If you were watching the Olympics this year you probably caught some of the buzz about Steamboat Springs’s Johnny Spillane winning two individual Silver Medals, Billy Demong who lived and trained in Steamboat winning a Gold Medal, and the Olympic 4-man team made up of Johnny, Billy, Todd Lodwick (of Steamboat) and Brett Camerota (trained in Steamboat) winning a Silver Medal. US Nordic combiners winning even one medal broke an Olympic draught.
Residents of Steamboat could be found at Olympian Hall, watching the events on a big screen. Residents and visitors alike congregated near Gondola Square, in front of One Steamboat Place to watch on the big screen there. And others, like Ulrich and Doug in our office, watched on their computers at their work desk. Me, I was home with my husband John, each of us with a computer in our lap in case either of us lost the Live Feed.
During the last individual event, when Billy won Gold and Johnny the Silver, our son Cliff, who is a Nordic combined athlete himself and trains with these guys was sitting in front of the computer at the library of his High School. He was making up school work he’d missed during his recent three week trip to Europe where he competed in the World Junior Championships in Germany and a Continental Cup in Austria. As the Olympic event got underway, Cliff called and we gave him the website for the Live Feed. Ten minutes before the end of the race Cliff’s computer lost the Live Feed and he called us up again. There, holding the phone between me and John, we screamed out blow-by-blow, how Johnny and Billy were in the lead, how the Austrian with them was successfully holding on, and then getting ahead, and then falling back, and Billy sprints ahead and Johnny follows and the Austrian is dropped and Billy and Johnny cross the finish line in first and second. OMG OMG OMG! Cliff says “okay,” hangs up and gets back to his school work.
After all, that was last week, and this week is the 2010 Ski Jumping and Nordic combined Junior Olympics, which this year happens to be held here in Steamboat. For Cliff to compete and defend his two previous Ski Jumping and Nordic combined championships, school and ski club policy says he has to be caught up with his schoolwork. As of this writing I still don’t know if he academically qualifies or not.
But with or without Cliff, the Junior Olympics of course will go on.  There won’t be a computer feed, but it will be LIVE in downtown Steamboat Springs at Howelsen Hill. Thirteen athletes (or 12) from the Rocky Mountain Division, 10 from the Intermountain Division which trains in Park City, 10 from Eastern Division, 31 from the Central Division and possibly some from Alaska and Canada, will attend Opening Ceremonies Tuesday Night before their three days of competition.
Billy, Johnny, Todd and Brett may all be retiring between now and the next Olympic Games. Come see for yourself first-hand then, the future Olympians who will now be following in their extraordinary wake. Catch the buzz. And if you see Cliff Field competing, shake his hand and congratulate him on getting his schoolwork done!
