Posts Tagged ‘ORDA’

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Mountain Biking Returns to Whiteface

Although the alpine ski season has come to an end, skiers and boarders will be replaced by mountain bikers when the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and the Whiteface Mountain Bike Park, operated by High Peaks Cyclery, team up again to bring mountain biking to Wilmington’s Olympic mountain this summer and fall.

Season passes are available through the end of April and you can purchase yours for just $199, a $100 savings off the regular price. All season passes and daily lift tickets offer lift-serviced mountain biking via the Cloudsplitter gondola and the High Peaks Cyclery shuttle bus. From there, riders can access 27 hand-built downhill and cross country mountain bike trails, for all levels and abilities, which twist and run between the ski trails that go through streams and woods and meander next to waterfalls. Riders will also find single-track trails between some of the ski trails used for the 1980 Winter Games.

Biking on Whiteface begins with a Bonus Weekend, Friday through Sunday, June 18-20, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each day. Beginning Friday, June 25, and continuing through Labor Day, the bike park will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. From Labor Day to Columbus Day, biking will be available Friday through Sunday, from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

During weekends this year, at 11:30 a.m., there will be a free guided tour of the upper mountain, while at 3:30 p.m. each day, everyone is invited to participate in the traditional end of the day group ride. Adult daily tickets are $35, while children, 12 and under, can ride for just $24.

Bike rentals are available, as are protective gear including helmets, chest protectors and padding, everything that you need to have a safe experience.


Friday, March 5, 2010

Pictures from the Parade for Local Olympians

Nine Olympians from Lake Placid and Saranac Lake were welcomed home like heroes and friends in Saranac Lake this afternoon. Here are some of the photographs we took. It was a great event. Congratulations, all.

Here is a link to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise story, with wonderful photos. Super Nancie Battaglia photos are mixed with her Olympic shots on NCPR’s site.

Photograph of Ursula Trudeau of Saranac Lake carrying an Olympic boquet replica


Sunday, February 7, 2010

Lake Placid to Celebrate 1980 Games With Events

If you can’t make to the Olympic Games in Vancouver, Lake Placid will be hosting a 30th anniversary celebration of the 1980 XIII Olympic Winter Games February 12th to 28th. The event will feature a competition in which families will go head to head in alpine skiing/snowboarding, biathlon target shooting, bobsled, curling, hockey skills, and speedskating. The inaugural Gold Medal Games Family Edition will also feature a torch run, opening ceremonies, and medals and awards. Sporting events will be held in the same venues that were used during the 1980 winter games when the U.S. hockey team stunned the world winning by beating the Soviet Union and Eric Heiden won five Olympic speedskating gold medals.

“That was an incredible moment in history, not only for Lake Placid, but for the entire country,” noted Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) president/CEO Ted Blazer. “Those Games will forever be remembered for overcoming the impossible, whether, it’s a small Upstate New York village hosting the world’s largest sporting event, or the U.S. hockey team defeating the heavily favored former-Soviet Union on their way to gold. And who can forget what Eric accomplished in speedskating or what Phil Mahre did in the alpine events. Moments and memories like these only come around once in a lifetime.”

Here is more from the press release announcing the events:

The 1980 torch will be re-lit on Saturday, Feb. 13. On Sunday, Feb. 14, visitors can embrace the greatest moment in American sports history with an opportunity to watch Disney’s “Miracle” in the 1980 Olympic arena, the same arena where the U.S. Olympic hockey team stunned the former-Soviet Union before beating Finland on their way to the gold medal. The movie, starring Kurt Russell as the legendary U.S. team coach Herb Brooks, begins at 8:30 p.m., preceded by the debut of “Small Town, Big Dreams,” at 7 p.m. Other Olympic themed movies will be shown throughout the two-week celebration in the Olympic Museum.

Additional activities will include a viewing of the NHL’s Stanley Cup, also in the Olympic Museum, Sunday, Feb. 14, toboggan races, fireworks and family style celebrations on Mirror Lake.

For more information on the 30th Anniversary of the Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games, visit www.whitefacelakeplacid.com/family.


