’t wait to get going and to see how we test ourselves against the best in the world,” she said. 
“That is why I do what I do and why we do what we do to compete on the big stage. Of course there are a few nerves but to me that is a good thing and it proves how important it is to me and that I care about it.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the arena and get a feel for the set up of this event. I think having the two competitions at the same time has caused some logistical challenges, but on the plus side it is great that we have two competitions that we can strive for and seeing the sport grow and the number of wheelchair athletes here doing curling is a real upside.”
She is also enjoying experiencing the mood that surrounds curling in Canada..
“We’ve been here a few days now and adjusted well and had our first ice practice and it was a really positive couple of sessions, everyone is in good spirits and being in Canada you do get a real feel for how everyone loves curling,” said Butterfield.
“Just seeing how busy the curling club was, to people stopping you in the street or in the hotel asking you what you are here for and the excitement when you tell them you are here for the curling. There is a buzz about the event and you can tell how important it is.”
While she is a newcomer to the British Curling programme, Butterfield is a hardened competitor and believes that she and her colleagues are ready to do battle.
“I am proud it has been a pretty quick turnaround from competing in athletics but if I am honest I do feel at home now with the curling squad, team morale is really positive and high,” she said.
“We had a good competition in Norway a few weeks ago and I think that has given us a confidence boost and I can really feel the team has started to gel together and support each other so that is good.
“We’re all feeling very confident and we’re here to fight. I know that if we perform to our best, then on any day we can beat any team out here, so that’s a nice confidence to have. 
“Korea is first up on Saturday lunchtime. It’s a team that I’ve played against a few times which is nice and I’m itching to get started.”
Pimblett will meanwhile line up alongside Rosemary Lenton for England in the World Mixed Doubles Championships which also features Scotland’s Charlotte McKenna and Dave Melrose and the Newcastle-based former wheelchair basketball player demonstrated the humour he has brought to the programme when asked about his readiness for this event.
“I’m ready for the world stage, but is the world stage ready for me, that’s what I’m going to be asking,” he laughed.
“The trip’s going well,” he continued.
“It was a long flight from London, but we’re settled into Vancouver and can’t wait to get going.
“I can’t wait. It’s been a long time. I’ve dreamt a lot about this and I’m hoping I do myself and my country proud.
“It’s going to be interesting. Let’s hope England and Scotland meet in the final. I wish them all the luck and I hope all the British Curling curlers do very well.”
The two competitions run in parallel from March 4-12, with Scotland opening their mixed doubles campaign against Hungary and England meeting Italy, while Scotland face Korea in their opening match in the team event. 
The participating 12 teams in the World Wheelchair Curling Championships are hosts Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and United States.
The World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Champs participating teams are:
Group A: China, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Switzerland and United States.
Group B: Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia and Sweden.
Please click here for more information from the World Curling Federation
Watch games on Recast
Scotland Mixed Doubles Team
Charlotte McKenna
David Melrose
England Mixed Doubles Team
Rosemary Lenton
Stewart Pimblett
Scotland Team (Playing positions TBC)
Jo Butterfield (MBE)
Meggan Dawson-Farrell
Gregor Ewan
Gary Logan
Hugh Nibloe
#curling #WWhCC2023 #WWhMDCC2023
