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Show I THE CAMPUS--- THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• S0Uffl£RN UTAH UNIVERSITY• MONDAY, JUNE 16, 1997 33 1 Eccles Coliseum dedication, USG opening tonight Southern Utah University's rebuilt and expanded stadium w ill be named the Eccles Coliseum in hon or of the late George S. and Dolores Dore· Eccles tonight as the first event of the opening cere monies of the Utah Summer Ga mes. Spencer F. Eccles, president and chief executive officer of First Security Corporation and chair of the George S. and Dolores Dore' Eccles Foundation, wil l participate in the naming ceremonies. The foundation made a major ($SOO,OOO) contribution toward the construction costs of the almost completed facility. Eccles is the great-great grandson of John and Karen Stoddard, who were among the first fami lies to live in Cedar C ity. · "There could be no better name to represent the spirit and vitality of this place than that of Eccles," Gerald R. Sherratt, president of SUU, sa id. "Their generosity and support have been a wonderful source of confidence and strength to this institution. The Eccles were remarkable people. They had a genuine love for the people of this state, and their history of giving to education and the arts in this state is unmatched by anyone." The rebuilt stadium expands the Grecian architectural theme of the Jay Dee and Alice C. H arris Pavilion located at the south end of the coliseum. It will seat over 8,000 spectators in its chair-back and bleacher seating. Included arc luxury skybox suites and special reserved box seating. Support faci lities include an expanded press hox, with radio and scouting booths, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard which incorporates a video wall and message center. Footba ll coaching staff members will be located in offices overlooking t he seating and field. Renovated locker rooms, training rooms, and weight facilities arc located beneath the new seating area. "The promise of this facility has already played a major role in the university's accepta nce into the Mid Continent Athletic Conference beginning this year," Sherratt said. "The facility will be used for football, track and field, and many events of the Utah Summer Carnes. "But the Eccles Colise um will be utilized for much more than athletic contests. The clays and nights to come wi 11 find outdoor concerts and conferences be ing held here; and as the unive rsity continues to grow, th e coliseum could also even become home to the university's graduation exercises." T he new coliseum seating replaces a nearly 30-ycar-old facility which no longer met the state's building code nor federal disability compliance laws. Growth of the communi ty and university had also outgrown the facility's seat ing capacity . T onight's opening ceremonies will feature a progra m that, according to USG Executive D irector Dave Slack, is brimming with memorable moments. "Fireworks, a laser show, death-defying stunts, big-name musical acts, dancers, t ributes, renowned athletes, surprises - this show promises everything people have come to expect of th e Utah Summer Ga mes opening ceremonies and even more," Slack said. " We've always thought of the ceremonies as the state's biggest single night of ente rtain ment fo r the entire yea r, and the program we have planned for 1997 certain ly lives up to the bi lling." At the heart of the annual opening ceremonies is the induction of a number of the state's most accomplished men and women of sport into the Utah Summer Games Hal l of Honor. Set to be induct ed at Monday's ceremonies are Ty Detmer, a former Hcisman Trophy winner with th e Brigham Young University Couga rs and the current starting qua rterback for th e Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL; Elaine Elliott, the winningcst coach in Utah women's basketball history a nd the 1997 Western Athletic Confere nce Mounta in Division Coach of the Year; Paul James, a renowned Utah sports broadcaster and the voice of BYU football and basketball for m ore than 30 years; and Ann Valentine, an innovative sports ad ministrato r and head women's tennis coach at BYU who was named NCAA National Coach of the Year in 1995. Also to be recognized with induction into the USG Hall of Honor will be Dr. Gerald R. Sherratt, president of South ern Utah University and the founder of the Uta h Summer Games. Sherratt w ill retire after LS 1/2 years of service to SUU on June 30th, bl;lt will continue to guide and direct the Ga mes as chair of the USG's Board of Commissioners. On the entertainment side, what is expected to be an other standing-room-only crowd in the Coliseum can look forward to a host of acts that w.ill fill both the stadium field and th e sky above wi th light, sound and color. Skydivers, musical acts such as the N ylons, lasers, the biggest fireworks show in the history of the Games and a special pe rfo rman ce by world-renowned escape artist Dean Gunnarson of Vancouver on "The Flaming Rope of Death" will join a stirring tribute to the sesquicenten nial of the pioneers' arrival