Page 17 - ARUBA TODAY

A17
Saturday 5 January 2019

ROCKET

FUEL

n this Jan. 3, 2019 photo, for-
mer Minnesota Vikings foot-
ball player Jared Allen prac-
tices with his curling team for
a competition in Blaine, Minn.
Associated Press
Ex-NFL Pro

Bowl players

try curling

with 2022

Olympic goal

By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer
Defensive lineman Jared
Allen retired from the NFL
in 2015 and wasn't ready
to give up on the competi-
tion he'd come to enjoy as
a five-time All-Pro.
His solution: The Olympics.
The problem: He didn't
compete in any Olympic
sports.
Less than a year later, Al-
len and three other former
NFL stars — none with any
prior experience — are at-
tempting to qualify for the
U.S. national curling cham-
pionships against players
who have been throwing
stones for most of their lives.
It would be the first step
toward competing in the
2022 Winter Games in Bei-
jing.
“Every team in the NFL —
whether you’re hot gar-
Harden rallies Houston bage or the defending
Bowl
Super
champions
to wild OT win — every coach come Au-
gust says the same thing:
‘We’re trying to win the Su-
per Bowl,’” Allen said. “We
come from that mentality,
Houston Rockets' James Harden reacts during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors where we set lofty goals.
Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, in Oakland, Calif.
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