Things I (Still) Need to Do in Lake Placid

(Miss any of my Lake Placid trip recaps? Here's my first visit, and then my trip last week-ish: part one, part two and part three!)

Lake Placid is a town with a population of 2,500 people. I've been there twice. You'd think I'd have done everything there possibly is to do... but alas, I haven't. (Hopefully this says more about Lake Placid than it does about me but, y'know, jury's still out on that one.) But I refuse to go there a third time and leave with a list of things "to do next time"! So this is what I still need to accomplish there. Hopefully if you go before I do, you can be a little more efficient. :)

+ Skate at the speed skating oval. To be fair, the first time I went was in August and the second time I went it was about zero degrees every day, so this activity was barely an option on both of my visits. But I flat out refuse to leave this box unchecked. Eric Heiden winning five gold medals here is one of the greatest feats in Olympic history, and if I skate only one more time in my life, it will be here. I'm not playing around.

+ Get a picture of myself in the Herb Brooks Arena. GUYS. I've been in here five times (five. times.) and don't have any photographic evidence of myself in the building. On my most recent trip, the lights were off all three times I was there (seriously, what the heck), and on my first trip, I was a dumb 14-year-old who didn't really get it. THEREFORE, next time? I'm not going for a special event. I'm going when the ice is visible and the lights are on so I can accomplish the exceedingly simple task of getting a photo. It'd also be cool to just kind of... sit there quietly and soak it all in. I do love me an empty arena. And stadium photoshoots.

(Also, how do people get to skate here? Is this a thing I can make happen? Because if so... yeah, that's a must.)

+ Check out the Olympic Sports Complex. This is where the bobsled, skeleton and luge tracks are and, while I did take a bobsled run on my first visit, I don't remember anything besides flying down a track with G-forces so intense I couldn't hold my head up. I don't even know how much there is to see there if you're not hopping onto a sled and throwing yourself down an icy chute, but a self-guided tour is less than $10. And I've seen every other Olympic site (besides the cross-country skiing and biathlon areas, but to see those I think you actually have to ski?), so I'm all in.

+ Explore the town. I think I did this on my first trip, but I don't remember anything and only have a t-shirt as evidence. (See, this is why I blog: so in ten years, I can look back on my trips and actually know what I did.) But Main Street is so cute, and the lake is probably beautiful when the weather is nice enough to actually enjoy being outdoors. I want to walk around without worrying about losing feeling in my limbs, and instead get to enjoy my surroundings a little bit!

+ Go for a dog sled ride. This was a planned activity for this last trip, but again, the frigid temperatures severely discouraged anything that involved being outside for longer than 15 seconds. I don't think I've ever been out on a frozen lake, and I've definitely never been on a sled pulled by a dog, and it all just sounds like so much fun! I wouldn't say no to a toboggan ride on Mirror Lake, either.

So basically, what I need to do is go either right at the beginning or right at the end of winter season; winter sport activities will be open, but temperatures won't be too arctic. My mom has already volunteered to go back with me (enabling my obsession: parenting done right!), and Amanda and I have been talking about going together for almost three years now. So this hypothetical trip is not a matter of if, but when. :) How does next March sound? Too soon?

Anyone have tips on traveling to glacially cold places? How do you stay warm?!

Miracle Monday: Miracle On Ice 35th Anniversary Reunion

I'm completely overwhelmed by the thought of trying to recap this event. There's just SO MUCH I want to talk about, and I don't even know where to begin, let alone decide what to leave out. Wow. But it was phenomenally amazing. Let's start there. (Or if you missed the rest of my Lake Placid recaps, you can start with part 1 and part 2.)

The event started at 7:30, with the doors opening an hour beforehand. But tickets were general admission, and if you know me at all (ahem, cough), you know I like to be over-cautious in all situations that involve getting your own seat (or place in the crowd, or spot on a barrier, etc.). Luckily my parents know this and were on board (and it was also my birthday so I had final say either way!), so we went to the arena at 5:00. And guess what: we were first in line. Sweet, sweet victory!

As someone who's done her fair share of waiting in line for things (lol, understatement), waiting an hour and a half was easy as pie. The line that formed behind us was totally calm and well-behaved (except for one guy who had gotten there second but tried to sneak in front of us and pretend he was first -- nuh uh, bud). And my parents actually got really into it! They were all prepared to fight people to get in first and then go sprinting to our previously scoped-out seats. We joked about doing some stretching and light calisthenics to get ourselves warmed up and ready to run. It was like preparing for battle. "Okay team, here are the tickets. Do we all know the plan? We'll rendezvous at the seats at eighteen hundred thirty hour. Send a distress signal if you run into any trouble. Godspeed." (But seriously, seeing my parents in this kind of environment made so much sense of why I am the way I am.)

And then the doors opened, and we got in, and we ran to our seats... and we had another hour to wait. LOL. We hadn't had dinner yet, so my dad ran to a concession stand to get some provisions. I was so anxious and excited at this point that it was all I could do to choke down my hotdog. Because, dude, I was sitting in the first row behind the boards at the Herb Brooks Arena!!!! And the 1980 Olympic hockey team was going to be there!!!!! (All of the exclamation points!!!!!!!!!)

