By Jason Gifford
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games are only two months away, and everyone is making final preparations for the Games.
Many students will be participating as volunteers in the Olympics. They will work several positions from events staff to food services at the Olympic Village.
Normally, BYU has no extended break during the winter semester but in honor of the Olympics and to give students the opportunity to volunteer and work at the Games, there will be no classes for one week during the competition. Students will be able to make arrangements during the Games if they are asked to work before the scheduled vacation.
Andrea Lewis, an English major from Bejing, is one of many students who will be sacrificing time to volunteer at the Games. Lewis will be working with Food Services in the Olympic Village. This is one of the volunteer opportunities that could require students to spend a little extra time away from classes, but Lewis says she is looking forward to the opportunity.
Lewis is excited for the chance to meet and work with lots of new people. She said she is also looking forward to the opportunity to associate with the athletes.
“It”s a celebration of what brings us together,” Lewis said. She said she is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something as big as the Olympics.
Paul Murphy and his wife Emily will be working in Park City, Summitt County, as part of the events staff during the Games. Their duties include ticket taking, crowd control, lost and found and many of the behind the scene tasks that are vital to keeping the Games running smoothly.
“We hope to gain a better awareness of people and to generally have a good time,” Murphy said. “They say it”s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that”s because it is.”
