February 21 was the commencement day of the 23rd Annual Empire State Winter Games. Gov. George Pataki, former senator Ronald Stafford, Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward and several local officials opened the ceremony at Olympic Arena. Olympic gold-medal skeleton racer Jimmy Shea lit the games' flame. O-town, a popular boy band, sang the national anthem, and finished off the ceremony with a four-song show.

Located in Lake Placid, this amateur athletic competition developed into a weekend of friendly events by New York residents of all ages. These events occurred because of the support from The New York Lottery and The Olympic Regional Development Authority.

Eleven winter sports are competed; Cross Country Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Ski Orienteering, Snowshoe Racing, Figure Skating, Women's Ice Hockey, Ski Jumping, Bobsled, Skeleton and Luge.

Women's Ice Hockey had a pool of six different regional teams in the Open Division. The regional teams represented the Adirondacks, Hudson Valley, Central N.Y., Western, New York City, and Long Island. Karen Wiley, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., competed for the Adirondack Women's hockey team. " There is an interesting mix of players with various levels of talent, from former Division one players to inexperienced players," she said. Wiley had only good things to say about the Empire State Winter Games. When talking about the makeup of her team she said, "Different personalities make it fun." This event is conducted in part with NYS Amateur Hockey. All games were played in the '32 Olympic Arena in Lake Placid.

Amy McCauley, 19, Norwood, N.Y., has participated for the last five years as a forward for the Adirondacks' hockey team. "I liked it a lot, not too much competition, it was just fun. There was free food, and lots of events," said Amy regarding Empire State Games.

Summary of Events

Cross Country Skiing in the Empire State Winter Games is a combination of competitive skiing with a "friendly" atmosphere. Each participant competed in two races within the weekend in Lake Placid, competing on the world famous ski trails of Mt. VanHoevenberg.

Ski Orienteering, or the "Ski-O" as it is referred to, combines cross-country skiing, navigation with a map and compass. Competitors ski to all the checkpoints marked on his/her map in the correct order. All check points are marked on the trials.

Bobsled racing is done in two-person sled, the competitors navigate down the Bobsled Track at Mt. VanHoevenberg. A driver and brakeman make up each team of two man sleds. Sleds reach speeds of 60 miles per hour down this track that is winding, icy and somewhat intimidating.

Skeleton is a sled that is ridden headfirst on the participants stomach, down the Bobsled track. This is event is gaining in popularity, because it combines the excitement of bobsled and luge.

Singles and double Luge racing was done on the Luge course at Mt. VanHoevenburg. The athlete lies on his/her back, feet first and travels down the track steering the sled with their feet. Speeds can reach 50 miles per hour.

Snowshoe racing included the sprints: 100M, 200M, 400M, and 1500M races. Races were conducted on a packed and groomed oval track, with basic summer track & field rules.

Figure skating had two competitions; Individual competition and Synchronized Skating Team competition conducted under sanction from the US Figure Skating Association. A team of generally 20 individuals does synchronized Skating, and the object is to perform a skating routine in rhythm and time with the team.

Resource: http://www.empirestategames.org/winter/skates.html

Any questions? Email us.