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Official Live Thread - The Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics
The Daily Herald; Vanity ^ | 2/24/2002 | John Branch

Posted on 02/24/2002 2:29:17 PM PST by Utah Girl

Little things that make up lasting Olympic memories

The Olympics are too big to put into one box, so we divide them into bite-size pieces.In the end, there is no way to remember complete events, the sequential results, even what day they occurred. The names get fuzzier with each memory stored on top of the next one.

For millions of people, the Olympics were what NBC brought to them. They were up close, sometimes in slow-motion, spliced into digestible nuggets with a backdrop of endless analysis. The lasting images may be of Sarah Hughes' squeal, or Apolo Ohno's fall, maybe Jimmy Shea's photograph of his grandfather. Maybe it's of Bob Costas in an easy chair.

I'm only assuming he was in an easy chair, probably near a fireplace. I never saw NBC's coverage. The one time I saw Bob Costas, he was eating kung pao in a restaurant. I did catch Matt Lauer in a beret once, but that might have been a bad dream.

My images rarely were the same ones everyone else saw. Friends and family would send e-mails, asking about controversies and events that I knew nothing about. I tried to explain that I was too close to the Olympics to have a clue what was going on.

But I know I was there.

I know because I saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir joining the wave at

the Opening Ceremony. I heard helicopters buzzing overhead, impossible not to notice when the music and the cheering stopped. I remember swimming through a crowd of young girls outside the stadium, each in an oversize, fluffy costume and anxiously waiting her worldwide role as an extra in the ceremonies. It was like walking through a giant bag of cotton balls, except they all wanted to high-five.

I remember standing in a crowd of Polish fans, cheering Poland ski jumper and national hero Adam Malysz while getting cell-phone calls from a world away. I got shivers when the crowd erupted over Jonny Moseley's dinner roll -- twice. I got them again when the crowd gave a similar reception to a skier who face-planted among the moguls, hiked back up to retrieve his skis, and finished the race.

I heard tiny Bonnie Blair, standing on her toes to get a better view, rattling a cow bell for every speedskater that passed, American or not. I saw Chris Witty enter the interview room, and was surprised that an Olympic champion and world-record holder could look so much like a bookstore clerk. I saw teammate Jennifer Rodriguez answering questions about her bronze medal from the seat of an exercise bike she was riding.

I smelled countless sportswriters jammed onto slow-moving buses. I heard countless languages spoken at every turn. I saw the sun come up in the Wasatch Mountains, more times than was necessary to appreciate. I tasted too many hot dogs, some of them too many times.

I heard Swiss curling fans burst into quick, incomprehensible chants. I saw Lech Walesa sitting in the warm sunshine, cheering a countryman. I saw one of the Games' greatest champions cry into his hands at the mention of his dead father. I saw an unknown luger fall short of a medal and embrace a dying father.

I saw one women's hockey team cry as the other threw its equipment in the air, one stick landing several rows into the crowd. I heard a goalie from Belarus nearly apologize for his team beating Sweden in men's hockey. I felt the noise when the Americans beat the Russians.

I saw a man from Nepal and a man from Cameroon embrace at the cross-country finish line. I saw a luger cry because he just watched his son compete in the same race he had. I heard Kenyan skier Philip Boit politely asking for the cell phone number of his hero, Norwegian cross-country legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. And I heard Daehle give it back.

I saw people with no chance of winning basking in the moment. And I was one of them.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Miscellaneous; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: olympicslist
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To: MotleyGirl70
Ewwww, you got some sarcasm on my monitor < wipes monitor > he he he
961 posted on 02/25/2002 6:28:48 AM PST by Constantine XIII
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To: mikhailovich
Michelle Kwan crying while skating to Sting's 'Fields of Gold' at the exhibition was so sad...
962 posted on 02/25/2002 7:24:52 AM PST by codebreaker
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To: Utah Girl
I found a rip of it from the broadcast on Morpheus. I think it's called 'Inspiration lights the fire within', but I would like a nice copy of it. Does anyone know it it's coming out on a CD? They could do a nice soundtrack for the games of all the songs, and I wouldn't mind a DVD of the ceremonies and highlights too.
963 posted on 02/25/2002 7:30:20 AM PST by Grig
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To: codebreaker
I didn't see Michele on Friday. I was bathing my son. Did Irina also skate Friday? I didn't see her. What about Plashenko? I only saw him and Irina during the final "bye-bye skate".

