Lake Placid Olympic Games

Thirty years have passed since the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games but if you listen closely, you can still almost hear the crowds, the music, and the Olympic spirit that put this small village on the map.

“I guess I remember what was a small, little town in 1979 and then it seems over night it swelled,” said Jon Lundin of the Olympic Regional Development Authority. “The world was at our doorstep and the show was about to begin.”

To this day Lake Placid remains one of only three towns to host two Olympic Games; one in 1932, the other in 1980. North Country residents got a front row seat to history as so-called miracles happened before their very eyes.

One of the most memorable moments from those Olympic Games was when the underrated U.S. men’s hockey team defeated the Russians 4-3 at the height of the Cold War. For many it was an event that extended far beyond the realm of sports.

“My father actually took me down Main Street to just see the reaction. And people were atop buildings,” Lundin recalled. “You could hardly move on Main Street the crowd was so thick.”

“There was one man standing on the top of a bank near his car yelling into his mic yelling they won, they won, they won,” said Connie Cross of Lake Placid. “It was just the most awesome experience you can imagine.”

And then there was Eric Heiden. The American skated his way to five Olympic gold medals, setting Olympic or world records in each event.

“When he got to the starting line there was just a roar among the crowd and when he skated people became very quiet. They either wanted to hear him skate of feel some kind of emotion to Eric Heiden,” Lundin said.

From the ice to Main Street to the Winter Olympic Museum, those memories are still very much alive today.

“I wish we’d make more of what the Olympic experience is rather than the Olympic performance,” said Joe Lamb, who competed in the 1972 Nordic combined. “It’s in your life. The flame burns in your life.”

A flame still burning in a village steeped in Olympic history.

Related posts:

1. Watch 2010 Olympics Opening Ceremony The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games…

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.