LAST DAY OF COMPETITION
The Women's 5000 Meter was the last event for the Utah Olympic Oval speed skating venue. The world-record holder was hoping to break her own record and some Dutch, Canadian, and even US skaters were ready to make their mark in this marathon event.

GOLD
As expected, Claudia Pechstein took back the the world record, which had been gleefully broken by a Dutch skater just an hour before. After the event, Claudia became totally distracted with the wig she'd brought to wear during the flowers ceremony (it added black and red -- the colors of the German flag -- to her blond hair). She seemed oblivious that the President of Germany happened to be in the audience and had been brought to center ice to congratulate her.

SILVER
I think I've been clear that Dutch are nuts about speed skating. When their super-cute, pop-star-like Greta Smit won the silver, Holland House just about blew up that night:

1.) The not-ready-for-Utah banner we had to take down in the stands was back up on the bar.
2.) I finally realized that the Disney-like march we'd been dancing to for weeks was Greta's theme song. It's a bunch of Dutch words, then "Greta, Greta Smit" repeated hundreds of times.
3.) Her entrance into Holland House couldn't be topped by Madonna walking the Castro.
4.) She was still doing stage dives when I left.

BRONZE
The allure of Olympic trading pins finally struck me. Here's how it happened:

When the Canadian underdog, Clara Hughes, surprised everyone (including herself, I think) and took the bronze, she could only stop giggling long enough to hyperventilate. One by one, skaters and coaches from her team came up to me asking if we could get her husband down to the press room to help her through the interviews (i.e., hold her hand).

I couldn't let him. He didn't have any (let alone the "right") credentials. But the requests kept coming, they were all coupled with the seldom heard "please" and she was just so excited. Before too long, I broke and devised a way to get him a pass. Some fast talking, then he was set and by her side.

Later, things had quieted. The Canadians had finished the media mix and were off to the press conference, when the first coach who had asked me to help appeared. She quickly placed something in my hand and sheepishly said, "All I have left is the Cheerios one. Thanks again." And she was off.

I looked in my hand and there was a thumbnail-size, metal-cast, red maple leaf with a bright yellow Cheerios box inset in the middle.

I love this pin.