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New track almost ready in Lake Placid
Posted: Thursday December 30, 1999 10:50 AM
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) -- Christmas will come a little later than usual for Ron Rossi, probably some time in January. "That's about right," Rossi, director of USA Luge, said with a big smile. "I'm very excited." That's because his long-awaited present, although still a work in progress, is huge -- a new, state-of-the-art refrigerated track at Mount Van Hoevenberg for luge, bobsled and skeleton. The project, which has to be finished in time for the Winter Goodwill Games in February, has the whole community abuzz. "Every day somebody tells me something," said Ted Blazer, who as president of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) is overseeing the project for New York state. "They can't believe we're doing it. They can't believe the state recognized -- and they're proud that it did -- that this is a real part of what Lake Placid's all about. It's given us new life, it really has." It's been 20 years since the previous track was built -- not very well and in too much of a hurry -- for the 1980 Winter Olympics. The harsh Adirondack Mountain winters gradually ate away at the old structure, making it dangerous to compete on. The best European lugers rarely chose to race on it in the 1990s, and the World Cup luge circuit hasn't stopped here in six years. "The old track deteriorated slowly, and it took a long time to convince ORDA [the authority operates the Olympic venues in the Lake Placid region] that something had to be done," Rossi said. "We had to systematically stop having international events here. We had to stop even having national championships because our own senior athletes wouldn't compete on it." With two new tracks in North America -- at Calgary and Park City, Utah -- Lake Placid, one of only three places to host two Winter Olympics, was in danger of losing its proud moniker -- "Winter Sports Capital of the World." After several years of lobbying, government finally came to the rescue. New York Gov. George Pataki and Ronald Stafford, a longtime state senator who represents the region, helped round up $18 million of the $24 million final cost of the new track. The federal government provided the rest. Even before the funds were finalized, crews began demolishing the old track last February, and Mother Nature has lent a helping hand. A terrific fall -- Mount Van Hoevenberg had its first significant snowfall, six inches, in early December -- was a huge help. Weather delays were caused mostly by high winds and cost crews less than three weeks of valuable time, according to ORDA engineer Chris Conway. The final concrete section of the track was poured just over two weeks ago, ahead of schedule. "We have met the milestone of completing the track structure by Christmas, and we'll have it iced by mid- to late January," Conway said. "It's a monumental task that they've taken on to build the track in one year," Rossi said. "It normally takes two." Temporary start houses will be used for the Goodwill Games. Permanent structures and landscaping will be completed in the offseason. Like the old structure, the new track will have its own little quirks, which promise to make the racing very competitive. "It looks awesome," said Duncan Kennedy, the most decorated U.S. luger in history who was forced to retire in November for health reasons. "As much as the old track was terrible and dangerous, there was still an aura about it and a reputation this place needs to uphold. The name Lake Placid struck fear into the heart of every luger, so it would be nice if the track was hard enough that it commands a little bit of respect, and I think parts of it might." The layout, which will allow for speeds approaching 90 mph, was designed by Uwe Deyle of Stuttgart, Germany. "That was an important decision on our part because most of the recent tracks have been designed by a different firm that was starting to make a track that we felt was unexciting," Rossi said. "We went back, did some research, and came up with the tracks that we thought were the most exciting -- Koenigssee, Winterberg, Sarajevo. And it turns out, all those tracks were designed by Deyle. "I was always striving to get this to be kind of like the Koenigssee track," Rossi said. "It's unique, there is no other track like it. If we can get close to that, I'll be thrilled." The new course has a flat section, a curve that's not banked, and an uphill portion that goes into a downhill rapidly, making it especially tricky. "The sled gets very light on that section of the track, and if you're not set up on your line 100 meters before that, you'll never be able to drive it," Rossi said. But the biggest difference is in the 20 turns. Unlike most of the new tracks around the world, which have constant-radius curves that are easy to negotiate, the Mount Van Hoevenberg track is different. The radii of the curves change, forcing sliders to steer a lot more. "You're going to have to drive to get to the bottom," Rossi said. "Anybody can drive some of the other tracks, and we didn't want that. We didn't have that on the old track. We needed to have a median in between -- did we want just anybody being able to drive the track or the best guy winning the race? We chose to have the best guy winning the race." The transformation on the mountain from the old to the new also has rekindled hopes of a third Olympiad. It may be a longshot considering the logistical problems that plagued the 1980 Lake Placid Games, but never underestimate the hardy people who live in this neck of the north woods. "Things here don't surprise me because it's a small town that has a focus," Blazer said. "And the people who work here -- when they say they're going to do something, they do it. Whatever it takes. They always seem to get the job done. "They're having a part in something that's going to have a long run in history," Blazer said. "And who knows what might be involved in the future? Probably some very spectacular events coming up. It's now part of Lake Placid's new legacy as we move forward. It's a big deal. Not too many places in the world do this."
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