Whistler, BC, Feb 12, 2010 — The head of the organizing committee for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, says ``we're ready.''

The 16-day extravaganza starts tonight with the lavish opening ceremonies at B-C Place Stadium. About 55-thousand people will pack the stadium for the glittering event. It will be the first time the ceremonies for a Winter Games will be held indoors.

Outdoors, organizers are contending with un-winterlike weather.
Fog forced the cancellation of downhill training in Whistler yesterday.
Weeks of around-the-clock work and a small army of staff bringing in snow meant the courses were ready. But fog brought visibility down to about 100 yards.

Lake Placid-based photographer Nancie Battaglia is in Vancouver for the Games.
She came to Lake Placid to document the 1980 winter Olympics, and has been shooting Olympic pictures ever since.
For the next two weeks, she'll be checking in with North Country Public Radio about the games and the many athletes this region has sent to the 2010 games.

Martha Foley caught up with Battaglia yesterday afternoon. She'd just come down from watching practice at the luge and bobsled track.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Feb 04, 2010 — The Winter Olympics open Feb. 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and this year, ski cross will make its debut. The sport has been a favorite of the Winter X Games. Skiers come out of the gates four at a time, competing for space on the narrow, twisty half-mile course and jockeying for position. They finish in about 50 seconds and get up to speeds of 50 mph, with lots of twists and turns and bumps and jumps along the way. But the sport is also controversial. At the Nature Valley World Cup ski cross final in Lake Placid, N.Y. last month, a skier from France was paralyzed from the waist down. NPR's Melissa Block has our story.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Feb 04, 2010 — Lake Placid's Olympic heritage goes deep -- back to 1932, and through the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 games, to this month's games in Vancouver, Canada. The story of how Lake Placid developed as a winter sports resort and hosted two Olympic Winter Games is told in the documentary Small Town, Big Dreams. The film is being shown nationwide on public television this month as part of the 30th anniversary of the winter games in Lake Placid. It includes rare film footage and audio recordings from museums and private collections. Todd Moe talks with Adirondack-area filmmaker Scott Carroll about some of the people behind the '32 and '80 Winter Olympics, and whether the region could host the winter games again.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Feb 03, 2010 — Four years ago, the US Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, then based in Lake Placid, fell into turmoil just before the Winter Olympics in Turin. The team dismissed head-coach Tim Nardiello following allegations of sexual harassment. Top athletes were knocked out of competition by freak accidents and a controversy involving performance-enhancing drugs. Team leaders say they've rebuilt the organization and developed a powerful new stable of athletes - including Lake Placid's John Napier - who could return to the podium in Vancouver. But as Brian Mann reports, the Americans will have to compete without one of its best bobsledders.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Feb 02, 2010 — 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.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jan 25, 2010 — Over the weekend, NPR's Melissa Block was in Lake Placid, gathering interviews for Olympic stories that will air today and tomorrow. The co-host of All Things Considered joined Brian Mann to talk about her work, her visit to the North Country and the future of National Public Radio.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Dec 21, 2009 — Four years ago, the US Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, then based in Lake Placid, fell into turmoil just before the Winter Olympics in Turin. The team dismissed head-coach Tim Nardiello following allegations of sexual harassment. Top athletes were knocked out of competition by freak accidents and a controversy involving performance-enhancing drugs. Team leaders say they've rebuilt the organization and developed a powerful new stable of athletes who could return to the podium in Vancouver. But as Brian Mann reports, the Americans will have to compete without one of its best bobsledders.  Go to full article

Oct 25, 2005 — Hundreds of athletes are getting ready for this Winter's Olympic games in Torino, Italy. But around the world, a small group of women ski jumpers are busy preparing for the next Olympics, which will be held in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010. The challenge for these women isn't making the team. The real test will be convincing international ski officials and Olympic organizers that their sport deserves a place on the schedule. As Brian Mann reports, women competed recently in Lake Placid, hoping to prove that they have enough experienced athletes to qualify for Vancouver.  Go to full article