One could almost feel sorry for those taking on the Becker clan yesterday.
For if there is one thing the Becker family, of the Maniototo. is good at, it is curling.
The family has had five New Zealand representatives in the sport and at the Masters Games yesterday had a family team which would take some beating.
Skip was father Peter, while playing lead was son Scott, who had both played for New Zealand.
Bridget, who had also played for her country was playing second while brother James, who is on the farm, and has not got time to play for his country, is in third.
Sean, another son, and also a New Zealand representative, was scheduled to turn up late yesterday and take the place of Bridget for matches today. Bridget had to go home to Naseby to run a cafe.
Curling was obviously in the blood and Peter Becker said that came from before he was alive.
"My parents curled, so did my grandparents and then my great grandparents before them. They used to curl on the natural ponds back then," he said.
"Now we go to the indoor rink in Naseby all year round and can practice as much as we want. We’ve got a purpose-built one just out the back of the house but it is used more by the kids to go ice skating on now."
Peter Becker said he had seen a lot of the world through curling — "well, the cold countries, anyway."
But he did get to Sydney this year for a tournament, so it was not all bad.
His late wife Wendy, also played for New Zealand in the sport.
He said curling was a great game to play and with the ice being different throughout the world it was a hard game to master.
"The best thing about it is the camaraderie. That goes right up to the highest level. Everyone gets to know each other really well and the game is always played in a good spirit."
The biggest success the Beckers have had was when Sean and Bridget got through to the finals of the world mixed doubles championships in Russia in 2010 before going down to a Russian couple of the final.
The curling had attracted 25 teams for the two day tournament.
