Thursday, February 7, 2002

Soldier Hollow provides access to fans, challenge to athletes

 SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- Soldier Hollow is friendly to fans, but not athletes.

 The venue for biathlon, cross country and the skiing portion of nordic combined will allow spectators to see most of the competitions -- rigorous ones being contested under difficult conditions.

 Soldier Hollow is a gently sloped hillside located at Wasatch Mountain State Park -- some 45 miles southeast of Salt Lake -- and will stage an event on all but one day at the Winter Games.

 The venue is unlike any other.

 On the rest of the world's nordic layouts, athletes disappear into the woods soon after the event starts and materialize shortly before it ends. But Soldier Hollow is extremely fan-friendly.

 The hilly region will allow some 20,000 spectators to witness more than two-thirds of the action. Biathlon chief of course John Morton said the venue lends to a spectacular perspective.

 "This is a very unique and innovative design," he said. "I think it's going to be spectacular."

 With fans able to follow their favorite athletes, Soldier Hollow could provide a home-field advantage to the Americans or at least some motivation.

 "It's no better in the woods, where no one can see you and you're all alone," Croatia's Zarko Galjanic said. "Here, you can hear them cheering."

 Spectators like Tony Nemarick, a volunteer who watched a cross-country World Cup race at Soldier Hollow in 1991, also think the venue will provide some additional excitement.

 "Here, they can see things -- people lapping people and the anticipation coming into the finish, if someone's coming from behind or if it's a closer race," she said, "You see it all -- the ski-to-ski competition."

 The competitions themselves should be diffiult ones, with the high altitude teaming with long uphill stretches and slow snow to provide rigorous skiing conditions.

 "These are tough courses," said Austrian biathlon coach Gerhard Brutscher.

 Morton makes sure the courses are groomed hourly.

 Katerina Neumannova of the Czech Republic, the World Cup leader in cross country, said they are well-prepared and described the terrain as "difficult ... but not too difficult."

 The most challenging aspect of Soldier Hollow may be the long flat stretches that follow extended uphill runs -- a combination that may end up deciding medals.

 "You really have to fight after the uphills," said Kristen Skjeldal, a cross-country skiier from Norway. "I think the strong guys will really be able to open up the gap on flat sections. That's where the races will be won."

 Like the tracks at the 1998 Nagano Games, the European courses are more up and down than Soldier Hollow, giving competitors a chance to catch their breath.

 "Here at Soldier Hollow, there's no chance to recover your body and your breathing because of the long flats at the top of the hills," said Estonian cross-country skiier Katrin Smigun.

 "It's really challenging to race here, but Olympic courses should be challenging."

 And fans will see the challenges up close.

2002 Games News Coverage