Theme Reveal:
65. Event whose only six U.S. hosts are answers in this puzzle : THE OLYMPICS - Three U.S. host cities for both Summer and Olympic competition. Three are in the horizontal fill, two in the vertical fill and one city with three words is split between two horizontal fills and one vertical fill.
Theme answers with notable events for each (fully realizing your recollections may be very different):
17. California ski resort (1960) : SQUAW VALLEY - Figure skating champion Carol Heiss cashed in her celebrity as quickly as she could
25. Peach State capital (1996) : ATLANTA - Perhaps best remembered for "The Greatest" being revealed as the secret torch lighter
27. With 39-Across and 61-Down, metropolis near the Wasatch Range (2002) : SALT 39. See 27-Across : LAKE 61. See 27-Across : CITY - A tattered flag from the World Trade center bombing which occurred only five months previous was a prominent part of the opening ceremonies.
52. Home of the Blues (1904) : ST LOUIS - The first Olympics in the U.S. was awarded to ST. LOUIS because it was also having a World's Fair and threatened to stage AAU track competition simultaneously if Chicago was selected. Only 12 countries showed up and the U.S. had 523 of the 630 athletes.
11. Home to the NFL's Rams (1932, 1984) : LOS ANGELES - Many consider Babe Didrikson Zaharias to be the finest female athlete of all time and she won 3 gold medals at the '32 olympics. She was limited to 3 events and won or tied for the win in all three but was eliminated from the high jump for "illegal technique" of her head going over first which is widely used today.
The '84 games were boycotted by the U.S.S.R. and 13 other aligned nations. Carl Lewis set the goal of winning the same four gold medals that Jesse Owens had won in front of Hitler in 1936 and did just that.
29. New York resort in the Adirondacks (1932, 1980) : LAKE PLACID - Like Carol Heiss, our crossword friend also cashed in on 1932 figure skating Olympic gold
Here is my most memorable Olympic moment: The U.S. amateurs defeating the highly favored and very experienced Soviet hockey team in the '80 hockey semifinals that led to Al Michaels' famous "Do you believe in miracles?" call. This is my favorite amateur sports memory that didn't involve Huskers!
Despite all the issues I will watch some of the Rio coverage but wouldn't travel down there for anything. Let's see what other events Joel and Andrea have for us:
Across
1. TV workers' union : AFTRA - The Screen Actors' Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists merged in 2012
11. "__ It Go": hit song from "Frozen" : LET - Easier advice to dispense than take
14. Smallish iPods : NANOS
15. Eucalyptus eater : KOALA
16. Daily Defense skin care brand : OXY - Quite an arsenal
19. Weaken : SAP
20. Stellar : ASTRAL
21. Some cameras : SLR'S
22. Master : ACE
23. Sci. subject : ANAT
30. Quick drink : SIP
32. Participate in karaoke : SING - What all these machines need...
33. 60 minuti : ORA - 37. Capital SSE of Firenze : ROMA - "A ROMA ci sono 60 minuti in un'ORA (In Rome, there are 60 minutes in an hour)" 68. Pisa place : ITALY completes the mini-theme trifecta
34. "Really?" : IT IS
36. Jetties : PIERS - Jetties extending out into new Lake Wanahoo behind the dam by Wahoo, NE
41. Actress Sevigny : CHLOE
43. Pebble-in-puddle sound : PLOP
44. Thumbs-up critic : EBERT - Of this movie, he said, "I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than 'The Brown Bunny.'"
46. That señorita : ELLA
47. Revealing rock genre : EMO
48. Look closely (over) : PORE
50. Stockholm airline : SAS
51. Exam for many sophs : PSAT
55. Tilt-A-Whirl, e.g. : RIDE - Do the people who set up and maintain these instill confidence in you?
57. Starbucks order : TEA
58. Mil. ranks : SGTS
60. Subsidiary of Fiat : LANCIA - Brigitte Bardot in a LANCIA Flavia. Nice lines!
64. Curved path : ARC
67. Calendar col. : FRI
69. Bloke's buddy : MATEY
70. G-man : FED
71. Synthetic fabric : NYLON
72. "Family Ties" mom : ELYSE
Down
1. Ancient jug handle : ANSA - We had this recently but it didn't stick in my brain box
2. Online help pgs. : FAQS
3. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT
4. Obviously enjoy, as a joke : ROAR AT
5. Nile dam : ASWAN
6. Blotter letters : AKA
7. Mars days, in "The Martian" : SOLS - During his SOLS on Mars, Watney grew potatoes using a unique fertilizer
8. __ lily : CALLA
9. "Fore!" et al. : ALERTS
10. Stub with withholding info : PAY SLIP
12. Better than estimated : EXACT
13. Far from laid-back : TYPE-A - One take on this idea
18. Big name in pickles : VLASIC
24. Sunday contribution : TITHE
26. "There's __ in the air" : A NIP
27. Part of a shoe : SOLE
28. Speedy steed : ARAB
31. Medicinal units : PILLS - My double transplant recipient golf partner takes 39 PILLS/day, 14,235/yr
35. __ eclipse : SOLAR
38. Windex target : SPOT
40. Buck chaser? : EROO
42. With little effort : EASILY
45. Rely on : TRUST IN
49. Interstate through Cheyenne : EIGHTY
51. Foreign correspondent? : PEN PAL
52. Employees : STAFF
53. __ Haute : TERRE
54. Rickey Henderson specialty : STEAL
56. Actor Jean-Claude Van __ : DAMME
59. Diva's offering : SOLO
62. Finishes, as cupcakes : ICES
63. "__ sow, so shall ... " : AS YE
66. Former White House adviser Nofziger : LYN - "The executive branch has grown too strong, the judicial branch too arrogant and the legislative branch too stupid."
Now let's race on to see your comments on this fun puzzle and perhaps an Olympic memory as well. Please stay in your own lane!
The Grid
Notes from C.C.:
1) Congratulations on Joel Elkins on his LA Times debut! He also teamed up with dear Andrea Carla Michaels for his NYT debut last month.
2) Happy Birthday to our sweet Melissa B, who's going to become a first-time grandma soon. Her daughter is expecting her first daughter on August 13th.
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| Left to Right: Melissa's daughter, Melissa's mom Barbara B, Melissa |
