The World University Games wrap up Sunday with some medal events, including the United States’ gold medal match up and closing ceremonies.

It’s also the last chance for the athletes, coaches and spectators to get their souvenirs.

What You Need To Know

  • People in Lake Placid have been buying up the World University Games official merchandise to take home

  • A local shop created its own line of clothing with Nike to make apparel for each of the sports taking place at the games

  • People who remember 1980 say the pieces of merchandise they still have from those games help bring back the best of memories

Official FISU merchandise has been available at a number of stores downtown and at the various event venues. A well-known store on Main Street decided it would create its own designs for the games, just as it does every day, for the greatest sports moment in our nation’s history.

“Do you have the athletes’ jackets?” one shopper at the FISU 2023 World University Games Official Merchandise Store said.

“Just something that represents the area and the games," Casey Gerrish said at the store.

Athletes, coaches and spectators all want something that shows they were there for 2023 World University Games.

“We’ll be able to look back five, 10, 15, 20 years from now and, you know, say, ‘hey, I was there.’ That's a pretty cool feeling," Gerrish added.

If you were here in 1980, you know exactly what Gerrish is talking about.

“Never gets old,” Tod Zold said. “Happened right down the street. Was louder than what it shows on the TV.”

A TV inside Lake Placid’s USA Hockey Store not only shows the Miracle on Ice 24/7, but offers one of the largest miracle and USA hockey collections in the entire country.

“We have a couple very popular designs with the final score,” Zold added. “We have our own designs of T-shirts, hoodies, hats that are exclusively available here.”

Zold is the assistant manager — not only at this store, but also the one next door, the USA Spirit Shop, which is everything Olympics.

“We cover pretty much all of the sports," he said.

The Spirit Shop is selling the official mascot of these World University games.

“Things like Adirondack Mac are available in a number of stores up and down the street and at the venues,” Zold said while holding the stuffed animal moose.

But as Zold mentioned earlier, these two stores have long prided themselves on their own designs being different. So they decided instead of selling the full line of official merchandise, to design their own, something that features each sport being held at these games. 

“It's something that people come in and they'll you know, they see they see that it's something special," Zold added. “This is another little piece of Lake Placid with the events that happen here.”

It’s something not too many will have. Because 43 years from now, who knows that?

That shirt, the Adirondack Mack, could be something to behold.

“I’m not old enough to be able to experience the Olympics, but, you know, something small like this, it's like building up to that with the history,” Gerrish added. “And it's nice to be part of it.”

It's something that history to forever cherish.