ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608090037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press WILLIAMSBURG
MEMO: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.
YOU'VE JUST WON a gold medal. Where are you going now? You say Disney World? Try again..
After years of nonstop training and two weeks of intense competition in Atlanta, 200 U.S. Olympic athletes began two days of roller coaster rides and water slides Thursday.
The biggest names from the Summer Games were absent from the promotional junket at Busch Gardens and Water Country USA, but those who came were besieged by autograph seekers. Busch Gardens gave away autograph books to its paying visitors Thursday.
Swimmers Ray Carey and Kurt Grote peeled off the navy blue shirts the park issued to the athletes and tried to get a break from the autographs by blending in with the crowd.
``It's just hard to get through the park and on the rides,'' said Carey, of Marblehead, Mass. ``There's times today when we want to sit down and sign autographs, but we also want to have fun.
``It's kind of like if your shoelaces came untied, and you had stop every 10 steps and you have to bend down and tie the shoelaces,'' said Grote, of San Diego, Calif.
Swimmer Janet Evans, who failed in Atlanta to add to the four gold medals she had won from the 1992 and 1988 Olympics, was there, but not for rest or relaxation. She seemed weary.
``I came here to work,'' Evans said between interviews she was conducting for ESPN with fellow Olympians. ``The last time I was home was on July9.''
The biggest stars from the Atlanta games were absent. Dan O'Brien was in Los Angeles, where he appeared Wednesday on ``The Tonight Show'' with Jay Leno. Carl Lewis was in New York where he appeared on ``Live With Regis and Kathie Lee'' Thursday morning. Even Dream Team member Hakeem Olajuwon, who in June had come to Williamsburg to promote the visit, was missing.
But it didn't darken the day for those who showed up.
``This is our celebration time together,'' said Leah O'Brien of Chino, Calif., who won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. women's softball team.
She and her teammates were still flushed with the excitement of meeting President Clinton and hanging out with first daughter Chelsea at the White House on Wednesday.
``We were like, `Chelsea, we were going to bring you a bat, but you know, you could have your own team and put a field in the front yard of this place,''' said outfielder Dionna Harris of Wilmington, Del. ``You can invite us over any time you want, and we'll do free lessons, the whole deal.''
Softball team members' autographs were among the most-sought Thursday.
``You made us damn proud,'' park visitor Elaine Korva of New York City told team members she had asked to sign her autograph book.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Gymnast Kip Simons and swimmer Janet Evans rideby CNBthe Loch Ness Monster roller coaster Thursday. 2. Sporting an
Olympics paint job, Kim Rhode, gold medalist in double trap
shooting, writes a post card Thursday. color.