As far as we’re concerned, curling was the catalyst for how “you and me” became, “we”.
We were first introduced for the purpose of partnering as a Mixed Doubles team. Our first event together was the 2016 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. That same week, largely in part to our experiences throughout the competition, we also began to date.
We actually won the 2016 Championship title together, but because of our pre-arranged commitments with our men’s and women’s teams that year, we were unable to represent Canada at the World Championships. Thankfully, and despite the added challenges of different schedules and long-distance, our off-ice romance continued to blossom.
It wasn’t until 2019 that we were able to play together again. This time, we competed for the Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship title in Fredericton, New Brunswick. With our sights set firmly on punching our tickets to go to Worlds, we were successful.
As a duo, we have a very balanced skillset. We both have a history of Skipping and both play the front end position. We are comfortable with strategy and share a great communication style – on and off the ice. So, when we combine it all together, it really helps us find success.
Despite the logistics of travel to Stavanger, Norway (host for the 2019 World Mixed Double Curling Championships) which had us flying separately, it actually allowed us to enjoy three days of exploring Norway as tourists together before the competition began. What’s more, Jocelyn has heritage rooted in the country, so her parents came over to Norway, too and we got to explore the area, as a group.
As competition at Worlds began to heat up, we were up against a couple of notorious powerhouse teams: Sweden and Japan. In order to make the playoffs, we had to win at least one of those games. Luckily, we produced a strong game against Sweden and secured that playoff spot for Canada.
Once we entered the playoff bracket we were successful against Finland, Russia and the United-States, respectively. In the gold medal match, we found ourselves face-to-face ,once again, with Sweden. It was a hard fought game, and we really turned up the heat through the final ends. However, that day, our score came up just 1 point shy. That said, we got to stand on the podium together and we now share the 2019 silver medal in the record books. To have gotten to experience that challenge as both teammates and partners, just made us want the gold even more!
“On the ice, Jocelyn and I understand one another and are able to get the most out of each other. Off the ice, it makes it extra special to be able to share something like this, together.” – Brett Gallant
“Brett and I both train hard and commit our time to curling. We inspire one other to stay motivated and to work hard. Getting to realize that hard work when we play Mixed Doubles, it’s unique and super special to spend that kind of time together.” – Jocelyn Peterman
Together, we know we really can achieve anything!