Olympic Winter Games

Olympic Winter Games have twice been held in nearby Lake Placid, in 1932 and 1980. In both years, Saranac Lakers participated as athletes and volunteers, and certain Saranac Lake facilities were used as support venues.

According to The Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT), seventeen Olympians were born in Saranac Lake and many more Olympic hopefuls have called it “home.”

A number of changes in the region came about due to the 1980 Olympics, including major road improvements and the rehabilitation of the old New York Central line from Utica through Saranac Lake to Lake Placid; the original plan was for the railroad to remain open, but it failed by late 1980. In 2000, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad resumed operation during summer tourist months, before being shut down by the State in 2016.

Petrova Field was used for parking for the 1980 Olympics, so Petrova Rink was not built that year and was never resumed after that.

Lake Placid News, May 23, 1930

SARANAC CAN HOUSE 3000 OLYMPIC GUESTS

While the Lake Placid Olympic committee is endeavoring to get up-to-the-minute information as to the number of guests the resort can accommodate at the time of the Third Olympic Winter games of 1932, nearby communities have not been idle in completing their plans for assisting Lake Placid to take care of the throng of Inter-national visitors two years hence.

A house-to-house survey of accommodations in Saranac Lake elicited the information that that village can house 3,245 extra guests at the time of the Olympic games.

A committee of the Saranac Lake chamber of commerce conducted the survey, which shows that substantial assistance can be rendered by that resort to Lake Placid in its efforts to provide adequate housing facilities for ail who will come to view the great international contests in 1932.

Unexpected Guests at the Dodd Building

Just after noon, on Sunday, February 24, 1980, the staff of the American Management Association was called in to prepare a banquet. This infuriated many members of the staff. This was the last day of the XIII Olympic Winter Games for which they had waited six years. A figure skating exhibition and the closing ceremonies were to be that evening. On top of that, the USA Men's Hockey Team had just won the Gold Medal. It was terribly disappointing to miss all that because of a banquet for some visitors. The video recording era had not yet occurred. No wonder the staff was so resentful of their manager who had accepted work that day.

Nevertheless, there were wonderful people in Saranac Lake and the Adirondack North Country. The staff members were not members of a union but friends. Many had worked at Trudeau for years, some following the footsteps of relatives. They all dutifully arrived for work and began preparing the banquet. There was little small talk. Even through in great distress they prepared a good feast.

Finally, around 4 PM a bus arrived bearing the visitors or dignitaries, whomever they were. The first person out of the bus was Herb Brooks who came into Dodd to see that everything was prepared. Everything was fine and Herb gave a wave and into Dodd marched the USA Men's Hockey Team. They were still wearing the warmup suits they had when they received their Gold Medals. Intense anger and resentment in the staff turned to absolute joy. It was said that many of the staff wept. The staff then went out of their way to make it extra special for the visitors, who would forever be national heroes.

Members of Team USA would go their separate ways after the closing ceremony and wanted a nice, private, dinner to close out their time together. The staff understood why they were called in on that historic day. They also knew that the event had to be hush-hush, or the team would not have been able to fend off reporters or delirious fans.

After the last food was served, Herb Brooks called the staff into the dining room, thanked them, and introduced the players to them one-by-one. Team USA then departed for the closing ceremonies. Somewhere in Dodd a television was set up for the staff members, who lived far away, to stay and view the events.

Most of the staff have passed on. But for a couple of hours on February 24, 1980, they had their "Miracle in Dodd".

By James C. Hayes, son of James L. Hayes, President of the American Management Asspciation from 1971 until 1982

Olympic Athletes born within the Saranac Lake, New York, Central School District include:

Bobsleigh, 1932 (See The Red Devils)

Four Man, Silver Medal, 1932
Percy Bryant
Henry Anton Homburger
Ed Horton
Francis Stevens
Two-Man, Gold Medal, 1932
Curtis Stevens
Hubert Stevens

External link: Short film on the 1932 Winter Games

Basketball, 1936

Art Mollner - won a gold medal as a member of the 1936 team

Bobsleigh, 1948

Bobsleigh, 1952

Bobsleigh, 1956

Bobsleigh, 1964

Bobsleigh, 1976

James P. Morgan
Brent Donald Rushlaw, (also on U.S. Olympic Bobsleigh Team: 1980, 1984, 1988)

Bobsleigh, 1980

Joe Tyler

Ice Hockey, 2002

Andrea Kilbourne, Ice Hockey 2002

Nordic Combined, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010

Bill Demong — 2010 gold medal in Individual Large Hill/10km, silver medal in Team Large Hill/4x5 km

The 2010 Olympic Winter athletes from the Saranac Lake area included:

Information compiled by Dan Sullivan, LMT MPA, of Adirondack Therapeutics Massage Therapy and the Adirondack Massage Cruise, 2/2010.

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