Members of figure skating’s “Dream Team” plan to return to the site of the 1980 Olympics for a reunion and celebration in Lake Placid, New York next Tuesday.
Scott Hamilton, the flag bearer at the 1980 Opening Ceremony, will be joined by silver medalist Linda Fratianne, bronze medalist Charles Tickner, Tai Babilonia, David Santee, Sandy Lenz Jackson, Caitlin Carruthers Conrad, Sheryl Franks and Michael Botticelli, Lisa-Marie Allen and Stacey Smith and John Summers.
Paul Wylie, a 1992 Olympic silver medalist, will moderate a press conference featuring the skaters.
“Usually everything is about the hockey team, but now this is about figure skating,” Wylie told NBC Sports. “It will be a really cool moment.”
The community is invited to take to the ice on Tuesday for a “Frozen 5K” skate-a-thon and signature fundraiser of the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation. Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist and cancer survivor, will also lace up his skates.
Reigning U.S. ice dance champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 2019 U.S. pairs’ champions Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc and 2011 U.S. champion Ryan Bradley will perform in a gala honoring the 1980 Olympic team.
On Thursday, the Olympic Museum will host the kickoff event with two new exhibits: “Totally 80 – Exploring the Look of the Games” and “Foretelling the Future – The National Weather Service at the Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games.”
Other events include a 1980s trivia night, athlete forums, meet-and-greet opportunities with 1994 Olympic speed skating champion Dan Jansen and a screening of Disney’s “Miracle.”
Lake Placid also hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1932, but it is the 1980 iteration that lives prominently in the minds of Americans.
The U.S. men’s hockey team’s defeat of the Russians in the “Miracle on Ice” and Eric Heiden’s five speed skating gold medals are among the memorable highlights.
MORE: 10 takeaways from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships
As a reminder, you can watch the events from the 2019-20 figure skating season live and on-demand with the ‘Figure Skating Pass’ on NBC Sports Gold. Go to NBCsports.com/gold/figure-skating to sign up for access to every ISU Grand Prix and championship event, as well as domestic U.S. Figure Skating events throughout the season. NBC Sports Gold gives subscribers an unprecedented level of access on more platforms and devices than ever before.
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