Sale and Pelletier were great on Friday, as was Yagudin.

964 posted on 02/25/2002 7:55:29 AM PST by mikhailovich
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To: Grig
Is the song you are looking for the one that Scott Hamilton skated to last night in the closing ceremonies? If so, I have a copy or can get one for you.
965 posted on 02/25/2002 8:47:49 AM PST by Utah Girl
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To: codebreaker
Donny and Marie's feelings would be so hurt, because you are making fun of them. :) And my sister did not meet Cheney last night, she was in the audience. They had a great time, and couldn't believe that the TV cut away from the fireworks. They said the fireworks were totally cool.
966 posted on 02/25/2002 8:49:05 AM PST by Utah Girl
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To: zlala
Your son would die if he knew you were looking for dates for him! Alas, I am too old for him. I was going to drive up to SLC for the fireworks, and was too tired. And then NBC didn't show them. I called KSL this morning to complain, already emailed NBC.
967 posted on 02/25/2002 8:52:04 AM PST by Utah Girl
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To: Utah Girl
I love Donnie and Marie, I grew up watching them on TV!
968 posted on 02/25/2002 8:55:49 AM PST by codebreaker
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To: codebreaker
Cool! Donny and Marie do represent Utah in the eyes of the world.
969 posted on 02/25/2002 8:57:23 AM PST by Utah Girl
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To: mikhailovich
Michelle had her $20,000.00 gold Vera Wang costume on for the exhibition that she had promised the designer that she would wear during the song.

A real trooper, and I think she will be back.

970 posted on 02/25/2002 8:57:55 AM PST by codebreaker
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To: Utah Girl
What torques me off (besides having to decide whether to stay up and watch everything tape-delayed on the Best Coast), was the fact that NBC kept cutting away from the skaters last night. I mean, really, I would rather see Kristi Yamaguchi skate then look at a bunch of fat middle-aged men in spandex and stacked boots try to recapture some glory days. I have nothing against KISS, really, but I would have liked to have seen the skating. AT least I saw more of Dorothy Hammil.

P.S. Major KUDOS to you for your wonderful live threads!!!

971 posted on 02/25/2002 8:58:10 AM PST by Mrs.Liberty
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To: Utah Girl
Thank goodness you were here, Utah Girl..
972 posted on 02/25/2002 8:58:31 AM PST by codebreaker
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To: Utah Girl
I loved watching Donne and Marie / Sonny and Cher, those were the days....before Britney and Christina and the other pop clones
973 posted on 02/25/2002 9:00:19 AM PST by codebreaker
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To: Utah Girl
Is the song you are looking for the one that Scott Hamilton skated to last night in the closing ceremonies?

Yes, that was it. Is it out on a CD?

974 posted on 02/25/2002 9:35:06 AM PST by Grig
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To: GraniteStateConservative
ITA, Granite. I used to think he was good looking until I saw him behind Gore on Gore's pathetic last-ditch all nighter campaign stop the night before the election in Miami. That did it for me ....
975 posted on 02/25/2002 9:35:33 AM PST by Rainmist
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To: Grig
Yes, in fact I am listening to it right now. You can purchase it at Amazon.com.


976 posted on 02/25/2002 9:40:35 AM PST by Utah Girl
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To: Grig
I am reading an article from the SL Tribune about the Games. There's this little nugget down at the bottom.

Elder Richard Scott went to the Olympic Medals Plaza to hear the pop band Barenaked Ladies, which he simply referred to as "BNL" around church headquarters. President Gordon B Hinckley , who had tickets to many events, watched a lot of it on TV and was especially wowed by the half-pipe gyrotechnics.

I read in another article that President and Sister Hinckley went to the bronze hockey game, and were wanded by security too. No one got through security without being checked.

977 posted on 02/25/2002 9:49:24 AM PST by Utah Girl
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To: codebreaker
I found pictures of the fireworks from last night...


978 posted on 02/25/2002 10:08:38 AM PST by Utah Girl
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To: Utah Girl
What beautiful pictures.
979 posted on 02/25/2002 10:11:28 AM PST by codebreaker
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To: Utah Girl
Is that in record stores now?
980 posted on 02/25/2002 10:40:26 AM PST by codebreaker
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