Team Nunavut Skip Jake Higgs throwing a stone at the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier (Source: Matt Hiscox Photography)
“A bouncing ball” is the best way to describe Team Nunavut Skip Jake Higgs.
Higgs, who lives in Strathroy, is a match teacher in St. Thomas, and the Skip for Team Nunavut.
How is that possible?
Higgs has been involved with sports his entire life.
His mother is in the London Sports hall of Fame as a tennis player and his father is a former NHL assistant coach, so sports was always a part of his childhood.
Higgs first got introduced to curling by his mother at the Ilderton Curling Club, where he still curls on a weekly basis.
“A lot of the players in this I would call professional curlers,” said Higgs. “They are curling almost as a full time job, whereas I’m a professional teacher and I curl part time.”
Higgs was given the opportunity to Curl with Team Nunavut after he was presented the offer about eight years ago when he was an alternate with Team Ontario.
“When I was with Team Ontario, I was asked if I ever wanted to Curl with Nunavut, and one thing led to another, I flew out to Nunavut a few times and practiced with them. And then I was offered the position of Skip and I took it”.
Higgs told XFM that he is very excited to have his students, friends and family cheering him on in his hometown.
“It will be fun to have my ‘own’ cheering section at the Bud and I am really looking forward to it”.
Higgs will be representing Team Nunavut for the second time. Higgs was previously the Skip for the team back in 2020 in Kington; just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Higgs and Team Nunavut opened their 2023 Brier campaign with a historic win over Team Newfoundland and Labrador.
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