This episode of A New York Minute in History recalls the “Miracle on Ice,” when the U.S. Men’s Hockey team upset the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. [Read more…] about 40 Years After An Olympic Miracle
winter sports
Events Added for 1980 Olympics Celebration
Lake Placid is one of only three cities world-wide to have hosted two Olympic Winter Games, 1932 and 1980. Since then, it has played host to annual World Cup events and other large-scale sporting competitions.
The community is set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games from February 13-23.
[Read more…] about Events Added for 1980 Olympics Celebration
Ski, Snowshoe Into Adirondack Great Camp History
While the grounds of Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb are open to visitors 365 days a year, the buildings are not typically open to the public during winter months.
The exception are designated Winter Weekends, when the rustic historic site is staffed with guides, and snowshoes are provided at the gate for the ten-mile round trip.
[Read more…] about Ski, Snowshoe Into Adirondack Great Camp History
Art on Ice: Gilded Age Figure Skating
Figure skating has changed tremendously in the last 100 years: many of the dramatic jumps, spins and acrobatics of the 21st century were unheard of a century ago, and the clothing, skates, and ice surface of the Gilded Age created a very different sport than the modern one we know.
Combining two areas of expertise, Staatsburgh State Historic Site’s curator, Maria Reynolds, who is also a competitive figure skater, will explore the popularity of skating during the Gilded Age on January 18, 2020, at 1 pm. Staatsburgh’s former resident, Ruth Mills, was an avid skater, and this talk will also explore some of the moves that she performed. [Read more…] about Art on Ice: Gilded Age Figure Skating
Lake Placid Celebrating 1980 Olympics 40th Anniversary
Forty years ago this February, the Adirondack village of Lake Placid hosted the 13th Olympic Winter Games. The U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team’s improbable win over the Russians, known as the “Miracle on Ice,” along with speed skater Eric Heiden’s five gold medals, helped make the 1980 Lake Placid Games one with an enduring legacy.
From February 14 – 23, the two-time Olympic village (the first winter games to be hosted outside of Europe took place in Lake Placid in 1932) is set to host a full slate of activities. [Read more…] about Lake Placid Celebrating 1980 Olympics 40th Anniversary
Jack Lagree: Dannemora’s Bobsled Guru
Long before the 2015 escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat, the word Dannemora instantly conjured images of the prison. While the high wall dominates the landscape, the village does have other historical connections, some of them in the world of sports, including one through the person of John “Jack” Lagree. Jack was a native of Churubusco, a tiny hamlet in northwestern Clinton County.
Blessed with engineering talent, mechanical skill, and a strong, traditional, North Country work ethic, he rose to national prominence in the world of bobsleigh competition (referred to hereafter by the more popular term, bobsled). [Read more…] about Jack Lagree: Dannemora’s Bobsled Guru