OGDEN ? How many kids can say Grandpa is going to the Olympics? John Gordon's grandson can.
Gordon and his teammates with the Tim Somerville Rink are going to the 2002 Winter Games after superb play and two straight hog line violations helped them defeat the Paul Pustovar Rink 7-1 Saturday during the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials.
Team Somerville won the Trials at The Ice Sheet after losing its first two games earlier in the week ? and then winning nine straight.
"Tim is throwing almost as good as he can," said team second Myles Brundidge moments after the victory. He added, speaking of such a quick turn-around after two losses, "We started to settle down and become ourselves."
This is the second time Team Somerville is going to the Olympics, although with one new face. It finished fourth in 1998 in Nagano. Team members weren't sure they would get there again.
"At my age, I wasn't sure we would go through this again," the 40-year-old Brundidge said. Teammate Somerville is also 40. Vice Skip Mike Schneeberger is 39 (he was not with Somerville in 1998); Lead Gordon is 43. Coach Bud Somerville is Tim's father and was skip of the 1998 team with his son. The Somerville team also won a bronze medal in the 1992 Games in Albertville, France, when curling was still a demonstration sport.
Somerville said he hopes their play at the Trials "snowballs" into February 2002. "We need to take our opportunities and cash in."
They definitely "cashed in" Saturday. Team Pustovar had beaten Somerville before.
"We weren't real confident," Somerville said about going into the Saturday afternoon round. Pustovar scored first in the first end, but Somerville's squad caught fire, scoring three in the second, and two in third and fourth ends.
Then suddenly, game over. According to a statement from head official George Phillips: "In the fourth end Paul Pustovar's first rock was called a hog line violation by one hog line official, confirmed by the other hog line official and the hog line supervisor. His rock was pulled from play per the rules. Pustovar's second rock was subsequently called a hog line violation by a hog line official and confirmed by the other hog line official and hog line supervisor. That rock was pulled per the rules.
"The officials are trained and will only call definitely clear violations of the hog line."
Team Pustovar called the game and walked off the ice. A somewhat stunned Team Somerville walked off the sheet and began to quietly celebrate their Olympic berth. When asked about the hog line violations, Brundidge said, "I'd rather not comment on that."
In another tense contest, Skip Patti Lank slipped her last stone just past an Erickson stone, chipping out another Erickson stone in the center of the house in an 11th-end victory. But, in the words of a disappointed Lank, "It's a game too late."
It was the first loss for Team Erickson, which clinched the Olympic berth Saturday evening and finished the Trials with a 9-1 overall record.
Lank's squad finished at 8-2. "It's good to end on a good note," Lank added.
Third place for the women went to the Cassie Johnson Rink.