Curler Mark Nichols has experienced considerable success since joining Brad Gushue’s rink (team) as third in 1999. Their first feat as a team was winning the Newfoundland and Labrador Junior Provincial Championship for three consecutive years from 1999 through 2001, as well as a Canadian Junior National and Junior World Championship in 2001. From 2002 through 2009 they won each year’s provincial championship, except for the 2002 and 2006 editions, but never a national one. Yet Gushue and Nichols, along with Russ Howard as second and Jamie Korab as lead, managed to capture arguably the most important national event of all: the 2005 Olympic trials. With this victory they were off to represent Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics and they did not disappoint, taking home the country’s first gold medal in Olympic men’s curling. Nichols has remained with the rink since then, but they have not seen any major success at the national or international level since. Outside of Team Gushue he skipped (captained) his own rink to a victory at the 2005 Canadian Mixed Championships and works as a personal trainer. He was named Labrador City’s Athlete of the Year in 2001.
Canada