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Introduction
Logan, Utah
Freestyle Aerials
-->Medals Plaza
Speedskating
Hockey
Ladies Figure Skating
Olympic Square
Temple Square
Star Gazing
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Back to Freestyle Aerials....
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This year, for the first time, the Olympic Committee decided to have large public ceremonies and concerts to honor the medal winners from each day. We saw American speedskater Joey Cheek collect his bronze for the 1,000 meter race and a concert by country stars Brooks and Dunn (the rest of the crowd seemed much more excited about the concert than we were...the confetti cannons were impressive, though!).
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Medals Plaza was filled with flags and colossal Olympic images. The land on which Medals Plaza was constructed is owned by the Church of Latter-Day Saints, which gave the SLOC $5 million to build the plaza on the condition that the headliner concerts and ceremonies all be free to the public.
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The incredible expanding stage was made by Chuck Hoberman, inventor of the popular children's expanding sphere toy. The arch over the stage measured a monumental 72 feet wide and 36 feet tall when expanded and was enhanced by constantly-changing colored lights.
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Legend has it that when the SLOC put out the call for volunteers, football legend Steve Young was the first to sign up. Young, a native Utahn, was named "Ambassador-at-Large" for the Olympics. One of his main duties was to host the festivities each evening at Olympic Medals Plaza. Here he is on one of the Jumbotrons. By the time the celebration ended, we'd be awake for nearly 20 hours, so we were ready to head back up north to Logan for a few hours' sleep.
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On to Speedskating....
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