Salt Lake Has Been a Trip for a While

After nine years on the news staff at this newspaper, it was my good fortune in late 1998 to transfer to the Sports section. Days later, the Salt Lake bid scandal erupted. So I’ve been coming to Salt Lake with regularity for more than three years now, and I knew that these Games--the last in the United States for at least 10 years--would be memorable.

I must admit that, after all the time spent in Salt Lake, the place kind of grows on you. Not enough to move here; let’s not be ridiculous. But the mountains are beautiful, it’s easy to get around the city, and there is one really good restaurant

--the Market Street Grill, though for the life of me, I still can’t figure out why the best restaurant in Salt Lake City, a long way away from the ocean, serves fish.

It’s disturbing at first to meet so many people in one place who are so very friendly, polite and kind. Truth is, you could easily get used to so much niceness, and that’s the memory of Salt Lake that will linger with me the longest.

On the second day of the Games, I left my cellular phone behind at a security checkpoint in downtown Salt Lake City. I didn’t realize where it was until I arrived at another security checkpoint, this one outside the snowboarding halfpipe venue in Park City, about 45 minutes east of downtown Salt Lake.

I mentioned to Linda Miller, a Games volunteer, that my phone was downtown. That was in the morning. Then I left the media tent to go cover the event (won by Kelly Clark, one of the first dramatic moments for the U.S. of these Olympics).

While I was on the hill, Miller--and I had no clue this was going on--called home. Her daughter Marilee answered. Miller explained about my phone. Marilee volunteered to get the phone and drive it to Park City.

When I got back to the media tent, in the afternoon, the phone was there.

That’s the kind of Olympics this was. A lot of moments to remember.

Besides Clark’s stunning ride, I was fortunate to cover some other great moments: the U.S. men’s sweep of the halfpipe competition; snowboarder Chris Klug’s amazing ride to bronze in the parallel giant slalom 18 months after a liver transplant; the medal-winning rides in the skeleton by Jim Shea Jr., Tristan Gale and Lea Ann Parsley, a surreal scene in a driving snowstorm.

I will remember halfpipe rider Danny Kass’ family. Kass is 19 and probably the most innovative halfpiper in the world; he successfully landed a “1080,” as it’s called, three complete spins in the air. Kass likes to come off as a 21st-century version of the slacker Jeff Spicoli character from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Like, dude, whoa: Olympics.

All I know is that Kass’ dad, mom, stepmom, grandma--whom he calls “Oma”--and a whole bunch of cousins and nieces and nephews were eagerly lined up along the fence to watch him compete in the Olympic Games, the little ones munching on bite-size Oreos and peanut butter and cheese crackers. It looked like Saturday morning at a youth soccer league match. And he proudly went over to them all after one ride and exchanged hugs and kisses, as if he’d just scored his first goal.

I will remember U.S. rider Rosey Fletcher, a solitary tear making its way slowly down her left cheek, after she failed to qualify for the snowboarding slalom finals.

I learned from the female snowboarders that braids are in vogue. This was a big thrill for my 7-year-old daughter, who prefers braids too.

These Games were--judging controversies and all--a great success. It makes you hope that someday the Olympics will be back in the United States. The next possibility would be the Summer Games in 2012. Four U.S. cities are in the running: New York, Houston, Washington and San Francisco.

I wonder: If I left my cell phone behind in Manhattan, do you think someone would run it out to me on Long Island?