ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, August 1, 1996 TAG: 9608010038
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Our Eyes In Atlanta
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
NOTE: Below
AND THAT'S PARTLY because there's so much fun stuff to do.
What's the nicest thing about the Olympic Village?
It's cool - in every sense of the word.
As a practical matter: For the first time in Olympic history, every room in the village is air-conditioned.
The Atlanta Games' residence for most Olympic athletes, coaches and officials occupies 270 of the 330 acres of the Georgia Tech campus. It includes new housing and old. It is separated from the rest of Atlanta, including the adjacent Aquatics Center, by 10-foot chain-link fencing.
Security is tight, even more so since the bomb exploded on these Games in Centennial Park five days ago. There was some concern before the Games about the location of the village, alongside I-85.
Since then, the biggest worry has been when you might get a turn at the pool tables, an appointment in the hair salon, or deciding what you might want at the 24-hour dining hall where Aramark cooks from 550 recipes.
The village has been a well-watched venue particularly since the 1972 Munich Games, when Israeli athletes were massacred after terrorists invaded the village. Here, the athletes from 197 nations don't seem to notice the security much.
They're too busy doing whatever else there is to do in the village.
And that's lots.
``It's just a really comfortable place,'' said U.S. shooter Ben Amonette of Radford, who lived in the village for about two weeks before returning home a week ago. ``The food's good. The rooms are nice.''
And that's just the beginning, as a visitor with a day pass can see. The village is pretty much like everything else at the Olympics - you're welcomedwelcoming.
More than 14,000 residents have checked in during the Games. They live in 76 housing facilities, including 17 new apartment buildings and even Tech fraternity and sorority houses, which have been renovated.
Away from their rooms, what they've found iss tables, a disco, a movie theater and a coffee house. In the Olympic store, they've bought an average of more than 3,000 postcards per day.
Where there was a library in past villages, the Tech site has an Internet pavilion. There are concerts regularly for the athletes, and among the entertainers have been Hootie and the Blowfish.
There's also a Religious Services Center, which has places of worship for the five faiths that span most of the world - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.
``It's like a whole other city in here,'' said U.S. heavyweight boxer David Clay-Bey. ``Nobody gets bored.''
You never know who you'll see where or when. On one of my brief visits, tennis star Monica Seles - whose residence was one floor above Amonette's, he said - was bowling. For the first time in her life. In bare feet. No concern about her switching tours.
Some of the elite athletes - the Dream Team, for example - have chosen to stay in hotels. Seles is glad she chose to be one of the village people.
``I've had a great time here,'' she said after her quarterfinal loss on the courts Tuesday. ``I've met a lot of great people in the village.''
A bowling center clerk said the Ukrainian athletes have been regulars at the lanes and seem most intrigued by a sport they've never seen before. ``Now, they don't fall down the lane after they release the ball,'' he said.
Willie Banks, an Atlantan and two-time Olympian and former world-record holder in the triple jump, is the man in charge of enlivening the more than two weeks of activity in the village.
``Having fun can be tiring,'' Banks said.
And a challenge.
Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Dome and Olympic Stadium aren't the only crowded places at these Games. Bowling lanes have been packed. Want to play billiards? You just about need an appointment.
The massage-therapy room and laser-tag facility always seem occupied, village regulars say. Want a haircut? Get in line.
The first day the village was open, only 22 customers were served. That figure is up to 450 per day. The manicurist said she is maxed out at 10-12 customers daily. (Hey, if you're going to be be on TV competing, you want a trim, nail job and wax, right?)
There's even been a bit of Olympic lobbying in the village. Last week, the International Bowling Federation had a tournament on the lanes, and several top pros held an exhibition - all part of the IBF's hopes to make bowling an Olympic sport in the future.
The village's transportation system is the largest electric vehicle operation in the world. The environmentally correct system includes trams, buses and 351 golf carts.
Athletes can find other transportation, too. With some competitions finished and the Games ending Sunday, athletes don't need to leave this home away from home to find a way home.
The village has its own travel agency.
Four years ago, Barcelona's Olympic village, although warm in more than one way without AC, was hailed for its private beach. So, what's most special about the Atlanta village?
``That's a tough question,'' Banks said.
For most of the world's athletes, there really is no place like this home.
LENGTH: Medium: 99 linesby CNB