(By Blair Weeks – Special to The Guardian)

Preparation time is over – the 2013-14 curling season starts Thursday at the CARI Complex at the Curl Atlantic Championship (C.A.C.).

First draw of the round robin begins at 1 p.m. and features the defending champion, Newfoundland’s Stacie Devereaux, versus P.E.I.’s Kathy O’Rourke.

O’Rourke has added a key recruit this season as Robyn (MacPhee) Green will join the team and throw skip rocks. Many Islanders remember Green’s last great run as a skip when she was mere inches from eliminating Jennifer Jones and advancing to the semifinal at the Scotties in 2009.

Other first round games sees two-time world champion Mary Anne Arsenault play fellow Nova Scotian Colleen Pinkney and New Brunsiwck’s Andrea Crawford play Christina Black of Halifax.

On the men’s side at 1 p.m. Jamie Newson of Charlottetown plays James Grattan, New Brunswick’s perennial men’s champion. Rod MacDonald kicks off his curling season against Zach Eldridge.

The preparations are done, but how do top-level curlers get ready for curling in August and early September without unlimited access to curling ice?

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Guardian photo by Jason Malloy: Head ice technician Jamie Bourassa pebbles the ice Wednesday at the CARI Complex for the Curl Atlantic Championship.

Event website: http://curlatlanticchampionship.ca/

Live results: http://livecurling.com/index.php?option=com_jumi&fileid=4&b_id=169