SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Jimmy Shea looked a little weary on Saturday. Then somebody asked him about the night before and his blue eyes beamed.

"It was incredible," Shea said of the opening ceremony, where he recited the oath for the 2,526 athletes who will compete at the Winter Olympics. "For all the athletes to vote for me was tremendous. I was just trying not to mess up my words. It was very emotional for my family."

Shea, who will compete in skeleton, was following in the footsteps of his grandfather. Jack Shea recited the oath at the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Games, where he won two speedskating gold medals.

When Jimmy Shea qualified for the U.S. skeleton team in December, the Sheas became the first family to produce three generations of Winter Olympians. Jack's son, Jim, competed in three skiing events at Innsbruck in 1964.

Jack Shea was America's oldest living Winter Olympics gold medalist, and these games were meant to be magical for him. At 91, he was scheduled to take part in the opening ceremony. But he died three weeks ago from internal injuries suffered in a car accident.

"The day grandpa died they called to ask if he wanted to carry the torch," Jimmy Shea said. "When he got in that accident, he was very upset. That was all he could talk about."

Despite Jack Shea's death, his presence was in the air Friday night.

"He was with me, and it was great," Jimmy Shea said. "My sister Sarah called me afterward, and she said she asked her son Willie, `Did you see that on TV? It's gramps standing right next to them.'

"Nobody else could see it, but she said she could see my grandfather standing next to us," Jimmy Shea said. "It was really a moving experience for my family. It was great to have the three of us standing there."

It became even more moving when the torch entered Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium and Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen handed it to the Sheas.

"My father teared up when we saw who it was and took that torch from Bonnie and Dan," Jimmy Shea said. "They're speedskaters, so there's a real connection there with our family. It was just amazing."

Skeleton competition will be conducted Jan. 20. Jimmy Shea says he's ready, and his grandfather will go along for the ride.

"I have his funeral card in my helmet, but I'm concentrating with what I've got to do at that time," said Shea, who won the World Championships in 1999 and is a medal contender. "That's all I'm thinking about. I'm focused right now. Everything's going really well. I'm excited."

And if he doesn't make the podium, that will be all right. Grandpa said so.

"It's not about the gold medals," Jimmy Shea said. "It's about competing. That's what my grandfather always used to say. It's about taking part. This is a great thing when the world comes together in a peaceful, friendly competition. That's what the Olympics are about. It's not the endorsements or the gold medals. It's about the ability to bring the world together. It's about competing, representing your country with honor and grace."

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