Between the Lines

Georgia on Our Minds
By Larry Burke, Publisher/Editor-In-Chief

Ah, the crack of the starting guns. the majestic swoop of butterfly strokes. The trembly-lipped solemnity of national anthems. Yes, they're upon us once again: the inspiring, annoying, not-to-be-missed Olympic Games. This year's Games promise to be more state-of-the-art, more glitzy, and (who would have thought it possible?) more aggressively marketed than ever. In addition to all of the classic events we've come to love, two new sports--mountain biking and beach volleyball--will make their debut, signaling the International Olympic Committee's embrace of younger, more modern notions of sport. It seems fitting, then, that these New Olympics should be set in Atlanta, that unabashedly mercantile capital of the New South that has been reconstructing itself ever since it was dreamed up by railroad tycoons in the 1840s.

So what does all this concerted face-lifting amount to? Look no further than our special report, "The 1996 Summer Games: Are You Ready for the Bubbalympics?" Senior editor Brad Wetzler and associate editor Adam Horowitz marshaled our 16 Olympic correspondents to produce an indispensible 30-page guide, complete with our own sport-by-sport prognostications, that you'll want to keep close at hand throughout the Games. It's all here: the duels and dramas, the intrigue, the commerce, the stage managing, and the inside politics of this most conspicuously current of Olympiads.

Frequent contributor and former Atlantan Paul Kvinta kicks off the section with an amusing look at how the city has primped for this shining moment in the world's electric eye. Then, in "The New Olympic Ideal?", correspondent Rob Buchanan travels to the citrus-scented exurbs of Tampa to check in on the burgeoning career of swimmer Brooke Bennett, our newest chlorine diva, who at age 16 already seems to have all the hallmarks--including TV savvy and a GenX zest for trash-talking--necessary for modern-day athletic stardom. On page 56, Todd Balf sizes up the field of wannabe sports (such as surfing, triathlon, and orienteering) that have been diligently rapping on the Olympic door of late. On page 72, Jack Barth treats us to a few of the more humorous "up close and personal" stories--you know, those prepackaged tales of tragedy and triumph over all the odds--that are already starting to leap from the lips and r‹sum‹s of this year's Olympians. In "Is Everything to Your Liking, Mr. Samaranch?", our new executive editor and longtime contributor John Tayman takes an intriguing look at what's required to land a future Games in your own fair city. Though once you've seen how completely your hometown will have to grovel at the feet of the all-powerful IOC, you may be tempted just to say, "Frankly, my dear..."

Last, but by no means least, for all of you who plan to prop up your feet in front of the tube (and perhaps enter into a little informal wagering among friends), we offer "the book" on 48 separate Olympic events, from decathlon to kayaking to crew. These carefully distilled tout sheets, pulled together by Gretchen Reynolds (who'll be joining us next month as a senior editor) and a team of other prescient writers, detail all of the dominant themes, rivalries, and odds-on favorites that you'll want to keep a close eye on as the Games unfold.

Elsewhere in this issue: correspondent Doug Peacock takes off for the fjords and rainforests of British Columbia's central coast, a vast fogbelt that may be the last great patch of primeval geography in North America. Lately, however, the region's old-growth stands have been falling to the chainsaws of commercial loggers--more or less with the blessing of the provincial government. "[It's] a landscape unlike any other on the continent," writes Peacock in his evocative Field Notes column, "The Last Wilderness", "But time is running out."

One final note: As you've doubtless heard by now, ten mountain climbers, including legendary alpinists Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, perished on Mount Everest last May, in what would become the deadliest season ever recorded on the peak. This month, in our Dispatches pages, Outside Online managing editor Jeff Herr offers a chilling account of the tragedies. And next month's issue will feature an in-depth report by longtime contributing editor Jon Krakauer, who was on the summit ridge with the Hall and Fischer teams when the now infamous storm rolled in. Krakauer, author of the recent best-seller Into the Wild, will recount the deaths of his climbing mates while considering the growing problem of inexperienced client-adventurers and what should be done to minimize future carnage on the world's rooftop. Stay tuned.