"Mountain Lake PBS Celebrates Lake Placid and the Winter Games," an hour-long special, examines the history and culture of the Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
For this presentation, Director of Programming Paul King searched the archives of Mountain Lake PBS to find programs the station has produced through the years, all remembering different facets of the Olympic Games in Lake Placid.
Viewers will get reacquainted with legendary figure skating coach Gustave Lussi, whose famous students included Dorothy Hamill and Dick Button. They will also hear stories of Eric Heiden, who won five gold medals for speed skating, and the "Miracle on Ice," a surprise hockey victory for the United States against the former Soviet Union, the defending gold medalists. Mountain Lake PBS producer Jack LaDuke will show the audience a permanent exhibit at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, commemorating Norwegian figure skater and movie star Sonja Henie.
Portions of the special come from a show produced by Tomeka Weatherspoon in 2014, which won a New York State Broadcasters Award that year in the "Outstanding Locally Produced Show" category. These segments include an interview with the Communications Director for ORDA (New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority) Jon Lundin, and a look at the Memories and Memorabilia event at High Peaks Resort.
Throughout the special, Lake Placid residents, lawmakers, journalists and athletes relate their own personal memories of the 1980 Olympic Games.
Mountain Lake PBS producer Paul Larson hosts the special. Donning ice skates for the occasion, Larson talks about the opportunity the public has to glide on Olympic ice at the Lake Placid Oval, to create one's own Olympic-sized memories.
"Mountain Lake PBS Celebrates Lake Placid and the Winter Games" airs Saturday, February 10th at 4pm and Sunday the 11th at noon.
