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Track Venue
January 10th, 1997, Olympian Jon Owen got on a luge sled and rocketed down the track at the Utah Olympic Park, becoming the first person to make a run. Since that day, over 80-thousand runs have been made on this icy track.
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(Jan. 26, 2002)------Craig Lehto/Utah Olympic Park Director: "WELL YOU HAVE A VERY BIASED OPINION WITH ME I THINK IT'S THE COOLEST VENUE OF THE WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES."
It snakes it's way down the mountain-- over 43-hundred feet long.
It has a lot of curves...15 in all. Seven to the left, eight to the right.
Sixty-two water hydrants feed this thin, white serpent and you can see almost every inch of that unforgiving ice with any one of the 36 course cameras.
You could almost say it is a sentient being-- every spring it melts away and dies. Every fall, it is resurrected once again.
All of it couldn't make Craig Lehto prouder.
CRAIG: "OH, VERY MUCH SO. WE WORKED VERY HARD FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS BEING HERE AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE IT WORKS FOR AFTER THE GAMES, MAKE SURE IT WORKS BEFORE THE GAMES AND MAKE SURE IT WORKS REALLY WELL DURING THE GAMES."
The Utah Olympic Park bobsled track in Park City belongs to an exclusive club--It's one of 15 used in the world.
CRAIG: "BUT BEING STATE-OF-THE ART, BEING THE NEWEST TRACK IN THE WORLD-- OR ONE OF THE NEWEST TRACKS IN THE WORLD-- IT'S , IT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED. IT'S STATE-OF-THE-ART AND WE GET VERY, VERY HIGH SPEEDS."
CRAIG: "WE'VE ACTUALLY SET A WORLD RECORD IN LUGE RIGHT NOW."
And even though it's a bit shorter than most, it's going to test the best come February.
CRAIG: "WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE QUITE A LONGER TRACK IT MAKES A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFERENCE. BUT I THINK THAT'S A KEY TO THIS TRACK IS GOOD STARTS AND GOOD PUSH TIMES FOR THE COMPETITIVE ATHLETES."
Sleds rip down this course at over 85-miles-per-hour.
That's right--Top to bottom, it's over in WELL less than a minute.
And even though rain currently falls instead of snow, Craig isn't bothered a bit.
CRAIG: "WELL IT'S NOT A FEAR FOR US, WE HAVE A GOOD ABILITY TO BATTLE MOTHER NATURE, THAT'S FOR SURE."
CRAIG: "SO EVEN A VERY WARM FEBRUARY DOESN'T INTIMIDATE US VERY MUCH."
There are over 60-miles,yes MILES, of refrigeration tubing wrapping itself in and out and all around this "quick-strip." All used in making that important ice.
CRAIG: "THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SECRETS BUT THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF HARD WORK. WE'VE GOT A BIG CREW ON THE TRACK THAT DOES A FANTASTIC JOB. AND REALLY, EXPERIENCE DOES HELP. THE ONE UNIQUE THING THAT WE HAVE ABOUT THIS TRACK IS WE'RE FIVE YEARS--FIVE AND HALF YEARS OF BUILDING ICE ON IT WHICH IS NOT TYPICAL FOR AN OLYMPIC TRACK."
So for the lucky souls with a ticket, this venue will simply rock your world.
CRAIG: "YEAH, IT'LL BE FANTASTIC. EVERYBODY WILL HAVE A FRONT ROW SEAT. THAT'S WHAT IS SO UNIQUE. YOU'RE WITHIN FIVE TO SIX FEET AWAY FROM A SLED GOING 85 MPH SO YOU GET TO SEE AND FEEL WHAT THE SPORT IS ALL ABOUT.
"YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GET RIGHT UP AT THE START AND SEE ATHLETES START. WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT VIEWING AREAS AT THE FINISH WHICH IS VERY UNIQUE FOR A TRACK AS WELL. SO YOUR EXPOSURE TO THE SPORT--START, FINISH AND MIDDLE-- WILL BE FANTASTIC."
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