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Olympic torch coming Friday
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Date: Dec 05, 2001 By George Diaz | Sentinel Staff Writer It will touch the hands of the famous, the courageous and ordinary on a cross-country journey stretching across 46 states and 13,500 miles in 65 days. The Olympic torch, an inspirational symbol for the United States in a year of tragedy and triumph, will reach downtown Orlando on Friday evening and will be the focal point of a patriotic ceremony honoring America. Local resident Mildred Wilkerson, personally selected by Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood, will be the last of four local residents who will relay the torch around Lake Eola Park in a special ceremony around 9 p.m. Wilkerson, a children's advocate and volunteer in various projects, will carry the torch by boat to the center of the lake, where she will light a floating cauldron. "This is our first chance [since Sept. 11] as a region to gather and celebrate something as pure as the Olympic Games," said John Saboor, senior vice president of the Central Florida Sports Commission. "It represents all that is good in the world, and comes on the heels of what has been such a tragic time in our country." Saboor was the point man in a committee that selected 30 local torchbearers, in conjunction with the City of Orlando and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. The committee received 575 nominations from seven counties before making its selections. A total of 82 people will carry the torch through Central Florida, with the other 52 selected by Olympic sponsors. They include Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys, WESH-Channel 2 anchor Wendy Chioji and Dr. Gregor Alexander, a neonatologist at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women. Prominent torchbearers nationally include Lyz Glick, the wife of Jeremy Glick, one of the passengers aboard United Flight 93 that crashed Sept. 11 in Pennsylvania; New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre; baseball great Willie Mays; and former NFL quarterback Steve Young. The torch run began Tuesday in Atlanta in a ceremony including Olympic gold medalists Muhammad Ali and Peggy Fleming. The relay will involve 11,500 people carrying the 3-pound torches. The torch will reach Salt Lake City on Feb. 8 to mark the start of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaii will not be on the torch route for logistical reasons. Salt Lake Organizing Committee officials are marking the Olympic Games as a rallying point after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "Our nation is in prayer," said Mitt Romney, president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, adding that the torch "binds each of us to the family of humankind." Security is expected to be at a "high level" at places where the torch stops. There will be an average of two ceremonies daily. The torch will reach the Orlanda area from Daytona Beach on Friday. Locally, organizers with the City of Orlando and Central Florida Sports Commission are expecting between 25,000 and 40,000 people to gather at Lake Eola for the event, which is free. The celebration begins at 7 p.m. with games, children's activities, food and live entertainment. The finale will feature Olympic music, illuminated kites and pyrotechnics. "This is a truly unique chance for people of all ages to participate in something that has such universal appeal," Saboor said. Mark Schlueb of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report, which was supplemented by information from wire services. George Diaz can be reached at 407-420-5668 and gdiaz@orlandosentinel.com. Copyright © 2001, Orlando Sentinel
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