ICE SCULPTURE FESTIVAL IS FAST TRACK TO OLYMPICS

ICE SCULPTURE FESTIVAL IS FAST TRACK TO OLYMPICS

PLYMOUTH, Mich. (Wireless Flash) -- Ice sculptors hoping to carve a path all the way to the next Winter Olympics will be gathering in Plymouth, Michigan, this Wednesday (Jan. 17). That's when the 2001 Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular gets underway -- which is the first round of competition for ice carvers hoping to skate into the Winter Olympics. Ice sculpting is a currently just a demonstration sport in the Olympics, but that doesn't stop these athletes from carving ice blocks weighing hundreds of pounds each using chainsaws and blowtorches. The tools may sound crude, but they can create delicate works of art like last year's winner -- a ballerina with a skirt of rippling pleats. An estimated $15,000 is divided by winners in categories ranging from amateur to professional, but the real prestige is continuing on to the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.