Lake Placid – The sport of figure skating and the Adirondack community of Lake Placid have been intrinsically linked for nearly 100 years.
So when the news broke earlier this week of the collision between an American Airlines flight and a Blackhawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., followed the next day by the passing of skating star Dick Button, our village was among those around the world left reeling.
The mid-air collision on the night of Jan. 29 – the plane was within 30 seconds of landing – claimed all 60 passengers and four crew members. Aboard the flight were numerous skaters from the United States and Russia, along with several coaches and family members. They were returning from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, where the flight originated.
“Unspeakably tragic. I have no words,” posted Paul Wylie, Olympic silver medalist and Lake Placid resident on Facebook. “To have been in Wichita, presenting to the development camp Monday and Tuesday, having conversations with all of the skaters, parents and coaches. And now these people are gone. My thoughts and prayers go out to all families. Hug all your loved ones and be grateful for every day you have.”
A number of the American skaters who perished trained at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Mass.
Such development camps are familiar here in Upstate New York where the Olympic Regional Development Authority has hosted similar gatherings for up-and-coming skaters.
Skating fans were struggling to come to terms with this, prior to being hit with the news of Dick Button’s death in Northern Westchester. The 95-year-old lived in Lake Placid from the age of 12 through his competitive years. He was brought here to be coached by the legendary Gustav Lussi, who developed Button into a two-time Olympic gold medalist and winner of five World Championship titles. Later, when he retired, Dick graced the airwaves of ABC Television as their insightful figure skating commentator at the Olympics, World Championships and Nationals.
Here at the Mirror Lake Inn, many figure skating families have made us their home for competitions and camps over the years. We were headquarters for Stars on Ice, which included Wylie, Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi and countless other cast members. They made the inn their home for the month of November while putting the show and the tour together in the Lake Placid Olympic Center.
Yes, the sport of figure skating not only has deep roots in this two-time Olympic village, but it shows us just how small our world can be when incidents nowhere near us hit home.
(Images courtesy The Skating Club of Boston, The Movie Database)