High hopes and big dreams are on the line for the large, nine-member contingent of Idahoans headed for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C., in late February. But special hometown pride goes along with two of the team who are Sun Valley-area champs in the winter sports world.
Cross-country skier Morgan Arritola, 23, a Community School grad, and snowboard-cross racer Graham Watanabe, 27, a Wood River High alum, constitute nearly 25 percent of the Idaho delegation.
Skiers and non-skiers alike can and should join in a rousing sendoff for the valley Olympians at a festive get-together from 4-6 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 31, at the Sun Valley Clubhouse on Trail Creek Road.
Watanabe will be a no-show—but for good reason. He's competing in the X Games in Aspen, Colo., in a quest for a pre-Olympic victory.
But Arritola will be there to give autographs and chat about the upcoming international sports event.
Sun Valley has been the incubator of champs and Olympians for generations. Yet the excitement of new champions possibly bringing home the gold, silver or bronze and building on that legacy never is regarded with nonchalance.
One sure way to fire up the valley's Olympic contenders is to leave no doubt that the hometown crowd is standing with them and cheering them on.
A big turnout for Sunday's sendoff, sprinkled with good wishes from all their fans in the area, will be an enduring source of encouragement in Vancouver when a little more energy is needed to conquer the competition.
