2010 Winter Olympics: What is the legacy of an Olympic Games?

VANCOUVER — Lacy Schnoor might have continued to use her athletic abilities in gymnastics or track if Salt Lake City had never hosted the 2002 Winter Games.

Noelle Pikus-Pace saw herself running track or playing softball in the Olympics until her mother agreed to drive her 45 minutes from Orem to Park City so she could decide if she liked the sport of skeleton.

And BYU's Shauna Rohbock and Utah Valley University's Chris Fogt were content to finish their college careers as track athletes when they graduated, until someone asked them if they'd like to use their speed to compete in the sport of bobsled.

For all of these athletes, their affection for the sports that earned them a spot on the 2010 U.S. Olympic team was fueled by the opportunity to develop their skills at actual Olympic venues and training facilities.

So forgive Frank King if he savors Canada's first gold medal on Canadian soil Sunday night when Alexandre Bilodeau won the mogul competition with a tiny bit of an "I-told-you-so" attitude.

"We had a dream in Calgary 22 years ago, and we knew we were not going to be the biggest medal-winning country at our Games, but we had a dream that our children would be affected by what they would see in Canada in the winter sports arena," said King, chief executive of the Calgary Organizing Committee for the 1988 Winter Games. "The true legacy of the Games is the seeds being sewn in the hearts of our children."

Natalie Lambert understands just what King is talking about when he connects Bilodeau's medal with the efforts in Calgary. She grew up in Montreal, site of the 1976 Summer Games, and was just breaking into the international scene when her country hosted those Calgary Games.

"It was over-the-top amazing," said Lambert, chef de mission or leader of the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team and a two-time Winter Olympian. "I will never forget walking into that stadium, with goose bumps. I am still talking about it 22 years later. … I have no doubt our athletes will be doing the same thing 22 years from now. … I have never seen anything like what we've seen here."

She believes the success of Canadians in Vancouver will inspire a whole new generation, and maybe more importantly, give them access to state-of-the-art training facilities.

Mike Plant, chef de mission of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team, understands opportunity — living near a 400-meter refrigerated track lured him away from a baseball diamond and a basketball court to the more obscure sport of speedskating.