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Show The Salt Lake Tribune 2002 Oo EVM F » ©, Tuesday, February 19, 2002 pp i SN Young’s Fire Is Already Lit BY BOB MIMS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE hotels and resorts to recreational destinations. Just a few weeks ago, Utah businesses anticipating well heeled Olympic crowds overheating cash registers heart ily chanted “1 World Is start. The weatheris cold and the payis low, but Young, re lentlessly upbeat, loves being here. dor, now comeandsee it during the summer,’ “ Gambrino It's Saturday meat the Olympic Medals and Steve Young is dl the crowd with the tireless energy he brought to his career as an NFL quarterback. “How're ya doin’!” he shouts into a cordless microphone, bounding onstage in a splashy Olympic jacket and black cap. After a brief pep talk Youngex: its, then surfaces in the audi ence to chat up spectators. “Where are you from?” he asks one woman, his freckled face flickering on the giant video screens flanking the stage. warm?” “Hey, is everybody Catch him if you can. There's Steve at the halfpipe snowboarding event, at the 120-meter ski jumping, at the pairs figure skating finals. There he is hanging with bronze medalist snowboarder Welcome Here” mantra. “This is a very special place,” he says of the 20,000capacity plaza, built on a park. ing lot a block west of Temple Square. “I feel like it’s sacred Young prowls the plaza with two laminated Olympic credentials around his neck. One is his; the other is for his 14 month-old son, Braedon, and him at the plaza most nights. since 1995, two years ago, he became chairman of the committee overseeing Rick Egan/The Salt Lake ‘Tribune Steve Young gets the crowd warmed upas part of his hosting duties at the Olympic Medals Plaza on Saturdaynight. the Games’ 33,000 volunteers. “When you're related to Brig: Each night Young urges the audience, “If you see someone ina volunteerjacket, give them a hug!” ham Young, everyone's a rela tive,” he says before stepping outside to greet them. Back in joy and pride the athletes feel as they receive their medal “I watch the guys who won the gold and | can image what the trailer, he eyes the TV, where American short track they mustfeel like,” he says. “If you think aboutit, this is the skater Apolo Anton Ohno is ultimate moment for these athletes. They've waited their stage like Bono at a U2 concert. Is anyone at the Olympics having more fun than Steve Young? “It's been awesome, just awesome,” says the former BYU and San Francisco 49ers star during aninterview in his cramped trailer backstage. Youngis the host at the Medals Plaza, where between live mu. sic and trivia contests he warms up the huddled crowd before the 8 p.m. ceremonies Backstage in his trailer, Young cannot sit still. While talking, he signsa pile of NFL footballs for Medals Plaza staffers, scrawling his name across the pigskin with a smooth, practiced motion. A scrambling aroundtheice. “Look at that guy!” Young says with the admiration ofa fellow athlete. “Look, he’s making his move!” wholelives forthis.” So has Young, 39, ever con. sidered which Winter Olympic sport he might have been best plate of salami, cheeses andol. As a millionaire pro athlete ives sits untouched on a counter, ‘There's a knockat the door. whospent his career in a fish at? He has. “I would have been a good bowl, Young is “in awe” of hockey play Olympians whotoil for years in obscurity and debt. As a Super Bowl MVP, he appreciates the ‘There's just onelittle problem. Some of Young's many distant cousins are here to see him. Olympic venues larly Olympics as "he says. “I'm built forit. | have the speed.” “I never learned to skate.” traffic and crowds ing away parking is available, restau rants and other businesses are open,” she said. “We hope Utahnswill take advantage of theselast days of the Games.” ‘That would begreatfor the Cracker Barrel, near the E Center Olympic hockey venue in West Valley City. General manager Mike Ward reports a 30 to 50 percent loss arestay of business and notes the irony of seeing thousands of potential “Thepotof gold expected at the end of the Olympicrain bow just isn’t there,” Mankin survey gathered data from 150 athletes and Despite the importance of mentalhealth in athletes’ well-being and performance, a large number of American coachesfail to talk about depression with their athletes, according to a new survey, “Having the support of a coach who could help recognize depression and han: die it as they would any other medical condition could help many,” said Olympic diver Wendy Williams, She is scheduled to discuss the impor. tance oftalking about depression today during a media tour