TAMPA, Fla.

The saying goes that even a journey of 1,000 miles must begin with a single step.

SALT LAKE CITY - The two top officials of the Salt Lake City Olympic committee resigned today and two other senior employees were placed on paid leave in a dramatic housecleaning amid a bribery scandal.

"It's not exactly a glamour sport," Kemppel said. "We come across the finish line with stuff all over our faces. We all look like we're going to die. But if you ask anybody out here, people really do truly love the sport."

On Sunday, the IOC identified George Mukora as one of nine IOC members implicated in Salt Lake City's successful bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The IOC said Mukora received $34,650 ``for his personal benefit.'' ``I was an innocent victim of circumstances.

SALT LAKE CITY - The top two officials of Salt Lake's Olympic bid were condemned today for ethical violations by an internal investigation of the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the games.

"There's no danger. There's no violence," he said. "In the U.S., if there are guns, there's got to be violence involved. It kind of makes people interested. This is safe, really too safe for them."

Tompkins is trying to qualify for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and said his finishes in Mt. Snow - the last races of the season for him - should help him progress toward that goal. ``For any of the races I've done in the U.S., this is the best I've done,'' Tompkins said.

Schlopy won the men's slalom Wednesday at U.S. Alpine nationals, beating runner-up Casey Puckett by more than one second. Schlopy's two-run combined time was one minute, 29.46 seconds. Puckett was second in 1:30.52 while Sacha Gros was third in 1:31.22.

Tompkins, a disabled mono-ski racer from Juneau, was named to the United States Disabled Alpine National Ski Team on Wednesday, bringing him one giant step closer to his goal of competing in the 2002 Winter Olympics.