Games venue celebrates Olympic legacy and future

PROVO -- Charlee Penrod doesn't remember much about the Olympic Games in Utah two years ago.

As she's 5 years old, her lack of memory may not be unexpected.

What is special about Penrod, however, is that she can dance across the ice like a professional skater -- which is exactly what she wants to be when she grows a bit.

"Yeah, I think I'll be in the Olympics," a bubbly Penrod says, "because I'm good."

Provo Mayor Lewis Billings agrees and hopes that little Penrod will grow up to be a big star. He also hopes that other Provo youngsters will follow in her icy tracks.

To that end, Provo and Utah County officials organized a commemorative celebration Wednesday at the Peaks Ice Arena, the venue for 24 hockey games during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

More than 450 Provo elementary school-age students attended.

Children were taught about such Olympic sports as curling and bobsledding. They also saw a heated hockey game between teams from BYU and Spanish Fork -- playing the part of U.S. and Russian Olympic hockey teams, respectively.

"I think hockey would be so cool to do in the Olympics," said student Tatum Call. "My mom might even sign me up."

Billings says the ice rink is a community venue, not an Olympic artifact. "Our interest in building this arena wasn't only to house the Olympics," Billings said. "We were more interested in creating a legacy facility where our kids could go."

Organizers hope to make the commemorative celebration an annual event to promote the ice arena and winter sports.

Bobsledder Jeremy Holm is looking toward the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, but remembers when he "fell in love" with the speedy sport.

Like the youngsters in attendance Wednesday, Holm said he took one look and got hooked.

"Maybe this will produce Olympic hopefuls or maybe not," Holm said. "But it might help a kid. It might change someone's life."

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