United, She Stands Ready to Fly Without Fear

Bonny Warner, a three-time luge Olympian and a United Airlines pilot, knew one of the United crew members killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that rocked the world. Her husband, Tony Simi, is a firefighter in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Although stung in many ways by the long-reaching tentacles of tragedy, Warner won’t allow fear to control her life. Ending a sabbatical she had taken to train for the Salt Lake City Games, where she hopes to participate in the first women’s Olympic bobsled competition, Warner took to the skies last week to reposition 737s and reopen service to West Coast cities that were isolated when the national air traffic system was shut down after the attacks.

“When that happened, like all Americans, I was horrified and I wanted to do something,” Warner said of her return to the cockpit, where she has 111/2 years of experience. “When the FAA and the airlines started putting things back together, I made an assessment based on information I was privy to as a flight crew member.

“United has 11,000 pilots, and you can say, ‘What is one pilot going to do?’ I’m very visible. My phone was ringing off the hook, not just from media but business people and friends. Actions speak louder than words, and if I’m not flying, what does that say?”

Warner said so many off-duty United pilots volunteered for duty, the phone lines and e-mail to United’s crew desk were flooded. “That’s a huge statement,” she said. “It’s not just me. It’s just your basic line pilots. It shows the faith we have.”

Warner, 39, also has faith she will be safe from terrorist attacks at Salt Lake City. If guaranteeing safety requires a pervasive police presence, she deems that an acceptable price.

“I think what has happened has heightened everyone’s consciousness of security. Not just security people and military people, but every American,” said Warner, one of three bobsled drivers vying for two spots on the U.S. team. “This has galvanized millions of eyes to look for suspicious things. It’s like a neighborhood watch system that in itself adds enormous amounts of security.

“Before this happened [Salt Lake Organizing Committee President] Mitt Romney had headed to Washington to ask for more money for security. That won’t be a problem now.

“Every Olympics since Munich we always worry and wonder because it is such a central point. Now, everybody will be aware of everything. I remember at Nagano, the Japanese didn’t want to show an overwhelming presence and they had their security people dress in Olympic uniforms. That’s changed. I’m sure the people attending will not be upset to see people wearing police or security uniforms.”

Warner will log her next flight time as a passenger. She has eight domestic and international flights booked to training or competition sites, and although some athletes and federations have canceled travel plans, she’s going forward.

“It’s one thing to be a passenger and another to fly the ship,” said Warner, whose leave from flying resumes Oct. 1. “I haven’t changed any of my plans.

“Clearly, the thing everybody has to do when they choose to return to flying is to have patience with the system, whether traveling as a team or an individual.”

Same Fears Elsewhere

Mattias Norstrom’s phone rang early on the morning of Sept. 11.

Relatives back home in Sweden, aghast at hearing three of the planes hijacked that day had been bound for Los Angeles, called the King defenseman to be sure he wasn’t among the victims. He assured them that he was fine.

Now, he must assure himself.

Norstrom had been joyfully anticipating playing for his homeland at the Salt Lake City Olympics, which promised to showcase the world’s best hockey players to a wider audience than did the far-away Nagano Games. But now, he wonders about the risks of gathering thousands of athletes and spectators in one place. He wonders whether it could become the backdrop to another unspeakable tragedy.

And he wonders about the world into which he and his wife, Kristin, brought their daughter, Linnae, in May.

“I’m not really scared, but you never know what they’re going to target now with terrorist attacks,” he said. “The tragedy last week was unbelievable. It seemed more like their tack was to go after symbols of capitalism and military power, and hopefully, those fanatics or terrorists or whatever you want to call them will leave the Olympics alone.”

He expects security at the Games to be tighter than ever. The International Olympic Committee, meeting last week in Lausanne, Switzerland, even praised Salt Lake’s security plans as “very robust.” Yet, how can anyone anticipate and head off the unthinkable?

“If there’s someone who wants to commit a crime like they did, they will find a way,” Norstrom said. “But if you worry about that, you’ve got to worry every time you get on a plane or go to Staples Center.

“The whole situation is terrible. It just disgusts me. The world we’ve put our baby into.... There are consequences we don’t even know yet, attacks and counterattacks.”

Mighty Duck defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, who will play for his native Russia, also got frantic phone calls from home Sept. 11. He said people there were in shock and supportive of the U.S., once Russia’s sworn enemy.

“I don’t think I’m scared,” he said. “I’m sure the people who take care of security will do their jobs.

“If you start worrying about everything, you’re letting the terrorists affect your way of life. That’s what those people want.”

For Mathieu Schneider of the Kings, who participated in the U.S. Olympic orientation camp earlier this month and has a good chance to make the team, life cannot be the same.

A former New Yorker, he has been brushed by the tragedies: His babysitter lost seven friends, and many of his own friends who lived in the area where the World Trade Center towers stood had to evacuate damaged homes and find apartments.

He said he’s not afraid to compete at Salt Lake City because he trusts airline and Olympic security measures. Yet, he acknowledged his peace of mind has been eroded.

“No matter how hard we try,” he said, “it’s going to be difficult to get the feeling of security we had two weeks ago.”

Here and There

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee created a pin featuring the words “United We Stand” to honor victims of last week’s attacks. Proceeds from sales will go to The September 11th Fund, established by the United Way and the New York Community Trust to help victims and their families. It costs $5 and is available through the SLOC Web site, www.saltlake2002.com .... The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation approved putting decals on competitors’ sleds to honor the attack victims. It also joined the U.S. Biathlon Assn. and U.S. Speedskating to form the Winter Sports Organizations Relief Fund, which hopes to raise $250,000 for relief efforts by the end of the Salt Lake City Games. Donations can be sent to USBSF/U.S. Winter Sports Organizations Relief Fund for NYC, 421 Old Military Rd., Lake Placid, N.Y. 12946.

USA Gymnastics pulled its three-woman delegation out of the Pan Am rhythmic gymnastics championships in Mexico, and USA Cycling withdrew a team from the Tour de l’Avenir in France. In addition, the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation canceled two training camps in Calgary, Canada.

Foreign athletes are also cutting back on travel: Speedskaters from Japan and Germany postponed plans to train at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, and other athletes who hoped to familiarize themselves with Olympic venues in the coming months could follow suit. Speedskaters, incidentally, are no longer permitted to carry their skates aboard planes. The blades are considered potential weapons.

The New York Marathon will be run Nov. 4 as scheduled and won’t require course changes because it doesn’t come near the area once occupied by the World Trade Center. But security will be beefed up and the race will be dedicated to victims of the attacks.... The Marine Corps Marathon, scheduled Oct. 28, will be rerouted for security reasons. Miles 4-6 were to pass just south of the Pentagon.

The U.S. Figure Skating Assn. will proceed with its Oct. 5 tribute at New York’s Madison Square Garden to members of the 1961 U.S. delegation to the world championships, who were killed in a plane crash in Belgium. Some of the proceeds from the event will be donated to funds that aid relief efforts in New York and Washington.

Only 138 days until the Salt Lake City Winter Games.