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Olympic Flame Burns Bright in Santa Monica

By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

June 16 -- The road to this summer’s Olympic games in Greece passed through Santa Monica Wednesday, as torchbearers -- including some celebrities and politicians-- trotted down several city streets giving locals the chance to witness the international event.

In true Los Angeles fashion, among the dozens chosen to kick off the American leg of the jog across five continents were celebrities Tom Cruise, Ellen DeGenerous and Sylvester Stallone, each of whom ran quarter-mile intervals as part of the 40 mile-jog from the coast to Dodger’s Stadium.

The “Rocky” theme song played in the background as Stallone set off from the Venice beach into Santa Monica and handed off the torch to LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

Police escort Olympic torch runner as he makes his way up the Third Street Promenade. (Photo courtesy of Bayside Disrict Corporation)

By the time the torch reached Main Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, hundreds of well-wishers crowded the street and cheered as a young woman dressed in white runners garb, hair in a ponytail, smiled and waved with one hand, while holding high in the other a torch that will help ignite the flame that will burn bright over Athens through the duration of the games in late August.

Local resident Apryl Mefford-Memauer said she jumped out of bed at 8:45, threw on her roller skates and light blue and white sweat suit and wheeled down to the site with camcorder in hand.

“It really kind of made you feel like you’re connected with the rest of the world,” said Mefford-Memauer. “It was just an amazing opportunity to experience a part of history. I taped it for my parents who had to work today. I thought they’d find it neat.”

Jackie Boyd held delicately the hand of one of her 3rd grade students from SMASH, who enthusiastically waved a small, blue and white Grecian flag while her teacher spoke.

“We wanted to make sure that they got to be apart of this historic event which honors all athletes,” said Boyd of the class’ two-block field trip. “It’s really a tradition that emphasizes world unity and multiculturalism, and that’s something we emphasize in the classroom. It’s just nice to see it practiced out in the world.”

Back at school, Boyd said her class would discuss what they witnessed on the cloudy morning.

“You have to remember they’re still pretty young,” she said, “and this is a first-time experience for them.”

Wednesday’s run is part of a long tradition that began at the 1936 Berlin Games with the Olympic Relay Race and is a symbolic gesture honoring the mythological Greek figure, Prometheus, who first stole fire from the gods bringing wisdom and knowledge to man.

The flame is rekindled every two years, and was lit again on March 25 in a traditional ceremony performed at the Temple of Hera in ancient Olympia, Greece, according information from the Olympic committee’s website.

In 35 days, more than 3,600 torchbearers will run in cities across the world, passing before an estimated 260 million people. The flame will visit every city that has hosted the Summer Olympic Games, thus its stop in Los Angeles, which hosted the games in 1932 and 1984.

The flame arrived in Los Angeles from Mexico City and will continue its nearly 47,000-mile journey onto St. Louis, Atlanta, New York City and then leave the United States for Montreal, Canada.

Torchbearers will run into Athens on August 13 as the paramount event before the opening of the 2004 Olympic games.

Wire stories contributed to this report.
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