Twenty Years Ago: Memories from the 2002 Olympics

Twenty years ago, when I was a senior in high school, the Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah (I don’t like the fact that I now say “twenty years ago…” when referring to my senior year of high school). Our state spent years preparing for the event. Roads were rebuilt and widened, venues were constructed, hotels were erected - making me wonder, what happens to all of this after the Olympics?

I didn’t want the Olympics to come to Salt Lake. The idea terrified me. I was worried about our state becoming a target for terrorism, especially being a few short months after 9/11. I always told people I was leaving Utah during the Olympics, but alas, as a broke 18-year-old… I had nowhere to go. 

For security, our school had to be locked down for two weeks, and everyone had to file through one set of doors every morning. 

On the day the torch came through, the school turned a blind eye to absences so we could go see it. I snuck home to watch some of the footage on TV, and I remember seeing President Hinckley and Neal A. Maxwell carry the torch (other apostles did, too, but those are the two I remember the most). I'm pretty sure I also saw the torch come through my area in person, but my memory is a little foggy.

We had the opportunity as students to be taken by bus to some of the events during school. I didn’t go to any. I wondered if someday I would regret it, but I actually don't. I enjoyed watching everything on TV and seeing all the familiar sights of Utah while feeling safe and being warm and not standing in shoulder to shoulder crowds. 

Temporary Roots stores popped up in Salt Lake and Park City, and the hot item was the Olympic beret after Katie Couric wore one on the Today Show. People lined up for hours to get them.

Nowadays I get a kick out of seeing people still wearing the Olympic volunteer coats. During the Olympics, those coats were everywhere. Twenty years later, they still pop up every winter - blue and yellow being the most common. 

Despite my fears, my friend Michelle and I went downtown for the Olympics celebration. We had to wait in long security lines to get in. While I wasn't interested in attending the sporting events, I was glad I went downtown to experience the energy. There were parades and flags everywhere. The buildings downtown sported skyscraper size photos of Olympic athletes. The whole city had transformed into an Olympic wonderland. 

When I was in high school, I had a video camera that went everywhere with me. I remember getting out my camera and filming for about five seconds once we got into the Olympic celebration, and my camera died!

One of the exciting new features of downtown Salt Lake, built in anticipation of the Olympics, was the Gateway Mall. It was Utah's first open air mall. My uncle worked on the electrical for the Gateway, and I remember being so excited to go see its progress and then to go there when it opened. The Gateway had a dancing fountain - the "Olympic fountain." The feature, now commonplace, was supremely innovative at the time. I remember seeing it for the first time at night, dancing to Celine Dione, and being in awe at what it could do. I was also captivated by Galyan's - the sporting goods store with a rock wall inside! (Rock walls now? Commonplace. Galyan's now? Nonexistent).

The Gateway also had a new Megaplex movie theater, and for having been part of the construction of the Gateway, my uncle got free tickets to go see Lord of the Rings and let me tag along. 

(Sadly, the Gateway is a half-empty shell of a mall now, and I feel sad every time I see it because I remember how it was in its prime). 

At the Salt Lake Winter Games Apolo Anton Ohno was The Big Deal. I remember women swooning over him and his thick, wispy hair. 

I watched the fireworks for closing ceremonies from our patio. The Olympics were cool but also overwhelming, so I was pretty excited for them to go away so life could go back to normal. 

Probably the most significant thing for me, personally, about the Olympics was that Scotty wasn't here for it. He was in South Carolina serving his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It would have been fun to have him here, but it was his time to serve the Lord, so I experienced the Olympics without my main squeeze. I sent him lots of photos and videos, though!

Now there's talk of the Olympics returning to Salt Lake in 2030 or 2034. I'm still on the "thanks, but no thanks" train. Once in my lifetime was more than enough! But if they do come back, I hope they have a trade-in program for all the people still wearing their 2002 coats!

If you were in Salt Lake for the Olympics, what memories do you have? And would you like to see the Olympics return to Utah?