Lake Placid Skating & More
Figure Skating & Other Sports at Lake Placid
Lake Placid continued its world renowned sports tradition with, among other activities July 7-9, 2006, the 49th Annual Lake Placid Figure Skating Competition.
Tri-athletes jogged and peddled the New York State roadways that wind through the trees in the northern Adirondack region where the Iron Man is to be held on July 23rd. Ski jumpers landed 100 foot jumps on wet grass for the "Soaring Saturdays" showcase before heading to Germany. My family and I enjoyed the thrill of a bobsled run before watching the US freestyle skiers development team perform aerials into the training pool.
Visible across the valley from the bobsled run and ski jumping is the Olympic Ice Pavilion. Lake Placid ice rinks are synonymous with memorable moments on ice. This is where Stars on Ice is born each season, and where pairs great Sergei Grinkov suffered his fatal heart attack during a rehearsal for the show in 1995. This was the training grounds for famous champions, such as Olympic ice dancers Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz who, under legendary coach Natalia Dubova, put together their River Dance long program.
This mountain village hosted the third Winter Olympics, the 1932 games, where Sonja Henie defended her figure skating title. The recent remake movie of the 1980 hockey team, "Miracle," brought people back to the center of the Herb Brookes arena where America defeated the Russians on the ice during the cold war.
This weekend, the Herb Brookes (1980) Arena and 1932 rink were pounding with sweaty, spitting, noisy hockey players who ripped up the ice during the Can/Am training camps. At the same time, the Lussi and practice rinks catered to sequence on velvet, whispers and classical music during the 49th Annual Lake Placid Figure Skating Competition.
While it's safe to say neither the hockey matches nor the figure skating competition caused an international stir, the mere caliber of these training grounds made me wonder if the next star in either sport was being born on this hallowed stage. I watched the senior ladies short program and experienced the same range of emotion - from sheer terror to peaceful elation - that I do at international competitions.
At Worlds, the crowd knew what to expect. Johnny Wier would perform beautifully but shut the crowd out. Evan Lysacek would fall only slightly below the top spot, but capture the hearts of the audience. We loved the top ladies, but were thrilled when a "sleeper" like Kimmie Meissner snuck up out of nowhere to take the gold.
Here at Lake Placid this weekend, there may not have been the pressure on these skaters the competitive tension felt at Worlds - or even Sectionals, but there was definitely that air of hope, of anticipation for dreams that might (eventually) come true.
By the end of the senior ladies short programs, the range in skaters' scores and abilities matched the range in audience emotions stroke for stroke. Some under trained, seemingly trying to peak before their skates were ready. They dug in their blades so much that, to those of us who know better, it was like being forced to listen to a saxophonist squeak his reed. I was ashamed to grimace more than once, and glanced around to make sure no one noticed lest I be accused of not supporting every young performer's effort. When I realized there was no chair big enough for me to fit under, I acquiesce to the torture for the remainder of the music on a few accounts.
So it is with lower levels of competitive figure skating. Although some moments are more painful for the observer to watch - the costume wedgey that needs to be pulled, the choreography that's over the top, the unprepared athlete - there are moments of brilliance that catch the audience by surprise. Check back soon to read how the top lady turned in a nationally competitive short program and, perhaps, gave the audience a glimpse into the future of figure skating.
