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The Centennial Park Bombing

VALDOSTAN AT OLYMPICS ANGERED BY BOMBING

By SAEED AHMED

ATLANTA-- Cheryl Hubbard will talk to you about every aspect of her colorful Olympic experience.

She'll gladly share her anecdotes of the Opening Ceremonies, when she cried for four and a half hours after seeing boxing great Muhammad Ali light the torch.

Or about the Dream Team versus Angola basketball game, where she had third row seats.

Just don't get her started on the Centennial Olympic Park explosion.

``It was a lunatic who had nothing better to do except ruin it for the rest of us because he has no life of his own," said the 30-year-old market researcher from UPS.

Hubbard has every reason to be livid.

``We were here when the bomb went off," she said.

``We were dancing with some people from Germany and Russia and everyone was having a good time.

``And then this loony had to go off his end. At first we thought it was a speaker or something that had blown off.

``We stood in the spot, took pictures, walked away and thanked God that it wasn't our time to go yet."

Despite the close call, Hubbard came down early Tuesday morning to the park to join thousands more in a celebration of the reopening of the venue.

She sat with visitors from around the world and sang songs, prayed and offered support to one another.

``I am here because they only way to get past it is to confront it, deal with it and move on," she said.

Elsewhere in the park, someone had scribbled "Atlanta Prevails. Cowards go back to your caves " on the Community Painting Site -- a huge canvas where visitors can paint messages and pictures.

And many prominent figures strolled through the park in what Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell called ``the most tangible expression of the security of this place."

They included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Greco-Roman wrestler Matt Ghaffair and members of the U.S. women's basketball team.

Hubbard commended the increased security at the park and said it would put the focus on the important things, like the competitions.

``I think the media hyped it up too much," she said of the blast coverage. ``It is unfortunate that someone died, but it wasn't as bad as they made it out on TV."

Still, park security isn't taking any chances. Security has been beefed up almost twofold following the blast. And visitors must consent to bag searches upon entrance.