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A22     SPORTS
              Tuesday 21 November 2017



















            American curling siblings Matt, Becca Hamilton make Olympics


            By JIMMY GOLEN
             AP Sports Writer
            Becca Hamilton earned an
            Olympic  berth  as  a  mem-
            ber of the American wom-
            en’s curling team, and then
            the real pressure was on.
            A few hours later, her broth-
            er, Matt, was competing in
            the  U.S.  men’s  trials  for  a
            chance  to  join  her  in  Py-
            eongchang.
            “A lot of the times, I was sit-
            ting there watching Matt’s
            game, biting my nails,” she
            said on Sunday, a day after
            the  siblings  each  claimed
            a  spot  in  the  2018  Winter
            Games.  “When  we  won,  I
            was like, ‘Matt better win.’”
            Matt     Hamilton    came
            through     on    Saturday
            night,  when  John  Shuster
            skipped  his  team  to  a  vic-
            tory over Team Heath Mc-
            Cormick  7-5  in  Game  3
            of  the  best-of-three  trials
            playoff.  Shuster,  who  won
            a  bronze  medal  in  at  the
            Turin Games in 2006, will be
            attending his fourth straight
            Olympics. Countries qualify
            for the Olympics based on     In this March 23, 2017, file photo, United States’ Becca Hamilton releases the stone during a match against Switzerland in the
            their  world  championship   Women’s World Curling Championship in Beijing.                                                     Associated Press
            performance,  and  then
            pick the teams that will go  can trials were last week in   ago,  as  well  as  first-timers  in  the  women’s  trials  re-  The  Hamiltons  have  also
            to the Winter Games. In the  Omaha, Nebraska.             Tyler  George  and  Matt  lieved much of the pressure  qualified  for  next  month’s
            United States, players form  The  men’s  team  will  be   Hamilton.                    he  felt  about  competing  U.S.  mixed  curling  trials  in
            their own teams of four and  Shuster  and  John  Land-    All  four  players  on  the  U.S.  later in the day.      Blaine,   Minnesota,   and
            compete  as  a  unit  for  the  steiner,  who  were  team-  women’s team — skip Nina  “If  she  didn’t  win  ...  I  just  have  a  chance  to  go  to
            Olympic  berth;  the  Ameri-  mates  in  Sochi  four  years   Roth,   Becca   Hamilton,  did  not  want  to  cross  that  the Olympics as a team.
                                                                      Tabitha  Peterson  and  Ai-  bridge at all,” Matt said.   “Having  one  person  from
                                                                      leen Geving — are first-time  “It was harder to watch her  a family is like the norm for
                                                                      Olympians,  having  beaten  games than it was to play  an  Olympics,”  Matt  said.
                                                                      Team Jamie Sinclair at the  in  my  own,  because  at  “When you get two people
                                                                      trials.                      least I have some control.”  from a family, that’s like ic-
                                                                      After  the  women’s  final  At  28  and  one  year  older  ing on the cake.”
                                                                      in  the  afternoon,  Matt  than  his  sister,  Matt  Hamil-  The  siblings  have  already
                                                                      opened     his   Facebook  ton has been curling since  been  to  South  Korea  —  it
                                                                      page to see his father’s up-  2004 , when a friend invited  was  Matt’s  first  trip  to  Asia
                                                                      date:  “My  daughter’s  an  him to give it a try. Becca  — when they were invited
                                                                      Olympian.”                   began two years later; she  to  help  the  locals  train  for
                                                                      “I was like, ‘Well, better get  was  named  the  USA  Curl-  the Olympics.
                                                                      it now,’” he said  in a tele-  ing  Female  Athlete  of  the  They had their first logistics
                                                                      phone interview as the sib-  Year for 2017, and togeth-   meeting  on  Sunday  morn-
                                                                      lings drove the 6 1/2 hours  er they won the American  ing,  when  they  filled  out
                                                                      from the trials in Omaha to  championship  in  mixed  paperwork,  learned  about
                                                                      their home outside of Madi-  curling — a coed discipline  their housing and got sized
                                                                      son, Wisconsin.              that makes its Olympic de-   up  for  their  Team  USA  uni-
                                                                      Still,  watching  his  sister  win  but in Pyeongchang.   forms and gear.q
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