Sunday, November 15, 2009

World Cup Bobsled, Skeleton Returns to Lake Placid

The 2009-10 FIBT World Cup bobsled and skeleton season is underway and some of world’s best bobsledders and skeleton athletes will be coming to the Olympic Sports Complex track in Lake Placid, during the second stop of the seven-race tour November 20-22. Here are the details supplied by the Olympic Regional Development Authority, who manages the Lake Placid Olympic venues:

While in Lake Placid, the U.S. squad will try to match the same success it enjoyed last season when driver Steve Holcomb helped lead the team to four world championship medals on the 1,455-meter long course. The “Night Train” stood on three medal podiums, winning bronze in the two-man man race, bronze in the team competition and gold in the four-man event. That victory allowed him to become the first American pilot to claim a World title in 50 years.

Fellow American Shauna Robuck is also looking forward to being back in Lake Placid. Last season, the 32-year-old won a pair of world championship medals, piloting her sled to silver in the women’s two-man event, before helping the squad nab bronze in the team competition.

The U.S. skeleton team should be just as strong. The women’s line up is led by two-time World Cup Champion Katie Uhlaender and 2007 World Champion Noelle Pikus-Pace, while Zach Lund, the 2007 World Champion, and Eric Bernotas, a winner of several World Championship and World Cup medals during his career, headline the men’s roster.

Other sleds to watch include German Andre Lange, who won the four-man silver medal, and Latvia’s Janis Minins, the 2009 four-man World Championship bronze medalist. Other athletes to keep an eye out for include Switzerland’s Gregor Staehli, the reigning men’s skeleton World Champion, and Germany’s Marion Trott, the defending women’s skeleton World Champion.

Racing begins Friday, Nov. 20, at 9:30 a.m. with the women’s skeleton event, followed by the men’s skeleton race at 1 p.m. The men’s two-man bobsled race is slated for Saturday, Nov. 21, also beginning at 9:30 a.m., while the women’s two-man bobsled race is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Both the four-man bobsled race and the team competition are set for Sunday, Nov. 22. The four-man race begins at 9:30 a.m. and the team event caps off the three days of racing at 1 p.m.

Daily Tickets are available for $8.00 for adults and $6.00 juniors and senior citizens. Anyone who brings a non-perishable food item for the Lake Placid Ecumenical food pantry will receive free entry. For tickets call the Olympic Sports Complex at 518-523-4436 or pick them up at the gate on event days. For more information on the Nov. 20-22 FIBT World Cup bobsled and skeleton race in Lake Placid, log on to www.whiteface.com.


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

18th Annual Whiteface Oktoberfest, Flaming Leaves Announced

Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort will host its 18th Annual Oktoberfest on October 3-4 with vendors, arts and crafts, children’s rides, and Bavarian food, drink and entertainment by die Schlauberger, the Lake Placid Bavarians, and Ed Schenk on the accordion, Schachtelgebirger Musikanten (Scha-Musi is in their fifth year at the Whiteface Oktoberfest), Spitze, The Alpen Trio, and dancing by the Alpenland Taenzer.

Considered one of America’s best German bands, die Schlauberger plays German favorites with a mission of “Keeping the Traditionalists on their Feet and the New Generation Interested.” SPITZE! offers an alpine show that features cowbells, the alpine xylophone, the alphorn and yodeling. The band will host yodel and Schuhplattler (Bavarian Folk Dancing) contests. The Lake Placid Bavarians have been performing traditional Bavarian music in the north country for the last 18 years.

The Cloudsplitter Gondola will be operating for views of the Adirondack foliage as will the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway.

Oktoberfest will be held Saturday from 10 am – 7 pm and Sunday from 10 am – 5 pm. A complimentary shuttle service will be provided both days. Departure from the Olympic Center Box Office in Lake Placid takes place at 11 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm. The bus will depart Whiteface and return to Lake Placid at 2 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm (Sat. only), 7:30 pm (Sat. only) and 5:30 pm (Sun. only). The shuttle will also service Wilmington with stops at the Candyman, located on the corner of Routes 86 and 431, at 12 pm and 5 pm.

Daily admission for adults is $15 for the festival; $25 for the festival and a scenic gondola ride. The junior and senior price is $8 for the festival and $18 for both. Children six years of age and under are admitted free of charge.