in the Utah Va lley will be just a few of the ma ny performances scheduled for the Ga rnes' dazzling 12th ceremonies. Among the individual sports that should enjoy large numbers of competitors at the 12th annual Utah Summer Games arc cycling and mountain biking-two events that have seen significant growt h on a global scale as well. This year's Games will also see considerable ch anges at Quail Lake State Park, site of the annual triathlon competition. According to Slack, th e routes covered in the event's swimmi ng, biking and road race portions have been re-measured to fit the international distances of one kilometer, 40 kilom eters and IO kilometers, respectively. The change should make it easier for the state's accomplished triathletes to adjust their training as they prepare for the popu lar USG competition, Slack added. Other new de velopments at the 1.997 Ga mes will include the scheduling of a first-ever martial arts tournament, which will combine competition in judo, karate and tac kwan do. The event is set for June 2 1-22 at Cedar High School. Expectations are also high fo r another exciting year of competition in two of the USG's perennially popular tea m sports: basketball and volleyball. While regional competition is currentl y under way in youth a nd adult non-intercollegiate basketball divisions, Slack said, teams in all adult divisions may continue to register through May 3 1st for inclusion in the Ga mes' finals tournaments. Tourneys wi ll be held in Men 's Open Collegiate, Women's Open, Me n's and Women's Mas te rs 35+, and Men 's Masters SO+ divisions. Finals competition in the Utah Summer Ga mes' three dozen sports will be held through June 23 at venues throughout Cedar City and Iron County. For further information on late registration or other USG events and programs, athletes may call the Ga mes offices at 865-8421 or drop by the information booth at the Jay Dec and Alice C. Harris Center, located at the south end of the Coliseum . N ow in its 12th season, Lhc Utah Summer Games has enjoyed great notoriety as one of America's first statewide a mateur sports festivals. So, fo r its opening ceremonies in 1997, it should come as no surprise that the USC would feature a band that has covered much of the same grou nd-breaking territory as the Games did through the decade of the 1980s. T he Nylons, a chart-topping a capclla quartet from Toronto, Canada, will be the highlight attraction . According to Dave Slack, the Nylons' trademark voca ls and enthusiastic performance style should thrill audiences young and old. "It's ra re to find musica l artists who can appeal to listeners of every age, but the N ylons definitely fit into that category," Slack said. "These ta lented singers have found a way to mix classic and contemporary material together with original songs to create a musical event that everyone will enjoy. I'm sure our audience will hear plenty of o ld favorites, and they might walk away with a few new favorites as well. " Tickets to the cercmonics-$8 for reserved seats, $6 for adults general admission and $4 for youth 3- 14 general admission - arc available at the Ccntrum Box Office on the campus of Southern Utah University, or by calling 586-7872. Tickets at the gate the day of show will also be available at a price $1 higher than pre-purchased tickets.The field inside the Coliseum of Southern Utah is sure to come to life with light, color and sound Monday night, but the m ost thrilling s ingle moment of the evening might well take place several dozen feet above the stadium grass. The air itself will serve as center stage tonight as Gunnarson, dubbed " the world's greatest escape a rtist," joins the fest ivities. "If it's been a long time since you've heard a crowd I 0,000 strong catch its breath at the same time, you'll want to be in the Coliseum on Monday night, Slack said. "Nobody knows for sure what this world-class escape artist has in m ind for our opening ceremonies audience - but whatever way he chooses to flirt with death is going to be unfo rgettable." A native of Vancouver, 'Ca nada, Gunnarson hasn't come by his global renown easily. T he daredevil has performed for mi ll ions around the world, including more than 100 live shows in the Rep ublic of China and an extensive tour of South Am erica's largest populations centers. Voted one of the top variety acts in the world by the Italian te levision program "Belli Frcsca," he has been featured on broadcast shows in both the United States an d in man y fore ign countries. G unnarson first attracted intern ational attenti on when, in J 987, he stepped in as a last -minute replacement for James "Th e Amazing Randi" on the live television special "In Sea rch of Houdini." Gunnarson readily agreed to perform Houdini's immortal milk ca n escape in Randi's place, despite never having attempted the escape before - and his su ccessful completion of the fea t was a moment of pure broadcast magic. On h is "Tonight Show," Johnny Carson raved about Gunnarson, calling his milk can escape "incredible;" and many more accolades were to fo llow for this native Canadian. 11 |