Whitehorse curler Ally Goncalves and local curling coach Wade Scoffin have just returned from representing Brazil at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Sweden.

There were no medals, but finishing 17th out of 40 countries entered has moved Brazil up seven positions in the world rankings, from 35th to 28th.

And Goncalves – a Brazilian Ex-pat and a reference librarian at Yukon College – still has her sights on representing her birth country at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

It was actually Goncalves’ fourth trip to the world championships but her first with teammate Marcio Cerquhino of Vancouver and Scoffin as their coach.

Goncalves, Cerquhino and Scoffin won the right to represent the South American country at the six-team Brazilian playoff in Toronto last November.

Brazil does have any curling facilities. But as a member of the international community, it is entitled to compete in the various world championships.

Shortly after moving to Whitehorse in December 2010, Goncalves took up curling as a winter sport.

The colder outdoor activities were too hard on her hands and feet.

So her and her husband and a couple of bartenders from the Gold Rush Inn put together a recreational curling team in 2011 for fun.

Goncalves was hooked.

As soon as she threw her first rock, she realized how difficult it was.

“That is what drew me to the sport.”

After 6 1/2 years, she still feels the challenge, as many of the great curlers do after a lifetime in the sport.

Goncalves attended her first world mix doubles in 2014, and up until this year she was curling with a Brazilian living in Quebec.

It was difficult to maintain the team bond over such a large distance so she and Cerquhino agreed to partner up for the 2018 worlds, making it a little easier financially to train.

“This is our first year,” she said in an interview. “We are committed for the next three or four years.... We really want to try for the Olympics.”

Coach Scoffin – a well respected local curling skip – said Goncalves and Cerquhino just might have a shot at it too.

He said this week after returning from the world championships last week that he and Goncalves got to know each other through the Whitehorse curling scene.

Last summer she approached him to coach her and Cerquhino. and he agreed.

Cerquhino was in Whitehorse for 10 days training prior to the Brazilian playoff in Toronto and another week in March prior to the worlds in Sweden.

Marg White – local official extraordinaire – was also in Oestersund assisting with the officiating.

Scoffin pointed out the Brazilian ex-pats just missed the playoff round with their record of three wins and four losses.

And a couple of games could have gone either way, including the game against Canada.

“Brazil was winning 5-4 playing the final end and they (Canada) made their last shot for three so the final score was 7-5 but they had to make that last shot to beat the Brazilians,” Scoffin recalled.

He said his rink was in every single game, responding to the shots and pressure as they moved through the championships, but for the one game against the South Korea team which finished first in their group with an undefeated 7-0 record, one win better than Canada.

“I like their team work and their cooperation,” Scoffin said. “They are certainly not the most experienced, not the most technically sound and solid team. But they work together as a group of one to accomplish some really great things.”

Scoffin explained the debut of mixed curling at the Seoul Olympics in February allowed for only eight countries. The inaugural event was won by Canadian curling icons John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes but they did not challenge to represent Canada at the World Championships. Canada was represented by Laura Crocker and Kirk Muyers, and they brought home bronze.

But already there is a push to expand the field to more countries for the Beijing Olympics.

The more and more Goncalves and Cerquhino compete and advance their standing in the world rankings, they greater chance they’ll have for a trip to China, Scoffin explained.

Ultimately, he said, it will be up to the Brazilians to choose who’ll go forward with them as coach but the local curling skip said he’ll go along for the ride as long as they want him.

“I’m happy to support them in every possible way,” Scoffin said.

Goncalves said there are no plans to make any changes to the team.