Utah
14 Park City and Utah-based Olympians and Paralympians join South Jordan Elementary’s field day – Park Record
Fourteen Park City and Utah-based Olympians and Paralympians joined South Jordan Elementary school’s field day on June 3.
The athletes partook in races, tug-of-war games and autograph signings with about 500 third- to sixth-grade students at the school.
The surprise event for the students was part of Utah 2034’s effort to connect athletes with the communities that will play a role in hosting those Olympics and Paralympics. South Jordan Elementary is about 20 minutes away from 2034 venues like the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, which will host the speed skating events, and the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, which will host figure skating and short track speed skating events.
Among the Parkites in the group were Ethan Cepuran, Kate Delson, Nick Goepper, Marin Hamill and Rell Harwood. Cepuran and Delson each won medals at the Milano Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, respectively.
“Every athlete on that field today trains here, lives here and chose to spend an afternoon with a few hundred kids in South Jordan,” said Fraser Bullock, president and executive chair of the Utah Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. “That tells you something about Utah. The road to 2034 runs straight through schools like this one, and we intend to keep showing up until every child in this state knows these Games belong to them, too.”
South Jordan Principal Beth Pollock said she had never heard her students roar with such excitement.
After spending a few hours with the students, the athletes tossed them some Utah 2034 merchandise to try and leave them with lasting excitement for the Games and a memento of the day. They also signed and left a banner for the school to keep.
“I have never heard my students make a sound like the one they made when those athletes came around the corner,” said Pollock. “But what I’ll remember is what came after: a kid who had never met an Olympian or a Paralympian being told ‘Keep moving, keep going,’ by someone who’s actually lived it. A field day ends at the final whistle, but that kind of belief sticks for a lifetime.”