The following weekend (October 10-11) the 9th Annual Flaming Leaves Festival will feature the 2010 U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships along with live blues bands, barbeque and microbrews, kids’ activities, games, craft vendors and more The Flaming Leaves festival runs from 10 am – 5 pm both days. Admission is $14 for adults, and $8 for juniors/seniors and includes the chairlift and elevator ride to the Sky Deck atop the 120 meter ski jump tower.

Olympic Sites Passports are honored for admission at both the Oktoberfest and the Flaming Leaves Festival.


Monday, August 24, 2009

New General Manager Named For Whiteface Ski Area

Vermontville resident Bruce McCulley, who has worked at the mountain since 1981, has been named the new General Manager for Whiteface Ski Center by the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). McCulley will replace Jay Rand, who has taken a position as the Executive Director of the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) as of September 3.

McCulley began his career as a lift operator and snowmaker, and then moved into supervisory and foreman positions before being promoted to Assistant general Manager of the ski center in 1996. McCulley also serves on the Board of Trustees and Leadership Team at the High Peaks Church in Saranac Lake and has served 17 years as a religious services volunteer in the Federal Bureau of Prisons system at Ray Brook.


Tuesday, August 18, 2009

4th Annual Whiteface 5K Downhill Mountain Bike Race

The 4th Annual Whiteface 5K Downhill Mountain Bike Race, part of the 2009 Gravity East Series, will take place on August 29-30 at the Whiteface Mountain Bike Park. The race, which also doubles as the Pro GRT Final, will be the first Gravity East event to feature a pro qualifying and seeding run. The pro men’s race will include a $2,000 purse for the winner. The weekend will also feature a round of Gravity East’s inaugural e.thirteen Dual Slalom Series and a chainless downhill after the main event for fun.

The Whiteface 5K is almost three miles long, and an eight-plus minute downhill course that is the longest mountain bike competition in the East, with 2,456-vertical feet from the top of Little Whiteface. The main event is sponsored by High Peaks Cyclery who will offer a $5,000 overall purse. Last year’s winner Geritt Beytagh finished with a time of 7 minutes, 24.47 seconds and only seven competitors finished the race under eight minutes.

The race course will be marked five days prior to the event, and is available for training seven days a week including race day. There will be one course for all categories. Participants can register online at www.active.com until August 27 at 12 p.m. for just $25. Riders may also pre-register by phone at 877-228-4881 (option #2 then #3), event 177-1411. Racers can register at Whiteface from August 28 until 11 a.m. on August 29 for $35. The competition will be professionally timed by All Sports Events.

Interested participants can check out bike and stay packages, beginning at $59 per person including lift ticket and hot breakfast, at www.downhillmike.com. The website also offers specific race info, and video and photos from last year.

The Whiteface Downhill Mountain Bike Park is open daily from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free guided tours are available weekends at 1 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Lift tickets, mountain bike rentals, lessons, clinics and more are available right on site.


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

August APA Meeting: Wind Projects, Enforcement

The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Thursday, August 13 and Friday August 14 at APA Headquarters in Ray Brook, NY. The August meeting will be webcast live. The Agency’s homepage has a link to view the webcast. Here is the meeting agenda form the APA:

The Full Agency will convene on Thursday morning at 9:00 for the Acting Executive Director’s monthly report and introduction of the Agency’s new Executive Director, Terry Martino.

At 9:15 a.m., the Regulatory Programs Committee will consider two residential wind turbine proposals, one in the Town of Essex, Essex County and one in the Town of Indian Lake, Hamilton County.

Both applicants propose the installation of wind-powered turbines to generate electricity for their existing single family dwellings. The proposed tower in Essex is 65-feet tall with nine foot diameter turbine blades for a maximum overall height of 70 feet. The proposed tower in Indian Lake is 105-feet tall with 18 foot diameter turbine blades for a maximum overall height of 115 feet.

Key issues include visibility and compliance with the Agency’s Tall Structures and Towers Policy.

The committee meeting will conclude with a staff briefing on the original and revised plans for the Olympic regional Development Authority Conference Center in Lake Placid, Essex County.

At 11:30, the Legal Affairs Committee will receive an update on the Agency’s proposed legislation involving affordable housing incentives, permit reforms and community planning funds. Staff will also provide a status update on current regulatory revision.

