From left, adult skaters Sandy Wilson, Linda Frances, Krystal Ford and Christine Camann pose at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Have you ever dreamed of skating in the Ice Capades, the Saturday night ice shows at the Olympic Arena or some other ice show?

Or perhaps skating in a parade of champions waving to audience members in their seats? Perhaps while wearing one of those imaginative and stylish costumes that champions wear in the Olympics and other skating events?

Nearly four dozen adult skaters had just that chance, all three dreams on Olympic ice where such champions as Tai Babilonia, Robin Cousins, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Sergei Grinkov, Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, Paul Wylie, Kristi Yamaguchi and many others have skated. Their opportunities to achieve those dreams were through the Adult Skating Week held in the Olympic Center this past week.

Since the early 1990s, Lake Placid has been hosting an adult skating week for skaters 21 and older. It is one of the oldest such programs in the United States, established shortly after US Figure Skating created an adult program. Some participants have been skating for years, and others have just taken up the sport. They all get access to great coaches that love teaching adult skaters, lots of ice time and lots of fun.

“Skating provides the opportunity to learn something new all the time,” said Margaret Beggins, 70, of Jay. “I started coming to Adult Week in 2005; at the time, I was then living on Long Island. I made friends back then who I still have and are still skating here in Adult Week with me.”

Margaret Beggins and Mark Seu (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Mark Seu of Boston took up skating in 2018, then inspired by watching the 2018 Winter Olympics.

“I liked it and stuck with it,” he said. “I like the challenge, the thrill of learning new things, the community, and making friends with other adult skaters, and I like the feeling of moving very freely and going fast on the ice. This is my second year in Lake Placid; it’s an awesome program.”

Lake Placid’s program is one of the most popular in the country. It provides several assets, well-prepared ice constantly being refreshed, the Olympic Center with its diversity of ice sheets, excellent coaches, the community’s history of hosting two Winter Olympics and multiple world championships, and all the amenities of Lake Placid. The village is filled with delightful shops, various restaurants and many housing options.

“Sandy taking up skating is so inspirational,” said Sarah Wilson of her mother-in-law. “She’s attending a figure skating camp for grownups, and it’s fabulous. There are people out there who have never skated before. Watching Sandy spending her mornings making her costumes this week and watching her leave every morning with her bag as she heads off the figure skating camp is very inspirational.”

Her son, Joe Pete Wilson Jr. — supervisor of the town of Keene — said his mother is a great role model. He hopes that when he retires, he’ll be able to take up a new sport and perform in public as part of a skating show. He said it takes a lot of courage for all those skaters to get out on the ice under those circumstances.

Adult skater Jan Huppi, coach Ken Benson, and his daughter (and skater) Rosie (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

The adult skaters disagree about it taking courage to perform before others, the majority of whom are their coaches and family members, as they are having so much fun.

Valerie Hodgson Murray, who took classes in her youth in Lake Placid in the mid-1970s, has been coaching for 43 years. She started coaching in Lake Placid in 1984 and has been a coach in the Adult Skating Camp since its beginning.

“I love coaching in Lake Placid,” she said. “It’s the best place in the world. I love coaching adult skaters because they are so happy. They’re inspiring. I teach competitive skating with the youth, but the adults are special. They always have smiles on. Some in the group have never slated before; they only started this week with grins on their faces the whole time.”

Ken Benson, who has been coaching during Adult Week for the past 20 years, agrees. He said it was a different vibe teaching adult skaters than coaching children, which he enjoys equally. This year Benson brought several skaters from the Skating Club of New York for whom it was their first experience in Lake Placid. He praised facility upgrades, in particular the lighting.

Linda Frances, a member of the Skating Club of New York, first started skating at the old sky rink on 33rd Street in New York City, encouraged to take up the sport by her then-boyfriend; she was 36 at the time.

“I love the sport,” she said. “I feel as if it has taken years off me. Sandy Wilson told me I’d soon be 16 if I kept skating. I like the freedom skating gives me and the camaraderie among the adult skaters; everybody is cheering each other on all the way up to triple Lutzes. One of our dearest skaters from Lake Placid was Barbara Kelly. We skated together at the first adult nationals. I first skated in Lake Placid on this ice in 1992. I love Lake Placid.”

Krystal Ford moved to Lake Placid just a week before the skating camp, where she’s a first-time skater. She said she’s having a fantastic time and plans to join the Skating Club of Lake Placid.

“I’m hooked, I’m hooked,” said Ford. “I moved to Placid for the skiing, but I think maybe I’ll skate instead.”

Charlie Wilson, Sandy’s grandson, said it was “pretty cool” seeing his grandmother skate in the exhibition on Saturday, Aug. 27, the first time he’s attended a skating show. His sister Ella agreed, saying that while she has never been a big fan of watching skating, it was “cool” seeing her grandmother on the ice. Right now, Ella prefers biking and skiing.

“I look up skating a little past my prime, but it’s helping me feel that I’m still in my prime,” said Sandy Wilson. “Whether it’s an illusion or not, I feel like it. As you know, I have been a skier all my life. But one day, a woman friend said she had to leave because she had to go to the skating club to skate. That got me thinking about it, so I went and tried it. I realized you don’t need tons of clothes, you don’t need to schlep all that ski equipment around, and the weather doesn’t matter. You can go inside and have a great time, so I took up skating. I’m loving it.”

Wilson also pointed out that she was out on the ice with people of all ages, all having a great time trying to improve their skills and helping each other. She found the experience stimulating, and the skating camp provided her the opportunity to skate in a parade of skaters and an ice show for the first time in her life; that, too, was a thrilling experience.

“I’m definitely planning to come back and be a part of skating week in Lake Placid next year,” said Sandy. “I can’t wait.”

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(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the News for more than 15 years.)