Seen here in the 2009 World Championships, Tom Hilde was part of the bronze-medal winning ski jumping team from Norway last week. His brother, Erik, is a golfer at Faulkner University. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

By Graham Dunn
RRS Editor

(Feb. 26, 2010)

It’s not every day a golf coach gives permission to a player to skip practice to watch television, let alone cancel practice altogether.

But late last week, Faulkner University coach Brent Barker got the request from newcomer Erik Hilde to forgo a practice round and head to the nearest television set to watch his brother, Tom, participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“He told me, ‘Coach, I can’t play today,’” Barker said.

“He explained it further… ‘My brother is jumping in the Olympics.’ It was hard to turn that down.”

Erik Hilde is now a member of the Faulkner golf team after a brief stint as a ski jumper. (Photo by Ryan Bartels/Faulkner University)

Norwegian Tom Hilde is a world-class ski jumper and helped Norway earn a bronze medal in the team event held last week at Whistler, B.C.

“The only time I have spoken to him since then was on Facebook,” Erik Hilde said. “He had gone back to Norway and had jet lag. I asked if it was a good feeling and he said it was great.”

Unfortunately, Erik did not get the chance to see his brother jump. According to Barker, NBC Television coverage broke to a commercial at the same time Hilde was on the ramp.

That was the first day of competition. Erik also missed the second day due to a tournament in which the Faulkner golf team was participating.

“It was disappointing not to see it but the coach’s wife taped it for us to see,” Erik Hilde said. “I would love to have watched him.”
He got the news later from his brother.

“Thing is, he hasn’t had the best of seasons,” Erik said. “He has been on the national team for three years but he hasn’t won anything in the last two. So it was great for him to get this medal.”

At one time, it could have been a duo of Hildes’ on the lift. Before becoming a golfer, Erik had thoughts of participating in the ski jump and did for a while.

“But you think about it,” he said, “Fit onto two skis and 70 miles per hour and you are about to throw yourself off a cliff… Head first… trying to stabilize yourself on two skis… it’s pretty cool. They don’t get real high. They are just going fast. 15-feet up. But it wasn’t something that I wanted to try anymore.

“Golf is much safer and I am getting an education, which is something Tom isn’t doing right now. I am glad I didn’t jump. It would have killed me.”

Almost as interesting as Hilde’s brother is how Erik came to Faulkner. Barker was looking for new members of the team last spring and attended the national junior college golf tournament at the RTJ course in Huntsville.

“We only had three golfers and I got a chance to see him play,” Barker said. “His team (Dodge City Community College) didn’t do very well but he did. I was impressed and got him to sign. He’s a great kid and we are very glad to have him.”

Erik Hilde has given up any ideas of returning to the slopes and join his brother but he believes one day that Tom will turn to golf after his successful career in ski jumping.

“He actually got me started in the sport of golf,” Erik said. “He got where he is and that’s great but he can’t jump forever.”