At 1:00, the Park Policy and Planning Committee will consider a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and authorization for staff to conduct a public hearing for proposed map amendments to the Official Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan. Agency staff initiated this reclassification of private land in the Town of Fine, St. Lawrence County, which local officials raised during a Community Spotlight presentation to the Agency Board. The proposal would result in the reclassification of 64 acres of Resource Management to Low Intensity Use and help accommodate future growth needs related to the community medical facility.

At 1:30, the State Land Committee will hear a status report on the Bog River Complex/Lows Lake classification/reclassification public hearing process. The committee will also hear a first reading of the proposed draft inter-agency memorandum of understanding for travel corridor management plans. This MOU between the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Conservation and the APA outlines an approach for developing, reviewing and implementing travel corridor unit management plans for the approximately 1,100 miles of state highway corridors in the Adirondack Park.

At 2:30, the full Agency will convene for the ongoing Community Spotlight Series. This month Town of Johnsburg Supervisor Sterling Goodspeed is the guest speaker for the Community Spotlight presentation. Supervisor Goodspeed will give an overview of his community and highlight important community issues facing this Warren County town.

At 3:30, the Enforcement Committee will come to order for administrative enforcement proceedings related to alleged permit violations resulting in non compliance from house size, septic system and shoreline cutting violations on a private property in the Town of Putnam, Washington County and an alleged unauthorized subdivision resulting in substandard lots in the Town of Mayfield, Fulton County.

On Friday morning at 9:00, the Park Ecology Committee will convene for a presentation from Dr. Otto Doering III on the Economic Impact of Invasive Species. Dr. Doering is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University and a member of the US Department of Interior’s Invasive Species Advisory Committee. He publishes in the areas of agricultural policy, resource conservation, water, energy/biofuels, and climate change and is a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

APA Soil Scientist and Forester Larry Phillips will then inform the Park ecology Committee on Federal efforts to track the spread of Emerald Ash Borer and Asian Longhorned Beetle. Mr. Phillips will demonstrate how to identify these species and highlight ongoing federal efforts to detect them inside the Adirondack Park.

At 10:30am the Economic Affairs Committee will continue focusing on small business development. Empire State Development Regional Director Peter Wohl along with Economic Development Program Administrator Doug Schelleng will give a presentation detailing current programs administered through Empire State Development.

Empire State Development and the Governor’s newly appointed Small Business Development Task Force are in the process of evaluating the needs of small businesses to determine what adjustments would best meet the economic development needs of the State.

The Full Agency will convene at 10:45 to take action as necessary and conclude the meeting with committee reports, public and member comment.

Meeting materials are available for download from the Agency’s website at: http://www.apa.state.ny.us/Mailing/0908/index.htm

The next Agency meeting is September 10-11, 2009 at the Adirondack Park Agency Headquarters.

October Agency Meeting: October 8-9, 2009, Adirondack Park Agency Headquarters.


Wednesday, August 5, 2009

All Quiet on The ORDA Concert Front

Sorry, spin dancers, Phish will not be playing the Olympic Center, according to the Olympic Regional Development Authority. When contacted by the Almanack last week, the state agency harshed rumors that the reunited Vermont jam band would return to Lake Placid this year.

Actually no arena concerts are coming to Lake Placid, and none have for two and a half years. In the now-distant past Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Blues Traveler, New Kids on the Block, a bunch of country singers, Cher and many others have rocked the ’80 Rink. The last to do so was Buffalo jam-band moe., which packed the place in March 2007.

The local police didn’t like moe.’s winter festival, snoe.down, citing a few dozen arrests on minor drug-possession charges. When moe. announced that it would not return with its multiband roster for a third season, the Lake Placid police chief said he was “glad.”

It’s not by design that there have been no big shows lately, ORDA says. It’s just the way it is. “We still do concerts, but obviously with other venues in the area — in Montreal, Burlington and Albany — not as many groups come through Lake Placid,” says ORDA spokeswoman Stephanie Ryan.

ORDA does book small-stage music to complement events such as world championship competitions, Oktoberfest and the Flaming Leaves Festival. “But there are no plans for any [major shows] right now, to my knowledge,” Ryan says.

The Olympic Center is slated to begin renovations this week, so it’s a moot topic for a while. Still, one Main Street business owner remembers fondly the thousands of dollars snoe.down brought to her business at a pretty slow time of year. “More concerts would be nice,” she says.

