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Show On the edge: World Cup ski racers need more than snow, says organizer ' i;- '1 ' : ' . ' 'v t .... ' ' ' . , ' ' ' ; . . , , t, " , , , , , . , ..... j.astiai. United States Ski Team member Tamara McKinney turns around a gate in World Cup event held in Park City last season. ,v i by JIM SMEDLEY ' Record staff writer ":) I Where else can you see the world's best skiers perform for $3? That's the question Jack Turner asks when he talks about the World Cup races coming to Park City March 11. Women's slalom teams will be coming from all over the globe to compete in this segment of the premier skiing event. . ' To Turner it just makes sense to .watch the World Cup. The former United States Ski1 Team member-turned sports-event manager has the part of the respon- , sibility to organize and promote the event, along with a myriad of committees. com-mittees. Craig Badami is chairman of this World Cup event and heads the operations committee, while Karen Korfanta is the chief of the race and chairman of the race committee. The operations committee handles food, lodging, transportation, press relations, television and more. The race committee takes care of the actual ac-tual qn-hill logistics such as packing the snow, grooming the course, physically setting up the event and security. ' ,' 1 "You start planning for the event as soon as you find out that you got it. We're calling this World Cup II and the next one will' be World Cup III," Turner said. He said that many races are put on by former racers and they stage it from a skier's point of view. Milch attention is paid to the technical aspects of a race. The hill has to be packed just right and the snow is treated with water and chemicals to give it the "billiarcl ball" look hard, tight and smooth;1 ;but noticy. ;' rHi ' ; "We'll strive for technical excellence ex-cellence also, but beyond that we're trying to make the event entertainment," entertain-ment," Turner said. "We want the it to be enjoyable to the hard-core skier, yet be attractive to the sports fan who doesn't ski. "Many sports fans will come to see the best play even if they don't have a particular interest in that sport," he added. "And that is what this is. The best skiers in the world will be here." Turner said the committee was going go-ing out to make it a festive, carnival atmosphere. "Our inventory for the event will be up from last year. We'll be using 2,000 2-by-2s and at least 100 4-by-4s to create the 9,900 feet of fence that will line both sides of the course," said Turner. "We'll also be hauling enough bleachers on the backs of Snow Cats to have seating for 1,000, whereas last year there was only " seating for 300. "There will be eight generators on the hillside enough to power a small city. We're going to have a band in the fenced-in area and have contracted for a sound system up and down the hill," he added. "Since there isn't a constant supply of electricity elec-tricity there, the generators will, have to maintain everything from keeping the coffee hot to keeping the timing clocks going." He said there will be 23 billboards throughout Utah advertising the event. American Telephone & Telegraph will be bringing in two primary and backup timing systems. There will be six television cameras placed up and down the slopes to film the action. He plans to . have enough concessions to provide food for at least 10,000 people and, on a more personal level, have enough porta-pottiesforall. : There are also special programs for schools and other groups seeking blocks of tickets. "One of the primary concerns is getting people to watch the race. We want a lot of people and they will be allowed right up to the edge of the course," Turner said. "The reality of large sporting events is that you have to put on entertainment. And we want this race to be entertaining. "There are not very many sports where nations compete week in and week out," he added. "And how many places can you go and watch the world's best gold medalists compete for $3?" |
