A pair of curlers from Paradise are making NL sports history as the first brother and sister to attend the National World Curling qualifiers.

20-year-old Katie Follett and 18-year-old Sam Follett, who curl out of the Remax Centre, have both been invited to the World Juniors qualifying tournament in Saskatoon in November of 2021. Winners of the qualifiers go on to represent Team Canada

Both siblings play the Mate position for their teams and have collected a lengthy list of accolades in their short careers.

Katie has represented Newfoundland and Labrador in many national tournaments, winning the first team All-Star award as Mate in 2018. Sam represented the province at the Canada Games in Red Deer in 2019, finishing fourth in Canada.

The siblings say it’s a special opportunity to experience the qualifiers together, and they’re looking forward to the high level of competition.

“To be the best you have to beat the best,” says Katie. She says their past success has prepared them for the tournament, as they’ve been learning and growing from every success and failure.

Sam says they will be seeing a lot of off-ice training this summer in preparation.

He says they’ll undergo cardio and strength training, and then come the fall, they’ll hit the ice.