The players were introduced one-by-one in numerical order, and I was thoroughly entertained from the moment Steve Janaszak had company on stage. Really, I wish I could sit here and recount every minute detail of the whole night, because they were all so hilarious and excited to be there. But it was incredibly special for me to be able to stand and cheer for each of them as they walked in. All of my "cheering" up until that point has been done either on this blog or on Tumblr, so to be in an arena with several thousand other people who were just as excited as I was? Incredible.

The evening was basically Todd Walsh (the MC) asking questions and leading a discussion following the timeline of the Olympic/pre-Olympic season (starting with the team's formation and moving on to exhibition games, Olympic games, etc.). There were various video clips shown and "USA" chants had, and Todd even led the crowd in yelling "AGAIN!" a bunch of times. But mostly it was the guys talking and chirping each other and being goofballs.

I've been thinking for a week now about how the hell I was going to summarize what actually happened, but nothing really hit me until yesterday. I was reading an article from 1980 about the post-gold medal press conference that all the players were present for, and I realized... this reunion was almost an exact reincarnation of that press conference.

1980: Jack O'Callahan was drinking beer onstage.
2015: Jack O'Callahan was drinking beer onstage.

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(Note the bottle in his lap. Also, note Mark Pavelich! This was his first public appearance since 2004 and, while he didn't speak and was clearly uncomfortable being in front of people, I was beyond overjoyed to just be in his presence. Actually, "beyond overjoyed" is a huge understatement.)

1980: Jim Craig spoke about what a phenomenal teammate, hockey player and person Steve Janaszak is, and then they hugged.
2015: Jim Craig spoke about what a phenomenal teammate, hockey player and person Steve Janaszak is, and then they hugged.

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1980: John Harrington talked Brooksisms, and had people rolling on the floor laughing.
2015: John Harrington talked Brooksisms, and had people rolling on the floor laughing.

In other words? These guys haven't changed one iota since 1980. They're still a bunch of goofy boys who sass each other mercilessly, but the most amazing thing is how clearly they love each other to the ends of the earth.

There's one moment in particular that I have to share. Towards the end of the evening, Todd Walsh asked Jim Craig a question. But Jim had spoken already that night, and is obviously one of the most visible faces of the team. So instead of answering the question, Jim said that Eric Strobel or Neal Broten should do so, since those two were the only guys who had gone unrecognized to that point in the discussion. Jim talked briefly about each of them and how phenomenal they were, and then passed his question off to Neal. And Neal opened his mouth and said the following:

"I've played on a lot of teams, and this is the best team, the closest team I ever played on. As a younger guy, I looked up to all these guys. It was a privilege and honor for me to represent our country with these guys and do what we did."

The crowd gives him a huge ovation for that. And while this is all going on, I looked up to the screens, where the camera had focused on Rob McClanahan and Buzz Schneider. Mac was nodding seriously and you could see him say to himself, "He's got that right." He then turned to Buzz, leaned in and said, "He's got that right," in Buzz's ear. And Buzz nodded emphatically.

That, essentially, is this team in a nutshell.

But then Buzz talks about how he scored a hat trick on Vladislav Tretiak and his teammates decide to whack him for his troubles.

And Bah spends a solid five minutes explaining and acting out how Mike Eruzione's winning goal really should've been his, but that he decided to pass to Rizzo instead as a favor to the team captain who he saw "had no future in the sport."

Of course, we can't forget that the evening ended with a tribute to Bob Suter, with his jersey being raised to the rafters. A number of his teammates got pretty emotional during this part, and at one point Jack O'Callahan slipped up and said "twenty players" when talking about the team. He had to backtrack and correct himself, saying that now it's 19 but, "we still feel like it's 20 because Bobby's up here with us." It was really sad but incredibly touching.

Then the national anthem was played, because that's what happened the last time these guys were all in this building together. (So. many. feelings.)

And then Mike Eruzione grabbed a mic and expressed the team's collective gratitude, and they all gathered for a team photo, and that was it! (Except that's not really it. I'll probably be squealing with glee about this for the rest of my life. It'll never be "it.")

I'm so, so glad I got to be there and see this in person. It was incredibly special to watch these guys relive everything and not just get love from the crowd, but get it from each other as well. I know I said it before, but they just adore each other. That was my big takeaway from this event. Just a whole lot of love.

So, how does a 40th anniversary reunion sound? Yes? See you there? ;)

Lake Placid, Part 2: Ski Jumping, Speed Skating & Olympic Cauldron

(If you missed part one of my Lake Placid recap, catch up here!)

I woke up on the morning of Saturday, February 21st so excited for what was to come that evening that I almost forgot it was my birthday. But luckily my mom threw a birthday card at me before I'd even gotten out of bed, so I was brought back pretty quick. So hey, happy birthday to me!

