Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective

One of the most genuine and respected experts in the event industry, Tricia Fenton joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and gives us a fresh take on the "marooned on an island" question, becoming part of an event family and getting her motorcycle license (recorded 2 April 2021). If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email cnapier@gpfour.com.Show Notes:WARM UP00:26 - Welcome Tricia!PRELIMS09:06 - Marooned on an island - with a twist!QUARTERFINALS14:43 - Journey to SLOCSEMIFINALS20:37 - What are "special projects?"FINALS27:28 - Events are a math problem29:46 - A personnel issueMIXED ZONE33:08 - "I have money in my bank account"38:18 - The tragic thing about the pandemicPODIUM40:43 - Trying Skeleton45:57 - The goosebump momentCOOL DOWN48:08 - Post-SLOC life and lessons learned

It's our 100th episode! Amy Murray graciously guest hosts and interviews Christian Napier, turning the tables and asking all kinds of questions about the podcast and Christian's Salt Lake 2002 experience (recorded 31 March 2021). If you worked on the Games as a staff member, contractor or volunteer and want to share your story please email cnapier@gpfour.com.Show Notes:WARM UP00:26 - Welcome Amy as guest host!03:21 - Straight from GPFour HQPRELIMS06:08 - Going our own way with the systems08:42 - Monster VIKQUARTERFINALS11:30 - What are we going to have for lunch?15:55 - Welcoming outsidersSEMIFINALS19:41 - Cutting room floor24:22 - Guest wish listFINALS27:14 - Christian's dream OCOG job29:42 - What is IKL?MIXED ZONE32:40 - What will happen with Tokyo? 36:10 - Island meal and moviePODIUM40:15 - Island / walk on music44:16 - Favorite SLOC memoriesCOOL DOWN48:59 - Goosebump moment / wrap-up

SLOC employee number 40, Aimee Preston, takes a break from the Summit County COVID-19 vaccination effort, to join the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and share her story of transitioning from collegiate gymnast to sport administrator and running a completely different sport - Curling! (recorded 29 March 2021).

Calum Clark, Chief Operating Officer, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and former Salt Lake 2002 Event Services Manager, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers working Snowbasin under Adam Gray, DEPAT and the one question you should never ask (recorded 22 March 2021).

The master of accommodation(s), John Sindelar, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and gives us listeners an online Accommodation 101 course (recorded 17 March 2021).

One of our most requested guests ever, the incomparable Allen Brooks, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers giving up team handball for an opportunity to work the Games, his parents living in Ogden and finding something within you that you didn't know you had (recorded 17 March 2021).

Brad Eggert, Event Safety & Security Project Manager for Amazon and former manager of the County Ice Center and Acord Ice Arenas, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and recalls a Pulp Fiction moment, fire alarms and mom driving the Zamboni (recorded 17 March 2021).

Our first VOLUNTEER(!!!), the wonderful Jill Andrews, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers pin trading, losing a volunteer assignment only to get a better one, living in a 16-foot trailer during Games-time and a guest book signed by Olympians from around the world (recorded 10 March 2021).

Mark Hyde, former Soldier Hollow International Client Services Manager and now Public Health Scientist and Physician Assistant, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers being hired by Maureen Sweeney, being interviewed by NPR and (recorded 10 March 2021).

Pauline Ploquin, President and Partner at Struck, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers there is no "I" in team (except there is in French), banging her head on a desk and a great turn of phrase from Libby Hyland (recorded 2 March 2021).

IOC advisor and major event expert Adam Gray joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers an unconventional wedding proposal, winning over skeptics, needing more snowcats and a dirty bus gets into the venue (recorded 23 February 2021).

Connie Nelson, Director of the Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum and Alf Engen Ski Museum joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and stops in Utah for a ski trip, gains great respect for lugers and is surprised to learn the names of some famous celebrity visitors (recorded 22 February 2021).

Former E Center Venue Operations Manager John Piester - now President, RedPeg Marketing - joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers starting a family in Salt Lake, a unique vantage point for USA v Russia and the inspiration of the Paralympic Games (recorded 17 February 2021).

