Swiss Olympic History

Simon Amman completed Swiss Olympic History today by winning his fourth Gold Medal today capturing the individual title in the K120 Downhill Ski Jump. This sweeps the individual honors as he took gold earlier in the week in the K95 Ski Jump. This was the same sweep he captured in 2002 in Salt Lake City.


Most likely Amman will celebrate with his countrymen in the Swiss House, the home away from home for the visiting citizens of Switzerland.

This is the 2010 Swiss House in Vancouver. We visited the 2002 home in Salt Lake City a day before Amman took the second gold. At every Olympiad a Swiss businessman rents out a local restaurant and takes complete control of it for the two weeks of the Olympics. All of the Swiss delicacies are served giving those from the homeland a place to feel at home.


However there were some obstacles in setting up shop. For example, at Salt Lake City we were looking for some of the Swiss beers we fondly remembered from our trips in the middle 90s. With the games in Salt Lake City, the import laws of the state of Utah for alcohol presented more challenges and difficulties. Beers such as Cardinal and Feldschloseen were replaced by the local Budweisers and Coors.


No doubt Amman will make an appearance at the Swiss House tonight, just as he did in Salt Lake City following his Gold Medal performance.

Olympic Women's Downhill

On this day at the XXI Winter Olympics in Vancouver the Women's Downhill finally took place after many delays. In Salt Lake City, this race marked the end of Picabo Street's career, but it too was delayed. It was to be run on the first Monday of the games, but due to high winds at the top of the hill the event was moved to the next day, and then it still didn't begin on time. At the bottom of the hill the sun was bright and the temperatures warm, but high winds continued to be a problem. Finally a window allowed the race to be won. French woman, Carole Montillet raced to Olympic Gold while Street finished off the medals stand. In this video I took of the event, Montillet is the first skiier and Street goes last.

While it was exciting to see this alpine event in person, as you can see from the video, this is best viewed on tv.

Amman Takes Gold...In Salt Lake City

Over the weekend Swiss Ski Jumper Simon Amman took gold in the K95 Ski Jumping event at the Vancouver Olympics. This wasn't the first time the Harry Potter look alike stood atop the medals stand. At the 2002 Salt Lake Games he swept the individual honors winning gold in both the K95 and K120. Below is video of the gold-winning jump along with his competitors. Although Ski Jumping is a sport familiar only to Americans every four years there are a few things that should jump out to the Olympic fan. Adam Malysz of Poland is among the world's best and Finland is know for some of the best ski jumpers in the world. Amman is the third individual to jump.

First Gold Medal of 2010

The first gold medal of the 2010 Winter Olympic games went to an "old friend" that we cheered on at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic games. Simon Amman, Switzerland's answer to Harry Potter took the gold today in the K90 Ski Jump event. Here Amman took gold in the K120 Ski Jump eight years ago and we had the chance to be this close to the winning Olympian.

That night at the Medals Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City, Amman received his gold medal as fans stood while the Swiss Flag was raised and his national anthem was played. Without a doubt, tonight he is enjoying his new found gold, although he still has the K120 to participate in early this week.












Dana and I had great seats to winess the ceremony. Later in the night was a concert by Canadian band, Bare Naked Ladies who brought up the Ice Skating Pair of Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Sale and Pelletier were apart of an Figure Skating scoring scandal. Originally they were awarded a silver medal, but following an investigation, they, too recieved a gold.

Let the Games Begin

Throughout my life I have been fortunate enough to attend many sporting events. All my life sports have played a major role, whether by participating, as a spectator or one who works the event. But the Olympics is an event that has no comparison.

Here the Olympic Flame shines brightly over the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. My wife and I witnessed Austria v Germany men's Ice Hockey at the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, the Women's Downhill at Snowbasin and the K120 Men's Ski Jump at Utah Olympic Park.

At most sporting events I attend there are two opposing sides, battling one another for victory. But at the Olympics there aren't two opposing sides, rather the entire world in support of these athletes to perform at their highest level. Many of these athletes aren't as well-known as the icons we watch on a daily basis. Rather they work train just as hard, perhaps pay their own way to competitions and put it all on the line for a few moments once every four years, or for some, once in their lifetime.

Closing Ceremonies

It has come to a close and I am sad to see the Olympics come to an end. My son, four, became a fan while intently watching the games over the last two weeks. Tonight while watching the closing ceremonies he knew the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube as well as Shawn Johnson. He became a fan. While in the pool a week ago he wanted to be Michael Phelps. He did the freestyle, breaststroke and jumped into the pool as if he were competing in the backstroke. Last night while at the Iowa Soccer Complex we sat on the grassy hillside and he was doing his best to stand on his head as if here were Shawn Johnson on the balance beam. He asked if basketball was over, if we could go to China, and why did the Olympics have to be over. He was a fan of volleyball, whether it was inside or on the beach. And he watched table tennis intently to see how the game is played, although he thinks dad and him could compete with the world's best in our basement.

To those who believe that the Olympics are an idea whose time has past, I do not understand. The Olympics is an event we need. In two weeks the world's attention focused on the best athletes from around the world. A war broke out in the old Soviet Republic of Georgia and due to the playing of the games, it was over quickly. Once again, this is what is so great about sport. It is unscripted. It is competition. It is something that can bring the world together. My son had never heard of China, but had so many questions about it over the past two weeks. He got to witness a different culture otherwise only taught from a schoolbook. And that is what the games should be about. We learn about others and their way of life. We go to war on the athletic fields, rather than destroying homes and lives of innocent people. To those who don't believe in the Olympic Spirit are truly missing out on much.

I said I would post pictures from Salt Lake City. My wife and I were there in 2002. I hope we can take my son to Vancouver in 2010 or London in 2012. You will find the Olympic flame, the medalists from the Women's Downhill and the Ski Jumping Venue.

The Best Story of the Beijing Olympics

Many watched the spectacular spectacle of the Opening Ceremonies. The image that I will remember from the night is the nine year old Lin Hao of the Sichuan Province of China. His school was affected by the recent earthquake. 20 of his 30 classmates lost their lives in the disaster, but Lin Hao survied. Not only did he survive, but he also came to the aid of two classmates and saved their lives. When asked why he did that his comment was, "I am one of the class leaders. A Hall Monitor. That is one of my responsibilities."

The Olympics is an event everyone should attend. My wife and I were at Salt Lake for the 2002 Winter Games. We attended a Hockey Match between Austria and Germany, the Women's Downhill featuring Picabo Street in her last Olympic race and the Men's K120 Ski Jumping Finals. We also watched the Bare Naked Ladies perform at the Medals Plaza in downtown Salt Lake. We were there five days and it was purely an incredible experience. "Magical" is a word that definitely defines the hype surrounding the two weeks. I hope to find pictures we took from 2002 to post.