Remembering Positive Impact Of 2002 Salt Lake Olympics

Sep 11, 2024, 3:51 PM

Michelle Kwan - Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics...

Michelle Kwan of the USA warms up before the ladies free skate during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games on the February 21, 2002 at the Salt Lake Ice Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

BY JAY STEVENS, KSL SPORTS

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s official. The Winter Olympics will return to Salt Lake City in 2034.

For most Utahns, the 2002 Olympics were a fun success that boosted the local economy, improved infrastructure, and left a worldwide legacy in sports. Most of the venues built for the 2002 Games are still operational and will serve for the 2034 games, reducing the need for further building, though there will likely be updated and some new facilities.

We will #NeverForget. 🇺🇸

At the 2002 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Salt Lake City, Team USA athletes and New York City first responders proudly presented an American flag that had been recovered from the rubble of the September 11th attacks. pic.twitter.com/BezTKf3LK3

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) September 11, 2024

Impact Of 2002 Olympics In Salt Lake City

The apparent impact from the point of view of a hockey player was the increase in the number of ice sheets added. The area went from Bountiful and Cottonwood being the only sheets, to adding the Oval, Ogden Ice Sheet, Steiner, the Accord, Peaks Ice Arena, and the E-Center (now known as the Maverik Center).

The not-so-obvious impacts were the lasting effects and opportunities hosting the Olympic games had for so many. Jared Wayman, a local firefighter, parlayed the experience he gained during the 2002 Olympics into a side career that would have him running security for some of the most significant sporting events in the country.

“My role for the Olympics was installing security assets prior to the games and removing them after the games. During the games I worked as a security officer at the Downtown City and County fair,” Waymen explained. “The experience and training gave me a job working as a tech for TSA; some years later, I started working as an independent contractor consulting for major events such as several Super Bowls for the NFL, Major League Baseball, NHL, and other corporate events.”

Before the Olympics, Wayman did not have security experience.

Dave Soutter, a well-known figure in the Utah hockey community, had a lot to say about his experience with the Olympics.

“I was an official scorekeeper. I filled out the scoresheets for each game. It was great because I had the best seat in the house, got to meet all of the coaches, many of the players, and all of the on-ice officials,” Soutter continued, “Met Jagr, Slava Fetisov, Hasek and many others. It was the best experience of my life. It was awesome to have my home state on the world stage, and for me to literally have a front-row seat to watch it happen. We did a tremendous job of hosting the Olympics. I’m proud to have been a very small part of that success.”

Rich Henrickson spoke with KSL Sports about his time volunteering for the Salt Lake Olympics, “The Olympics were awesome, I loved working the games, my job was the penalty time clock operator. I started at Peaks Arena but then transferred to the E-Center due to some technical issues. I worked more than 25 games and loved every one of them. I got to do the men’s gold medal game and bronze medal game. The Olympics were an amazing experience I loved every minute of it even while having to work overnight shifts at the Sheriff’s Office.”

Rich still works as an off-ice official for the Utah Grizzlies.

With anything as big as this, there are pros and cons. It comes down to our personal preferences, hobbies, and the possibility of future opportunities.

As for me, Salt Lake County would need more paramedics for the games; I was lucky enough to be one of them. Salt Lake County put me and 11 others through paramedic school in 2001. As a medic, I worked several games and events. As an official equipment rep for the NHL at the time, I had the chance to supply a team with matching gear that they couldn’t afford. As a hockey player, I had the fantastic opportunity to play in several staged hockey games with the legendary Hanson Brothers at the Gallivan Center.

My family and I have had a lifetime of memories in the rinks the Olympics built. I played college hockey for Weber State for their first three seasons in Ogden and had my 15 minutes of fame in the Maverik Center.