Norval Baptie, center, and Catharine Pope, right, in front of the Ice Palace at Pontiac Rink. The other skater is unidentified.
Skaters at the Curling Club. Bernadette Harrigan, Alice Walsh, unknown, Phyllis Horton, John Walsh, Ruth Lamy In front, Natalie Bombard, c. 1940.From the Centennial edition of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, August, 1994
Shortly after turn of the century, Goldthwaite takes over
...In 1915, Saranac Lake was the preeminent winter resort in the United States. No one had ever heard of Snow Mountain, or Sun Valley; Lake Placid hadn't yet built its bobsled runs and ski jumps, although it did have skate-and-ski-joring behind fast-running horses and it had produced some outstanding speed skaters, of whom Charles Jewtraw was a prime example.
Saranac Lake, however, had a focal point of Winter Carnival, with speed skating events, championship ice hockey, figure skating, curling, skiing, snowshoeing and tobogganing, and was unrivalled as a center for winter sports. Winter Carnival was an event which occupied every man, woman and child in the village from the first snowfall until the last Roman candle was fired in defense of — or attack on — the Ice Palace built on the hill looking down on Lake Flower. Weeks of research went into designing floats and costumes for the parade; months of construction and preparation honed the production to a fine edge, and lifetimes of skill and experience backed the entrants in the competitive events that brought hundreds of people to the stands alongside the River Street building that in other seasons was used as the armory...
Plattsburgh Daily Press, February 12, 1908
SKATING IN AMERICA
Fascinating Sport Not as Popular as It Used to Be.
…While the records for speed on the ice are perhaps most talked of the advance in fancy or figure skating is quite as remarkable. The extent to which figure skating has been developed both at home and abroad will come as a surprise to most laymen in such matters. It is not generally known, again, that the so called continental style, which is the standard in all great skating countries, is a direct outgrowth of the distinctively American style which was introduced into Europe forty years ago. And incidentally probably the best skaters in the world today, judged by the most rigid rules, are to be found in this country.
Lake Placid News, January 4, 1915
The Saranac Lake Carnival will take place February 2, 3, 4. The feature of the carnival will be the International outdoor speed and figure skating championships. The selection of Saranac Lake was made by Irving Brokaw, chairman of the figure skating committee.
Lake Placid News, February 19, 1926
...Program at Pontiac Rink
Daniel Van Nortwick, a Saranac skater, captured the prize pair of custom-built speed skates awarded by Thomas Batten of Lake Placid in the one-half mile free-for-all skating race, the feature of the rink program at Saranac Lake during the afternoon. His tone was one minute, 27 seconds. Carl D'ambrizi finished second and Percy Sadler third. Van Nortwick also skated an exhibition three-quarter mile, covering the distance in 2 minutes, 8 seconds.
In the one-half mile ski-joring race, Miss Helen Munn was the victor on elapsed time, finishing in 1 minute 47 seconds. Carl Skeels was second, with Thomas Cantwell third.
Exhibitions of figure skating were given by the Ward sisters of Saranac Lake and Miss Alice Johannsen of Lake Placid.
Adirondack Record-Elizabethtown Post, February 4, 1937
European Skater to Visit Saranac Lake
Melitta Brunner, Europe's foremost professional figure skating star, arrived on the S. S. Paris a few days ago, to make her American debut at the winter carnival at Saranac lake on February 13-14. She will be the guest of William Morris, Jr.
Lake Placid News, February 11, 1938
Dear Editor:
Much has been accomplished this winter toward reviving interest in a local [Lake Placid] hockey team, organizing an active and enthusiastic ski club and seeing that our local Speed skaters have sufficient backing—but what has become of our local Figure Skating Club? Out of 82 letters recently sent out to families with one or two members interested in figure skating only 8 families have signified enough interest in the club to pay their dues.
The situation is extremely serious as without an active club in good standing in this community we cannot obtain a sanction from the United States Figure Skating Association, to put on our semi- the annual carnival a very important source of income for everyone in this village.
Our standing at this time with the United States Figure Skating Association is very precarious. We have no charter and are only on probation with the understanding that if we do not show more activity the club can no longer be affiliated with the national organization.
