BROOMFIELD — With the surface of the Broomfield Event Center a sheet of ice and most spectators in the stands in jackets, it seemed far-fetched when Mark Johnson said his sport of curling is comparable to golf.
With the way the stone is delivered in curling, it might be compared to bowling, but Johnson stood his ground Wednesday after Team Mark Johnson competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“Things that go well in golf go well in curling,” Johnson said. “You need consistency of swing, touch and feel for the game, and course management. You can play a very good game of golf at an older age, and it’s like that in curling as well.”
The ages of curlers for Team Johnson cover a large span, from Ken Trask, a 61-year-old retiree from Seattle, to Derrick McLean, a 16-year-old high school student from Bothell, Wash.
Johnson and younger brother Wes have dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, but have chosen to compete in the U.S. trials. The best men’s and women’s teams advance to the 2010 Vancouver Games.
“We’re in a pack right now and it’s going to matter who finishes properly,” Wes Johnson said. “It’s a matter of who plays well the last two days. We’ve got as good a chance as anybody.”
Mark Johnson, a police detective in Edmonton, Alberta, and Wes Johnson, a designer and art decorator in Everett, Wash., believe the Canadian side of their curling experience would be an advantage on the U.S. Olympic team.
“I was told by a prominent U.S. player that goes to the world championships that the U.S. is playing for second place because Canada has been at the top of the sport for a long time,” Mark Johnson said. “My thought is the U.S. is playing for first. Whoever wins here will be playing for first in Vancouver.”
Their comparison to golf holds true off the playing field, as well.
“The competition here is very intense, but there’s a social element to the game,” Mark Johnson said. “It’s a very gentlemen’s sport. We shake hands before the game, we shake hands after the game and sometimes we sit down with our opponents after the game and have a drink.”
Wes Johnson added, “I can’t think of an example of where I’ve seen fights break out between teams in curling. But I can think of four or five times when I’ve seen some problems between teammates. If a player makes a mistake, there could be words. There’s a lot at stake.”
ROUND-ROBIN STANDINGS
MEN
*George 7-1; Birr 5-3; Shuster 5-3; Farbelow 4-4; Johnson 4-4; Brown 4-4; Romaniuk 4-4; Disher 3-5; Deeren 2-6; Plys 2-6.
Wednesday — Draw 7
Farbelow 6, Birr 5
Disher 7, Romaniuk 0
Johnson 8, Deeren 5
George 9, Plys 5
Shuster 9, Brown 6
Draw 8
Brown 10, Johnson 8, extra ends
Shuster 8, Plys 7, extra ends
George 8, Farbelow 5
Romaniuk 7, Deeren 6
Birr 8, Disher 4
WOMEN
*McCormick 8-1; *Lank 7-2; *Wright 7-2; *Brown 6-3; Sormunen 5-4; Potter 4-5; O’Leary 4-5; Clark 2-7; Gervais 2-7; Lin 0-9.
* — qualified for playoffs
Wednesday — Draw 8
Brown 9, McCormick 6
Lank 9, O’Leary 1
Wright 8, Clark 7
Gervais 15, Lin 6
Sormunen 8, Potter 5
Draw 9
O’Leary 7, Lin 4
Sormunen 10, Brown 6
McCormick 10, Potter 4
Lank 9, Clark 3
Wright 7, Gervais 4
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
