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Kelly Knapp will have a different view than he’s used to at this year’s Tim Hortons Brier.
The 33-year-old is normally at home in Regina during the tournament, cheering on whichever team is representing Saskatchewan at the Canadian men’s curling championship.
“Whenever I’ve watched past teams at the Brier, I’m always wearing green and cheering on the guys,” Knapp said. “That’s one thing that is really great about curling in Saskatchewan: I’ve always thought that we have a really close-knit curling community and we are fierce competitors but we always kind of back each other at the same time.”
But this year, the spotlight will be on Knapp and his rink after he skipped it to a provincial title for the first time in his career.
“It certainly took a few days (to sink in),” Knapp said. “That was a whirlwind for me. I’ve never been involved in anything like that with all that media attention and whatnot, so that was new. After that settled down and we came back out on the ice and started practising, it was, ‘OK, here we go.’
“I’m fully anticipating a few nerves. I think you just have to wait and see what happens when the time comes. Right now it’s just pure excitement and elation that we are going to be representing Sask. at the Brier. I hope I’m a little nervous. I was a little nervous at the Tankard too and I think that only made me better and the guys better as a whole.”
Knapp had mostly been a lead throughout his curling career, and he was an alternate on the Pat Simmons rink at the 2021 Brier. But this season, Knapp put together a team consisting of him, third Brennan Jones, second Mike Armstrong and lead Trent Knapp – Kelly’s twin brother.
The Regina rink won five Saskatchewan curling events, including a 5-4 win over Steve Laycock’s rink at the SaskTel Tankard to punch its ticket to the Brier in London, Ont.
Knapp thinks the success they have had in the province can translate to the national stage.
“I think us getting into those big semifinals and finals and having shots to win and all that type of stuff, it doesn’t matter what level it is at,” Knapp said. “You feel a bit of pressure when you have those shots and you kind of rein it in and you start making some of those. I honestly think when we get out there on the national stage, you’re going to see some of that transfer over.”
Now it will be up to the Knapp team to try and end Saskatchewan’s drought at the tournament. A rink from the province hasn’t won the tournament since 1980, when Rick Folk’s rink emerged as champions.
“I think it does add a bit of extra pressure. It does come up all the time. We’ve been curling fans in Saskatchewan for a long time and we’ve been aware (of it),” Knapp said.
“We are a confident bunch. I think that we’re a new face and a new name at the Brier. We’re a little more well-known around the province with curling, but at the national stage, I think a lot of people are going to be wondering who we are and see what we are all about.
“Hopefully we can come out really strong that first game and set the tone and gain some confidence and get rolling from there.”
The Brier gets underway Friday, but Knapp and his teammates won’t play their first game until Saturday at 1 p.m. against Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone. Dunstone skipped a Saskatchewan rink at the Brier from 2018 through 2022.
