Former Manitoban returns to the curling spotlight

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This article was published 19/02/2021 (1877 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Breanne Knapp moved away and dropped a last name infinitely tied to curling greatness in Manitoba but is still the same sharp-shooting southpaw.

A former Canadian junior champion and twice a fifth player at the Scotties, Knapp has returned to the spotlight after several years removed from the grind of competitive curling.

The Winnipeg product is throwing lead rocks for Team Saskatchewan, led by veteran skip Sherry Anderson, at the 2021 national women’s championship inside the Calgary bubble, amidst the backdrop of empty seats and cardboard-cutout spectators inside Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park. 

Knapp (nee Meakin) has lived in Regina for several years and is married to Kelly Knapp, a curler and physiotherapist. The two met 11 years ago at the junior nationals in Quebec.

Blue Bomber fans, prepare to shudder. The daughter of 1995 world men’s champion Rob Meakin admits she’s loving life one province to the west.

“I had looked up to Sherry for years, since I was a kid. So, it was pretty amazing to be asked to join the team,” said Knapp, 30. “It’s an honour to wear the (Manitoba) buffalo but it’s also an honour to represent Saskatchewan. It’s a different chapter in my life.

“My heart is in two places, for sure.”

Knapp had stepped back from curling to focus on her schooling and the start of her career, playing some mixed and sparing occasionally. She played a few times with Anderson during the 2019-20 season and clearly made an impression.

She was recruited by the now eight-time Scotties competitor in time for what amounted to a humdrum ’20-21 campaign, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent event cancellations and club closures.

The team out of Saskatoon’s Nutana Club, which includes a pair of Scotties rookies, third Nancy Martin and second Chaelynn Kitz, played just a handful of games together in the fall. Anderson, who led a Saskatchewan team to the 2019 world senior women’s title, actually caught the virus in November.

Still, the foursome was selected by CurlSask to head to the Scotties (based on its performance over the last two years) instead of last year’s representative, Robyn Silvernagle, after the federation was forced to cancel all of its provincial playdowns.

“It was a pretty far-reaching idea that there would even be a Scotties until we heard about a bubble situation in Calgary. Sherry ended up getting a call, notifying us that we were the team, and we were totally thrilled,” said Knapp, one of only four left-handers in the field. “The next thought was, ‘Now what?’

“The process was a challenging one in light of the pandemic, but we wanted to make sure we were prepared. We really didn’t have many games under our belts as a team. We started practising for the Scotties and have been lucky to have a lot of on-ice time leading up to it. The last month or so we’ve been throwing on our own.”

Knapp won four Manitoba titles in five years during a phenomenal junior career, twice as a lead (2007, ’09) and twice skipping her own squad (2010, ’11). It’s been 12 years since she joined forces with Kaitlyn Lawes, Jenna Loder and Laryssa Grenkow to win the Canadian title before falling to Eve Muirhead of Scotland in the world junior final in Vancouver.

Knapp has also been to a pair of Scotties on behalf of Manitoba, serving as fifth for Cathy Overton-Clapham in Charlottetown (2011) and Chelsea Carey in Montreal (2014), getting in a bit of game action each time.

The registered dietitian is motivated to prove those moments weren’t just empty calories.

“I draw from all my experiences. As a fifth player, you gain some insight into what makes thing work, how important communication is and how you can fill that supportive role,” she said. “I’ve played a lot of positions. I’ve been skip, I’ve been lead. I’m generally a curious person, so I like to explore a lot of areas. All those experiences help when the pressure’s on.”

Her dad, Rob, coach of Mike McEwen’s team preparing for the start of the Brier just five days after the Scotties final, doesn’t mind cheering for the gang in green.

“It really is cool to see. I’m very proud, of course. Breanne took time away from the game to focus on her degree and her career. She made those decisions on her own, and trust me she had a lot of opportunities with requests to curl and she turned a lot down that were pretty attractive,” said Meakin, who earned Brier and world titles 26 years ago playing second for Kerry Burtnyk.

“Sherry has so much experience. Look at her recent success. Having youth on the team as well, it’s a neat dynamic.”

Saskatchewan opens today with Pool B matchups against Suzanne Birt of Prince Edward Island (9:30 a.m.) and Lori Eddy of Nunavut (7:30 p.m.).

It’s no secret a successful launch won’t occur if Knapp misfires with her rocks.

“You can certainly lose a game at lead. It’s an important position,” she said. “It’s setting things up, it’s a communication role, it’s a sweeping role. We definitely want to be strong throughout the lineup, especially at a Scotties.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell