It’s the one career where you are encouraged to throw rocks at houses, and Team Saskatchewan skip Mike McEwan knows exactly where he wants those stones to land.
But this isn’t his first trip to the Brier, or his first team. McEwan has skipped for three different teams in just three years.
Hailing from Brandon Manitoba, McEwen spent most of his career skipping for his home province but has recently made some moves.
At last year’s Brier he skipped for Team Ontario before making the jump this year to Saskatchewan.
“There was no hesitation from me in this situation and I had already got to go through those awkward feelings of being in Ontario and feeling like a little bit of an outsider, so this was like a slam dunk for me and I felt more comfortable with it,” McEwan said about coming to Saskatchewan.
McEwen said he was a bit anxious about being interviewed for the Saskatchewan skip position. He was used to having the final say in the makeup of the team. But with the talent on board already, McEwan jumped at the chance to move provinces.
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He’s not the first skip from Manitoba to make his way to the land of the living skies.
Matt Dunstone skipped in Saskatchewan from 2017 to 2022. McEwen said he didn’t talk to Dunstone about the move but thinks the connection is neat.
“I guess I’m the second Manitoban to skip a Saskatchewan entry and it’s kind of cool to do this honestly,” McEwan said. “I never thought I’d play outside of Manitoba when I was growing up, so it’s been a unique experience.”
Team Saskatchewan third and vice-skip Colton Flasch said the team was looking for a change, and they are thankful McEwan was interested.
“The three of us came just shy last season and we thought it was maybe time for a little switch up,” Flasch said. “McEwan was number one on our list and luckily we were able to get him.”
Traversing three provinces in as many years is no easy feat, especially playing at a national level. But McEwan thanks his family for allowing him to do what he loves.
“You know beyond just my wife we’ve got that grandpa and grandma support network that we’ve relied on heavily, especially with my wife playing competitively with Jennifer Jones for so long,” McEwan said. “I wouldn’t be playing without them.”
McEwen and Team Saskatchewan are heading into the Brier playoffs as the first seed in Pool B. The team looks to become the first Saskatchewan team to win a brier since 1980.
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