It’s a moment that will forever live in our hearts. Twenty college kids, upsetting the mighty Soviets and two days later, winning the gold medal. Forty-two years later, that moment still means everything to those who watched it and those who come to Lake Placid each year to honor it, with events like the Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp.
“That was such a great feeling. I remember sitting, watching it in the living room, seeing what those guys did. I was into hockey before that, but that really catapulted my interest,” Miracle on Ice fantasy camper Paul Torre said.
That game, that moment, helped spark Lake Placid’s standing as the Winter Sports Capital of the World and to this day, the support to maintain that status lives. This community is such a draw for athletics and visitors, that the various Olympic sites, despite no Olympic Games ahead, are receiving massive upgrades.
“We are very fortunate that we’ve been given a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize,” Olympic Regional Development Authority CEO Mike Pratt said.
New York State is pumping in $125 million into the famed Herb Brooks Arena, the speed skating oval, the ski jumps, Mount Van Hovenburg and more.
“Not only do we get the international recognition, we have these national teams training with us every day and making Lake Placid their home and also the recreational enthusiasts that follow it,” Pratt added.
It’s no doubt the biggest, most important project Mike Pratt will ever lead. But for him, it’s so much more than a project, it’s personal.
When Mike Pratt was just 18, in 1980, he worked as a member of ice staff at the Olympic Center. He was walking across the ice, just after the Men’s Hockey Team won gold and he ended up in one of the most iconic photos taken that night. That game affects every part of this community, including visitors and especially those who live here.
The village itself is also getting a massive makeover this year, including Main Street.
“We’re going to be beautiful right? We have such a beautiful environment. Our natural beauty is just breathtaking and our infrastructure just needed some updates,” Mary Jane Lawrence said.
Mary Jane Lawrence is the COO of ROOST, helping welcome hundreds of thousands of people to this region each year. This project, creating new and widened sidewalks, better parking and access to downtown and so much more is something she believes will set the village up for the next 42 years.
“With social media the way it is today, the in-market experience is almost, it is more important than what the messaging is to get people to come,” Lawrence said.
In addition, this project will also protect one of the village’s most important natural resources, Mirror Lake, keeping harmful materials from entering the water through drainage.
“It’s really, really important for the health of our community, that this lake stays fresh and healthy.”
Lake Placid is doing all this to prepare for the arrival of more than 2,000 athletes in January, for the massive World University games. That event is the second biggest worldwide sports competition behind the Olympics.
You can watch our Brian Dwyer’s full special, "Reliving a Miracle," right here on Spectrum News Thursday night.