Inuvik's Curling Queens

Remember their names before they’re Olympians: Tyanna Bain, Mataya Gillis, Pearl Gillis and Adrianna Hendrick are four Inuvialuit girls hitting the ice every night to take Team Bain as far in the curling world as they can.

Tyanna Bain – Skip

“I want to accomplish a lot while we’re still in the junior level, but to be in the big competitions like the Scotties (Tournament of Hearts), that would be pretty cool,” said Tyanna, 14, the team’s skip.

She’s been playing for six years, four competitively. She thanks her mom for signing her up for the junior program.

“I like curling because of the opportunities and all the experiences we get to have,” she said. “It’s just fun.”

Already a young veteran, Tyanna has attended two national competitions as a junior curler.

“We get to meet a lot of new people and learn new things,” she said, adding that the biggest challenge is staying focused and concentrated throughout the games, which can sometimes last more than four hours.

Mataya Gillis – Third

“Curling gives us so many opportunities,” said Mataya, 14. “We get to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of new friends.”

In her four years of competitive curling, Mataya fondly remembers attending her first national U-18 tournament in 2017.

“I got to go and experience my first (national tournament) with my friend Paris (Wainman), my best friend Tyanna and my best friend Adrienne (Gagnon). It was super cool. I think that’s what made me really want to stay in curling and keep going with it.”

As the team’s main sweeper, Mataya’s been putting her muscles to work.

“After three hours of sweeping, your arms start to become wobbly,” she said.

She dreams of going to the Scotties someday and eventually the Olympics.

Pearl Gillis – Second

Small in stature but big on the rink, Pearl is already a golden girl at only 13 years old, after winning the mixed doubles tournament in the Canadian Junior Curling Championships earlier this year.

“It’s just nice to be on the ice and play with different teams all over the North,” she said.

Pearl has been playing competitively for about two years, inspired mostly by her sister Mataya.

She’s thankful for Inuvik’s support.

“I want to win U-21s and go to the world juniors, and if we stay together that long I want to go to the Olympics one day.”

Adrianna Hendrick – Lead

Newcomer to the team, Adrianna just started curling this year.

“It’s been really good,” she said, admitting that getting used to the proper sweeping technique has been a challenge.

Mataya’s pumped to have her on the team.

Adrianna, 12, looks forward to participating in some of the bigger competitions and hopes to attend the Scotties one day.

TEAM BAIN

The girls are at the Inuvik Curling Club every single day, usually for at least one hour each. They practise as a team three times per week and play every Friday.

All four of them are extremely grateful for the time coach Nick Saturnino puts into polishing their skills and taking them to out-of-town events.

They’re also thankful to the community at large for supporting their travel costs.

“Our curling club supports us so much,” said Mataya. “Inuvik supports us so much with our fundraising. The only reason we get to go to these national competitions is our town’s support.”