Document text
Know someone with Olympic spirit? The torch needs bearers By JOHN DARLING KLAMATH FALLS - Nominations are being taken over the next few weeks for torch bearers to carry the Olympic flame through Klamath Falls Jan. 22 on its 65-day journey to the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Anyone who will be 12 or older by Dec. 4 and living within 200 miles of Klamath Falls may be nominated at the Olympic Web site, www.saltlake2002.com, or by obtaining a form from the Klamath Falls Chamber of Commerce, 541-884-5195. The deadline to apply is midnight May 15. The nomination area for Klamath Falls includes all the Rogue Valley. Political officeholders, candidates and their families are not eligible. Winners will be "everyday heroes" selected for inspiring greater achievement in others and in the community, motivating others by overcoming adversity and by embodying the inspirational spirit of the Olympic movement, said Stephanie Bailey, director of the Klamath Falls Chamber of Commerce. Nominations must include a 50- to 100-word essay supporting the entry. "We're seeking to nominate and honor those who have given exceptional service to their communities, inspired young people and gone well beyond the call of normal livelihood," Bailey said. Twenty-five runners and eight backups will be chosen by sponsors Chevrolet and Coca-Cola and a local panel to run a 5-mile route starting at 5 a.m. Jan. 22in Klamath Falls. Each runner will cover two-tenths of a mile before handing the torch to the next runner. Nominations go to Olympic headquarters in Salt Lake City and won't be known by Klamath Falls organizers until June. The slim, 33-inch-long, glass-and-silver torch will start Dec. 4 in Atlanta, Ga., site of the 1996 Olympics, and be carried by 11,500 people through 46 states. In Oregon, it will travel by Amtrak, stopping for runner ceremonies in Klamath Falls, Eugene, Salem and Portland. It will arrive Feb. 8 in Salt Lake City for that night's opening ceremonies. The Games run through Feb. 24. The Klamath Falls Chamber is setting up activities the evening before the run and hotel-restaurant packages so residents from other Southern Oregon communities may more easily come over the day before, Bailey said. The city is organizing educational events on the Olympics in schools and Olympic-oriented murals on buildings and erecting an official-size ice rink for the event, Bailey said. After the run, there will be a 15-minute celebration with remarks honoring runners. Event organizers in Klamath Falls are encouraging participation by Rogue Valley residents, she said. "We're proud the event is here, but the Olympic spirit doesn't just live in Klamath Falls; it's everywhere." "Torch bearers will be people from all walks of life who have inspired others, whether an individual or a community," said Mitt Romney, head of the Utah Olympics. "As the flame journeys throughout America, our intention is that it will serve as a catalyst, motivating individuals to strive for excellence and achievement in their lives, effecting positive change in their own communities." John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.