Curler Ruohonen, 54, becomes oldest U.S. Winter Olympian

"It's awesome. It's hard to do it in that situation when we're getting beat," Ruohonen told reporters. "I would have rather done it when we were up 8-2 instead of down 8-2. I really appreciate the guys giving me a chance."

"The previous oldest American to compete at a Winter Olympics was Joseph Savage, who was 52 when he took part in pairs skating at the 1932 Games."

"Ruohonen has served as the alternate for skip Danny Casper's team, which defeated five-time Olympian John Shuster and his team in the U.S. trials then won a last-chance qualifier to reach the Milan Games."

Rich Ruohonen became the United States' oldest Winter Olympian at age 54 when he briefly took the ice in the Americans' 8-3 loss to Switzerland. He was brought on for one end with the U.S. down 8-2 and helped the Americans score one point before they conceded the match. Ruohonen said he appreciated the chance and that he would have preferred to play in a winning situation. The previous oldest American at a Winter Olympics was Joseph Savage, 52, in 1932, while Archer Thomas Scott, 71, remains the oldest American at any Olympics. Ruohonen serves as the alternate for skip Danny Casper's team, which beat John Shuster in U.S. trials and reached Milan via a last-chance qualifier.

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