Bert Gretzinger is a long shot no longer.
The skip from Kelowna, B.C., was tied with Moncton's Russ Howard for the lead at the Olympic curling trials yesterday. Both are 3-0.
With names such as Burtnyk, Stoughton, Howard, Martin and Middaugh in the trials, Gretzinger is a relatively obscure name to curling fans, but the oldest skip in the tournament at 50 has been unflappable in the early stages of the trials.
"I was just trying to come in under cover of darkness and go unnoticed as long as possible and turn up at the end of the week," Gretzinger said.
Too late.
Gretzinger downed Canadian champion Randy Ferbey of Edmonton 10-6 in front of 6,089 fans at the Agridome last night and defeated former national champion Kevin Martin of Edmonton 9-4 earlier in the day.
Howard, the second-oldest skip in the field at 45, doubled Wayne Middaugh of Victoria Harbour, Ont., 10-5 after a 6-4 win over Winnipeg's Kerry Burtnyk earlier in the day to put the veterans in the lead.
"We're nearly 100 between the two of us," Howard said. "Bert's making it look easy."
Ferbey, Martin and Ottawa's John Morris trailed the leaders at 2-1 with Middaugh, Edmonton's Kevin Park and Winnipeg's Jeff Stoughton at 1-2. Burtnyk and Greg McAulay of Richmond, B.C., were winless in three games.
On the women's side, Kelley Law's foursome out of New Westminster, B.C., was the lone team at 3-0 followed by four teams at 2-1 -- Sherry Anderson of Delisle, Sask., Heather Fowlie of Calgary, Colleen Jones of Halifax and Regina's Michelle Ridgway.
Vancouver's Sherry Fraser, Regina's Amber Holland, Edmonton's Cathy King and Sherry Middaugh of Victoria Harbour, Ont., were 1-2. Marie-France Larouche of Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, Que., was 0-3.
The nine days of trials are exhausting, but not so exhausting when you're winning, Howard said. His victory over Middaugh, who played second for Howard when they won a Canadian and world championship in 1993, was pivotal.
"This is a big game for us because the idea is to make the playoffs and you've got to think Wayne is going to be one of the guys who is going to be in the playoffs," Howard said. "If you can get two in the win column ahead of him, you've got a shot at it."
The big question for Howard, whose fierce yell is his trademark, is will his vocal cords hold up through the week?
"I rarely do it in Saskatchewan, it's so dry," he said. "It's not my yelling, it's the weather."
Kevin Park stepped down as skip after Saturday's opening loss and called up brother and alternate Shane to take over. Kevin sat out yesterday morning's loss to Middaugh and rejoined the team at third for an 8-7 win over Stoughton at night.
"We're going with a rotation," Kevin Park said. "We've been struggling so badly, we've got to make a change."
His front end will rotate between three players, Kevin will stay at third and Shane will remain at skip.
"I don't think there's anybody hotter in Canada right now as far as shot-making goes," Kevin Park said. "It's foolish to leave that weapon in the bag."
Law's team isn't fantasizing yet about representing Canada at the Olympic Games even though it is clearly the women's team to beat at the trials.
"If you thought that way you'd have a hard time playing," third Julie Skinner said. "It's a lot of pressure."
The women have two draws today and the men one.
Law will meet Anderson in the morning in an important game for both teams.
"We're doing the exact same thing we did [yesterday]" Anderson said. "We're just going to go out and throw the 20 best shots that we can throw and hope the rest falls into place.
"You don't have to do anything spectacular. You have to throw the right weight and hit the broom and hopefully I've got the broom in the right place."
Since winning the 2000 national and world titles in their first year together as a team, Law, Skinner, second Georgina Wheatcroft and lead Diane Nelson have been at the forefront of women's curling.
The team has been among the top-five money winners on the women's tour the last two years. At the national championship in February, Law's team had the best round-robin record before losing in an extra end by a measurement to Jones in the final.
Sandra Schmirler proved in 1998 that the team representing Canada in Salt Lake City in February has an excellent chance at a gold medal, but that's dangerous thinking at this point.
"You see pictures of Sandra's team and you imagine what it would be like," Law said. "We don't do it now. It could have been in the summer or last year.
"That's not something we're thinking about in our hotels. Because that's an outcome."
Extensive work with sports psychologist David Cox, who worked with the Canadian men's basketball and women's softball teams, has taught Law's team that thinking about the end result takes their mind off the task at hand.
"We like to stay in the moment," Skinner said. "Staying in the moment is a lot easier."
Law said she is so focused, she doesn't even know who the fans are cheering for.
But there's less action in the stands at the Olympic trials than there is at a Scott Tournament of Hearts or a Brier. Gone are the provincial rivalries, so there is no running along the Agridome concourses with a flag, painting faces in provincial colours or droning "Yoooo-kon" that has become standard at national championships.
The fans don't want to take their eyes off the ice because there are many tight games going at the same time and they don't want to miss a great shot.