Adirondack speed skating members and coaches pose. From left are, Mike Miller, Narayan Bosco, Tom Miller, Liam Myers, Olivia Alsdorf and Cynthia Patnode-Carey. (Photo provided)

Despite a delayed first-day start due to heavy snow, the Empire State Winter Games long track event occurred concurrently with the Adirondack All Around Championships, March 4-5. A month ago, brutal temperatures during Empire State Games necessitated a postponement of the long track event, so Games athletes were encouraged to return to compete in the combined meet.

Several local athletes of all ages represented the Lake Placid-based Adirondack Speed Skating Club in the event, competing alongside athletes from elsewhere on the East Coast and Canada.

The All Around format of the race requires all athletes to compete in several distances, from sprint distances (like the one lap and a straightaway of the 500 meters race) to long distances, such as the 3,000 meters. The latter adds up to over seven laps and is one of the most grueling distances. The overall winners are determined by the skater’s times and resulting points.

In the Masters’ Men category, Canadian Marc Hinton of the Ottawa Pacers won gold, while Andrew Haskell (Great Atlantic Speedskating Club, Maine) earned silver. Canadian Vytas Janusauskas (Gloucester Concordes), a frequent Lake Placid race participant, clinched bronze in the age category.

Julie Gehring (Buffalo Speedskating Club) won gold in the Masters’ Women category. Gehring skates short and long track and races in Empire State Winter Games. She is also a short-track speed skating coach in Buffalo. Canadians Kiera Bayne and Kaelan Jolliffe (Gloucester Concordes) came in first and second, respectively, in the Open Women category. Both have raced frequently in Lake Placid. Olivia Alsdorf of the Adirondack Speedskating Club secured the bronze and was happy with her results.

Samuel Hart Gorman of the Adirondack Speed Skating Club poses with his gold medal. (Photo provided)

“I’m extremely proud of my performance this weekend! I PR’ed (personal record) in every distance, smashing my personal records from 10 years ago,” she said via email. “Plus, I didn’t die during the 3,000M, so that’s always a positive.”

The 27-year-old English Language Arts teacher at Peru High School decided to return to the sport fairly recently after a long break.

“I laced my skates back up last summer with the intention of giving competitive speedskating another shot,” she said. “It’s been about ten years since I seriously trained and competed, so getting back into it was a little daunting at first, but I am super appreciative of all the support I’ve received from Coach Tom (Miller), the club, and my loved ones.”

Alsdorf has skated both short and long track and appreciates the contrasts between the two, saying, “I love the excitement of short track but also love how long track really pushes you to strive for faster times each time you go to the line.”

She noted that she enjoys training at the Olympic Oval for the scenery and history.

“There is nothing like it. The backdrop of the mountains, the rich Olympic history… it’s a beautiful facility, and I’m very grateful to be able to train here,” Alsdorf said.

Teammate Samuel Hart-Gorman, also of the Adirondack Speedskating Club, won gold in the Scholastic Men division.

The 17-year-old from Syracuse, doesn’t train in Lake Placid full-time but was there most of February during school break and noted that for the rest of the season, he tries to get to Lake Placid at least every other weekend to train. He had good races despite the snowy conditions and appreciates being able to train in Lake Placid.

“I love skating at Lake Placid; it’s like a second home for me,” he said via message. “I really appreciate all of the coaches and people working at Oval, especially Tom Miller, who has helped me for several years now.”

Canadian Eric Mercer (Gloucester Concordes) placed second, and bronze medalist Liam Myers (Adirondack Speed Skating Club) completed the Scholastic Men podium. Ishan Dixit came in fourth place.

Chloe Boudreau (Ottawa Pacers) placed first in the Scholastic Women category, while Grace Weinstein earned silver. Skating with Upper Valley Speed Skating Club (New Hampshire) Grace and her siblings Levi and Sophie, the children of two-time speed skating Olympian Dan Weinstein, all medaled in this event.

Adirondack Speedskating Club member Narayan Bosco won gold in his first meet, skating in the Pre-Scholastic Men category. In response to questions about his race experience, Bosco wrote, “I love speed skating, and I’m going to do it my whole life. It’s very fun to skate around the Oval because it’s so magical and I’ve trained there for three whole years. The Empire State (games) has been my first competition. I’m very thankful for (coaches) Tom, Cynthia (Patnode-Carey), and Mike (Miller).”

Levi Weinstein won silver in the category, while Henri Gaboriau (Adirondack SSC) placed third.

Ella Moodey (Adirondack SSC) landed atop the podium, winning gold in the Pre-Scholastic Women event, while Sophie Weinstein won silver.

Other local competitors included Jace Marra and Maria Voce, both of the Adirondack Speed Skating Club.

This was the last speed skating meet on the Oval this season, but the venue is still scheduled to be open for speed and public skating, weather permitting. For more information about the Lake Placid Olympic Center, including the Olympic Oval, visit ORDA’s new website at https://lakeplacidolympiccenter.com/ . For more about Empire State Winter Games, go to https://empirestatewintergames.com/.