| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
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| 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 |
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Mayor brings Games home
Taylorsville chief takes in foreign guests
By Amy Joi Bryson
Deseret News staff writer
TAYLORSVILLE — When Mayor Janice Auger encouraged residents in her city to throw down the welcome mat for Olympic visitors, little did she expect to find herself with a houseful of people.
About 10 families in Taylorsville are playing host to relatives of the Dutch speedskating team after the city set up a sort of match-making service to bring visitors and residents together for 2002 Winter Games.
Auger, after a casual conversation with the team's U.S. trainer, wound up extending an invitation to have his family bunk with her and her husband.
"It never crossed my mind to be one of the host families," Auger said.
Auger said she learned the trainer was feeling bad because his family had to stay behind due to the prohibitive expense of local hotel rooms and travel.
"To come to the Olympics you had to get a room a year ago and the rates are so expensive," Auger said. "And these are ordinary people, not high rollers. He wasn't so much asking but commenting on how much he loved his children and how he wished his family could experience and feel the Olympics."
Auger quickly surprised even herself by offering her home as a landing pad.
"I told him they were welcome to sleep at my house."
On Friday, trainer Jim McCarthy's wife, Kim, four of their six children and Kim's mother arrived at Auger's home from Milwaukee via the family vehicle.
"E-mail is so wonderful," Auger said. "It is so incredible. We worked out all the details from how old the kids are to what kind of cereal they like. I've never even talked to her before, but we have a book full of e-mails."
With duties of her own as Taylorsville's full-time mayor, Auger said she warned the family she wouldn't be available all the time to tend to all their needs.
"They don't care, they're just happy to be here and incredulous about the offer. They said all I have to do is point them in the right direction. They're not asking us to show them a great time or spend a lot of money."
Like many cities across the Wasatch Front, Taylorsville stepped in to adopt a country or team to show Olympic spirit.
"It comes down to how much of a connection a city should have, especially if you are not a venue city," Auger said. "People aren't going to come to Utah to wonder what is in Taylorsville to look at."
Through the wonders of the Internet, Auger said she learned the Dutch speedskating team was in Utah to train at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Kearns but staying at some apartments in Taylorsville.
The coach asked her if she could line them up with a Taylorsville place to do weight training. Auger did.
City leaders also took the team out to dinner, and the City Hall started serving as a conduit to link athletes' relatives with Taylorsville residents who had an interest in the Netherlands.
"If people will be plugged in, there are connections everywhere."
Utah cities, from Magna taking on the country of Cyprus to West Valley City embracing Canada, have been organizing receptions, parties and trading gifts with Olympic delegations and athletes as a sort of far-flung cultural exchange program.
Then there's the more homespun flavor of hospitality.
Taylorsville leaders also helped helped strangers with "unofficial" information to make the stay easier, from grabbing road guides to seeking out local parishes for their visitors' religious preferences.
Because no one can plan for the need to have a root canal, Auger also helped the team's coach find a dentist who was able to perform the procedure on a Saturday.
"Those are the little things that become really important," she said.
E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com
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February 22, 2002
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