5 replies to this topic

[kernowboy]

The current USA 2022 bids all are focused on the West Coast, either the Rockies or Sierra Nevada with Denver, Reno/Lake Tahoe and Salt Lake City. Maybe a case of 'been there, done that'. On the east coast it has seemed that only Lake Placid might be suitable. But could MAINE be a suitable site.

Any bid would be centred on the Portland-Lewiston-South Portland conurbation, with a population of 600,000+

The natural side

Two mountains could be used for the Alpine Events, SugarLoaf and the Sunday River ski resorts. SugarLoaf has a vertical drop of 860m, whilst the Sunday River resort has a drop of 710m. The latter is just over 70miles from Portland, whilst the forrmer is 130miles away though a more direct route of 115miles exists which could be upgraded.

All within the distance that the IOC allows

Indoor events

A state fond of Ice Hockey, but small at the moment in terms of suitable arenas. Current arenas include

Cumberland County Event Center 6,733 (Portland Pirates AHL)
Portland Expostion Building 3,100 (Maine Red Claws, NBA D-League)
Portland Ice Arena 750
Androscoggin Bank Colisee 4,000 (ex-Lewiston Maniacs of the QMJHL)

With 5 arenas needed the following could be utilised

A new Pirates arena (13,000) - Ice Hockey
The Exposition Building (3,000) - Curling
Androscoggin (5-6,000) - upgraded and used as a secondary Ice Hockey venue
A temporary figure skating arena (12,000) - this could be reduced after the games serving as a venue for the Red Claws with the additional seating being used at the proposed new Bangor, ME Arena.
A speed skating venue (8,000) coverted after the games into a conference venue as they did in Turin

As for opening ceremony, what Victoria did for the 1994 Commonwealth Games might be fitting for the new cost effective IOC approach. Here they used temporary seating to increase the capacity of the Centennial stadium from 5,000 to 30,000 seats. Turin 2006 Olympic stadium had a capacity for 28,000. Fitzpatrick Stadium, currently with a capacity of 6,500 could be similarily upgraded.

With the proximity of a major population in Boston just over 100miles to the South, a games in New England based around Portland and Maine could be a strong candidate in my opinion

[Quaker2001]

kernowboy, on 02 February 2012 - 09:14 AM, said:

With the proximity of a major population in Boston just over 100miles to the South, a games in New England based around Portland and Maine could be a strong candidate in my opinion

That's a long trip from Portland to Carrabassett Valley, a lot of which isn't on major roads. Sunday River is closer, but again, no major roads there. I get having an Eastern alternative to the usual choices in the U.S. for a Winter Olympics, but there's a reason most of them are there. They have bigger mountains. There's no way Portland can compete with the likes of Reno/Tahoe and Denver and Salt Lake. IMO, they would not be a strong candidate and would probably be wasting their time if they even tried.

[baron-pierreIV]

Basically, the snow is NOT as good in the East as it is out west. it's a wetter snow in the east vs. pure powder in the west. Plus, West Coast times fit very nicely with optimum prime time in the East. So overall, there's no contest.

Edited by baron-pierreIV, 02 February 2012 - 12:53 PM.

[Kenadian]

East Coast mountains and resorts are smaller and are too far from the major cities. And often the snow quality is icy.

Lake Placid may have had two Winter Olympics in the past, but while the 1932 Games were a fine size, the 1980 Games were a big stretch for them. Skip to 30+ years later and even bigger Olympics in cities like Salt Lake, Torino, Vancouver or countries like Russia and Korea that place the Games as national brand and status building events (something the US doesn't get from the Olympics) and you have a very difficult time going back to Lake Placid.

[stir.ts]

Before that I would consider Portland or Albuquerque....probably even more before "that" (out east). But once you're spoiled over here there's really nothing to consider beyond the Rockies, unless you are stuck living somewhere out east and it's convenient or your backyard hill.

[deawebo]

Not gonna hapoen... Let the SOG to the East Coast, and the WOG to the West Coast i mean even Reno sounds better than the East Coast...