Our first stop of the day was a little place on Main Street called The Breakfast Club for... breakfast (whoa, shocking). Considering The Breakfast Club is one of my top two favorite movies (Miracle being the other), it was the perfect place to kick off the day. It's not totally movie-themed, but there's a quote or two and a signed poster hanging on the walls. I was going to take pictures inside, but I got completely distracted by my s'mores French toast. (Hell yeah.)

Also, ready for a quick tour of Lake Placid? Here's Main Street.

...Aaaaaand that's basically it! Hah, I'm sort of kidding... but only sort of. Lake Placid is a pretty one-horse town.

After breakfast, we headed over to the ski jumping complex. I have a zillion and a half pictures of it from the last time I was there, and was pretty excited to get to see the jumps in the winter season rather than summer. Admission costs a few bucks, and when we walked past the booth, we were joined by some kids carrying skis. My dad was kind of shocked, and I had to remind him that this is, in fact, a training facility. And it was very much in use that morning!

This practice was for younger kids who I'm assuming aren't ready for the big hills yet; there were a few little jumps set up off to the side. (Please note that when I say "little," I still wouldn't attempt them ever in my lifetime.) We watched some jumping from the bottom of the hill before hopping onto the ski lift to head up to the top.

This is around where it hit me: holy crap, is it cold. Just that brief ride was enough to sap all sensation from my fingers. But luckily, in the bottom of the ski jump tower where you wait for the elevator is a heat lamp (praise the lawd!), so we thawed out for a bit before ascending even higher. Not that that warmth lasted very long, though. As soon as you step out of the observation room onto the viewing platforms, you're frozen again.

The views are kind of okay, though.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever been as cold as I was up there. It was worth it, but if you're planning on doing this while there's snow on the ground, be prepared to worry about the onset of frostbite.

But also be prepared to subject yourself to the cold for a few minutes longer when you get back to solid ground, because who can resist podium pictures?!

I wanted to take a jumping picture on the top step, but a) it was pretty small, and b) at this point I was numb below my ankles and I didn't trust my feet to catch me when I landed.

Our next stop (after briefly thawing out in the snack bar/gift shop at the bottom of the hill) was the Lake Placid Horse Show grounds right across the road, because that's where the Olympic cauldron lives! It's absurd to think that an Olympic Opening Ceremony took place on an open field with some temporary bleachers set up around it, but the Games in 1980 were a completely different animal than they are today. So you can literally just drive right up to the cauldron, hop out of the car and snap a few pictures.

Then we headed back to the Olympic Center (after a brief stop in the hotel room to put on a few more pairs of socks) for a tour! When we got there, the guy in the tour ticket booth was talking to another woman about the Miracle on Ice reunion that night and how it was his birthday -- hey, birthday twins! When I mentioned it was mine too, he said "Forget the hockey team! Tonight's a celebration for our birthdays!" And I was like YES!... Except... Let's not forget the hockey team? Haha. And as a birthday "gift," he let my parents and I into the sport simulator for free. It's a little "ride" in front of a screen; the seats move and the screen projects point-of-view shots of bobsled, luge, skeleton and ski jumping, so it's supposed to feel like you're actually doing it. The bobsled part actually does feel pretty accurate!

Once our simulator spin was finished, it was time to tour. We met up with the tour guide (mentioned here), named Jim, who was a phenomenal wealth of knowledge and stories and kept us thoroughly entertained the whole time. He took us into the 1980 arena first, where dress rehearsal for the event that night had just wrapped up -- I spotted Ken Morrow, Phil Verchota, Neal Broten and Dave Christian down at ice level! :) But then Jim took us up into the bleachers in the far corner, where a few TVs are set up, and we watched the last few minutes of the Miracle on Ice. So that was SUPER COOL, and we also happened to be sitting in a good place:

I kind of love Buzz a lot.

I won't totally spoil the tour for you (because if you're in town, it's a must-do), but I'll leave you with my favorite tidbit: in Lake Placid, you can see the top of every Olympic venue from the top of every other Olympic venue. IS THAT NOT THE COOLEST?

In this direction is speed skating (obviously), ski jumping, Nordic skiing and bobsledding.

Another favorite moment of the tour? When I told Jim that I'm a huge Mark Pavelich fan (I was actually wearing his jersey under my coat!), and he asked, "Are you a loner too?" LOL. Pav is notoriously reclusive, so apparently merely associating myself with him indicates my introverted tendencies. And y'know what? I don't hate it! :)

When the tour finished up, it was time for (a very late) lunch at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery. On the walk back to the hotel, I sort of made my parents stand outside in the snow with me as I ogled the speed skating oval a little bit. (And the high school building right behind it, which was the press center during the Olympics!)

I really wanted to skate -- because this ice is practically holy -- but considering how cold it was, it just wasn't in the cards. It'll have to be a project for next time.

Then it was back to the hotel to thaw out again and watch some Canes basketball (they just couldn't manage to pull out a win for me on my birthday, could they?) before The Big Event. But that, my friends, I will chat about on Monday. :)