The banner at Park City Mountain Resort said, "It All Starts Here" — referring to the buildup to the 2002 Winter Games — and Joyce Boyer wasn't about to disagree.
She had positioned herself and 75 students from Rosamond Elementary in Riverton about 30 yards from the finish line at the World Cup ski races last month. All the better to watch the athletes as they came barreling down C.B.'s Run.
Park City has staged World Cup races for years. But this was being billed as a practice run for the Olympics.
For the skiers, it wasn't practice of any sort. World Cup competition is conducted at an even higher skill level than Olympic competition. But for Ms. Boyer, this was great practice indeed.
And for the third-grade students, well, it was the kind of deal a kid never wants to pass up: half a day off school and the chance to play in the snow.
"I was really excited to come to this — and I'm not even a skier," she said.
She added, "This gives me a preview of how to get up by the gates and the bells and all the stuff near the finish line."
Ms. Boyer — her official title at Rosamond — has been behind the Olympic movement from the start. She always wanted to see the Games. When she learned they were coming to Salt Lake, she was on the phone, MasterCard at the ready. Why fly to places like Lillihammer or Nagano and pay outrageous hotel rates when you can see them in your own back yard?
Sure, she worries about the traffic congestion and maybe even some growth. None of the worries, though, can convince her this isn't a must-see event.
"I know a lot of people aren't excited, but I'm excited about the Olympics," she said.
Enough so that she forked over $215 in hopes of gaining admission to skating, bobsled, women's slalom and cross-country Olympic events.
"I'm sure [the tickets] will be in the nosebleed section, but I just wanted to be there and feel the spirit of it," she added.
If she has her way, she'll be standing on the same Park City knoll in 14 months, ringing the traditional ski racing cowbell or waving an American flag. Perhaps she'll be at another venue, watching another sport. The only bad conclusion to this story would be if she doesn't receive any tickets. Mostly, she wants to witness the thrill of victory and agony of defeat, in person. Who wants to view the Games from the living room when you can actually have Jack Olympic Frost nipping at your nose?
Just like Woodstock, being there is what counts.
Her enthusiasm has apparently affected her students. Rosamond Elementary enthusiastically voted to name the Olympic mascots a number of months ago. The students even more enthusiastically attended the World Cup races. All things considered, it's a pro-Olympics sort of school. If the SLOC really needs volunteers, there's at least 75 little ones out in Riverton, ready to go and already familiar with the layout.
All they need is a hall pass, good for three weeks in 2002.
Ms. Boyer thinks they ought to let schools out during the Olympics, though she knows that won't happen. She wants to be a volunteer herself, but if the kids don't get to skip school, neither do the teachers. So she's waiting to see if her tickets come through. If they do, she'll take a day off here and there. All she needs to do is schedule the dates and hang a sign on her door that says, "Gone spectating."
The warm-up last month, then, did nothing to discourage Ms. Boyer. When she and her class had finished watching the races, she was as excited as ever . The way she sees it, attending the Games will be unforgettable. She's looking forward to them the way her students are looking forward to Christmas vacation.
""It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance," she said. "I can't wait. But I'll feel really bad if I get no tickets."
If that happens, the Olympic people won't just have to deal with Mrs. Boyer. They might also have to deal with a lot of angry third-graders.
E-MAIL: rock@desnews.com