LAKE PLACID — The Adirondack Foundation’s Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund is accepting online grant applications from local athletes and nonprofit organizations. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m., August 24, 2020.

This fund provides financial support to both competitive athletes in the greater Lake Placid/Olympic Region with regional, national, and international promise, as well as nonprofits, schools, and municipal programs that involve area youth in traditional sports.

Race fees, training camps, travel, equipment, and organized club activities are the types of expenses the fund can help cover. 

Applicants this year are asked to describe how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting their training, competition, or approaches to youth engagement. Details about eligibility and application instructions can be found online at adirondackfoundation.org.

  Past grant recipients have included U.S. Olympic medalist Chris Mazdzer (luge), Nordic combined athlete Beckett Ledger, mountain bike racer Adrian Hayden, speedskater Esther Munoz, the Lake Placid Outing Club, and the Tupper Lake Youth Nordic Ski Development Club, among others.

Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund was established at Adirondack Foundation in 2004 by the Henry Uihlein II and Mildred A. Uihlein Foundation and World Triathlon Corporation. It supports local athletes who aspire to compete on the international stage, as well as community organizations that promote participation in life-long summer and winter sports. Grants are recommended annually by a committee of local residents and representatives from the sponsoring organizations. To date, the fund has awarded $438,293 in grants to 77 athletes, including 11 who have competed in the Olympics, and 26 community organizations.

As the community foundation serving the Adirondack region of northern New York, Adirondack Foundation awards $3 million in grants annually and works with generous people from all walks of life to support nonprofits, schools, and municipalities. For more information, visit www.adirondackfoundation.org or call (5618) 523-9904.

NYSEF online auction

The New York Ski Education Foundation’s summer benefit provides support for the various snowsport programs offered to young athletes at Belleayre Mountain, Gore Mountain, Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex and Whiteface Mountain. In an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and the health and safety of our guests and community, the annual in-person event at Heaven Hill Farm has been canceled. In lieu of the physical event, NYSEF will be having an online auction that will launch on Aug. 19 and end Aug. 21.

The goal is to raise $50,000 to help fund the greatest needs of the organization such as providing scholarships to athletes while also keeping enrollment costs down.

Additionally, a portion of ther auction will support the communities where NYSEF operats, with donations planned for emergency funds with the Adirondack Foundation (Special and Urgent Needs Fund in the Gore, Lake Placid and Whiteface region) and the Community Foundation of the Hudson Valley (COVID-19 Relief funds in Ulster, Putnam and Dutchess County in the Belleayre region).

Details to the online auction will be provided closer to the event date.

NYSEF has also scheduled its annual Golf Open tournament for Aug. 23.3 Information on the Golf Open can be found on nysef.org/events.

LP Soccer Centre Day Camp

The Lake Placid Soccer Centre plans to host a youth soccer day camp Aug. 17-21, 2020 that is rescheduled from July 13 at the Jim Kordziel Fields Complex of the Lake Placid Central School.

“First, this reset skills clinic is dependent on the Essex County and New York State Health Advisories and the health situation at that time,” stated Michael ‘Twig’ McGlynn one of the founders of the camp.

Lake Placid Soccer Centre is designing a camp program around The Coerver Coaching Method program, which will have redesigned drills to allow maximum physical distancing for the kids. The Coerver Coaching program has had and is conducting youth soccer skills training in Australia and Europe that have continued with wellness and health safety factors as the core consideration.”

The youth clinic provides soccer skills development for girls and boys ages 8-18 and comes just prior to the start of pre-season for soccer in the North Country. Located at the North Elba Show Grounds there are several large grass fields secured with limited access.

“Second, upon arrival each day daily temperature checks will take place for each child and daily preventative hygiene practices will be followed. Lunch breaks will be staggered to keep the age segmented training groups separate,” McGlynn said.

Summer 2020 is the 44th year of youth soccer camps in Lake Placid. The half day Mighty Mites program (age 5-8) will also take place each morning where younger kids learn the first steps of the sport.

Sign-up for camp can be accomplished with no deposit necessary at the Lake Placid Soccer Centre web site or by requesting a hard copy camp registration form at coach @ lakeplacidsoccer.com.