People either love it or hate it. For me personally I was a skeptic when they announced it for the 2002 games. Over time I figured better to embrace it and make the experience really enjoyable, so I submitted a volunteer application. I wound up being a team leader in Event Services (the famous, “Killer Bees” uniformed ones) at Deer Valley and Park City. It was a hoot. We’d be up there between 5:30 and 6:00am every day when it was like -5F to have a daily briefing and start hauling the people corrals around, getting to stations around the event site, etc. The cool part about being a Team Leader was most of the time I had a radio, so I was hearing what was going on all over the venues. My shining moment came because I had a radio, and had to ask for a clear channel to get EMS to help a guest.
Since I’ll be in my mid-70s in 2034 being a volunteer probably isn’t in the cards, but if someone were to ask me whether it was worth it, I’d tell them yes, without a doubt.
The 2002 Olympics helped pay for the expansion of Rice Eccles. Maybe the 2034 Olympics can help pay for a major league baseball stadium downtown. Gail Miller or someone was quoted as saying they could use the staduium as a medals plaza.
The Olympics also persuded the feds to accelarate and pour money into the reconstruction of I-15. And of course Steiner, among many other facilities.
If Ryan Smith gets his wish, there will be an NHL team in SLC and a new arena to support them and the Jazz. That would also help as to skating competitions and hockey as the current Jazz home is not good for ice events.
We moved into SLC during 911 and were so enamored by SLC’s response to the Olympics. One thing that impressed me was the plethora of languages spoken by so many returned missionaries. I was working at the brand new Gateway Starbucks as a barista and also in the stacks, where I observed innumerable conversations with visiting nationalities in there native language. Not only their ability to converse, but also knowing the cities and towns that people were from. It was serediptous. People were so taken by the generosity familiarity and kindness provided here. No other city in America can offer that.
Now, as a non-LDS American who also once lived in Lake Placid NY, I can tell you, while SLC was superlative by the courtesy and conviviality extended, Lake Placid, not so much. Resident’s there spoke of the winter games for years as if space aliens invaded the town; and I’ll bet they’re still complaining… Zero cultural appreciation from the hill people in upstate NY, that’s for sure…
Go Salt Lake!
IMHO, we can “make America great again” by hosting the Olympics in Salt Lake City.
I was living in Park City (and Santa Barbara) for the 2002 Olympics. My home was on the road that went up to the ski jumps. I was offered a pretty sum of money to rent out my house, but I thought living in Park City during the Olympics was cool.
As I am a hockey fan, my friend and I attended nearly every game during the Olympics (some overlapped, so I couldn’t see them all). We had four tickets to the gold medal game of Canada vs. USA (my friend is Canadian). He cried when they played O’ Canada after taking the gold.
I sold the other two tickets for $2,000. Each.
I met The Great One (Wayne Gretzky for you heathens who do not love hockey) and a bunch of Canadian players.
Three friends and I were gate judges at Snowbasin for the downhill and women’s combined. Was a blast. Took our kids to multiple awards ceremony concerts and it was freezing cold. I will be 78 in 2034 and if I’m still skiing, which I plan to be, I think I will try to be a gate judge again. One interesting thing I learned is that there were 20 or so other gate judges who volunteered for every winter games. It was their deal and their passion.
Same here man. I served in the Paralympic Village - as a disabled vet it was truly awesome to get some serious facetime with disabled athletes and get many signatures
We get to see some of the para-athletes in the cycling world. These folks are amazing. Some are vets, some are para-athletes from accidents, but all are inspiring.
