Englot returns to curling as skip for Schmirler’s daughter

After years of curling against Sandra Schmirler, Michelle Englot is set to begin curling with Schmirler’s daughter.

Englot shared the news with 980 CJME Green Zone guest host Warren Woods on Wednesday afternoon.

Sara England is the eldest daughter of the late Olympic champion Sandra Schmirler. England has followed in her mother’s footsteps and became an accomplished junior curler.

Now she’s ready to take the next step and Englot will be there to help with the transition.

“I got an offer in mind that was too good to pass up,” Englot said. “Sara England gave me a call and asked me to step on board and skip her young team … For me, it’s going to be the perfect opportunity to play competitively but yet still have a little bit of work-life-curling balance.”

Englot and England will be joined by England’s former teammates Shelby Brandt and Stasha Wisniewski, who Englot said are great curlers in their own rights.

“I watched these girls play and know Sara a little bit off the ice from just running into her at the rinks and she’s incredibly mature for her age. I think that her demeanour on and off the ice is another thing that factored into me deciding to play with this team,” said Englot.

Englot will bring a wealth of experience to the team, including seven provincial curling championships. She’ll serve as a mentor and teacher as well as the team’s skip.

It’s not a new position for Englot to be in either, as she skipped a young team out of Manitoba last year.

She does admit that there is some irony that after going head to head against Schmirler for so many years early in her curling career that she’ll be playing with her daughter.

“I think it’s kind of a cool story,” Englot said with a laugh. “I think it’s an incredible opportunity for me to play with her daughter because I see so many similarities between the two of them in terms of their skill level and the focus and the drive to compete … I see a lot of Sandra in Sara.”

The team will ease into the competitive world of curling, Englot said, as two of the girls have a year left of university.

Englot anticipates they will put a few Saskatchewan Curling Tour events on their schedule as well as a few from the world tour.

–With files from 980 CJME’s Warren Woods

Super excited for the upcoming season with a very talented young crew! @england_sara @StasiaWs @shelby_brandt Stay tuned for more details on the team and our plans for next year. https://t.co/fPcpLHQrE9

— Michelle Englot (@MichelleEnglot) March 13, 2019