Photo courtesy World Curling Federation/Alina Pavlyuchik

An opportunity five years ago to curl competitively together for the first time is bringing siblings from Stratton to the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

Trevor Bonot and his sister Jackie McCormick are being inducted today as part of the mixed curling team that won the Canadian title in the fall of 2016, then finished second at the 2017 World Mixed Curling Championship.

The team, skipped by Bonot, was the first Canadian foursome to earn a medal at the Worlds.

Bonot, who lives in Thunder Bay, was surprised by the nomination.

“It was a bit of a surprise to get the call. I wasn’t even sure we were nominated.When we got the call saying we’re going to be getting in, it was quite exciting. It’s hard to believe that it was five years ago already that we came back or we’re going to Switzerland,” says Bonot.

“We have only been five years out from our World championship run, so it didn’t seem like it would be something that would happen this quickly,” adds McCormick. “I was surprised but also very honoured to be put in the category with all of those other people who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s very exciting as well.”

Their championship run started in Fort Frances in March 2016, when Bonot and McCormick joined with Kory Carr and Megan Westlund Carr and entered at team in the Northern Ontario mixed curling championship in March 2016.

Until then, they had never curled together competitively.

“Trevor and I had never played competitive together before, so that was really the entire purpose of us starting that process was to just give us a chance to play together. We had lived really far apart for a long time, so now that we were sort of closer together, we thought we’d give it a whirl. We just went in with the goal of maybe winning a couple of games and having a lot of fun and it just kind of grew from there. We kind of flew in under the radar at every stage of the game that year, and I think that was part of the key to success. We had zero pressure,” says McCormick.

The foursome represented the Port Arthur Curling Club, Bonot’s home curling club and defeated another Thunder Bay-based rink, skipped by Dylan Johnston, for the right to represent Northern Ontario at the Canadian championship in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in November 2016.

The Northern Ontario rink lost just two games in the round robin and placement round of the nationals, earning the third-seed in the playoffs.

They first upset Saskatchewan, a team they lost to in the round robin, then beat Manitoba in the final.

The World Mixed Curling Championship was played in Champéry, Switzerland a month later.

The Canadian team went unbeaten in their pool before defeating Poland, Russia and Norway in the playoff round, reaching the final where they would be edged out by Scotland.

It was the first time a Canadian rink had earned a medal at the Worlds.

“I think there were about 37 or 38 teams, so it was really exciting to get to be Canada amongst all the other countries. It was an incredible experience, especially having so many family and friends come with us. It just made it all the sweeter,” says Bonot.

About 30 friends and family members made the trip, giving the Canadian rink the greatest number of fans among the 37 countries represented.

Photo courtesy World Curling Federation

The foursome is the twelfth curling team to be inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and just the third mixed curling team.

Bonot and McCormick feel entering the hall together makes it even more special.

“You know when you say it like that, very excited to have another great curling experience with Jackie. It’s just crazy to think that we’re just two curling kids from Stratton just going to the rink with our dad and getting to play as much as we can. And now we’re still playing. It’s amazing,” says Bonot.

“We’ve done all of this stuff together, and I love that. It’s so fun to do it with him. When we’re together, we have tons of family support, so we get everybody rallied behind us. I wouldn’t really want it any other way,” says McCormick.

Curling is not done for them.

Bonot is skipping a new team with McCormick at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship this November in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in hopes of another shot at the Worlds in 2023.