as a cross country skier, was Lake Placid a “good place to grow”?
It is. You have awesome programs like NYSEF and a lot of really good venues by national standards, Van Hoevenberg being the biggest of them — I think there’s 50 kilometers of trails there. That’s a pretty high-quality, well-planned trail system. And there’s a lot of small venues around here that offer cross country skiing. Yeah, it’s a great place. When I was growing up, I was the same age as Tim Burke, Billy Demong — Haley Johnson came in when we were juniors and seniors in high school — so there were a lot of talented athletes to train with. And a lot of them are still among my best friends. Do you remember cross country skiing in Mr. Schalm’s gym class? Yeah (laughs). I skied around the elementary school athletic fields many times. That’s where you got your start. Yup (laughs). I actually started in Old Forge when I was three or four. I lived down there — that’s when I started ski racing. I think I was four when I was in my first race. I didn’t know what I was doing. You’re kind of
