Are you a fan of the Winter Olympics? Do you sit on your couch every four years glued to the TV wishing that you could see the venues or watch an athlete compete or train in person? Maybe you have a dreamed of being in their shoes for a day and experience some of the things these athletes do. Well your wish can become a reality when you visit the Utah Olympic Park.
The Utah Olympic Park was originally named the Utah Winter Sports Park and it was a critical element in the Salt Lake Bid Committee’s effort when working to win the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The beginning parts of the Olympic Park were the ski jump facilities and freestyle aerials splash pool. Both of these areas opened in 1993 followed by the bobsled, skeleton and luge tracks that were added to the park in 1997. When Salt Lake won the bid for the 2002 Olympics, the Winter Sports Park changed its name to the Utah Olympic Park and underwent extensive upgrades and renovations. During the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, 16 days of competition featuring 14 events were held in the park including ski jumping, Nordic combined, bobsled, luge and skeleton.
The Utah Olympic Park has been recognized for having the fastest sliding tracks and highest-elevated jumps in the world. Due to these recognitions, the Olympic Park has hosted multiple World Cup ski jump, Nordic combined, bobsled, skeleton and luge events before and after the Olympic games were in town.
The Utah Olympic Park was built in order to provide a year-round facility for athletes to prepare, train and compete in winter sports. The Olympic Park is open to spectators who have a passion for these sporting events and a desire to learn more as well as watch some of the athletes train. Entrance into the Olympic Park is free and visitors are encouraged to take a self-guided tour through the competition sites. Most often visitors have the privilege of not only seeing the venue, but of also watching aspiring young athletes as well as prestigious Olympic athletes train for upcoming events. Occasionally visitors have the opportunity to witness actual competitions taking place here as well.
In addition to seeing the venues and watching athletes train, visitors can also participate in a number of activities at the Olympic Park. One of the most popular activities that gives visitors a true feeling of being an Olympic athlete is the bobsled. Three passengers at a time can feel the rush of speeding down the bobsled track at 75 – 85 miles per hour with a professional driver. If riding the bobsled isn’t your thing, maybe you’d like to see what it is like to simply push the 400-pound bobsled from its starting position down the 50-foot trail.
The Utah Olympic Park offers many more activities for visitors to enjoy. With each visit you will be able to watch athletes train or compete as well as enjoy participating in similar activities to see how you measure up to Olympic athletes thus allowing visitors to feel a little closer to the action next time watching the winter Olympic games from your couch.