A giant in the ski industry, Herwig Demschar - Senior Vice President / International Business Development at Powdr Corp - joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers marriage-saving advice from a mentor, the impact of Jerry Anderson and controversial ski wax (recorded 16 February 2021).

Capping off a fantastic week, Jim Brown - Executive Chair of the USA Rugby 2027/2031 Rugby World Cup bid and Principal and CEO of JBC International - joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and shares his favorite meal, Mitt and Fraser asking lots of questions and a special flower ceremony (recorded 10 February 2021).

In a very special episode, Sarah Kawahara - Canada, USA and World Figure Skating Hall of Fame inductee and Emmy-award winning director and choreographer - joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and tells the behind-the-scenes story of the Opening Ceremony ice program (recorded 9 February 2021).

Major event expert Joan Junker, international business consultant, best-selling author and former Results Publishing Manager for Xerox Worldwide Olympics, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and shares memories of running the Results Book Center (recorded 4 February 2021).

Steve Dittmore, Assistant Dean / Sport Management Professor at the University of Arkansas, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and talks about cheering for the LA Dodgers, the story behind the pairs figure skating scandal and the one lesson students remember (recorded 25 January 2021).

Eric Roy, perhaps the most enthusiastic finance person I've ever met, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast. Eric finds SLOC through Accountemps, works under Lane Critchfield and Brett Hopkins in Finance, Chris Crowley at Park City, and is cheered on by hundreds of elementary school kids (recorded 19 January 2021).

Scott Givens, Founder and President of FiveCurrents, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast in an extended episode (recorded 13 January 2021). Scott remembers dual reporting to Mitt and Fraser, the "six inch powder rule," and assembling a fantastic team under Libby Hyland, Bob Finley and Sayre Wiseman.

Chip Suttles, Seattle Seahawks CIO and VP, Technology, is the first guest of 2021 on the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast (recorded 5 January 2021). He recalls joining Kelly Brown at SLOC, working at Snowbasin with Adam Gray and Calum Clark, and the leadership of Mitt Romney and Fraser Bullock.

Dave Clark, Senior Project Officer at Emergency Management Victoria, joins an "evolved" Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast (new format for 2021) and remembers overlay at the Olympic and Paralympic Family Hotel (recorded 30 December 2020).

Larry Ganson, event expert and COVID-19 Compliance Officer at Carpathia Event Production, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers rappelling from the side of the Wells-Fargo building to unfurl the flag after 9/11 (recorded 8 December 2020)

Lisa Sams, founder of SP Events & Logistics and her new venture Work into Wellness, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and recounts her journey from "sand and palm trees" to "skis and slopes" (recorded 7 December 2020)

Risa Feldman, Editor of Journey Beyond Aspen magazine, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and talks about the groundbreaking Flower Ceremonies (recorded 29 October 2020)

Karen Wright Williams, former E Center Deputy General Manager, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and shares her journey to SLOC, cyberstalking Tim Larkin and planning a wedding (recorded 20 October 2020).

Andy Williams, Georgia alum and event experience expert, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and recalls following his future wife to the Wasatch Front (recorded 20 October 2020).

Sayre Wiseman, SVP Production at FiveCurrents and former Director of Ceremonies for SLOC, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers meeting the Mayor on her first day at the office, idiot-proofing the cauldron and the ice rink in Rice-Eccles Stadium (recorded 14 October 2020).

Bob Finley, founder of Morar Design, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers coming to Salt Lake from Las Vegas, a regime change and emceeing the Torch Relay.

Our first guest from Finland joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast! Chad Salmela talks about scrambling to find a plane, rifle covers as an accreditation solution and Kenji's teriyaki (recorded 7 October 2020)

Ogden City Mayor Mike Caldwell joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and describes how the Games served as an inflection point for his own career and the city's long-term trajectory.