by the awareness group Women’s Sports Foundation. Representatives fromthe organization are in Salt LakeCity to release their findings from a recent telephone survey that asked hundredsofsports professionals and amateurs about the need for depression awareness in 150 coaches menand women affiliated with professional and nonprofessional teamand individual sports, Amongthe athletes, 68 percent said they often go to their coaches to talk about mental health, while 32 percent ofathletes neverbringit up. But theco: hes seemed moreconfident 85 percent surveyed said they brought up the subject of depression often or occa. sionallywith their athletes, In reality, the survey reports, only 58 acknowledged Take Ken Sanders Rare Todaymagazine. Maranopoints to new research showing depression carries such a burdenof shame, for both men and women, that some may compoundtheir emotional blues by getting depressed over admitting depression. “Like anyone with a busy, stressful life, 1 thought I could push myself to overcome my feelings of sadness andanxiety,” writes Williams, in a recent statement Williams finally obtained medical help and now advocatesfor awareness, The survey found that more than 95 percent of each group, coaches and ath. letes, believe mental healthis important to percent ofathletes can remember their overall athletic performance, But whether the two groups can improve communica “Depression’s particular cruelty is that it keeps those who haveit from envision. ing a waytogetoutofit,” said Hara Estroff Marano, editor-in-chief of Psychology tion on mental health remains to be seen, the foundationsaid. The Women’s Sports Foundation and Pfizer have an information hot line about depression at 1-800-890-1100. UFOs Expected to Visit Games Thursday in a Friendly Fly-By BY DAN NAILEN THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE Aslong as we are welcoming the world, Utah might as well leave out the welcome matfor some intergalactic visitors, Afterall, they just wantto join in the camaraderie of the Games. Sosays Victoria Liljenquist, who boasts of multiple “visita tions” from her other dimension “brothers and sis audience is dead serious; One “Very soon, we are going to see more appearances made because our [intergalactic]family wants to come and walk among us.” ters.” She says the space trav elers she communicates with are not only interested in the world’s biggest sports party from afar, they are planning a flyby for this Thursday be tween noonand § p.m, “It’s not to create fear,” Lil VICTORIA LILJENQUIST Friend of extraterrestrial visitors aliens, communicating with man videotaping the proceed ings asked, “Are UFOs the things that change colors orare thosestars?” Revealing her Olympic: visitation prediction, Liljen quist explains the space travel ers tell her when and where they will show up, hoping to peacefully introduce them: selves to humanity Her extraterrestrial experi ences have already caused the BBC and several UFO docu mentariansto arriveat Liljen. quist’s door, and her Olympic prediction had her phonering. themregularly from her home in Phoenix and videotaping their appearances. ing nonstop for the past two weeks “The Red Sea has partedfor me and my brothers and sis craft appearing over Salt Lake those “appearances” to an au audience, ranging from single City as a 13-year-old growing up in Logan. In the same vision, dience of about 100 at the Mur. ray Theater, men to nuclear families. “Very soon, we are going to see more appearances made because our family wants to come and walk among us.” Lijenquist maintains there jenquist says. “This is a peace: ful, wonderful thing.” Liljenquist says she first had visions of cigar-shaped space- On Sunday, Liljenquist lee tured and showed footage of one in a series of events that Liljenquist delivers her message of intergalactic har mony with a multimedia approach, using videos, slides, poetry and songs, like the session-opening Uni verse,” sung to the tune of “America the Beautiful.” Her culminated with her first visi photographic UFO evidence, she saw images of the TRAX line and the Olympics coming to Utah's capital. That was in 1968, and she’s “been waiting a long time for Salt Lake City to get the Olympics.” That Olympic vision was tation from other-wordly be ings in 1994. Since then, Liljenquist says, she has established something of a rapport with the COPY| primarily flashes of light in slow motion and blurry snapshots, is grist for nonbelievers, but the Murray ters, becausethe world is wak ing up,” Liljenquist told her will be multiple UFO sightings around the world on Thursday She does, however, make one important caveat for those looking skyward in Salt Lake