during the summer of 1990 a group of sponsors put forth a major effort to get holliday to the 1992 winter olympics. there were dozens of articles on holliday, countless radio spots, and at least four different television reports, including a segment on the today show (sportsman of the week, narrated by deborah norville). father george clements and alderman danny k. davis (29th ward) championed holliday's cause, even chicago's mayor richard m. daley met the skater and donated $250 to his training expenses. the park district agreed to let holliday skate for free at the mcfetridge sports complex, which had the only indoor skating rink in the city. although the waived charges were only a couple of dollars, they made a difference to holliday, and the independence bank of chicago, a black-owned south-side institution, agreed to hold donations in a special "larry holliday olympic fund."