Kevin Marschke, Event Group Principal at ME Engineers brings "energy" to the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and talks about the challenges of delivering power in an Olympic environment (recorded 30 September 2020).

Erick Long, Senior Vice President, Events at the Academy of Country Music, talks about producing a live event during COVID-19 in a memorable episode of the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast.

Amy Murray, Senior Producer at FiveCurrents and former Olympic Experience Producer for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, joins the podcast on a very special episode, recorded on 9/11. A breakdown of the episode is below.Please be...

Rick Barrett, Principal and Design Director at MIG and formerly with Bechtel, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and recalls how a cross-country drive in his youth inspired him to attend college in Utah (recorded 4 September 2020). A...

Lou Lauria, Chief of Sport and Games at Special Olympics International, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast in a special Paralympics-focused episode (recorded 4 September 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.Please be sure to check out...

Todd Barnes, Senior Principal and Architect at Populous, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and remembers KISS, the Shooting Star Saloon and the efficiency of uniform distribution (recorded 31 August 2020). A breakdown of the episode is...

Tony Vitrano, one of the world's leading event transport experts, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and revisits Utah Olympic Park with his family, a move from Florida and an unexpected helping hand from an American icon (recorded 26 August...

HR consultant Cheryl Doerfler Lake joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and recounts joining SLOC fresh off a layoff, buying a sewing machine from the SLOC fire sale, evacuating the Atlanta airport and more (recorded 25 August 2020). A...

Cecelia Magargee, renowned event marketing consultant and former Reebok Head of Global Event Marketing, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast and discusses her "unique" recruitment to SLOC, building a high performing team and incredible...

Kari Holt-Larson, Utah Jazz Vice President of Community and Special Events, and Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast host Christian Napier discuss the Jazz, speed skating and training with Olympic athletes (recorded 11 August 2020). A breakdown of the...

Salt Lake Film Society CEO Tori Baker joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast to talk about the impacts of COVID-19 on the film industry, working at the TPC and Mitt's response to 9/11 (recorded 7 August 2020). A breakdown of the episode is...

Kristen Hartley, Director of Operations at the Berlin 2023 Special Olympics World Games,  (recorded 6 August 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective playlist on Spotify. You can also access...

World-class voice of the Salt Lake 2002 Ceremonies Peter Graves gives us a master class in sport announcing, a shout out to "fry sauce" and a description of his 3,000 - 4,000 pin collection (recorded 4 August 2020). A breakdown of the episode is...

Event veteran and Soldier Hollow Venue Manager Phil Jordan leaves Las Vegas for Salt Lake (twice!) and stages a Western Experience in the heart of an Olympic and Paralympic competition venue (recorded 30 July 2020). A breakdown of the episode is...

Karl Schwolow, Soldier Hollow Venue Food and Beverage Manager, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast to discuss teaching royalty how to eat hot dogs, building forts out of Wahoo boxes and wardrobe shenanigans (recorded 29 July 2020). A...

Professors Silvana and Robert Richardson join the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast in a special extended CURLING episode (recorded 28 July 2020). A breakdown of the episode is below.Please be sure to check out our Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective...

Jill Lamping (formerly Beckstead) takes us all the way back to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic bid in a fascinating episode, with wonderful stories of the Torch Relay, Opening Ceremony and, yes, Rancho Bowling Lanes (recorded 23 July 2020). A breakdown of...

Today's guest spent 70 DAYS on a Disney cruise ship due to COVID-19! David Zumbrennen, now safely ashore, joins the Salt Lake 2002 Retrospective podcast to remember the importance of volunteering, starting as an intern and leading the audience at the...

The final episode of our "Ed Eynon Trilogy" with the former SLOC SVP of Human Resources and International Relations, who talks about the best staff perk ever, the IR team, touching stories from the Torch Relay and a special Bob Garff memory  (recorded...

Episode 51 - second of our three-part miniseries with former SLOC SVP of Human Resources and International Relations, Ed Eynon. Ed addresses the IOC scandal, new leadership and volunteers (recorded 16 July 2020). A breakdown of the episode is...