Drake Teacher Spends Time
at Winter Olympics

By Stessie Bill
CyberNews Staff Reporter

February 26, 2002

The last two and a half weeks brought an international event onto American soil and within a thousand miles of Drake University's campus. An average of 19.2 million viewers tuned in daily to NBC-TV, to watch the best athletes from around the world compete in 70 medal events at the XIX Olympic Winter Games.

According the the HIASYS network, 1.6 million spectators witnessed the XIX Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 8-24, 2002. Drake University's David Wright, associate professer of Journalism and Mass Communication, became one of the priviledged when he flew to Salt Lake City last Wednesday with his wife and siblings.

Wright remembered the initial schock he experienced when he learned that his sister had secretly ordered tickets for the final four days of the Olympics in celebration of her birthday. "I was really surprised because I never considered that I would ever be able to go to the Olympics," Wright said.

Upon arriving at the games, the $310 million reportedly spent by the government on security was instantly apparent to Wright. "Salt Lake was very well-organized, a lot like an airport," Wright said. "They checked your tickets, opened every bag, and used metal detectors. It was very complete." However, Wright didn't feel overly intruded upon. "There weren't police holding guns everywhere," Wright said.

Despite heavy security operations, Wright said he felt the spirit of the Olympics and the pull for athletes performances were apparent throughout his trip. "There was a great spirit of camaraderie and a universal feeling all four days," Wright said. He recalled sitting next to Dutch fans during the 10,000-meter speed skating finals, singing and cheering beside them despite the language barrier.

National pride was apparent to Wright during events such as the four-man bobsled finals and the gold medal hockey game. Although the bobsledding competition was more difficult to observe due to the course and speed, Wright found himself joining the familiar chants of "USA...USA..." as the American teams sled their way to gold and bronze medals.

Another team competition, hockey, was also thrilling for Wright to observe. "Only 8,000 fans fit into the arena, giving it an intimate feeling," Wright said. His front row seats gave him a close-up view as Canada put an end to 50 year of waiting; its men's team defeated the United States 5-2 for the gold medal. However, the thrill of being there was enough for Wright. "Where we were sitting, I felt like a part of the game," he said. "We had fun teasing the Canadian fans, but the truth is their team was better."

The most memorable part of Wright's Olympic experience was observing Sarah Hughes of the United States land seven triple jumps to overtake Irina Sluskaya of Russia (silver) and Michelle Kwan of the United States (bronze) for the gold medal. "It was the pinnacle for me," he said. "To have that much emotional portrayal and grace at such a young age is outstanding. It was her night."

Wright said he believes television screens didn't do the figure skating competition justice. "You don't appreciate how difficult the sport is until you see it is person," he said. "The beauty of figure skating just takes the air out of your lungs."

When asked if Wright would consider returing to the Olympics in the future, he replied, "Absolutely, I would love to go to Italy and be part of those Olympics." "I can't imagine it being as organized as Salt Lake, but we'll see in four years," Wright said.