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A look back at Olympic history in the lead up to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.0000017b-652b-d50a-a3ff-f7efae760000Park City's love affair with the U.S. Ski Team traces back nearly 40 years, when the team first made its home at the Park City Ski Area in 1974. Since then, Parkites have felt a special kinship to the team and the great athletes who have made our community their home. America has a great love affair with the Olympics. Over 200 million Americans will tune in February to NBC's broadcast. KPCW will take you behind the scenes in the months leading up to Sochi as noted Olympic historian and U.S. Ski Team spokesman Tom Kelly - a well known voice on KPCW Radio and a veteran of eight Olympics-brings alive those great moments in U.S. Olympic history in Behind the Gold.A new Behind The Gold airs Monday mornings at 8:30 AM and repeats Friday afternoons at 12:30 PM.Behind the Gold is sponsored by Rosenberg Cooley Metcalf.and the Utah Olympic Park 'Road to Sochi' events.

Inspired Teen

The eyes of America were on the men’s team in 1964 at Innsbruck, but a young girl from Oregon stole the show.

Hi, this is Tom Kelly and I’ll be right back with the Olympic story Behind the Gold.

An Olympics in your home country brings great excitement across a nation. It also inspires youth who are captivated by their heroes. Oregon’s Jean Saubert was a young teenager who was inspired by watching Penny Pitou and Betsy Snite-Riley beaming with pride as they medaled in Squaw Valley at the 1960 Olympic Winter Games. The high school senior relished her experience and went back home more motivated than ever. She was the dominant women's ski racer in America and headed to the 1964 Olympics on a wave of publicity. Despite a focus on the U.S. men, it was Saubert who would initiate the U.S. medals with bronze in slalom and silver in GS.

The Hall of Famer went on to attend BYU and become a teacher in her native Oregon, before dying from cancer in 2007. She relived her Olympic moment as a torch bearer prior the to Salt Lake City Olympics. She didn’t bring out her medals often, but every four years her students had the opportunity to learn about her past glory. Today those medals are on display at the USSA center of excellence in Park City.

This is Tom Kelly with Behind the Gold … Only in Park City … Only on KPCW.

Behind the Gold is sponsored by Rosenberg Cooley Metcalf.

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