Facing one of the favourites for the upcoming Winter Paralympic on their own ice provides the ideal opportunity for the players who will represent Great Britain at the mixed team event in Milan-Cortina to test themselves, according to their highly experienced skip.
As he competes in his third, Hugh Nibloe will lead four Paralympic debutants in Stu Pimblett, Karen Aspey, Austin McKenzie and Graeme Stewart into action in Italy and following last month’s ParalympicsGB wheelchair curling team announcement, he believes their trip across the Atlantic to contest the Leduc Mixed Wheelchair Curling Event (11-14 January) is perfectly timed to help them gel. 
“It feels good to be getting back into action after the selection announcement and it is really exciting now we know this is the line-up that will be going to the Paralympics and to have this opportunity to try and make us the best team that we can be,” he said.
“In this event, we know Canada have been playing as the same line-up all season and for a few years now, so it will be a great team to test ourselves against and see where we need to be as we know they will be up there
“We have played this Canadian team in the Slam earlier this season and some of my squad mates have played against them in Stirling and Wetzikon too.
“They have travelled quite a lot this season and they have some established players that have been competing certainly as long as I have and it is great to get this chance to measure yourselves against them.
“We know they are always on their game, so it is great to get this chance to face one of the strongest teams so we are really looking forward to that.
“Canada and China will probably be the two stand-out teams in Cortina, so meeting Canada in this event will help with our final preparations over the next two months. 
“We will have to wait until the Games before we meet China, but now we know our line-up I feel like we are in a good spot and the five of us have a real potential that we just need to make the most of, so we are looking to perform the best we can as we are all striving to do well and feel ready for this.
“The USA has a fresh look, so it will be good to be up against them as well in this event.”
He noted that excitement has been high within the group since it was confirmed that they would be representing ParalympicsGB, saying: “I think my team mates are absolutely bouncing after selection with this being their first Paralympics.
“It doesn’t get old for me either. Getting to the Paralympics is just so exciting and this one is just as important as my first one, we are really keen to get tore into these next two months.”
What has got older is Nibloe himself who, taking the eight hour time difference into account, spent his longest ever birthday on the way over there as he turned 44 and he is hoping for belated cause for a double celebration.
“With all the flight cancellations and delays I think it was about a 32 hour birthday by the time we landed in Edmonton,” he laughed.
“A travel day is probably not the most exciting way to spend it, but getting to Canada is pretty exciting and I feel very lucky to be travelling out to this event and everything we have to look forward to.
“So I will very happily roll away with a good performance after this weekend, which would be a nice belated birthday gift.
“Knowing we are taking steps in the right direction would be a great present.”
The Leduc event is a competition which represents the start of an intense spell of honing their competitive edge.
“This is one of three events we have left as we head to Norway at the end of the month and have one more Euro Super League event in Stirling next month and then that will be it,” said Nibloe.
“This one give us the first taster as this new unit, against Canada and USA and some great club teams here too, so the coming days will be a real challenge and hopefully this will be a great platform to build upon for those next two events before the Paralympics as we look to make the most of the time we have left.”
Team Great Britain
Hugh Nibloe
Stu Pimblett
Karen Aspey
Austin McKenzie
Graeme Stewart
Event details
Results
Images: British Curling/PPA
