He’s never competed at the national level, but Rob Armitage will bear at least a small target on his back when he and his Red Deer rinkmates line up for the Canadian senior men’s curling championship starting Saturday at Abbotsford, B.C.
“Well, we are from Alberta and Brad Hannah (the 2011 Alberta champion) lost the Canadian final last year,” said Armitage. “So we’ll be expected to do well.”
Armitage and his supporting cast of third Keith Glover, second Randy Ponich and lead Wilf Edgar became a foursome last fall.
“Keith hadn’t been playing for a year or two. He’s retired (from the City of Red Deer Emergency Services) now so I drug him back out,” said Armitage, who had curled with Glover as well his front-enders on various occasions over the years.
The Red Deer and area quartet — Ponich resides in Rocky Mountain House and Edgar lives near Innisfail — did not enter any ‘spiels heading into the senior playdowns, but got plenty of exercise while competing in the zone and southern shootouts as well as last month’s provincials at Lethbridge, where they emerged victorious following a nine-game run.
Armitage won five straight in round-robin play before falling to Hannah’s Edmonton entry, then finished in a three-way tie for top spot at 6-1. However, their performance in the tie-breaking skills competition left them in third place and they were forced to meet Hannah in a semifinal, which they won in a extra end.
Facing Calgary’s Mickey Pendergast in the final, Armitage and his cohorts scored three in the fifth end and stole three more in the sixth to assume an 8-2 lead. The Red Deer curlers went on to win 9-4 in eight ends and earned a berth in the national championship.
The foursome leaves Thursday for Abbotsford. The Alberta champs will practise Friday and will then take on Charlie Wilkinson and his Prince Edward Island team in Saturday’s opening draw at 2:30 p.m. (MDT).
“It’s an impressive field. There won’t be any easy games,” said Armitage. “Saskatchewan should be strong (with Eugene Hritzuk of Saskatoon at skip) and the guy from Quebec, Guy Charette, was Guy Hemmings’ third in a bunch of Briers and was also there on his own (as a skip).
“Then you have the B.C. team, with (third) Brian Windsor and (skip) Dennis Graber. Graber used to be out of Grande Prairie and went with Gary Morken to the Brier in 1982, and he and Windsor represented B.C. at the Brier a few years ago.
“(Glenn) Goss out of Newfoundland has been to the Brier before and the defending senior champion, (Kelly) Robertson from Manitoba, beat Hannah in last year’s final and is back this year.”
Competing in the Canadian championship will be an eye-opener for the Red Deer team as well as a long week, with 11 round-robin games on the schedule and hopefully two or three playoff games to follow.
“None of us have been to a national event before. We’re looking forward to it,” said Armitage.
gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com