Happy Friday, and welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.
Now that we know the 2034 Winter Games will return to Salt Lake City, I wanted to hear from those of you who were here in 2002. I asked for your favorite memories, and you did not disappoint. Here’s a look:
“I have so many incredible memories of the Salt Lake games but the most amazing thing was how it brought our country together after 9/11,” Beth in Salt Lake City said. “It was so amazing to see George Bush go into the stands and sit with the athletes! Everyone was united at that time, and I have not felt that connected as a country since then.”
“My favorite memory from 2002 was the fact that I wasn’t in town,” said Steve in South Jordan. “I got to miss all of the congestion and much of the hype. I watched some events on TV, which was absolutely enough for me. If my age doesn’t preclude it, I’ll probably rent out my home in 2034 and use the money to take an exotic vacation in a tropical climate. That will help me avoid the congestion, but I don’t know how I’ll be able to avoid the over-the-top hype leading up to the event.”
“Dragging my dad down to The Gateway and making him wait in line with 8 year old me for 4.5 hours so I could get a Roots beret,” Hannah in Salt Lake City said. “And then wearing that beret at every amazing Olympics event that I got to go to courtesy of the Salt Lake City School District.”
“As a Christmas present, my parents surprised me with two tickets to the ladies short program at the Salt Lake Ice Center,” said Chantryce in Centerville. “My mom and I took TRAX downtown and had a really nice mother-daughter conversation along the way. I loved being able to experience the competition with my mom and watched some amazing skating performances that night … Just a couple of months after the Olympics completed, my mother was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease — ALS. These were some of the final memories I have of going to events with my mom. Which also included visiting the Olympic Village and buying and trading Olympic pins with people from around the world. I am so beyond grateful to have these beautiful and wonderful memories with my mom. It was a nice respite from life before our lives turned completely upside down. She passed away in May of 2003, but I’m always so thankful to have these cherished Olympic memories with her.”
“My absolute favorite memory was when the Olympics ended, the wealthy Utah organizers and officials got their big money, and the outsiders left for home around the world,” writes Warner in Provo. “Of course, the joy was diminished when many started moving to Utah, the unknown place they liked. The consequences were that our air pollution increased, our roads needed repairs, our water shortages grew and the number of low-income families had a harder time finding decent housing.”
“The overtime 4-3 shootout gold medal Paralympic ice hockey match between the United States and Norway was unforgettable!” said Sandra in North Ogden.
“I was a team leader in event services for the Deer Valley and Park City venues. Every day had a highlight or crazy story of some sort,” said Bill in Taylorsville. “It’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had. A couple of days stand out. One day at Deer Valley our team was assigned to the judging/Olympic family area to check credentials for entry when a couple of people jumped the back fence. Watching how quickly law enforcement defended was wild. It turns out they were members of another country’s Olympic team who got lost, which made for a laugh ... I’d love to volunteer again. It was a great experience.”
Share your memories here, and keep up with our ongoing Olympics coverage here.
Utah Voices
(Thomas DeVere Wolsey) Leander, left, lived with Thomas DeVere Wolsey, right, and his family in Utah during the 1970s as part of the Indian Student Placement Program sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“The Indian Placement Program was wrong when I was a boy, and it is wrong now for the church to refuse to apologize for its program of forced assimilation and cultural destruction,” writes Thomas DeVere Wolsey. “Apologies suggest that institutions recognize their poor behavior in the past, and they can help those harmed by neglect, abuse and forced assimilation to heal.” Read more.
“We need to stop looking at housing costs in isolation,” says Andrew Gruber, the executive director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council. “For most Utahns, the real story of affordability is written in the combined ink of housing and transportation expenses.” Read more.
“Our state’s top scientists have finally found a way to keep high-percentage beer at a cold temperature between North Temple and 1300 S. A problem that has been vexing them for years, apparently,” writes Salt Lake City comedian Brian Higgins. Read more.
“Be they politicians, intellectuals or members of the media, real leaders don’t stoke our greatest fears and divide us,” writes Utah Valley University associate professor and “History That Doesn’t Suck” host Greg Jackson. “They come up with a game plan to win and unite us. Let’s remember that as we dole out our time and attention.” Read more.
“Limiting transgender rights should not help strengthen your political campaign,” writes local high school student Leo Pickron. “No discrimination should. Transgender issues have never been about politics, they are simply human rights.” Read more.
“It was not the 5-degree winter nights spent huddled in a sleeping bag that terrified me as a homeless child, it was those 104-degree summer days,” writes Shivom Parihar. “Left with nowhere to escape, heat is the greatest threat to the unsheltered. To one whose few scraps of personhood lie on their back, their last possessions are a personal oven they cannot lose.” Read more.
“Firefighters like me can see the link between climate change and the escalating wildfire crisis. Fire seasons are becoming longer, and the summers are hotter and drier. A perfect storm of more people in the woods, combined with a century of fuel buildup, plus a rapidly heating climate, has made the job of firefighting ever more dangerous.” Read more.
Share Your Perspective
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Miles and Luke Dalton, ages 10 and 13, get a bit of screen time after finishing up their school work for the day as their mother Jessica Dalton, Assoc. Director of Annual Giving at Westminster College, takes a break from the basement office to check in but keep working with a mobile laptop at their home in Sandy.
Parents: Have you experienced wage gaps and/or parental penalties? Tell me about what you’ve seen — and what you’d like to see change — here.
From Bagley’s Desk
Where Are They Now? | Pat Bagley
I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.