Logo from 2007 snoe.down


Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Weekly Freestyle Pool Show Features Aerialists

The weekly Wet and Wild Wednesday freestyle pool show continues tomorrow (July 29) at the Olympic Jumping Complex. The freestyle and aerial athletes launch up to 60-feet into the air off of the kickers where they execute a series of spins, twists and flips before splashing down in the 750,000-gallon pool. Athletes of all levels – from the beginner to World and Olympic champions – train at this site, which has one of only two pools in the U.S. where freestylers are able to perfect their moves. Current athletes training in Lake Placid include U.S. and World Champion Ryan St. Onge, and 2006 Olympic bronze medalist Vladimir Lebedev from Russia – both of whom have their eyes on the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. U.S. Ski Team members Matt DePeters and Ashley Caldwell as well as Russian Anton Sannikov are all spending the summer at the freestyle training center hoping to make their respective Olympic teams. The show begins at 1 pm.

At Wet and Wild Wednesday visitors have a chance to win prizes, learn more about the sport of freestyle and get autographs. Athletes demonstrate training techniques on the trampoline during breaks in the jumping. Spectators can ride the chairlift from the Base Lodge to the bottom of the 120-meter ski jump tower. From there, guests may take the enclosed elevator up 26-stories to the Sky Deck and experience the view of the Adirondack High Peaks and surrounding area.

Admission is $14 for adults and $8 for juniors and seniors. The price includes entry to the competition as well as the chairlift and elevator ride to the Sky Deck. A one-time entry into the jumping site is included with the purchase of a $29 Olympic Sites Passport. The passports can be acquired at any ORDA venue, as well as the ORDA Store on Main Street in Lake Placid. Food and drinks are offered for sale.


Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Lake Placid: Wet and Wild Wednesdays Start July 8

The first Sprite Wet and Wild Wednesday, the weekly freestyle show featuring aerialists, debuts for the summer at the freestyle pool at the Olympic Jumping Complex tomorrow July 8 at 1 p.m. These weekly shows features freestyle and aerial athletes launching up to 60-feet into the air off of the kickers, where they execute a series of spins, twists and flips before splashing down in the 750,000-gallon pool.

Athletes of all levels – from the beginner to World and Olympic champions – train at this site, which has one of only two pools in the U.S. where freestylers are able to perfect their moves. Current athletes training in Lake Placid include U.S. and World Champion Ryan St. Onge, and 2006 Olympic bronze medalist Vladimir Lebedev from Russia – both of whom have their eyes on the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. U.S. Ski Team members Matt DePeters and Ashley Caldwell as well as Russian Anton Sannikov are all spending the summer at the freestyle training center hoping to make their respective Olympic teams as well.

During Wet and Wild Wednesday, visitors have a chance to win some great prizes and learn more about the sport of freestyle. Spectators can come early or stay late to ride the chairlift from the Base Lodge to the bottom of the 120-meter ski jump tower. From there, guests may take the enclosed elevator up 26-stories to the Sky Deck and experience a ski jumper’s view of the Adirondack High Peaks and surrounding area.

Admission to the venue is $14 for adults and $8 for juniors and seniors. The price includes entry to the competition as well as the chairlift and elevator ride to the Sky Deck. In addition, with the purchase of a $29 Olympic Sites Passport, your one-time entry into the jumping site is included. The passports can be acquired at any ORDA venue, as well as the ORDA Store on Main Street in Lake Placid.


Saturday, July 4, 2009

Lake Placid: Olympian Anders Johnson Wins Summer Ski Jump

Olympian Anders Johnson made the two longest jumps of the day to claim the annual 90-meter Summer Ski Jump at the Olympic Jumping Complex on Friday. Johnson, hailing from Park City, Utah, conquered the wet and rainy conditions without a hitch. He laid down a first round jump of 98.5 meters, and followed that with a 100.5-meter jump in the second round to earn a total of 267 points.

“Other than being wet, it was good, and it was as fair as it could have been,” stated Johnson. “It was quick, short and sweet, so that’s always nice.”

Second place went to Nick Fairall of Andover N.H., who made jumps of 93.5 meters and 94.5 meters for 243.5 points. Alex Haupt, also from Park City, claimed the bronze medal with jumps of 88.5 meters and 87 meters for 212.5 points.

