Olympic figure skating gold medalist Scott Hamilton speaks to the crowd the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 18 during the Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer benefit at the Olympic Speedskating Oval in Lake Placid. Below, skaters participate in the event, which raised money for the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation. (Provided photo — Christie Sausa)

LAKE PLACID – Tuesday, Feb. 18, was certainly quite the day for skating in Lake Placid, even more than usual.

That’s because it featured two skating events – the Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer fundraiser to benefit the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation from 3 to 5 p.m. on the Olympic Speedskating Oval and the Dream On Gala and Ice Show at 8 p.m. in the Olympic Center’s Herb Brooks Arena. Adding to the excitement was the fact that Scott Hamilton, 1980 Olympian and 1984 Olympic gold medalist in men’s figure skating, was on hand for both events.

Despite the sloppy ice and snow weather conditions, hundreds turned out for the inaugural skate, which was a “Frozen 5K.” Including locals and visitors, the oval was packed with skaters wearing hockey, figure, and even speed and Nordic skates to complete their laps. Music and commentary was provided by Good Guy Productions, with Hamilton addressing the crowd. In addition to being the first time hosted in Lake Placid, the oval was the first speedskating track to host a Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer event.

These events are nationwide, often hosted in larger cities, and yet Lake Placid delivered. While the goal was $10,000, the community ended up raising six times the expected amount. At last count, as of press time Wednesday, $63,013.46 was raised.

Fundraising is completed through peer-to-peer fundraising. After registering, they can raise funds through their personal networks, and similar individuals can join together to form teams to continue fundraising together. The culmination of this fundraising is the on-ice celebration, where the community can come together to commemorate their fundraising efforts and honor those they know impacted by cancer.

Skaters participate in the Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer benefit Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the Olympic Speedskating Oval in Lake Placid, which raised money for the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation. (Provided photo — Christie Sausa)

Many of the fundraisers were sports groups. The 1980 Olympic figure skating “Dream Team,” the Skating Club of Lake Placid, and Olympians of the North Country were some notable teams. The individual who raised the most at $7,620 was 1980 Olympian and 1984 Olympic silver medalist in pairs Kitty Carruthers-Conrad, who with her brother Peter was in Lake Placid for the 40th Anniversary Dream On show and gala.

“I have good friends,” she quipped during the Dream On show when she was commended for her fundraising.

Hamilton had struggled with cancer himself, but he started the CARES Foundation to honor his mother Dorothy.

“Most of the team has met my mom at some point, and she was the center of my universe,” said Hamilton. ” I thought if I could raise money through skating or whatever to find a cure for her cancer that I would know why I was born. Then 20 years after I lost her, I was diagnosed with cancer and it was there that I realized everything that was missing in the cancer community and how dysfunctional it was and so I sort of went from fundraiser to activist.”

Six years ago, Hamilton founded CARES with the goals of funding research that spares the patient harm through immunotherapy, education and support.

Hamilton’s dedication to his mother and her memory not only helped create the foundation but on a personal level, it helped spur him on to become one of the greatest skaters of all time.

“She sacrificed everything for me to be a skater, and the day she lost her battle to cancer was a real honest fork in the road for me. It just sort of woke me up, and I decided to dedicate everything to her. If I wanted to be late for a figures session, I would say, ‘I’ll be on time.’ If I didn’t want to be a long program run-through I would think, ‘Run through your program no matter what,’ and it changed my skating dramatically.”

At the end of the event, Hamilton announced that plans were in the works to bring Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer back next year, as always saying “I love this town,” a sincere sentiment that has become a local catch phrase. He noted that “It’s the people that make the town, and there are no better people.” Hamilton said he enjoys returning to Lake Placid.

“I won my first international competition here, and I skated my last Stars on Ice show here, but I never really thought it would be like home,” Hamilton said. “It’s really remarkable what a huge role (Lake Placid) has played in my life.”

Donations are still being accepted for the Lake Placid Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer event. For more information, including other event sites and how to donate, visit online at www.mysk8.org.