In a little more than 12 months from now , the best curlers in Canada will gather in Winnipeg with more than cash on the line, more prestige than a Brier title or more legacy-building honour than a world championship.
On the line is something that has become the No. 1 prize in curling - a chance at Olympic gold.
Canada being the curling capital of the world brings extreme pressure to whichever two teams win the Olympic Trials and head off to Sochi, Russia in February, 2014 with simple instructions: Win gold.
As this year's curling season swings into high gear, the focus of all competitive curlers will be to gain enough points to be included in the elite field in Winnipeg Dec. 1-8, 2013. How elite? Only eight men's and eight women's teams will qualify.
All the usual suspects, and a few fresh names, will be in the running. The obvious men's contenders are Alberta's two Kevins, Koe and Martin, Manitoba's Mike McEwen and Jeff Stoughton, and Ontario's Glenn Howard. Saskatchewan's best hope in past years, Pat Simmons, gave up trying to beat the big boys and joined Koe's team last year as third when Blake McDonald retired.
A couple of sleepers on the men's side include Ontario's John Epping, Manitoba's Rob Fowler and Saskatchewan's Steven Laycock, who was part of Simmons' team until his skip's departure, and now skips his own team which has had a little bit of success on the World Curling Tour circuit.
On the women's side, Cheryl Bernard was Canada's Olympic rep in 2010 at Vancouver and hopes to repeat. Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg is missing part of this season due to motherhood, but vows to be ready for the Trials. Saskatchewan has two top contenders - Stefanie Lawton and Amber Holland - while B.C.'s Kelly Scott has a world title on her resume. Ontario's Sherry Middaugh, a good ol' Saskatchewan girl who moved east to marry Wayne Middaugh, is having a super year on the cash circuit.
If you're a competitive curler, earning a berth in the Brier or Scotties in 2013 is a big deal, but qualifying for the Olympic Trials is the créme de la créme. You might be able to make it to a Brier or Scotties 10 times or more in a 30-year career. But when the Winter Olympics come along only once every four years, it's a rare opportunity, ramping up the pressure for the ultimate prestige.
The beads of sweat are already clearly evident on the faces of those with Olympic dreams.
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CBS's David Letterman, on Hurricane Sandy: "This storm could mean the biggest power outage since the Yankees in the playoffs. It was so windy yesterday that a Jets receiver was actually blown into the end zone."
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