March cartoon contest salutes the Winter Olympics

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics promised to provide sporting thrills during the Games and political fireworks before them. As this is written before the Games took place, I expect there may be some things that happened apart from competitions that may be worthy of note.

To facilitate your reactions to the 2022 Winter Olympics, we will use the 2006 39¢ Winter Olympic stamp (Scott 3995) as the cartoon caption contest stamp for March. The stamp, which shows a skier, was issued Jan. 11, 2006, to publicize U.S. participation in the 2006 Games in Torino (Turin), Italy.

Given that it is a single stamp where most other U.S. Olympic issues included more stamps, it may have left an impression that the United States was less than enthusiastic. I think the real reason for only one stamp was that the U.S. Postal Service was gearing up for its massive participation in the Washington 2006 world philatelic exhibition to be held a few months later.

That show saw the release of three multi-stamp issues, including two souvenir sheets and the pane of 40 Wonders of America stamps. Also released at the show was a joint issue with Canada marking the 400th anniversary of the 1606 voyage of Samuel de Champlain with a stamp and souvenir sheet.

So the female skier on the contest stamp had to represent the wide variety of sports and U.S. athletes who participated in the 2006 Winter Games.

What was she thinking or saying as she sped down the course? That is yours to determine and suggest. Your task is to imagine yourself in the precarious position pictured and to come up with a line about her participation; her sport; anything else germane to the Olympics, to stamp collecting, to politics; or whatever else comes to mind.

Entries with a touch of humor or irony stand the best chance of winning the contest.

There will be two prizes given to the winners: one for the best philatelic line and one for the best nonphilatelic line.

Put your entry (or entries) on a postcard if possible and send it to me, John Hotchner, Cartoon Contest, Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125; or email it to jmhstamp@verizon.net. If you send an email, it is essential that you include your postal mailing address.

For each winner, the prize will be a 13-week subscription to Linn’s (a new subscription or an extension).

Entries must reach me no later than March 25.

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