“I’ll be here in October for Nationals, but I won’t be here for New Year’s – it’s not one of my top priorities,” said Johnson, the three-time Art Devlin Cup winner about trying to gain a fourth Devlin trophy. ”My goal is the Olympics in Vancouver (February 2010). And also the World Cup circuit – getting some experience and getting some World Cup points would be a nice bonus.”

The Art Devlin, Sr. Memorial Cup is awarded to the jumper with the most combined points from three events: the Summer Ski Jump, the Flaming Leaves Ski Jump, and the New Year’s Masters Ski Jump. The winner of the Art Devlin, Sr. Memorial Cup receives a cash prize of $1,000.

In the junior division, lone female jumper Tara Geraghty-Moats of Fairlee, Vt., took the gold medal. The NYSEF jumper made jumps of 93.5 meters and 86 meters, earning 222.5 total points. Silver went to last year’s summer ski jump champion A.J. Brown, jumping 93 meters and 83.5 meters for 207 points. Zack Daniels and Brian Wallace each earned 197 points. Daniels landed jumps of 86 and 83 meters, while Wallace made jumps of 85 and 83.5 meters.

Here are the complete results:

Open Division

1. Anders Johnson, Park City, Utah, 98.5 meters, 100.5 meters, 267 points
2. Nick Fairall, Andover, N.H., 93.5, 94.5, 243.5
3. Alex Haupt, Park City, Utah, 88.5, 87, 212.5
4. Cooper Dodds, Steamboat Springs, Colo., 86.5, 87, 212
5. Andrew Bliss, Lake Placid, N.Y., 87, 85, 209
6. Chris Lamb, Andover, N.H., 86, 86, 206
7. Pete Frenette, Saranac Lake, N.Y., 93.5, 77.5, 201.5
8. Krzysztof Kowalczyk, Chicago, Ill., 86, 78.5, 187.5
9. Nick Johnson, Eden Prairie, Minn., 73, 84.5, 173
10. Colin Delaney, Lake Placid, N.Y., 75, 72.5, 151.5
11. Dan Englund, Iron Mountain, Mich., 66, 68, 121.5

Junior Division

1. Tara Geraghty-Moats, Fairlee, Vt., 93.5 meters, 86 meters, 222.5 points
2. AJ Brown, Fox River Grove, Ill., 93, 83.5, 207
3. Zack Daniels, Louden, N.H., 86, 83, 197

3. Brian Wallace, Woodbury, Minn., 85, 83.5, 197

5. Connor Jacobson, Woodstock, Ill., 86, 85, 196

6. Spencer Knickerbocker, Brattleboro, Vt., 78.5, 73, 157.5


Saturday, June 27, 2009

Whiteface to Debut Disc Golf Course July 11th

The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) announced Tuesday the addition of a nine-hole disc golf course at Whiteface set to open July 11. The new course features nine distinct “holes” around the lower part of Whiteface that incorporate Mixing Bowl, Wolf, Boreen, Round-a-Bout, Lower Valley and other trails into the layout, with the start and finish area located at the base of the Facelift.

Disc golf consists of players using flying discs instead of clubs and balls to go from the tee box to the hole, usually a metal chain basket of some sort. Players normally have three discs – a driver for teeing off, a mid-range one, and the putter for using around the hole. The object of the game is to complete each hole with the fewest number of throws.

“We are excited about becoming involved in a sport that is growing across the nation,” said Whiteface General Manager Jay Rand. “We have consulted with Dave Messner – the principle of the Lake Placid Middle School – who has played on courses throughout the country.”

Disc golf at Whiteface begins will run daily from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. through September 7. Cost is $5 per person per nine holes, and includes one disc rental. Additional discs may be rented for $2 per disc. For more information contact Whiteface at (518) 946-2223. Information on disc golf can be found at the Professional Disc Golf Association.

For more information on ORDA venues and events and for web cams from five locations, please log on to .


