Winter Olympics once was an Alaska dream

Whether you care for the Olympics or couldn’t care less, the athletes, their coaches, trainers and fans are able to put global disagreements aside in favor of spirited competition. Sure, there is national pride at stake as they vie for medals.

The depth at which they challenge themselves was bluntly shown in the death of a Georgian luge competitor who was killed Friday during a training run.

Lindsey Vonn, who is one of the United States’ great hopes for medals, plans to compete even tough she is suffering from a leg injury.

Valley fans can cheer Kerry Weiland, a Palmer High School grad. Her women’s hockey team posted an initial victory over China.

And who can forget when Tommy Moe of Palmer upset the world in 1994 at the Lillehammer, Norway, games with a gold in the downhill and a silver in the super giant slalom.

Lillehammer may leave a bad taste in some Alaskans’ mouths. The Norwegian village aced out Anchorage — and Sofia, Bulgaria, and Ostersund, Sweden — to host the Olympics in ’92.

At the time, feelings were mixed among Alaskans in Southcentral about whether Anchorage should even try to host the games.

Many were concerned building the necessary facilities would put the city and the state behind the financial eight ball. They thought the money it would take to build the venues — from Girdwood to Hatcher Pass — would cost more than the region would take in. And once the games were gone, we would be left to hold the bag for maintaining those buildings and outdoor arenas.

On the other side were proponents who said the games would put the region on the world stage. And, they said, Alaskans could enjoy the facilities for years to come.

Who’s to know now how it would have worked out.

Still, Anchorage and Southcentral have made it to the world stage. Just recently, Anchorage hosted the national cross-country ski championships.

News that Hatcher Pass will have a Nordic skiing facility by next winter with designs for an Alpine ski area to follow will only attract more visitors and possibly, down the road, national and world events of its own.

There’s much to be hopeful about as people here and around the world cheer on their favorite athletes.

And somewhere in his home in the Valley, Rick Mystrom, former Anchorage mayor and leader of the Olympic charge in 1992, must be wondering what might have been.