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Show 3 Sacrificing it all for The Nutcracker' Parkites Emily and Zoe Walcott prepare for center stage. Page C-1 Park CitjWeather American's Opening World Cup action concmaes today at PCMR with the women's slalom run at 10:30 a.m. Half-time entertainment features Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Tickets are $5. j More flurries in the forecast. See B-2 for a complete update. 500 1002546 COMP 10 C-M7 UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION 57 307 W 00 S 4006 SALT LAKE CITY UT 84101-1277 PARK' WWW.f VOL. 123 N0.85 SatSunMonTues, November 29-December 2,2003 CT'. r n s- r s I I 1 1 owing ounwiit county since i oou I Clergy respond to niKng about gay marriage Local religious leaders split about Mass. court's decision By JAY HAMBURGER Of the Record staff Religious leaders in Park City are split about a Massachusetts court's gay-marriage ruling earlier in November, a divide that is expected given the controversy that met the decision. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found that it violates the state's Constitution to not give people in same-sex marriages the same rights and benefits as people in traditional marriages. mar-riages. In Park City, clergy from several faiths offered differing opinions of same-sex marriages. Other local religious leaders, though, would not discuss their opinions about the case. Paddy Wood, a minister in the non-denominational Unity Spiritual Center, said she had not closely studied the Massachusetts ruling but added that, if same-sex marriages were legal, she would perforin a ceremony. "Whether it be a legal marriage or a commitment commit-ment ceremony between two people of the same sex, it's something I would willingly participate in," Wood said. "I could certainly create a commitment com-mitment ceremony for anyone that so desired." She said that she has never been asked to perform per-form such a ceremony, though. "People have very casually asked if I would be open to it without being specific. There hasn't been a couple come to me and ask me to do it," Wood said. Another supporter in the local clergy is Rabbi Joshua Aaronson. who leads the Jewish congregation congre-gation Temple Har Shalom. "I support in the strongest possible way the rights of homosexual couples," Aaronson said, adding that he supports civil unions for gays and that gay couples should have the same "legal entitlements enti-tlements and protections that the state grants to heterosexual married couples." He said the Reform branch of Judaism, which is more liberal than the Orthodox branch, accepts marriages between gays and lesbians. "I firmly believe the state must sanction civil unions between gay and lesbian couples," Aaronson said. He also said: "The idea that the state gives permission per-mission to gay or lesbian marriages in no way threatens the religious beliefs of any group in America." Jeff Louden, the pastor at the Shepherd of the Mountains, a Lutheran church in the Snydervillc Basin, declined to talk about his faiths opinion about the topic. Sedona Callahan, who represents the local Baha'i faith, also declined to comment. Other faiths are not supportive of gay marriage. mar-riage. At St. Mary's Catholic Church in Park City, associate pastor Rick Sherman said Catholicism teaches "that based on its understanding of sacred scripture, the Bible, the Catholic Church has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically intrinsi-cally disordered. We say they are contrary to the natural law, they close the sexual act to the gift of life." He said the Catholic Church does not condemn con-demn gays, however. "1 think the church's teaching is right on this," Sherman said. He said that homosexuality can hurt a community. commu-nity. "That behavior, unchecked, creates havoc in the person and can create havoc in the culture," Sherman said. He added: "Human sexuality is a gift more complex and more profound than merely physical relations." He does not support the Massachusetts ruling. "It's a step toward legalizing or legitimizing homosexual unions." Sherman said. Please see Clergy, A-2 4 SECTIONS 58 PAGES Agendas A-8 Automotive C-1 6 Business B-17 Classifieds C-10 Columns A-13 Crossword C-4 Editorial A-15 Education A-23 Events Calendar C-2 Letters to the Editor A-15 Legals C-1 7 Movies C-4 Professional Services B-1 2 Restaurant Guide C-7 Sports B-1 TV Listings C-8 Weather B-2 Park Record. Serving Summit County since 1880 www.parkrecord.com Swede picks up big GS win h a -.J vv If J A ' w & S my , Anja Raerson takes GS title with more than a second to spare By BRETT LARSEN SCOTT SINEPARK RECORD Sweden's Anja Paerson flies through the gates on her way to a healthy, 1.42-second margin win to kick off the second weekend of America's Opening Friday. Paerson won both the first and the second runs on a sunny day at Park City Mountain Resort. Of the Record staff Sweden's Anja Paerson left no doubt who the winner win-ner was in the women's giant slalom Friday at America's Opening. After flying to the top spot in the first run, Paerson torched the field in the second, taking the GS title 1.42 seconds ahead of anybody else, a huge margin in an event that usually conies down to a few hundredths of a second. "I thought, "what the heck?' and I jusl went for it." Paerson said of her blistering performance through the gates. "Luckily it worked this time. I don't think if I did it again I would be so lucky " The 22-year-old Swede finished at 2:27.14. ahead of podium mates Nicole Hosp of Austria (2:2S.5ft) and Italy's Denise Karbon (2:28.65). Sarah Schleper was the lone U.S. skier in the top 10, finishing ninth at 2:29.28. Paerson said she was happy with her finish, especially especial-ly considering she was sick with the flu for most of