Saturday, June 20, 2009

World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships Coming to Placid

The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), in tandem with the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF), has successfully bid to bring 2013 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships to Lake Placid’s Olympic Sports Complex. The decision, by unanimous vote among member nations, came down at the annual International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) Congress held in Moscow, Russia. Over 100 representatives from 30 nations participated in the event. This will give the two-time Winter Olympic host the final major competitions in the three disciplines prior to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

The world championships are held every non-Olympic year. Starting in 2004, the FIBT has held the championships for all of the disciplines at one site. Prior to that, the bobsled and skeleton championships were held at different venues.

Earlier this year ORDA and the USBSF hosted the 2009 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships on the famed Mt. Van Hoevenberg sliding track. Besides the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid has hosted eight other bobsled world championship competitions – in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, 2003, and 2009. The skeleton Worlds came to town in 1997 in addition to 2009.

The 2009-10 FIBT World Cup calendar was also announced during the congress. Lake Placid is the second stop on the tour, with the athletes competing November 20-22 on the Mt. Van Hoevenberg track.

In addition to the 2013 World Championships, Lake Placid was selected as the site of the next year’s FIBT Congress. The members from all over the world will come to town in the fall of 2010.

PHOTO CAPTION: Jim Goff, ORDA Director of Events (left), Darrin Steele, USBSF Chief Executive Officer (center), and Tony Carlino, Olympic Sports Complex General Manager (right) stand in front of the University of Moscow during the FIBT Annual Congress. FIBT awarded Lake Placid the 2013 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships.


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Evan Lysacek, Sasha Cohen to Headline 2009 Skate America

The International Skating Union (ISU) and U.S. Figure Skating have announced the skater selections for the 2009 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, including Skate America. Skate America, which historically is the first competition in the ISU Grand Prix Series, occurs later in the calendar this year, as the fifth of six events. This year’s Skate America will take place Nov. 12-15 at the 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid. This marks the 30th anniversary of the event and the sixth time the state of New York has hosted the event and the fourth time it has been held in Lake Placid (1979, 1981-82).

Skate America will welcome 18 top U.S. athletes in addition to its international field. The Americans competing in Lake Placid include current World champion and two-time national champion Evan Lysacek and the five-time U.S. Championship ice dancing team of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, also the 2009 World silver medalists and 2006 Olympic silver medalists. This year’s Skate America marks the return of 2006 U.S. Champion, 2006 Olympic silver medalist, and 2006 World bronze medalist Sasha Cohen to competitive skating.

Other U.S. athletes competing at Skate America are 2008 World Junior Champion Rachael Flatt, Ryan Bradley, Brandon Mroz, two-time defending U.S. Pairs Champions and 2007 World Junior Champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, and the ice dancing teams of Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein – the 2009 World Junior Champions and U.S. Junior Champions – and Kim Navarro and Brent Bommentre.

The international field is led by World champion Yu-Na Kim of Korea. Kim is the 2008 Skate America ladies gold medalist and 2008 Grand Prix Final champion. Kim will be joined by six-time French ice dancing champions and 2008 World ice dancing champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder. Three-time World pairs champions (2002-03, 2007) and two-time Olympic bronze medalists (2002, 06) Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China will make their competitive debut this season, following a two year absence. For the complete list of international skaters competing at 2009 Skate America, please visit the ISU web site at www.isu.org.

Tickets to Skate America are on sale now at the Olympic Center Box Office in person or by phone at (518) 523-3330. Tickets may also be purchased online through tickets.com. For a complete schedule of events, ticket prices and more information, please log on to skateamerica2009.com.

The ISU Grand Prix Series consists of the following six events: Trophée Eric Bompard Oct. 15-18 in Paris, France; Rostelecom Cup Oct. 22-25 in Moscow, Russia; Cup of China Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Beijing; NHK Trophy Nov. 5-8 in Nagano, Japan; Skate America Nov. 12-15 in Lake Placid; and Skate Canada Nov. 19-22 in Kitchener, Ont. This is the 15th season for the series.

At the conclusion of the six events, athletes’ points are totaled, and the top six ladies, men, pairs and ice dancing teams are invited to compete at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Dec. 3-6 in Tokyo, Japan.



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The Adirondack Almanack

The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities

We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors, as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations. Contributors include veteran local writers, historians, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region. The information, views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher, the Adirondack Explorer.

General inquiries about the Adirondack Almanack should be directed to editor Melissa Hart. To advertise on the Adirondack Almanack, or to receive information on rates and design, please click here.
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