City on Thursday afternoon. “I'm not saying absolutely everybody will see it,” Liljen quist said. taking shop. On the other hand, about three miles east of the Kearns Books at 268 200 East. The extent of its Olympic business has pretty muchconsisted of Francois Carrard, director speedskat ing oval, Applebee's has seen business increase 25 percent. “People have been scared off going downtown,” said manager Ed McCracken. “We're just far enough away general of the International Olympic Committee. He has visited twice to buy antique postcards, to draw them, and get our regular customers as well.” “Wethank himfor his pa tronage,” Sanders said. “I never expected to make any Park City’s Situation:It is significant money off the Olympics. But | failed to an ticipate we would lose ap: the same story near Park City’s skiing venues, said Shawn Stinson of the Park City Chamber brisk busi. proximately half of all our regular customers.” ness for restaurants, hotels town Park City from 20,000 daily Gamesvisitors. Howev er, merchants off the beaten path have notfared as well Example: Granny's, a Heber Valley diner. Owner David Covington recalled beenbusyselling souvenirs to 70,000-100,000 daily Games visitors. Core area restau rants also report record trade coaches bringing up the subject of mental healthatall. customers buses to the arena but never crossing the street to eat or Friday night when he stocked and Main Street shops, too, ‘THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE of improve andgift shops within down: Athletes, coaches agree mentalhealthis vital, but they rarely discussit, study shows athletes. Funded by the drug companyPfizer, the particu outside “We need to get the word out that therereally isn’t that much traffic congestion, The Bright Side: Business is better a few blocks to the west. The Gateway, Cross: roads and ZCMI malls have Survey Focuses on Depression Awareness BY TROY GOODMAN eateries sooner, visitors notfinding them, but regular customers leery of his sear. There he is at the shots and dashing across the of her industry Go Away.” “With the skating venue, merchants are suffering. Not only are Games Chris Klug, who showed him Medals Plaza, posing for snap- wouldlike to see the fortunes are moaning “Make the World said Larry Mankin, president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. ‘The Games brought an economic boomto the downtown core, manyare doing a landslide business.” However, a few blocks away from the Medals Plaza and the Delta Center figure includes a mug shotofthe pieeyed toddler. Barbara, Young’s wife of almost twoyears, joins movement said Melva Sine, president the Utah Restaurant Association, Now, with the Winter Games in their final week. some disappointed merchants with real estate, it really is lo cation, location, location,” ground for theseathletes.” Although the pair owns a housein Provo, they are stay: ing at a downtown Salt Lake City hotel during the Games. Young’s Olympic boosterism is genuine. He has been in volved with Utah’s Olympic “We welcomed the world, now we want to welcome it back. We're saying, “You've seen Utah in its winter splen- = role as host at Oly Medals Plaza BY BRANDON GRIGGS GAMES Dreams of Oly Gold Turning to Lead for Many Utah Businesses Utah’s favorite ex-athlete savors ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE o19 TES 1,000 sandwiches for Olympic are living the Olympic capi crowds; he sold about 40, talist dream. throwing therest away. Organizers predict long. termbenefits Utah expects up to $3billion in new busi ness due to the Games over “Our biggest problem is getting people out the door whenwe're trying to close at 10 p.m.,” said Erie Gilzean, owner of Edinburg Castleat 124 S. Main. Downtown hotels have been booked solid, but those cue the Wasatch Front he een little Games im pa t said Ann Gambrino, ex. ecutive director of the Utah Hotel and Lodging Association. the next five years but in. sist the true payoff is more . Games are about serving the world and creat ing memories for our chil dren and grandchildren,” stressed SLOC President Mitt Romney. “I'm afraid many who ex Instead, the hospitality in dustry is ramping upfor its pected a business boom are disappointed.” 2002 Summer Celebration, hoping to lure tourists with special “20.02 percent” dis: counts on everything from Tribune reporters Lesley Mitchell and Judy Fahys con tributed to this story. MEET SKATING SENSATION TODD ELDREDGE SIX TIME U.S. NATIONAL FIGURE SKATING CHAMPION DOWNTOWN MEIER & FRANK WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 NOON-2 PM Oné'qutograph per person, please Exclusively at Meier & Frank MEIER & FRANK All the right choices |