Family turns out to see Rulon rule

SYDNEY — The star of Star Valley, Wyo., has just taken the mat in Olympic Arena, and you know what that means. That's right. A whole lot of cows back home are being milked by somebody else.

It's not that USA super heavyweight wrestler Rulon Gardner milks the cows on the Gardner dairy farm himself. He gave that up years ago, as soon as he got that wrestling scholarship to Ricks College and said adios to the farm.

But when he won his class at the U.S. Olympic Trials two months ago, and with it a trip to the Sydney Olympics, the rest of the Gardner family decided that meant they all qualified.

They're all here, halfway around the world, still wearing cowboy hats in the Olympic arena. Gerry and Rollin and Evon and Russell and Diane and Marcella and Reynold. And Virginia and Reed, who also go by Mom and Dad.

Add in the spouses for everybody who's married, and the grand total is 16.

If it were a tag-team event, it would be no contest.

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At $1,834 per airline ticket from Salt Lake to Sydney, getting here was not exactly chicken feed, but the Olympics have a magnetic effect, and Star Valley felt its prideful pull from halfway around the world.

As soon as word spread along the fence lines and milk routes and alfalfa fields that one of their own was going to the Olympics, one thing led to another thing to another thing.

The Gardners' next-door neighbor, Danny Schwab, organized a golf tournament at Star Valley Ranch. That raised about $4,000.

The three banks in the valley set up accounts to get the Gardners to G'day land. That raised another couple thousand.

The Tri-Mart station in the middle of Afton had a Rulon Gardner Gas Day, donating a portion of all gas sales. There was also a donation jar inside the station. Chalk up another couple thousand and change.

And at the Lincoln County Fair, the Gardners sold milk-can dinners and "Rulon Gardner Olympic" T-shirts — autographed on the spot by Rulon — and raised $4,000 to $5,000 more.

A milk-can dinner is potatoes, carrots, corn, ham, polish sausage, onions and cabbage in a 10-gallon milk can. Add a quart of water, heat and enjoy. Feeds 30.

They sold hundreds, at $5 each, which also got you a roll and a pop.

"We didn't want to gouge people," said Tammy Gardner, Rollin's wife.