Team Sask. second honoured at Indian Head school before leaving for Brier

Brier fever has been in the air at Indian Head High School.

Vice-principal Mike Armstrong is the second on Kelly Knapp’s team that’s representing Saskatchewan at the Tim Hortons Brier in London, Ont.

Armstrong told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Friday that students and staff at Indian Head High School gave him a special sendoff before he headed east.

“I wasn’t sure if anything would happen — which I’m OK with; I don’t like being too much in the limelight — but they threw a bit of an assembly (on Monday) and kind of surprised me with a curling activity and had a banner for me,” Armstrong said.

“It was a really nice sendoff. They’ve been super-supportive.”

Armstrong said some of the students didn’t know how important the Brier is in the world of curling.

“I’ve had a lot of kids just ask, ‘What is the Brier? Where are you going? Is this a big curling tournament?’ ” he said. “The ones that understand and kind of know what the Brier is really get it, but they’ve all been so kind and so sweet.”

Armstrong was asked if he’d make the students call him “champion” if Team Saskatchewan wins the Canadian men’s curling title.

“Yeah, I’ll just walk around with my maple leaf on my back to command respect,” he jokingly replied, referring to the gear he’d get to wear as a member of Team Canada.

“If only. I think when I come back, they’ll look at me still the same, but maybe with a little extra sense of accomplishment. That’d be pretty fun.”

Armstrong got interested in curling after he inherited his family’s love of the sport.

“(Both of my parents were) big into curling (when I was) growing up and I have a few older siblings (who) were all into the game right away,” he said. “When my mom started coaching junior curling, I was seven … I couldn’t sit behind the glass on my own, so I was out there with her … I got started at a really young age thanks to her.”

Team Saskatchewan is to play its first game at the Brier on Saturday at 1 p.m.