NORTH LOGAN — It's only 85 miles from Salt Lake City to the Cache Valley, but to many Olympians, it's a world away.
The paint was still wet when four different Olympic teams made plans to use the newly opened George S. Eccles Ice Center as their practice facility before and during the Games. And more teams keep coming.
"Word is spreading in Salt Lake that we're up here. Coaches have been calling from the Olympic Village asking for ice time," ice center founder Janet Borg said. "It's away from all the pressure in Salt Lake."
There are now 11 indoor ice arenas in Utah and 10 of them are being controlled as practice facilities for the Olympics. Logan is the only arena not sanctioned by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, Borg said.
"They can do what they want here. They aren't under the regimen of Olympic practices like they are at the other practice facilities," Borg said.
The arena began hosting the Chinese speedskaters less than a week after the ice center opened its doors, plus the French and Russian figure skaters and the Swiss hockey team. Since word has spread at the Olympic Village, they keep coming.
Additionally, figure skaters from Switzerland, Israel, Korea and Germany, plus the Slovakian hockey team, have found Logan a quiet retreat for practice sessions.
"The Russian Skating Federation learned of the new ice arena and found the new ice to be an excellent place to train for Olympic competition," Russian figure skating coach Victor Koudriavtser said. "It's easier to train in a small city."
Support for the Olympians has been overwhelming, as crowds average close to 1,000 just to watch the athletes' daily practices. The arena normally seats just 900, but capacity crowds have been seen at close to 1,500 now that portable bleachers have been brought in.
"The community has really been behind this," arena spokesman Earl Scott said. "They really have the Olympic spirit here in Cache Valley."
A fund-raiser for the arena earlier this month featured a special practice session with Russian figure skaters as they rehearsed their Olympic performances. Close to 1,500 seats at $40 each were sold out by the first week in December, almost a month before the arena's New Year's Day opening.
"I couldn't think of a better way to open an ice arena," arena spokesman Joe Vizenor said.
Spending their days in rural Utah, these Olympic athletes will go home with what Utah has come to be known for.
"(Utah) has good people and is beautiful," Koudriavtser said. "When I go home, I will tell them about the hospitality and beauty of Utah."
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For more information, call the Eccles Ice Arena Olympic Practice Session Hotline at 1-435-752-1170.