February
10, 2002
Well, had a surprise day off today. We were supposed to work at 2:15 A.M.
again. We went to bed early ready to get up at 1 A.M. Around midnight
our phone rang. It was one of the supervisors asking if we wanted the
day off. We are not fools. We said sure. Only one event was taking place
at our venue so they didn’t need as many drivers. It was a nice surprise.
The U.S.A. got its first gold medal today. Kelly Clark took home a gold medal in women’s snowboarding. She had an awesome run. She broke the ice so to speak, let’s hope team U.S.A. can keep it rolling.
There is one team, however, that is not U.S.A. that the people around here are cheering for. I speak of course of the Jamaican Bobsled team. During the parade of nations I was out in the lobby of our motel. They have a television in the lobby and a big screen in the lounge. People were gathered around watching the opening ceremonies. When the Jamaican Bobsled team was introduced, a huge cheer arose from everyone in the place. Evanston has been the home of the Jamaicans for the last three years. They have come here to practice for the Olympics. The town has taken them under their wing. They have no funding and have to raise their own money. All around town in stores restaurants, almost everywhere, you see little plastic buckets or jars asking for donations for the team. I spoke earlier of how friendly everyone in this town is. That is especially true for the guys on the team. This town has taken them in as their own. It gives me a great feeling just to be a small part of the spirit that Evanston has.
Light the Fire Within. That is the theme of this Olympics. You can see it in everyone here, from the bus drivers, to the security people, to the athletes, to all the volunteers involved. I hope everyone watching at home can feel at least a little of the fire that we all feel here.
Len
