“Those Games individually, genuinely changed me as a person,by far,” says Catherine Raney Norman, recalling the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games. Like many of us who were in Utah in 2002, she remembers the profundity of that moment when, during the opening ceremonies, 50,000 people fell silent as the World Trade Center Flag entered Rice Eccles Stadium. “You felt this sense of unity and hope throughout that moment,” she says. “It transformed me, recognizing it’s so much bigger than me.”
Unlike many of us, Raney Norman was not watching the ceremonies from the stands or from home. She was competing in the 2002 Winter Games as a speedskater for the U.S. Olympic Team. That moment showed her, “The importance and pride and responsibility you carry when representing your country. That’s really a place of privilege as an athlete to have, and we need to respect and honor that and carry that forward.” Now, she’s carrying it forward as one of the people responsible for bringing the Games back to Utah in 2034, as the Chair of the Salt Lake City Committee for the Games (SLC-UT 2034).
“Throughout my entire career as an athlete, I was always deeply involved in being a voice for the athletes,” says Raney Norman. That career took her to skate in four Olympic Games, including 1998 in Nagano, 2002 in Salt Lake City, 2006 in Turin and 2010 in Vancouver, and eventually to athlete representative and Vice Chair of the Team U.S.A. Athletes’ Commission. Then, Utah set its sights on hosting a second Olympics. “We saw a lot of wonderful benefits to our community in 2002, so there was a movement afoot to lay the groundwork to bring the Games back,” says Raney Norman, who served as an advocate for athletes’ rights throughout that movement as well until the Salt Lake City Mayor called on her to do more in 2021.
“Mayor Mendenhall, gave me a ring and said: ‘Hey, we really want you to be the chair of this.’ And I was like, ‘I’m going to daycare to pick my son up, but I’m in,’” says Raney Norman with a chuckle. “It was a tremendous opportunity to lead forward from an athlete perspective. And, female leaders in sports were far and few between in that regard.” She would be able to bring her blend of background and lived experience as an athlete and nuance to the senior leadership level. “As an athlete, we don’t get our skill sets in the classroom, per se. But, we learn international relations, marketing, communication, time management, negotiation. We learn determination and how to set a goal, go after that goal and bounce back from setbacks.” All skills she applied in securing Utah its second Olympics. And, as the chair of the SLC-UT 2034 committee, Raney Norman has nine years to make those Games happen.
“I’m not looking at it from just what are the needs of the athletes. I’m thinking much more multifaceted around this effort,” she explains. 2002 was about getting Utah on the map, and since we’ve done that, the focus for 2034 shifts. “It’s a much bigger vision than just putting on a Games…It’s how we use these games to hopefully improve the everyday lives of Utahns,” says Raney Norman.
The 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are on track to have a huge impact on the infrastructure, society, culture and economy in Utah—including an estimated $6.6 billion economic windfall, and everyone should have a chance to feel those benefits. “We are trying to be inclusive of the entire state. That’s really a pillar that we’re focused on—how can we ensure that somebody in Price or Moab or Goshen feels like they can be a part of this…That requires a lot of thought and intentionality between how we are operating, engaging and embracing our people in our community.”
After all, “I live in this community. I live in this state. This is my home. This is where I’m choosing to raise my family and be a part of the community.”
From athlete to advocate to chair of an Olympic organizing committee, Raney Norman recognizes the importance of the next nine years and getting it right for the future.
“For so many years, I was the athlete who was out on the field of play chasing my dreams. And now, to be in a position where I can pay that forward, and hopefully create the canvas for the next generation, is really important to me.”
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