When I left you last, we had gone to Salt Lake City. It was the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games that attracted millions of viewers on cable as well as in person. Nancy had been picked as Person of the Year by her employer, Gordon Foods, and was given the trip.

We arrived on Monday and basically just took it easy getting used to the altitude and weather conditions. It was very dry and somewhat cold when we arrived in Salt Lake from Cincinnati. We traveled by van to Bessie Lou, our Chateau in the mountains.

Tuesday, we went to the downhill skiing event in the morning and then went on snowmobiles in the afternoon and speed skating in the evening. That was followed by a wonderful meal at Bessie Lou.

Wednesday morning, we arose early, as we were going to the finals of downhill skiing. Arriving at the Olympic Park at 7:30, we waited through the lines to the security gates and went through the huge metal detectors and proceeded to the buses that would take us up the mountainside where the event was to be.

We arrived at the base of the ski runs and took our spots in the icy morning air that hovered around 4 degrees. Standing on the cold ground was not very bearable, but we stayed and watched the event with a lot of enthusiasm and ringing of cowbells as the participants came down the huge hill and leaped into the atmosphere, trying to get the furthest down the hill and make a good safe landing.

Some of the greats that we witnessed were Alan Alborn, Clint Jones and Brendon Doran, all representing the United States Ski Team.

After a short lunch at Bessie Lou, we again went into Salt Lake City to watch the men's team skating event. Apolo Anton Ohno, Rusty Smith, Ron Biondo and Dan Weinstein were the top skaters for the United States and put on a very good race. There was a major pileup during the race, and it needed to be restarted with one country being disqualified for the crash. The remaining countries started out again, and it was a very heated race with the U.S. coming out the winner with crowd support chanting USA ...USA.

We returned to Bessie Lou after doing some shopping at street side vendors set up at the exits to the Olympic Square downtown. Items were very expensive ... but where else were you going to get them and have them mean as much as getting them in person.

Thursday morning was Valentine's Day, and we started the day out for the ladies by giving them all roses, and then we had a masseuse come in and give all the ladies a full body massage in honor of Valentine's Day. We followed that with a trip to Park City to see the Snowboarding event across the valley from where we were staying. Chris Klug, Jeff Greenwood and Ian Price, along with Ross Powers, Todd Richards and Tommy Czeschin represented the U.S.

We then went to the Luge event. I really did not understand the ideas behind the event, but it was like a bobsled run, only with one person instead of four. They propelled their bodies at speeds exceeding 90 miles an hour through the course. Most of the runs were covered, and, unless you were right there below the rim of the run, you didn't see much except for a blur going past you. Tony Benshoof and Adam Heidt were the top men's singles competitors.

Thursday evening, we went to the figure skating event at the Delta Center. We were joined by Paul and Dottie Gordon, who had come in from Phoenix. Paul is 79, and what a party animal he turned out to be. We were treated with the fine talents of men like Timothy Goebel, Todd Eldredge and Michael Weiss. In the couples skating, some of the U.S. teams were Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman, Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn and Danielle & Steve Hartsell.

We returned to Bessie Lou for the evening to sit around a fire blazing in one of the huge fireplaces in the main family room areas in the big 9300-foot home.

Friday morning, the men got a massage by the same team that did the ladies the day before and readied ourselves to go to the hockey arena in Salt Lake City. We stayed for almost all the event that had Russia against Belarus. What an exciting game these guys played; they are just as rough as any professional team would be, except for the actual fisticuffs that you see a lot of in games that the pros are involved in.

We went downtown to the Delta Center again to watch the Ice Dancing event. On the way there, we were accompanied on the bus by the group called the Octappella Bobsled Team (www.octappella.com). They do a lot of harmony singing in their sets and gave us a small taste of their talents during the short ride into downtown. They are pictured below.

Meeting with the rest of the group from Gordon's, we went to the private suite inside the Delta Center and were treated to some of the finest pairs skating that I had ever seen. Naomi Lang & Peter Tchernyshev, Jessica Joseph & Brandon Forsyth and Beata Handra & Charles Sinek were just some of the pairs in competition for the Gold.

Following the skating event, we did a little more shopping at some of the shops just south of the Olympic Square. Then, it was off to Adolph's in Park City for our last dinner together as a group. Following a beautiful dinner, Nancy, Jeff Rohm and Larry Lewis were presented with their Gold Club rings, which had now been adorned with diamonds in recognition of their status in Gold Club.

Jim Gordon spoke about the importance of their being there for Gordon Foods and why they were the best that the company had in its nest. He stated that one of the reasons for Gordon Foods' growth is because of folks like Nancy, Jeff and Larry. Going that extra mile to help and assist not only patrons but fellow employees as well is a big part of why the company has been so successful and will continue to be in the years to come. He then thanked all the spouses for coming and being a part of this splendiferous week.

Saturday morning, we rose and finished packing for our return to normal humans. We went to the overcrowded airport, and, after almost an hour and a half in line, we passed through the security check and were on board. Arriving in Cincinnati, we had a nice lunch with the Gordons and the Rohms and then went our separate ways home.

I can't begin to thank Gordon Foods for the wonderful week we enjoyed. Word's cannot begin to emphasize my happiness in going to the Olympics. Many memories will be etched in my mind for years to come of meeting the fine couples that are part of a huge family known as "The Gordons".

Lastly, thank you Nancy, for coming through the year that you did and not looking back on the horrific monster that caused you all the problems it did during 2001. A lot of folks were in your corner praying for you ... more than you will ever know.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers