| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Salt Lake hosts 'McGames'
The fastest fast feeders come to show their best
By Jeff Oliver
Deseret News staff writer
A fantasy event for many an Olympic junkie took place last week in a tent outside a Salt Lake McDonald's restaurant.
Bonnie Blair, five-time Olympic speed skating gold medalist and undisputed "Queen of Speed on Ice," faced off against Carl Lewis, nine-time Olympic track and field gold medalist and certified "King of Speed on Land."
And there were certain aspects of the contest Thursday that must have gone beyond the wildest dreams of even the most creative sports fanatic — such as the stocked food-preparation table separating the two athletes.
There also were four teams dubbed "The Mighty Macs," "Hustlin' Hamburgers," "Fast Fries," and "Quick Q.P.C.'s," which stood for Quick Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
Each team was coached by either Lewis or Blair — and they were all competing for the title of "Best Big Mac Sandwich Builder in the World."
Indeed, the contest smacked of American commercialism on an Olympic scale. But what McDonald's "World Champion Crew Skills Exhibition and Celebration" lacked in legitimacy it made up for in Olympic star power.
In addition to Lewis and Blair, the event attracted International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, McDonald's CEO Jack Greenberg, sportscaster Craig Bolerjack, more than a hundred of McDonald's best sandwich-makers selected from a worldwide stock of 1.3 million employees, and, of course, Ronald McDonald himself.
Rogge took some time to affirm that more important than the three Olympic appearances he made as a yachtsman for Belgium — or wins at world championships or the 16 Belgium championships — he is "foremost a very happy customer of McDonald's."
He also thanked the restaurant chain for its continuing support of the Games, acknowledging that "sports would not be so universal without the sponsors."
Following Rogge's comments, the teams took to the competition field. It was made up of three 3-minute rounds designed to winnow the four-team field down to the ultimate winner. Speed was the deciding factor.
In the first round the Hustlin' Hamburgers defeated Fast Fries 20 Big Macs to 16.
Bolerjack and Ronald McDonald provided play-by-play and color commentary, consisting mainly of little-known Big Mac facts: "Did you know there are 178 sesame seeds on a Big Mac bun?"
Eventually, the Quick Q.P.C.'s won the coveted title.
Tanya McCormick, a McDonald's employee from Ontario, Canada, and a member of the winning team, is not sure if being one of the best Big Mac makers in the world will earn her a raise, but she's crossing her fingers.
Those employees present at the contest represented only a fraction of the 400 members of McDonald's World Championship Crew. The hand-picked squad was selected to operate the McDonald's restaurants in the Main Media Center and the Olympic Village.
Also present at the event was Julio Camacho, a luger for the Venezuela team and a five-year McDonald's employee.
E-MAIL: joliver@desnews.com
|
|
February 11, 2002
|
