Canadian women's deaf curling team trains in Halifax

I can tell you, first and foremost, it's the quietest version of curling that you will ever see. The Canadian Deaf Women's Curling Team is taking their game to the international stage. They're training at the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax to prepare for the 2027 Winter Deaflympics. Skip Emma Logan says she's never felt such a strong bond as this group. It's a unique space to navigate as the only deaf person on the team and trying to fill in the gaps from an audio-verbal perspective. But now on a deaf team where we all relate and have the same experience and we're all relying on our eyes to communicate, it actually makes us stronger as a team and it's the strongest communication I've experienced on a curling team. The team has been together for about five years. They got back-to-back silver medals at the Deaf World Curling Championships, but coach Marianne Arsenault says they need more support to reach the next level. The Canadian Deaf Sport Association asked me last year after Worlds, what is it going to take to get gold? And so my simple answer was money. We need training funds. And so they've been supportive, but the girls have had to come up with their own sponsors and put in their own money. And so, you know, every little bit counts. The Deaflympics have been around for more than 100 years. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are not allowed in competition. Team lead Suzanne Berrio competed in 2019. She says deaf athletes need more recognition for the work they put in. There's a common thread amongst us athletes, whether we're deaf or hard of hearing. The competition is very serious. Everybody's representing their countries. We're representing Canada. You're proud to be involved in the Deaf Olympics and you're proud to be there representing your country. The Deaflympics are being held in Austria in January. Colin North, CBC News, Halifax.