Inuvik's Pearl Gillis,13, made it to the podium at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Shawinigan, Que., last week, but she could not have anticipated how she got there — or with whom.

Gillis and her Inuvik, N.W.T., teammates didn't make the tournament finals, but she's coming home with some major accolades after being teamed up with Edmonton skip Karsten Sturmay for mixed doubles play.

The mixed doubles tournament included all players and coaches who didn't make the finals.

Gillis would throw and Sturmay would sweep. Sturmay is an experienced skip, but that wasn't Gillis' first concern.

"I didn't want somebody too competitive," she said.

While Sturmay didn't become skip of the University of Alberta Junior Varsity Bears curling team for lack of a competitive streak, Gillis's worries were quickly put to rest.

"I got a really, really, really nice skip," she said. "He taught me a lot and he was really nice to me."

Gillis said Sturmay gave her some tips on her throwing technique — "he helped me with my rotation and I practised some of my stuff when I'm sliding out" — and she learned a lot just from watching Sturmay and other experienced curlers in action.

But it wasn't just a learning experience — Gillis and Sturmay also won gold in the mixed doubles.

Pearl Gillis curling

2018 New Holland Canadian Junior Curling Championships mixed doubles champions, from left, coach Daniel Bédard, Karsten Sturmay, Pearl Gillis. (Curling Canada/Michael Burns/Twitter photo)

But that wasn't the only recognition Gillis won in Quebec. She was also awarded the sportsmanship award, an honour voted on by fellow players, and a fair play award, selected by tournament officials.

She also made an impression on Sturmay, who tweeted after the win: "Pretty special way to end my last junior nationals playing mixed doubles with an absolute sweetheart of a human being."

Gillis said winning gold was never a sure thing.

"In the last game we got tied in the fourth end, then we got up by two," Gillis said. "They [the other team] could have won but they missed their shot."

In the end Gillis and Sturmay, coached by Quebec's Daniel Bédard, went down in the record books as 8-4 winners over the team of Grace Holyoke, Felipe Marin and coach Kevin Patterson.

It was an exciting time, Gillis said. She eventually celebrated with a trip to Galaxyland in the West Edmonton Mall.

And just how does a 13-year-old deal with the pressures of a gold medal game at a major Canadian curling tournament?

"Just be calm and have fun," Gillis said.

With files from Juanita Taylor