Real Salt Lake FW Jamie Watson participated in the Utah Summer Games Opening Ceremonies held in Cedar City, UT on Thursday, June 15, 2006. Watson, along with former NFL star Merlin Olsen, was revealed as the Official Torch Lighter of the Cauldron. The two lit the cauldron in front of a crowd of 15,000 athletes and fans who supported and participated in the games.
As a part of the torch lighting sequence leading up to the Opening Ceremonies, the torch is passed at several events throughout Utah lighting a mini cauldron much like the Olympic torch ceremonies. The torch was passed by Hall of Honor Inductees at the RSL home game on June 3 igniting a mini-cauldron at RSL's home game versus Chicago at Rice-Eccles Stadium. At the Summer Games Opening Ceremonies, just under two weeks later, the torch was then passed to Watson who ran a lap around the track, addressed the crowd encouraging sportsmanship and endurance, and lit the main cauldron along with Olsen.
This year's games celebrated the Utah Summer Games 21st Anniversary. Other celebrities who participated included recording artist and country singer Mark Wills, NBA All-Stars and Utah Jazz veterans Mark Eaton and Thurl Bailey, RSL Mascot Leonardo the Lion and the Utah Jazz Bear. The night's culmination of performances and events led up to a fireworks show.
For more information about Real Salt Lake and player appearances throughout the community, please contact Jamie Barton, Community Relations Manager, at (801) 924-8580 or jbarton@realsaltlake.com.
