For Utahans, a Mission to Help at Games

About 67,000 people tried out for the team, and only a third were needed. They outnumber the athletes 10 to 1, and their performance this month may be the enduring legacy of these Olympics, speaking volumes about what kind of place this is.

They include students such as Katie Barton, a clean-scrubbed 20-year-old whose breath hangs like a wispy cloud in the frigid morning air, offering directions to frustrated pedestrians confronting closed streets in downtown Salt Lake City.

And financial planner Mary Lou Arveseth, who saved her vacation time so she could stand in the mountain cold of Soldier Hollow east of here to help with the presentation of flowers to the biathlon winners. Her primary job: to make sure the podium is properly placed and supported so it doesn’t wobble.

And Leslie Marsh, a registered nurse who giggles that she’ll be able to get under the athletes’ skin. When the winning skiers cross the finish line, she’ll keep an eagle’s eye on them and, within an hour of victory, draw a sample of their blood to make sure they are drug-free.

These three women are among the nearly 23,500 people who were selected as Olympic volunteers, agreeing to work 10-hour shifts with no more compensation than their distinctive black and violet ski jacket, gloves, hip pack, a ticket to watch the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremonies--and the satisfaction of having helped this town host the Olympics.

They might not watch a single event.

The ease with which the Salt Lake Organizing Committee was able to attract 3 million hours of free labor--valued at $61 million--stunned officials and reflects, they say, the ethic and altruism of Salt Lake residents.

“The response to our call for help--to get 67,000 applications for volunteer work a year before the start of the Games--was extraordinary. We were absolutely amazed,” said Mitt Romney, president of the organizing committee. “Sydney [which hosted the 2000 Summer Games] was still recruiting volunteers the week before the Games began.

“Clearly, the American West is a place where people are used to helping their neighbor, whether it’s a barn-raising a century ago or helping to host the world today,” he said.

The volunteers are serving in such roles as translators, ticket takers, ushers and guides at bus stops.

They calm anxious parents who can’t find their children and redirect temperamental spectators who got on the wrong bus and ended up miles from their intended venue.

They not only work side-by-side with the paid Olympic staff, they outnumber them 7 to 1.

Romney said he hopes they outperform their counterparts in Sydney, who were hugely popular for their outlandish humor and chirpy and reassuring response to any tourist in need: “No worries!”

Long before being trained for specific tasks and familiarizing themselves with their assigned venues, the volunteers underwent six hours of instruction on the basics--and nuances--of international public relations.

Don’t offer to shake a spectator’s hand unless that person reaches out first. Don’t be insulted if a person refuses to make eye contact. Don’t use certain hand gestures because they may be offensive to some cultures. Be careful not to move in too closely to spectators seeking assistance--but be prepared for them to stand nose-to-nose with you.

And then there’s that matter of religion, here in a city where nearly half of the residents are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The training book instructs the official Olympic volunteers to avoid “such controversial subjects as politics and religion.”

The church, whose strategy is to convert people through one-on-one contacts, also has promised not to capitalize on the influx of an estimated 60,000 daily visitors to downtown.

About 5,000 Mormons have volunteered for tasks such as providing security and guiding visitors at Temple Square, the church’s world headquarters and Salt Lake City’s most popular tourist attraction. Those volunteers have been admonished not to proselytize during the Games.

“If we were to assertively preach to people who think they’re coming for an Olympic experience, it would not only be a negative experience for them, but we would justifiably be criticized by our friends and neighbors who are not of our faith,” said church spokesman Mike Otterson. “We’re anxious for a legacy of goodwill.”

Mormon volunteers say they’ll have little problem containing themselves at the Games, adding that their politeness is too often misconstrued as a guise to recruit.

“Being gracious and hospitable doesn’t mean we’re foisting the church on anybody,” said JoAnn Christensen, 70, who volunteers regularly for the church. “We want to show our good face to the world and let them know we’re good hosts.”

She said, for instance, that she will happily direct tourists to the nearest bar, if they ask, even if the church discourages the consumption of alcohol.

Mormons who are serving as Olympic volunteers say they too will hold themselves in check. “If I’m asked something about my religion, I’ll answer it, but I don’t see it even coming up,” said Barton, helping direct traffic last week during a shift that began at 5 a.m.

“I’m doing this because I love meeting people from all over the world. I like being involved like this. It feels good, to be out here helping people.”