RED DEER, Alberta (BVM) — To compete at the international level for your sport would be rewarding for anyone, but to be able to do it with someone you love would be the icing on the cake. This is the case for professional curlers Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, who not only are in a relationship, but are also mixed doubles partners.

Peterman, 26, hailing from Red Deer, Alberta, and Gallant, 30, from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, met while doing what they love.

“We met on the curling tour,” Peterman said. “The men and women often travel across Canada to compete in the same events.”

Currently, Peterman plays second for Team Jennifer Jones. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a certified clinical exercise physiologist.

“I completed my undergraduate degree in kinesiology at the University of Calgary,” Peterman said. “I worked in cardiac rehabilitation in Calgary until I joined Team Jennifer Jones in 2018. I joined the team after coming up short in the 2018 Olympic Trials final when I was second for Team Chelsea Carey.”

This past season, Team Jennifer Jones took home a bronze medal from the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and in 2018 they won the Canada Cup of Curling.

Gallant, who now lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, has been curling with Team Brad Gushue for the past eight seasons.

“I have a business administration degree from the University of Prince Edward Island and am now a full-time athlete,” Gallant said.

Team Brad Gushue has done incredibly well over the years.

“Together, we have won 10 grand slam events, three Canadian Championships (2017, 2018, 2020) and the 2017 World Championships,” Gallant noted.

The pair both come from families of curlers, making not only their path to curling as professionals but also their path to meeting each other seem like destiny. Peterman admits that both of her parents inspired her to get involved in the sport. While her father was the ice maker at the Red Deer Curling Club, her mother was her coach and mentor growing up.

“My parents have helped me so much.” Peterman said. “Everyone in my family played either competitively or for fun and it was something fun and active that we could do together.”

Gallant, who has been throwing rocks since he was 4, was inspired by both of his parents as well as his grandfather to start curling.

“Together my parents are Canadian Mixed Champions and have both played a huge role in my development in the sport,” Gallant said.

Each with their own busy schedules, Peterman and Gallant often find it difficult to curl together, but even with limited time they still manage to make it work.

“Our schedules are really busy with our men’s and women’s teams, so we don’t get to compete with each other as much as we’d like but we usually play three or four events a year together,” Peterman said.

“During the season, we are both training in different cities, but we try not to go more than a few weeks without seeing each other,” Gallant said. “We rely on FaceTime quite a bit to connect and we’re lucky that most of our events are held together at the same time.”

Peterman and Gallant excel anywhere they go, and it has been no different when they play as a couple. When paired together, their chemistry can’t help but be noticed, which indeed plays a part in their success as mixed doubles partners. They won the Canadian Championship in 2016 and 2019 as well as taking home a silver medal from the 2019 World Championship in Norway.

When it comes to being in a relationship with a fellow curler, they both agree that it is pretty special.

“It’s really nice to be in a relationship with someone who shares the same passion for the sport we love and the same dedication to achieving excellence,” Peterman noted. “He pushes me to be better with all of my training and motivates me every day.”

This year, both of their seasons ended a lot differently than either of them had hoped for.

“COVID-19 has had a major impact on our sport, including canceling this season’s World Championship for which our team had qualified to represent Canada,” Gallant said. “We hope to compete again this winter if it is safe to travel and host events again.”

Peterman had two grand slam events get canceled due to the coronavirus.

“Normally, we only get May to August for an offseason so this year we have an extended offseason,” Peterman explained. “We have been able to train hard at home with online workouts from our trainer and focus on rehabbing small overuse injuries.”

When it comes to the future, both Peterman and Gallant have goals they are working towards.

“My goal is to be an Olympic gold medalist,” Peterman said. “We are training hard for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. I would also love to win a Scotties Tournament of Hearts as a member of Team Jones.”

“My goals are to represent Canada at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing,” Gallant said, “and to hopefully inspire young athletes to chase their athletic dreams like I have been able to do.”