the days preceding the race. "It was a good day. I always come here with a smile." she said, referring to her past races here in World Cups and in the Olympics. "Coming in today I was a little bit unsure. It was helpful that I felt better today." Skiing last in the second run. Paerson said the challenge chal-lenge was to preserve her speed on the lower flats before the finish line. Many of the previous racers had posted fast times on the top half of C.B.'s Run. but lost momentum once they hit more level ground. Paerson said she didn't allow caution in the turns to slow her down heading into the flats, adding that taking a certain amount of risk can be the difference between winning and losing. "I don't think anyone can take as much risk as Bode Miller." she joked, referring to the American who is known for putting it all on the line during his races. "I knew if I wanted to be fast I had to risk." In second and third places. Hosp and Karbon were satisfied with their high finishes. "Today I skied very well and I'm very happy," I losp said. A big crash in last month's races in Soelden put her in two weeks of physical therapy, so she was especially espe-cially pleased to reach the podium, she said. For Karbon. it was her first time on the podium in the U.S. "It feels really good." she said. "It's the first time I did so well in this American race. I hope to do other podiums this season." Even Schleper. who received a certificate and loud ovation from the hometown crowd during award pre- Please see Schleper, A-2 Dad wants to keep drunken drivers off roads Father of imprisoned motorist offers shuttle from nightclubs By JAY HAMBURGER Of the Record staff' Ryan Nielson shouldn't be mistaken as a bar hopper. Though his seven-person Dodge Durango can be seen prowling the nightclubs in Salt Lake City each night except Sunday, Nielson is not looking for the evening's hotspot. Instead, Nielson is searching for people too drunk to drive. When he does, his nonprofit corporation Designated Driver 4 U takes them home. Nielson does not want them on the roads intoxicated and possibly heading for a tragedy similar to the one that unfolded with his family in 2003. Nielson is the 50-year-old father of Matthew Nielson, who is serving up to five years in state prison for the January drunken-driving accident in Park City that nearly killed Ana Bussmann. Bussmann was walking home from work on Bonanza Drive at about 12:20 a.m. on Jan. 25 when Nielson. drunk after partying on Main Street, struck her with a 1997 Honda Civic. The accident left Bussmann in a coma and doctors doc-tors were unsure if she would live. Bussmann stabilized in the coma and made significant sig-nificant improvements after she was returned to Brazil. Her family's Utah attorney says she can communicate and understands what happened but she did not recover to the way she was before the accident. Bussmann. a Brazilian, was spending last winter in Park City as a worker at a Silver Lake Lodge restaurant at Deer Valley Resort when the accident occurred. The elder Nielson is now committed to combat ing drunken driving in Utah. 'Hie designated-driver service, which is free to His time is spent in Salt Lake City but he does its riders, was borne out of a commitment Nielson not dismiss ideas to expand the Designated Driver made to become active in combating drinking and 4 U to the Park City area, possibly during the win- driving. tcr. when Park City's nightclubs are at their busiest. "If Ana could live, against what the doctors said. "Ihis is my whole lite at this point. What else can I do." Nielson said. Please see Service, A-2 r-i r ""i T 4 vtZU SCOTT SmEIPARK RECORD Ryan Nielson operates a shuttle service for people too drunk to drive home from Salt Lake nightspots. He is the father of Matthew Nielson, who is serving time in state prison for drunken driving. Matthew Nielson struck Ana Bussmann as she walked along a Park City road last winter. Winter Sports School may become international By JENNIFER R. MERBACK Of the Record staff An international winter sports academy in Park City? It could be happening soon. Winter Sports School Head Robert Clayton just returned from a Federation International de Ski (FIS) Youth Ski Sports Conference in Magglingen, Switzerland, where he spoke about ski training and teaching with youngsters. "There were around 50 representatives from 30 different countries," said Clayton. Clayton and FIS Aid and Promotion Committee Vice President Joseph Mciner are part of an International Winter Sports Academy group that has worked for over a year to make the Winter Sports School an international academy, open to young athletes from around the world who want to train and complete their high school education. The plan targets small, FIS-member nations such as Macedonia, Lithuania and Hungary who don't have programs such as the Winter Sports School. "The idea is to bring these athletes to an infrastructure infra-structure that is already in place," said Clayton. Founded in 1993 and located at the Utah Olympic Park, the Winter Sports School is a private pri-vate high school for extremely talented youth winter win-ter sports athletes with over 40 students enrolled. The school's rigorous academic calendar goes from April to November, with only three weeks off. This unique schedule allows the students to focus on academics during the off-season and train and compete from December to March. 'Hie school has also been accredited by the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS) since 2001 and by the Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities. Mciner says that the idea is very well supported support-ed and that the group is about 85-percent ready to establish the academy. "We are supported by Ski Utah, the Park Citv Please see Athletes, A-2 94937"00001 |
