Comments about ‘Think twice before another Olympic leap’

I can only suppose that once again "businesses" have influenced this decision.

I can't think of a single "citizen" who'd like to do this again so soon.

At last, a voice of reason in the vast morass of a society addicted to athletic contests. Frankly, I'm surprised at Mr. Evensen's stance on this - pleasanly surprised - and I commend him for paddling against the tide of a weird public obsession.

"Sometimes, it pays to bask in success as long as possible before trying to leap again."

Sometimes resting on your laurels just makes you lazy.

Salt Lake may not get the Olympics again in 2022: but it does set the stage for later if they donât.
And that is not a bad thing.

Jay Evensen think's twice before another Olympic leap and brings him to the subject of whether Utah once again should bid to host the Winter Olympics. Because Utah's Gov. Gary Herbert announced he was forming a committee to explore the idea of maybe shooting for the 2022 games. Even Mitt Romney got in on the act, Tweeting about how "delighted" he was. That's where we'll start at. Romney, Olympic savior or opportunist?. Those were dark, dark days in Utah's Olympic odyssey, back in February 1999, when Mitt Romney burst onto the scene. News accounts still appeared daily, as they had for two months, about Salt Lake City's bid committee lavishing money and gifts on voters in an Olympic host-city selection process rife with corruption. The International Olympic Committee, U.S. Olympic Committee and Salt Lake Organizing Committee all were investigating evidence documented in detailed bid-committee records, but most ominous of all, so was the Department of Justice. Possible criminal charges for bribery? In the headquarters city of The LDS Church?. How embarrassing. The Salt Lake Tribune said. They tell the truths and don't hide the truth like the DNews moderator trys to do most of the time.

Hey Jay, jumping into the Salt River was a blast growing up, especially with the girls from ASU!

@LDS Lib: I'm not sure what bubble you live in but when my kids heard the news on the radio they all cheered. I spoke with a few of my neighbors as well and they love the idea.

I don't know of any "citizen" who doesn't want to have the Olympics again.

Mr. Evensen suggesst we should not attempt another olympics because it might not turn out perfect.

What if no one ever attempted anything difficult or great because they were afraid they might fail?

Though it may not be the right time for another Olympic bid, Mr. Evensen's philosophy is the foundation for a very sad life.

Here's Jay Evensen with his bucket of cold water ...

Jay, do you think all of those Olympic Committees currently in Utah are going to stay here if Denver gets the games?

Let's do it again. It worked out well in the end. I loved every minute of the Olympics in Utah. I was at first critical of them coming but glad I was wrong and they came. The environment wasn't destroyed, people in Utah came together like no other, we saw some of the best winter athletes in the world. Our town was the centerpiece of the world. All the bad stuff that happened getting the Olympics can be a great learning experience. I SAY LET'S GO FOR IT!!!

If we hosted the Olympic Games again we wouldn't have Romney to bail us out if we got into trouble like we did last time.

The only reason I can see in this article is that Jay is worried they might not go perfectly. Really? That's the only reason for not hosting them again is that it's not worth the worry. Well shoot, I guess by that logic I will stop applying for jobs because of the worry I won't get them, I will stop having children because of the worry that something might happen to them or they won't grow up to be perfect, I'll stop living because if the choices I make don't turn out perfect then it wasn't worth making the choice.

Hey Jay, go back to Arizona!

Is this really the way you live your life? "Let's look at every thing that could go wrong, and then out of fear decide to be safe and do nothing!" No thank you!

To quote the immortal Calvin and Hobbes:

"I think it is better to accept risk and live life to the fullest rather than live in Stupefying security"

Put your fear away and have some hope. You can't control the weather and to worry about the weather 10 years from now is silly.

Let's dream big!

This may go down as the weakest and most poorly reasoned editorial I have ever read.
Tongue in check comparisons with longing for WWII? Really? Concentration camps, atomic bombs and the death of over 60 million people has no moral equivalence to a sporting event. I'm shocked and appalled. It's worse than football players talking about being soldiers.

Then worrying about weather patterns ten years in the future? Isn't every other city in the same situation? Many of the events are indoors where weather isn't a factor in the first place. Believe me, there is enough snow to build a half pipe and slalom course. You people in Utah get jaded and lose perspective with 500 inches of snow each winter. 250 inches is more than most.

I won't even get into the nervous Nelly items like worrying about the cauldron not lighting. But then remembering jumping into a lake as a teenager and nearly landing on a log? This decision will be made by a panel of professionals exploring risks and rewards. It won't be a singular un-calculated leap. To suggest otherwise is simply being naive or dishonest.

If there are sound financial, logistical, or environmental issues that would prohibit the games from being a success then so be it. But to nail the coffin closed before the numbers are crunched, competition is weighed, and all the facts are available is a disservice to everybody and essentially quitting before the game even starts. We are better than that.

Got it, Jay. The lesson from your analogy is clearly this: Even with hidden dangers present, once you've learned where to jump, dive in! The water's great!