Never mind the Salt Lake Organizing Committee's official name for its community-based volunteer program for the 2002 Winter Games, "Our Town, Your Town."
It's really Steve Young's town.Well, at least the downtown parking lot that will serve as a medals plaza for nightly awards ceremonies during the Games belongs to him, along with Bruce and LuAnne Reese of Bonneville Corp.
The NFL quarterback is just one of more than a dozen Utahns selected by SLOC as volunteer chairmen for both the competition and noncompetition Olympic venues along the Wasatch Front.
Their job is to recruit volunteers for the site they've been assigned, as well as generate community interest in the Games. They'll also help when Olympic officials come to town and at pre-Games events at the venues.
Organizers are hoping the chairmen will rally community support.
SLOC President Mitt Romney said he hopes drawing volunteers from local communities will "bring the people closer to the Olympic experience and provide a hometown touch for the visitors."
Besides Young and the Reeses, the volunteer chairmen include: Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller, at the Delta Center; Phil Thompson, president of Industrial Supply, Deer Valley Resort; Joan Calder, former president of the Park City Chamber of Commerce, Park City Mountain Resort; and Rich Brewer, Brewer Tire Co., Snowbasin Ski Area.
Mark Miller, car dealer, will be the volunteer chairman at the Utah Winter Sports Park; Tom and Linda Whitaker, leaders of a pioneer sesquicentennial wagon train, Soldier Hollow; and Brent Bishop, All-A-Dollar stores, the E Center.
Allan Lipman, former chief executive officer of the Amalgamated Sugar Co., will be over The Ice Sheet in Ogden; Gary Garrett, NuSkin, the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo; Paul Ross, Alliant Tech Systems, the speed-skating oval in Kearns; Peggy Stock, Westminster College president, the Salt Palace media center; and Bob Rice, industrialist, Rice-Eccles Stadium.
SLOC is set to kick off its drive for Olympic volunteers at 4:45 p.m. Thursday in Abravanel Hall. As many as 20,000 volunteers are needed for the Winter Games, which will be Feb. 8-24, 2002, as well as the Paralympics for disabled athletes that follow, March 7-16, 2002.
Applications will be available on the organizing committee's Web site, www.saltlake2002.com. A volunteer information line, 1-801-212-3000, will be set up after Friday, March 10.