NPR's Melissa Block reports on Lake Placid's Olympic tradition

This week we’re previewing the Winter Games in Vancouver, where more than a dozen North Country athletes will compete.

The Olympics have evolved into a mammoth industry. The spectacle in Vancouver is likely to cost more than $1.5 billion, as athletes from more than 80 countries gather to compete. But there was a time when the Olympics were much simpler. On this thirtieth anniversary of the Lake Placid Winter Games, the small-town version of the Winter Olympics still hold an important place in sports mythology. NPR's host of All Things Considered, Melissa Block, has our story.