His timing perfect for the Rocky Mountain time zone, Juan Antonio Samaranch signaled the start of a wild and raucous celebration weekend today by saying three words:
"Salt Lake City."The Olympics will be coming here soon.
This is the place.
Finally. After four tries covering more than three decades, the Greatest Snow on Earth will host the greatest show on earth.
Pretty, great news.
Go ahead. Live it up. Let off steam. Gloat. Bask. Indulge. Carouse. Dance in the streets. Set off the sparklers. Paint the town red, black, yellow, green and blue, the official colors of the official Olympic Games. Whitewash a big block O on Mount Olympus. Have a burger on the deck at Park City. Call La Caille and make a reservation. Leave the biggest tip you've ever left. Go to Snelgrove's and make it a double.
Run into the yard and high-five your neighbor. Brush up on your French. Make a fireworks run to Evanston. Stay up late. Give your snow blower a hug. Look up at themountains and say thanks. Go to Alta and do a barrel-roll down High Rustler. Hike the interconnect. Climb Ecker Hill. Call Alf Engen and tell him tusen takk. Call Alexis Kelner and tell him too bad. Make a toast with the Greatest Snow on Earth, liquid version. Carve five interlocking rings in your lawn. Any babies born today, name them Citius, Altius or Fortius. Well, middle name. Call the boss and ask for February off - in 2002.
The Olympic Games are coming. We couldn't have a more universal gathering unless we invited Jupiter. Just like that, Salt Lake City is Athens West. Where Oslo and Innsbruck and Lake Placid have gone, we're going. What Zeus got started, we're continuing. The Wasatch Front is about to become a household name.
The world will be welcome . . . here.
Lugers included.
Within another eight hours Salt Lake City will be in headlines in every newspaper around the world. Newscasts from Berlin and Beijing will be showing footage of our famous ski runs. They'll be saying "Bear Hollow" and "Park City" in 173 different languages. President Clinton will invite Salt Lake City to the White House.
For the next seven years budding ice skaters and bobsledders and slalom specialists will fantasize about Salt Lake ice and Salt Lake mountains. Ice dancers will dream of nailing dreamy routines in the Delta Center. Hockey players will dream of nailing opponents in the Delta Center. Whole nations' luge teams will plan pilgrimages to the spectacular Olympic run at the spectacular Olympic Winter Sports Park. Nordic skiers will come here to get high. NBC Sports will produce a series called "The Road to Salt Lake."
They're going to light a torch in the sacred grove of Olympia and send it here, to Olympic Plaza.
Gold will be mined here again, and silver, and bronze.
There's a certain symmetry that makes it all the more satisfying. A place that began as a melting pot will now be the ultimate melting pot. It was a European immigrant, Alf Engen, who first told us there was more to be done with the mountains in the winter than wait for them to melt.
Now the whole world will be able to see what he meant.
Salt Lake City, the official city of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Salt Lake City, letat officiel de les jeux Olympiques d'hiver. It has a nice five rings to it.
All things come to mountains that lie in wait.
Take the weekend off. Let the gardening go. The verdict is in. There will be no recount. There will be no protests. The IOC came, the IOC saw, and the IOC said OK. The Games of Winter and the youths of the world are on their way.
This doesn't happen every generation. Observe a moment of silence for the Lake Effect. Put on your "Salt Lake City 2002" polo shirt and throw your "Salt Lake City 2002" hat in the air. Write "Olympic City" on the city limits sign. This is We Got It weekend. Revel in it. There are a lot worse things to be than chosen.