The alpine team from Ireland posed for pictures and waved to people who wished them luck from the chairlift. The team has attracted nearly as much attention as most celebrities, partly because Irish athletes train on plastic slopes in Dublin. There's also that fact that many Americans, including those on the ski team, have Irish ancestry, and they seemed to want to chat with the Irish team. Alaska State Troopers also were hits and in high demand for pictures posed with athletes. Two athletes from the Republic of Georgia, once a part of the Soviet Union, stood next to the officers on the tippy-toes of their ski boots and smiled wide as their coach snapped shots.
Competition resumes today.
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