Both Ray Brook and Saranac Lake have active Figure Skating groups but which have not as yet applied for membership with the national organization.
Lake Placid News, January 30, 1948
LOCAL SKATERS IN COLLEGE CARNIVAL
Miss Helen Carter, ladies senior champion of the Lake Placid Figure Skating club, will go to Clinton Saturday to skate in the Hamilton College winter carnival. Other skaters from the local club to make the trip are Miss Isabelle Jones, Miss Cynthia Pettinger and Arthur Levy.
Miss Carter also skated Thursday night in the coronation festivities at St. Lawrence University. Other fancy skaters there included John and Alice Walsh of Saranac Lake, members of the local Figure Skating club
Lake Placid News, February 13, 1948
HIGH SCHOOL WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS TAKEN BY LOCAL ATHLETES
...Figure skating champions crowned were Phillis Krinovitz, Saranac Lake, ladies' senior; Betsy McLane, Lake Placid, ladies' junior; Gretchen Deitz, Lake Placid, ladies’ novice; Emily Woodruff, Saranac Lake, ladies' juvenile and Rose and Helen Wilkins, Lake Placid, ladies' pairs.
Lake Placid News, March 19, 1948
Joyce Durgan Stands Out in Figure Skating.
The showing of Joyce Durgan, nine-year-old figure skater from Saranac Lake, highlighted the competition in the Skating Club of' Lake Placid’s annual competition at the arena on Friday night. Miss Durgan, competing in the Senior A event, placed second to Miss Harriet Beloff…
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, January 25, 1952
20 S.L. Skaters Set For Placid Title Meet
Under the auspices of the Lake Placid Speed Skating Club and sanctioned by the Northern New York Skating Association the two-day outdoor skating championships get under way tomorrow at one o’clock at Mirror Lake.
Some 200 entries are listed for all the events which will include as a special feature the M. C. Landon 3-mile special race.
Medals will be awarded in all events and a point trophy will go to the high scorer in all classes of the competition. Winners of the most points in each class will receive a point cup.
Representing the Saranac Lake Speed Skating Club will be 30 entries in 12 of the 12 regular classes. In the Senior Men's are Linus Fobare and Tommy Fina; Fred Parsons in the Intermediate and James La Fountain and Tom Callahan in the Junior class. George Wilson and Mose La Fountain, Jr., are the entries in the Juvenile while Albert Stunzi will head the Midget bracket and Bailey Anderson and Roger Foster are entered in the Special Midget race for boys.
6 WOMEN'S EVENTS
In the six women's events, Charlotte Chase is the Senior group representative with Elaine Smith heading the Junior division. Joyce Durgan will be the Juvenile class entry with Susan Baxter and Nancy D'Onofrio skating in the Midget class. The Special Midget event for girls will be headed by Mary Anne Stunzi and Grace Stephens.
If there are enough entries warrant running the event, there will be a Pee Wee Girls' event of two races, the 230 and the one sixth mile, in which Martha and Mary Partridge are the two Saranac Lake entries.
The two-day affair will bring skaters from all over the East. Teams representing Pittsfield, Boston, Brooklyn, New York City, New Jersey, Newburgh, Rochester, Troy, Saratoga, Syracuse, Schenectady Fort Johnson, Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and Ottawa will compete.
The meet will bring together some of the top senior men skaters including Art Lonsjo, Ray Blum, Ed Dame, Alex Goguen, Tony Callipare, Linus Fobare, Tony Fina and Bobby John.
Officials for the races are: Meet director, Stan Ayres; referees, Bunny Sheffield, Elmer Greenwood; clerk of course, Ken Kearney; chief scorers, Hazel Spencer, Evelyn Keraney; chief judges, Harold Durgan, Ernie Spencer, Bud Lynch and Francis Walsh Sr.
Starters will be “Bo” Smith and Stan Ayres; corner Judges are I. B. Hunt, Jr. and Gus Stunzi; chief timers are Kenny Wilson, H. J. Gallagher and Hurley Devlin.
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2012-03-02 13:07:55 cool! —208.125.106.90
