Friday, February 8, 2002
Opening ceremonies a spectacle of security
By CHRIS STEVENSON -- SLAM! Sports
SALT LAKE CITY - Under a light blanket of fresh snow and an unprecedented blanket of heavy security, the XIX Winter Olympic Games took their first cautious steps Friday night, skating a balance between remembering the sad events of Sept. 11 and celebrating the joy, competitiveness and resilience of the human spirit the Games embody.
The cacaphony of wind chimes ringing in the aisles of Rice-Eccles Stadium, perched on the side of the mountains which stand guard over the city, competed with the sound of military helicopters which whirred overhead, both giving way to the thunder of fireworks.
They lit up the stadium, packed with 55,000 spectators who had endured lineups of at least an hour to pass through one of 430 metal detectors. There were 16,000 security people on hand to provide an unprecedented level of security in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
No aircraft were allowed to fly in or out of Salt Lake's airport for four hours before the ceremony began until it had concluded.
Despite the shadow of unspoken threat - or perhaps because of it - the ceremony took on an even more poignant tone of what is bright and good and strong in the human spirit.
After captain Mike Eruzione and the rest of the members of the 1980 men's Olympic hockey stepped out and took the torch from skier Picabo Street and hockey player Cammie Granato, then hoisted it to the 117-foot tall cauldron, the flamed seemed to burn brighter than it ever has.
"It was the hardest secret I ever had to keep," said Eruzione.
"Our team is a good example of the Olympic dream," said goaltender Jim Craig. It was a stirring finale to a ceremony that struck all the right notes.
All the political wrangling over the role of the Grand Zero flag in the ceremony and concerns the show would become a jingoistic tribute to America proved to be unwarranted. The entrance of the tattered flag, with two long tears along its length - borne by eight American athletes and an honor guard of police and firemen - was a supremely touching moment in the early stages of the ceremony. The crowd watched in rapt silence as it was brought in before the Morman Tabernacle Choir sang The Star Spangled Banner.
At the appropriate moment, as if by cue, a gust of wind billowed Old Glory as the choir sang the star spangled banner does yet wave.
The theme of the show, conceived long before Sept. 11, was fitting: "None of life's storms can darken the human spirit once lit by the Fire Within."
That human spirit was represented by a 12-year-old boy, the Child of Light, bearing a small lantern as he set out on his quest. He's engulfed by a raging storm, battered by ice warriors and almost vanquished, but his fire within leads to his resurrection. That kicked off the parade of athletes.
The crowd exploded when the American athletes entered the stadium.
Canada, led by world champion speedskater Catriona Le May Doan, had entered the stadium in a brilliant splash of traditional red, the athletes' striking candy-cane style scarves hanging around their necks. They took their place in the stands and came to their feet when the Americans entered.
"It wasn't anything that we planned. It was just the spur of the moment," said skier Emily Brydon of Fernie, B.C., by cellphone from the stands. "We wanted to show we support them. It was a good way to unite everybody. They've had such a hard year. It shows they're still strong. I was proud to be a part of it.
"It was amazing. The energy the crowd provided cheering every country, but it was special when the Americans walked in."
For Canadian curler Kelley Law of Coquitlam, B.C., marching behind the flag completed a dream started 26 years ago.
"I was glued to the television set watching (gymnast) Nadia Comaneci in '76. I couldn't budge for 11 days," she said. "I watched every minute. It was awesome.
"The team's very excited because it's such a different experience (walking into the stadium) for us. It's an overwhelming experience to walk into a stadium of 40,000. Then there's the entertainment...and the President is here. This is big and we get to be a part of it."
In the wake of Sept. 11, the night's theme of the fire within was touchingly appropriate.
There were some calls for these Games be cancelled, to give into fear.
The lighting of the Olympic cauldron by the hockey players, always an emotional moment, would have an undercurrent of a different emotion this time.
Defiance.
2002 Games News Coverage
