Vermont parents discover pride (and price) of Olympics
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Proud parent Mark Stephen holds photos of his daughter, Liz Stephen, on the porch of his home in East Montpelier. Stephen will be traveling to see Liz compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics later this month in British Columbia. PHOTO BY STEFAN HARD |
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By Kevin O'Connor
STAFF WRITER - Published: February 7, 2010
Defending gold-medal snowboarder Hannah Teter boasts her own Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor and a profile in the current Oprah Magazine. But that doesn't mean her parents - Patricia, a Springfield Hospital nurse, and Jeffery, Mount Holly road foreman - can pull strings or push their way into this month's Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Like all mothers and fathers of Vermont's eight 2010 Olympians, they'll receive two free tickets to their child's competition. But as for airfare, meals, accommodations and entry for other family and friends? The Teters went online and found a pair of $150 single-event passes - for $1,500.
"There's tons of other family that want to go, but if we can't find decent-priced tickets ..." Patricia Teter says. "Unless you're well-to-do, it's a lot."
Want to see your kid at the Olympics? Years of chauffeuring and chaperoning, other Vermont families confirm, are just the start of the cost.
Consider Barb and Don Marshall of Pittsfield. Last summer their son Cody, 27, lost his chance to ski in Vancouver when he fell and suffered a head injury. Then last month their daughter Chelsea, 23, made the U.S. Alpine team. Mom's now booking reservations for herself and her three sons.
"Cody wasn't going to go," she says, "but he said his sister stood by him, and he feels it's important he's there to support her."
Although some athletes qualified early, the U.S. Olympic Committee didn't announce its official team roster for the Feb. 12-28 event until Tuesday. Marshall's now facing the challenge of arranging a cross-continental trip on two weeks' notice.
"I don't have a passport," she says. "And I'm a ski instructor. Not working Washington's birthday week isn't a good thing."
(That's why her husband, a fellow instructor, will be on the job at Killington.)
Terry and Cathy Clark can relate. They attended the 2002 Salt Lake City games where their daughter, Kelly, won a snowboarding gold medal. But fenced behind a wall of security and other spectators, they couldn't see as much as the patrons watching large-screen televisions back at their business, TC's Family Restaurant in West Dover.
As a result, the Clarks stayed home when their daughter competed at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. Feeling "a little bit of guilt," Terry Clark and his wife will seek absolution this month in Canada.
"Whatever happens, the excitement is much more than the hassle," Terry Clark says. "This is what our children have been aiming for all their lives."
East Montpelier lawyer Mark Stephen says it will be "a thrill, honor and privilege" to witness his 23-year-old daughter, Liz, cross-country ski with the world's best.
Stephen and his wife, Susan, started making reservations last summer, even though their daughter didn't make the team until this winter. They'll fly from Manchester, N.H., to Seattle - home of their son, Andrew - then take a train to British Columbia, where they'll rent a house rather than pay up to $1,000 a night for a hotel or condo.
"We're not one for restaurants all the time. We like to be able to cook for ourselves," he says.
David and Carol Newell of Shaftsbury concur. Four years ago, the parents of cross-country skier Andy Newell flew to the 2006 games with his then-81-year-old grandfather, 80-year-old grandmother, aunt, two uncles and two cousins. With Italian lodging costing $800 a night, they stayed across the border in France, an hour away.
This time, the Newells and the parents of one of their son's teammates will share a condo found on www.craigslist.org. They won't face so much commuting or a crash course in Italian. Then again, only Mom and Dad are taking the trip.
"Security's tight, and it's a bit tiresome to go through all that stuff," says David Newell, an insurance agent. "The Olympics are not an inexpensive and stress-free experience."
Norwich Recreation Director Jill Kearney first traveled to the games four years ago to watch her daughter, Hannah, tackle the bumps and jumps of the women's moguls.
"You don't know whether to be gearing up for the elation of a lifetime or to shoulder the worst disappointment," the mother told this newspaper before that trip.
Her daughter unfortunately lost her balance, finishing 22nd out of 30 skiers. Four years later, both are ready to try again.
Kearney's sister lives just east of Vancouver, so she's set with free accommodations. She's not as comfortable, however, with her complimentary tickets.
"The parent ticket I got in Italy was standing room, and I'm 5-foot-3."
Higher officials took mercy.
"It worked out," she says. "This time I just bought good seats."
To make reservations, most parents have spent hours on the Internet. Terry Clark tells of securing a parking pass for a shuttle bus stop and a $25 one-day round-trip ticket with a specific departure time.
"One of my buses leaves at 10 minutes of 7 in the morning."
What happens if he misses it? He doesn't want to find out.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association offers a set of "Friends and Family Guidelines" that details everything parents should - and shouldn't - expect.
"Family and friends need to understand this is not the time to spend with the athlete - their focus needs to be on their performance," the guidelines advise. "Make your plans assuming you will not see the athlete you know until after their event."
Patricia Teter learned that after her daughter's 2006 gold-medal win.
"We got to see her a couple of minutes before the 'Today' show, then they whisked her away. But those couple of minutes are precious, and they know you're there."
On that, all parents agree.
"The security is so tight, the athletes' village is sealed beyond belief and even trying to connect by cell phone didn't seem to do it," Jill Kearney says. "But if she gets a medal, I might be diving over all that. This is really about family."
Adds Mark Stephen: "I know tears will be filling my eyes, if not rolling down my cheeks. Nothing's going to take away from the thrill of standing beside an Olympic course yelling my head off, which is one of my strengths or weaknesses. You'll probably hear me in Vermont."
kevin.oconnor@rutlandherald.com