DREAMS SLIDE INTO PLACE

Dropkin among a mix of young and veteran U.S. curlers who took long paths to Milan

- BY KEVIN BAXTER

KOREY DROPKIN slides a stone at the world championship last March. He has pursued the Olympics since 6 and says "believe in yourself. Never stop. Never quit."

(CHRIS YOUNG Associated Press)

Korey Dropkin started curling before he started school.

His parents, Keith and Shelley, were competitive international curlers and his older brother, Stephen, competed in the world junior championship. As a child, Korey spent almost as much time at the Broomstones Curling Club in tiny Wayland, Mass., as he did at home.

But if his family pointed the way to the Olympics, Korey will take the final steps on his own Thursday when he and teammate Cory Thiesse take the ice at the Cortina Curling Stadium for the opening round of the mixed doubles competition in the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

"It feels amazing. It's really hard to put into words," he said. "It is something that I've worked for my entire life. And I'm finally given that opportunity to live my dream.

"I'm just so honored and grateful to now be able to be called an Olympian."