Friday, February 8, 2002
Covering Olympics can be fun and Games
By GEORGE GROSS -- Toronto Sun
We all have special memories of Winter Olympics, some pleasant, some forgettable.
My favourite Winter Games took place in the snow-capped mountains and picturesque valleys of Squaw Valley in California in 1960.
So many events happened in those Games that they wouldn't fit into this space.
FELL IN HOLE
It began with a walk around the speedskating oval, accompanied by Milt Dunnell, the charismatic former sports editor of The Toronto Star. Suddenly the boardwalk caved in and I fell through the hole up to my armpits, scraping various parts of my body.
A security guard leaned over me and hollered: "Man, why don't you watch where you're going?"
That upset even the mild-mannered Dunnell. Once they pulled me out of the hole, Dunnell marched me to the Olympic headquarters, instructing me all the way to keep limping. I did as I was told and as a result of Dunnell's vocal dissertation about unsafe Olympic arrangements, I was given a car to drive and a special parking pass right to the front door of the press centre.
The next upsetting event took place in the ice arena when the hockey team of the Kitchener Waterloo Dutchmen lost the gold medal to goalie Jack McCartan and the United States team by one goal in rather dramatic fashion. It was the first time that I understood the saying: "The goalie stood on his head."
Disappointment was preceded by jubilation when our figure skating pair of Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul pirouetted their way to a gold medal. It wasn't a simple deal. They started their program when suddenly the needle careened across the record player after it was accidentally bumped.
Canadian fans went white. They were concerned that the incident would unnerve the pair. It didn't. They restarted their repertoire and came up with a flawless program to win the gold. Maria and Otto Jelinek finished fourth, cheated out of a bronze medal by incompetent judging.
Then came a fascinating ending to the Games for all of us. Dunnell, Scott Young of The Globe and Mail, the late Dick Beddoes, then of The Vancouver Sun, Andy O'Brian, the late sports editor of Weekend Magazine and I stayed 20 miles from Squaw Valley.
It was the second last day of the Olympics and we were getting tired. So the gang agreed to sleep in that day, because our Canadian women had no chance on the ski hill.
Around 9 a.m. all of us hopped in the car and off we went to the Olympic site. The snow on the mountains looked inviting as the sun shone on the glistening paths.
O'Brian, an old comic, enthused: "What a beautiful day! The ski course is nearly perfect and I can just see Ottawa's Anne Heggtveit schussing down the hill in the fastest time. I can see her standing on a podium in the press room being interviewed by hundreds of newsmen."
Big laughter rocked the car. A few minutes later, we passed the gate control to the village and pulled up to the press centre. We tried to get inside, but the place was so jammed that the door could not be opened from the outside.
HEGGTVEIT HAD WON
When we finally edged our way into the room, there on the podium, standing behind a microphone, was, you guessed it, Ottawa's Anne Heggtveit, who had won the gold medal in the women's slalom.
I don't think Canadian newsmen ever moved faster than that day not only to get to Heggtveit for some breathless quotes, but also trying to their stories into the final editions of the afternoon papers.
Fortunately, I knew Heggtveit well and she agreed to write about her triumphant experience under her own name for the following day's Toronto Telegram.
It certainly saved my bacon, and was a great part of an unforgettable Olympic experience.
2002 Games Columnists
