Blended drinks are all the rage these days, and it seems as though one could say the same about "blended rinks."

In a world that is getting smaller due to technological advances, so too is the curling world, with some rinks featuring players from different parts of the province.

Allison MacInnes's Kamloops quartet is an example of that. Although MacInnes lives in town, and the rink is - technically - based here, her three teammates live on the Lower Mainland.

Grace MacInnes - Allison's sister - lives in Langley, with second Diane Gushulak residing in Vancouver and Jacalyn Brown hanging her hat in Burnaby.

The MacInnes rink, which is taking part in the Valley First Crown of Curling playoffs at the Kamloops Curling Club today, isn't alone in this.

Roberta Kuhn's Vernon rink includes, at third, Karla Thompson of Kamloops, while Brandi Tinkler's Victoria rink features Ashley Nordin of Kamloops.

There are other examples all over - it's not just Interior players heading to the coast. Last season, Patti Knezevic's Prince George rink picked up Kamloops' Brenda Garvey and qualified for provincials.

They certainly aren't the only rinks doing that - and they certainly won't be the last.

"The reality is that if there's four good players here already on a team, then you have to look elsewhere," Allison MacInnes said. "There's just not as many competitive curlers.

"There are a lot of curlers, but it's 'Who wants to spend the time and the money on being that competitive?' "

This is the third season the MacInnes rink has been doing this, although Brown is new to the team.

It's a lot of work, but it seems to be working out.

"It's getting easier - I go down to the coast pretty regularly," MacInnes said. "I've been down there three or four times already, and it's been good."

Whenever the four women get together, they spend their time practising.

That may have been part of the reason the quartet got on the ice Sunday to throw some stones - because they won an A final Saturday at the Crown, they moved right into today's playoffs.

The biggest reason for the Sunday practice was so the players didn't lose their touch.

"You have to realize that (the B and C qualifiers) are still throwing and on a bit of a roll," MacInnes said. "Sometimes when you get on a roll, you have to try to keep going."

mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca