Krista McCarville ready to take on Scotties Tournament of Hearts in her hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is finally getting underway in Thunder Bay, Ont., tonight after a weeks of uncertainty due to the changing COVID-19 situation in Canada.

The national women's curling championship is shaping up to look different than what skip Krista McCarville was hoping for in her northwestern Ontario hometown, but she still believes her team is ready to give the tournament their all.

"Finally, I feel like, 'OK, this is really happening,' and we're getting very excited," said McCarville.

Due to provincial COVID-19 restrictions and concerns surrounding the Omicron variant, the stands at the Fort Williams Gardens will remain empty when McCarville's northern Ontario team steps on the ice for its first game Friday night, against Chelsey Carey's Wild Card 2 team from Regina.

The decision to keep the tournament within a bubble became final just last week. However, Curling Canada said there's a possibility for a modified ticket plan once COVID-19 restrictions ease up in Ontario as of Monday.

LISTEN | Hear the full interview with Krista McCarville on Superior Morning

"Curling Canada, in consultation with local health authorities, is looking into the possibility of a modified ticket plan for the final three days of the event, which could coincide with a playoff push," reads a media release from Wednesday.

That's a scenario McCarville said she's crossing her fingers for. She said having the tournament in her hometown under the current restrictions is disappointing, but once the games begin, it's all about staying focused.

"I always feel like once we're out on the ice, we don't really think about the crowd. We don't think about the cameras. We think about our shots," McCarville said.

This will be the first