The team behind the team: University Of Utah Health Care named U.S. Olympic partner: University of Utah Health Care.

Who can forget the thrill of those 16 action-packed days in February of 2002?

Apolo Anton Ohno thrust short-track speedskating into the American consciousness with his gutsy performances; long-tracker Derek Parra became the first Mexican-American to capture Winter Olympic gold; and Jimmy Shea--racing with a photograph of his grandfather Jack Shea, a gold medalist in his own right who had been killed by a drunken driver just weeks earlier--seized skeleton glory in his sport's first Olympic appearance since the 1948 St. Moritz, Switzerland Games.

With the gold secured, a jubilant Shea rose from his sled, his arms outstretched in triumph, his helmet in one hand and his picture of his grandfather in the other--and Utahns had a front-row seat.

For those two dramatic weeks, we volunteered at venues, cheered for hometown heroes, collected pins and enjoyed the unique opportunity of trying to catch a glimpse of world-class lugers fly past our heads at 90 miles per hour.

14 years later, the Olympic Spirit is once again coming to Utah in an official capacity.

"The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and University of Utah Health Care (UUHC) have signed a unique agreement that will allow the two organizations to work very closely together," said University President David Pershing, Ph.D. "We believe it will leverage the U's world-class medical services, our medical research capabilities, and, yes, our education resources, particularly in the area of business, to support the top 1,000 athletes in Team USA."

With the May announcement, UUHC became the first academic medical center and third overall member of the USOC's National Medical Network. As a national health care partner, the U will be entrusted to care for our top U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, providing specialties including orthopedic medicine, dentistry, psychiatry, ophthalmology and neurosurgery services, with an eye on giving our athletes that extra competitive edge that could mean the difference between reaching the podium and going home empty-handed.

Bill Moreau, D.C., D.A.C.B.S.P., C.S.C.S., the USOC's managing director of sports medicine researched the U for years before determining it was the right match.

"[UUHC] was invited by the USOC to be a national-level partner because of their longstanding history of high-quality medical care, leadership in sports medicine, research initiatives and a location that allows them to support key winter sports," Moreau said.

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