Sharing a connection through curling

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (AP) -- Derrick McLean is a high school junior with a mouth full of braces who releases nervous energy before a big curling match by turning handstands in the hallway.

Ken Trask is a retired executive with a full head of hair who is the picture of calm and appreciates the kid’s youthful spirit.

They share a common connection through curling, a sport set on ice that combines elements of chess, bowling and shuffleboard. McLean, 16, and Trask, 61, are the youngest and oldest competitors at the U.S. Olympic curling trials, both members of Team Johnson.

They’re hoping to sweep their four-person squad through a grueling week of competition, which culminates with the finals Saturday. The winner of the men’s and women’s trials will be curling’s nominees for the 2010 Vancouver Games, as well as this year’s national champions.
 
Trask brings a wealth of experience, competing in his fourth Olympic trials. A former hockey player, he’s been curling for 41 years.

McLean possesses a desire to learn as an eager student ardently absorbing all the tips Trask has to offer. McLean has been rolling rocks?the term for the 42-pound granite stones?down a sheet of ice since he was 5 years old.

He can’t get enough of it. And that’s a good trait.

“When he throws another 20,000 rocks, he’s going to be even better,” said Trask, who along with McLean resides in Seattle and competes out of the Granite Curling Club there.

Although McLean is serving as the team’s alternate, he filled in quite well last Saturday night when Wes Johnson got sick. The team didn’t miss a beat, knocking off Team Plys.

McLean plays at a level beyond his years.

“Derrick’s got a good attitude about the game,” Trask said. “He can teach me a lot about enthusiasm and focus.”

In recent years, Trask played in recreational leagues at the club, thinking his competitive days were long behind him. Then captain Mark Johnson called last spring, coaxing Trask to join their squad.

Actually, it didn’t take much convincing. The team already had Johnson and Brady Clark on board, both accomplished curlers. However, the squad needed another member, someone to serve as an alternate.

McLean’s name was mentioned. A two-time junior nationals participant, he could be a good addition. But his age was a hang up. He was too young, too green.

That notion didn’t last long. His play convinced the team otherwise, the squad winning the West qualifier to earn a spot at the trials.

McLean has been captivated by curling since he was a little kid, mesmerized by watching Sandra Schmirler guide Team Canada to gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Soon after, McLean was playing in the family’s hallway, using masking tape to mark off the rink and a balled-up piece of tape as the rock. His father took him to an open house that Trask was hosting at the curling club.

It was fascination at first sight. McLean was hooked, quickly learning the finer points of the game from curling club members like Trask.

“Normally, we don’t start kids until they’re 7 or 8,” Trask said. “Even then, the kids use little rocks. Derrick would never throw a little rock. He kept trying with the big rocks, and couldn’t get them down there right away. It wasn’t long though, and he was shoving them from one end to the other.”

Now, he’s at the curling club six times a week, throwing close to 250 rocks.

“I love it,” McLean said, smiling. “I’m always working on (my game).”

Despite their age difference, Trask and McLean have a lot in common, sharing a fervor for Facebook, practical jokes (weighing down each other’s workout bags with rocks is a favorite) and, of course, curling.

“It’s something we love to do and where we spend all of our time,” Trask said. “It’s our common bond.”

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