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Show i 1 -- Sports information director heads to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta During his time in St. Louis at the Olympic qualifying trials, he had the opportunity to see how many journalists and members of the media field followed individual athletes from their areas all over the country. He is excited to be a member of this process on an by Miranda Odendahl staff writer Thousands of people have dedicated their entire lives to training for one chance in the spotlight, the event that unites.thc entire world: the Olympics. The 1996 Summer Games, held in Atlanta, Ga., will give those gifted few the chance to compete at the highest level possible and receive international recognition. An estimated 0,000 athletes, 5,000 national and international 1 1 journalists, 35,000 officials, 70,000 staff and volunteers, and two million spectators are part of the entourage. College of Eastern Utah's Bill Painter, director of athleticBDAC promotions, will be in attendance, acting as one of the numerous volunteers. "Essentially, for the first time in Olympic history, they are publishing a daily newspaper. In that endeavor, they are assigning an editor and a writer to each Olympic sport. I have been selected as one of the editors for that, in a sport yet to be determined, Painter says. He holds a master's degree in educational administration and a bachelor's degree in communications. His previous involvements with newspaper production included being a stringer for IhcDeseretNews, writing for therwi County Record , both the student and alumni papers at Southern Utah Uni- versity and sports writing for the Sun Advocate. "There is nothing, I dont think that I could have the opportunity to do anywhere in the country, there isnt a graduate school I could go to, a class I could take in three weeks that could give me the kind of experience I could gel with this, internationally and emotionally. Painter is excited to get back into the rigorous routine of producing a daily paper, forashort period of time. He was struck by how personal the stories get. The Sexwd Annual Reburne Writing Lecture the SUN Center. jpon&oredby Wednesday Ah idSLLLfiwiiooaiite'l p.rru 'opLcpqfifflred include. what tty- leave out, look great, how - to-fi-d cover letter can 1 can ff the garbage made itthdfar. io-jyo- w . VOl jiHow letter to--. Remember: Hemme to- - find qj company and job-searc- h Center. . 637-21Z- 0 Piet. 5624 being able to focus on individuals competing rather that merely who won or lost. "The attitude I want to take into it is that of a learning experience." The idea of returning to deadlines, working with creative people and the obvious need for information peaked his interest. He is extremely excited about the entire process, although he suspects he will spend much more time in the productions center that actually watching the sporting events. I am a little anxious about what the actual format will be, Painter commented. However, he has been told that the writers will be given a story length which they will be required to maintain, and it will be the jobs of the editors to see that any cuts or additions are made. The process of securing his position was by no means a simple one. Painter claims that the entire process has taken an estimated three and a half years. The prerequisites included having had volunteer experience at an Olympic qualifying event. In the summer of 994 he traveled to Saint Louis, Mo., and spent 10 days as a media assistant in ice hockey and figure skating. He helped with the NCAA twice. He had also contacted the basketball division of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Most of Painter's information about the opportunity to become an Olympic volunteer came from the browsing on the Internet. He attends an annual conference for sports information directors. At the most recent one in Denver, the USOC had a booth set up advertising the volunteer openings for the Atlanta games. At this point, he had already sent out several preliminary letters and resumes. Several of the people who were advertising the positions available recognized his name and work, however during the conference it was advertised that applicants from the southeastern United States would be given priority by the selection committee. This was extremely discouraging because "Utah is not part of the southeastern U.S. corridor. The process was painfully slow. Nineteen months ago, his applications were submitted. In October, he received a call which said he had been chosen as one of the alternates. In March, he received a call saying that he had been chosen as one of the volunteers, which was quite a shock. The members of the volunteer newspaper staff arc required to pay for their transportation to and from Atlanta, meals during their stay and a small fee for a uniform. While at the games, he will be staying in the Olympic Village (dormitories at Georgia Tech). Housing was his primary concern when securing his once in a lifetime experience. Initially the volunteers were supposed to find their ovn housing, how-S1 sub-region- -- . t wa5 interesting to see during his time as a media assistant in St. Louis that everybody became a star. It wasn't just the person who got the most goals 0r who got the most assists, it was 'hey, you competed, how was your first look at the festival...' It had absolutely noth- jng to do with who won the hockey match, absolutely nothing. I had be- come accustomed to who won...ln an Olympic event, it becomes far more personalized, and far more human...that personalization was just incredible to mc when I sawthat in St. Louis, Painter &Uys. He is excited about having the opportunity to travel to the games, and m Olympics on back page |