Underdog curling nations take unlikely paths to championships

The Pan Continental Curling Championships, which conclude Saturday in Kelowna, B.C., are hosting some of the top curlers in the world, including Canada's own Brad Gushue and Kerri Einarson. 

The event has also welcomed athletes from countries such as Guyana, India, and Kenya where curling is a burgeoning sport experiencing its fair share of growing pains. 

As a young child growing up in Brampton, Ont., Rayad Husain watched the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. 

"I would use tennis balls on our parquet floors at home and pretend I was curling," Husain told CBC News.

He took up the sport, and started representing Guyana in 2016.

The South American country toiled in the B division but climbed to the A division thanks to the team's performance at last year's championship in Calgary. The team included a player who had never curled before, according to the World Curling Federation.

After a player dropped out ahead of the competition, Husain searched through the federation's Instagram followers in the hopes of finding someone. He reached out to Khemraj Goberdhan, a fan who had no curling experience, and asked if he wanted to join. 

"People just reach out and find their way onto the team somehow," Husain said. 

In Kelowna, Guyana faced top-flight competition in round-robin play, including a Canada side led by Gushue. Guyana finished with a 0-7 record and face relegation back to the B division. 

Still, Husain says his team enjoyed its time in the A division, no matter how fleeting.

"It's bright lights and all the attention and stuff like that," he said. "It's fun."

Among the countries that were hoping to make the leap to the A division was Kenya. 

Kenyan team member Keegan Taylor said the sport caught his attention thanks to a