Ski Jumping and Firewoks on New Year’s Night in Lake Placid

By AlpineZone News |
Dec 27 2004 - 08:56 PM

LAKE PLACID, NY ??” The Art Devlin Cup, symbolic of ski jumping excellence over three competitions, will be up for grabs on New Year’s night, Jan. 1, in Lake Placid when the MacKenzie-Intervale Ski Jumping Complex hosts the 50th renewal of the Masters Ski Jump.

The event will be conducted by the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), managers of Lake Placid’s Winter Olympic venues. The annual competition will take place on the 90 meter hill beginning at 6:30 pm. A fireworks display will conclude the evening at 8 pm. In between, a field of national, regional and local jumpers — men and women — will soar into the night.

Ski jumping legends such as Lake Placid’s Art Devlin, who won this event twice, another two-time winner Bjorn Wirkola of Norway, three-time Masters king Jay Rand, Jr., another Lake Placid native, and Art Tokle, victorious in the 1955 inaugural, all have their names emblazoned on the Cup. In recent years, these jumpers have given way to the likes of national team skiers Tommy Schwall and Chris Hastings, both double Masters Champions.

The Art Devlin Cup measures excellence over the July 4, Columbus Day and New Year’s ski jumps. The current leader is United States Ski Team member Clint Jones of Steamboat Springs, Colo. with Anders Johnson of Park City, Utah second. Schwall, also from Steamboat Springs, is presently in third place. Both Jones and Schwall are 2002 Winter Olympians.

The winner of the Masters Ski Jump will receive $1,200, while the recipient of the Art Devlin Cup will pocket a $1,000 bonus. Centerplate, ORDA’s concessionaire, will serve hot beverages and seasonal snacks at the base of the chair lift.

Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for juniors and seniors. For added savings, patrons are encouraged to purchase the special 25th anniversary edition of the Kodak Winter Passport. It’s the perfect way to sample the winter sports sites and includes the 1932 and 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum.

This $25 keepsake will help you celebrate 25 years of glory after the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Among other benefits, the holder is entitled to enter the ski jumping complex on Jan. 1 at no additional cost. It can be purchased at any ORDA venue and at the ORDA Store at 6 Main Street in Lake Placid.

For more information on ORDA venues and events and to view web cams from five locations, please log on to www.orda.org.

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