Mike Armstrong and the other members of Team Knapp are looking forward to representing Saskatchewan at the Tim Horton’s Brier, following their win at the Men’s SaskTel Tankard in Estevan last week.
Armstrong lives in Regina and is the Vice Principal at Indian Head High School, where he also leads a curling program for students. His initial introduction to curling came when he was growing up in Lloydminster so he appreciates the opportunity to share the sport with youth.
“My family was always into curling,” he explained. “My mom coached junior curling in Lloydminster and the year she started coaching I was only seven. She couldn’t leave me behind the glass watching, so I joined on the ice right then.”
Armstrong enjoys the camaraderie and strategy involved with the sport.
“There are so many relationships and people that you meet in curling,” he said. “The other part that I really like is it’s such a game of strategy. It’s like a game of chess; there’s a lot of thought and set-up to it.”
When he moved to Regina, Armstrong continued to curl and three years ago, he began playing at the Highland Curling Club with Team Knapp. The group includes Kelly Knapp (skip) and his twin brother Trent (lead), Mike Armstrong (second), Brennan Jones (third) and Dustin Kidby (alternate).
“We’re a team that communicates and works so well together. I think that’s a huge strength of ours; we pick each other up and support each other,” Armstrong noted.
This has led to an outstanding season for the group, winning four bonspiels and going undefeated at the SaskTel Tankard. The final game of the provincial competition against Team Laycock from Swift Current was very close but Armstrong and his teammates persevered.
“It was just an awesome experience. Our team came in with a lot of confidence but knew we’d have to play great,” Armstrong commented. “We had moments of difficulty where we had to battle back but we played really well. We were a cohesive unit so that helped us be successful.”
Winning the Tankard has earned the team a place at the Brier, which will be held March 3 to 12 in London, ON. This will be Armstrong’s second trip to the national competition; he also attended in 2012 with Team Manners.
Over the next few weeks, Armstrong and the other members of Team Knapp plan to engage in some mental training and continue practicing at the rink.
“The things we’re doing both on and off the ice are already working so we’ve just got to fine tune and keep doing those things well. If we can do that, we’re going to have some success at the Brier,” Armstrong said. “Our fans and family have been so supportive; we’re looking forward to representing Saskatchewan and giving it our all at the Brier.”
