Olympic Wonderland in NYC

NEW YORK- At 7:30 a.m. on a chilly Manhattan morning, few things were more infectious than the excitement of the fourth and fifth graders from Brooklyn's P.S. 119.

Freed from school schedules and instead getting the chance to mingle with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, the students waved flags, shouted their enthusiasm and grinned behind ski caps and fluffy hoods. "USA! USA! USA!" they chanted in unison as two aerial skiers flipped and tumbled-while wearing skis-on a trampoline set up in New York City's Rockefeller Center.

They were just part of a crowd of more than 300 local students, celebrities and athletes who gathered at 30 Rock yesterday to usher in the last 100 days before Vancouver plays host to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.  Entitled "Making Team USA: 100 Days Until Vancouver," the all-day affair brought together nearly 50 former and hopeful Olympians from summer and winter sports.

For the students, though, this field trip wasn't just about forming an impromptu cheering section. Johnny Warfield, a fifth-grade teacher at P.S. 119, said the event parallels his curriculum, which stresses peacemaking, sportsmanship and fitness.

"What better way to teach that than the Olympics?" Warfield said. "It's very exciting. Most of the kids have never seen trampolines. Just living in Brooklyn, that's all they think there is. Even coming into the city is an experience. It's inspiring for them."

Smiling athletes and showcases from every winter sport fueled those values. Olympic ice dancers Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov signed autographs and answered students' questions. In the next tent, 2006 Olympic Winter gold medalist speedskater Joey Cheek guided students through a five-step physical to measure their Olympic eligibility.

The reach-for-the-stars vibe was even more tangible across the rink. During a morning presentation, five members of the Bridgeport, Conn.-based Nutmeg Curling Club met some of their idols-members of the Olympic and Paralympic men's and women's curling teams.

Libby Brundage, a 15-year-old high school sophomore who has curled with Nutmeg for four years, said she looks up to each of the players and hopes to take their place on the team one day.

"It's really awesome and exciting," Brundage said, while eyeing the line to get an autograph from 2010 Paralympic curler Augusto Perez. "Just getting to meet them. It's a lot of work to make it to the Olympics. But they're inspiring for just how far they've gotten and that they're representing the USA."

Many of the 2010 hopefuls are still trying to qualify to compete in Vancouver. One group of U.S. athletes, however, the men's and women's curling teams, qualified for the Vancouver games nearly nine months ago. The 100-day mark just makes everything seem more real, said Allison Pottinger, a vice skip on the women's 2010 Olympic Winter Games curling team.

"We've known we qualified since last February," Pottinger said. "So it's kind of been, 'Yeah, we'll be in the Olympics.' But now it's, 'Wow, the Olympics!'"

For other competitors, who won't find out if they're Vancouver-bound until a few weeks or months before the games, the 100-day countdown ups the training ante.

David Backes, an Olympic hockey hopeful who plays at right wing for the NHL's St. Louis Blues, is vying for one of 23 spots on the 2010 team. But, he won't know his fate until January 1, when the roster is announced during the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, which will be played outdoors in Fenway Park in Boston.

"One-hundred days snuck up pretty quickly," Backes said. "For me it's time to get to work. If they're wavering at all in their decision on me, I need to up my game."

Backes set aside his doubts and savored the moment, though, when he stepped onto the ice alongside rivals from Olympic hockey's most famous upset: The 1980 "Miracle on Ice" at the Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Americans Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione and Russian goalie Vladimir Myshkin reunited to celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of the game, which pitted a mostly-amateur Team USA against the Soviet Union's lineup, considered the best in the world. Eruzione famously scored the winning goal that gave the game is miracle moniker.

Three decades the later, the mood was decidedly less tense. Myshkin, who surrendered the game-winner to Eruzione in 1980, and Craig simply laughed and traded jerseys. Myshkin returned to the Winter Games four years later and earned a gold medal in Sarajevo.

 "To see them out there, laughing, smiling and remembering the day," Backes said. "That's a special moment to be a part of."

The Olympic spirit was felt by those who competed in the Games nearly 30 years ago and those who might not get another opportunity to compete for three more years.

James Williams, an American fencer who earned an Olympic silver medal in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, is nearly three years away from his next shot at the Games. Still, he participated in the 100-day out event in New York and praised it for bringing together athletes, building camaraderie and generating buzz for Vancouver.

"It's a great atmosphere, trying to build support for the Olympics and sort of building energy and moral support," Williams said. "There's a correlation between that and the athletes' success. It's fantastic...you get to share your excitement with everyone, and they share it with you."

And that's something to cheer for.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Molly Fergus is a freelance contributors for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.