Light the fire within
More than 10,000 students and citizens filled the Spectrum Wednesday night as Brent Carpenter lifted the Olympic torch in front of an emotional and enthusiastic crowd.
“Seeing our friends and the people we love and care about carrying the torch is an emotional lift to us all and it makes us all feel a part of the Olympics,” Mayor Doug Thompson said.
To witness this event in history, Tammy Firth, administrative secretary to the Logan Parks and Recreation Center, said, “We filled every seat and had to turn people away.”
She said the Spectrum is designed to seat 10,218 people.
Firth also said more than 500 people from different groups participated in putting together the celebration. She said there were approximately 360 students from Logan High School, Mountain Crest High School and Sky View High School participating in the band, a cheer squad from each of the three high schools, the Aggies’ dance squad from Utah State University, a group of Boy Scouts and many other participants.
Nicole Riggs, a 16-year-old cheerleader from Mountain Crest High School, said she became involved in the event because all the cheer squads in the valley were asked to participate.
“I wanted to [be involved] because I knew it would be something I would remember, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When the Olympics actually start I’ll be able to say I’ve seen the torch come through and that I was directly involved,” she said.
Jacob Lester, a junior music major from Delta, Utah par ticipating in the orchestra Wednesday night, said he got involved because “it’s important during the Olympics for people from all countries to be able to be unified as one, and we’re able to do that as the whole town gathers together just to see the torch. It seems that is what the Olympic spirit is all about.”
Thompson said in his speech, “The world, our nation, Utah and Cache Valley have been united by the torch.”
He said, earlier today a friend whom he had grown up with carried the torch in memory of his mother and sister killed on Sept. 11 as their plane crashed into the World Trade Center.
Right before taking the flame out of the Spectrum, Steven Reeder, another torchbearer who is a physical education teacher at Mountain View Middle School, said, “This is awesome. I can’t believe all these people are here and that I’m sitting in this chair.”
Reeder also said his family has been very supportive and most of them were at the Spectrum to see him run with the torch.
Thompson also honored First Lady Jackie Leavitt, who attended the event, in his speech and said, “Jackie, probably more than anyone else has brought the excitement and education opportunities of the Olympics to Utah’s school children.”
He said to Leavitt, “Thank you for all you do to help light our fire from within.”
Leavitt quoted Nelson Mandela in her speech and said, “It is important to shine yourself, because your light encourages other people to shine.”
President Kermit L. Hall also attended the event and said the torch was first lit in Greece by our forefathers and therefore “we all need to remember that that flame and that torch has already touched our lives.”
Thompson said the fact the Olympics are even being hosted by Salt Lake City is due to John Nicholson, a professor of landscape architecture at USU. He said Nicholson renewed efforts for the Olympics in 1983 and went to the governor and told him we needed the Olympics.
“From then on we always had a committee, and he helped get the whole ball rolling,” Thompson said.
Thompson said he and his wife plan to attend the Games and see the ski jump, which is one of his favorite events.
The Simmons Brothers, Mark, Scott and Darrell, a vocal group who performed Wednesday night, said they don’t plan on attending any of the Games, but Darrell said he always enjoys watching the pairs figure skating.
Scott Simmons said being involved with the celebration and seeing the torch “makes it seem more real that the Olympics are going to be here. It just didn’t seem like the day would ever come.”
During the event, Thompson also introduced a member of the Kenyan cross country ski Olympic team and the single representative of the Cameroon cross country ski Olympic team.
He said, “We’re adopting them tonight and they are world-class marathon runners.”
Isaac Manyoli, member of the Olympic team from Cameroon, said, “I’ve never been to the Olympics before. Professionally, I’m an architect. I just took up skiing a couple of years ago and I started training seven months ago for the Olympics.”
Manyoli said one of the reasons he decided to compete is because, “I’m trying to introduce cross-country skiing to a lot of minority nations. My hope is if I can get a lot of those groups interested in cross-country skiing then I will have done something.”
Brent Carpenter shows off the torch he carried into the Spectrum Wednesday. (Scott Davis )