FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1/28/2022
CONTACT: Jon Lundin, Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games Head of Communications & Media ([email protected]) Tel: 518-637-6885
Join the Local Curling Club and Community Members for a Meet & Greet on Dec. 5
SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — The countdown is on for the Saranac Lake Civic Center to host the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games’ men’s and women’s curling events, Jan. 13-21. In the lead up to the world’s best collegiate curling athletes competing in Saranac Lake, the World Curling Federation will bring its’ Olympic Celebration Tour, funded by The Foundation for Global Sports Development, to town. Olympic curling gold medalist Tyler George and Mascot Adirondack Mac, the official mascot for the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games will present the sport to Saranac Lake Central School District students on Dec. 5-6.
The two Saranac Lake schools, Petrova Elementary and Middle School and the high school, will each host and participate in select gym classes using Floor Curling kits from Rock Solid Production to help explain the nuances and strategies behind curling, often referred to as Chess on Ice. The kits will be left with the schools as a legacy donation from the Olympic Celebration Tour.
“This is a great opportunity to share the sport of curling with the community and youth. Excitement is continuing to build,” said Tricia Preston, the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games’ protocol operations and community relations manager. “The Saranac Lake Civic Center’s modernization is near completion and the community is preparing to welcome 13 nations competing in men’s and women’s curling.”
In addition to the assemblies, George will join the local curling club and community members for a Meet & Greet and presentation: The Sport of Curling on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m., at Bitters & Bones in Saranac Lake.
The FISU World University Games is the world’s largest international winter multisport event for collegiate-athletes ages 17-25. The 11-day Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games are expected to attract as many as 1,500 athletes from over 50 countries and 600 universities, competing in 12 winter sports and 86 medal events. In addition to Saranac Lake, events will be held throughout the Adirondack region, including Lake Placid, North Creek, Wilmington, Canton and Potsdam.
Over the past few years, the Lake Placid Curling Club, which has league play in Saranac Lake, hosts family and youth curling programs and is actively volunteering with the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games and George’s visit.
“It’s such a terrific opportunity to support these talented, world-class athletes in Saranac Lake, a village of 5,000 people, with a storied history of embracing winter sports,” said Kimberly Weinrick, Lake Placid Curling Club president and Saranac Lake resident. “Our community enjoys Olympians who are neighbors, serving as coaches, role models and board members of youth sports, so to have Olympic gold medalist Tyler George join us and share the athleticism and strategies of curling with the North Country is especially exciting for us.”
To further celebrate the sport of curling and welcome these athletes from around the world, Historic Saranac Lake will host a mini-exhibit at the Saranac Laboratory Museum, featuring some artifacts and photos in their collection relating to the history of curling in Saranac Lake. Curling in Saranac Lake dates back more than 100 years to the time when the village was a tuberculosis health resort. Local doctors, residents, and patients joined curling leagues and held local and international competitions.
Fans can follow the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with @LakePlacid2023, @SaveWinterHQ, #lakeplacid2023, #savewinter.
For more information about the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games or to purchase tickets, visit www.lakeplacid2023.com.
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