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November 28, 2009
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Meet Haley Johnson John Brown to be remembered next weekend Lake Placid native vying for spot on Olympic biathlon team By Matt Bosley matt@denpubs.com LAKE PLACID — Haley Johnson may likely represent the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada in February, but this home-grown athlete still remains firmly rooted in the community. Johnson, a 27-year-old native of Lake Placid, recently left for Sweden in preparation for the 2009-10 Biathlon World Cup. Over the next several weeks, she will have a series of opportunities to secure her place on the U.S. Olympic team. “I am really excited about this upcoming season,” said Johnson. “I head into winter training and the [World Cup] competitions the strongest I’ve ever been.” There are four slots open for the U.S. Olympic team for women’s Haley Johnson biathlon. Up to two women can Photo courtesy USOC/USBA qualify by finishing in the top 30 in any event on the World Cup circuit. Remaining slots will be filled in mid-January based on an Olympic qualifying event in Germany. Johnson is one of three women on the U.S. World Cup team, all of whom competed in last year ’s World Cup. She was the only one with a top-30 finish in a major event, nabbing 23rd place in the 15 km individual race at the 2009 World Championships in Korea. Still, the journey for this Olympic hopeful began with her father on a little slope behind her family’s Lake Placid home where, at the age of two, she strapped on her first pair of skis. She and her two younger siblings, Kara, 24, and Lars, 18, both accomplished skiers, each developed their skills early on the slopes of Whiteface and other nearby trails. “My parents chose to raise us in the Adirondacks because of the outdoor opportunities and our family ties to the town,” Johnson said, “and thus, from a very early age we all were very lucky to be involved with skiing.” The tradition of skiing in Johnson’s family goes back quite a ways in Lake Placid. Her grandfather, Bill Hovey, was a prominent alpine and waterski instructor here in the 1950s, and a ski trail on Mount Whitney is named in tribute to him. Her father spent many years as a volunteer and freestyle youth coach for the New York Ski Education Foundation. Haley naturally got involved in the Lake Placid Ski Club youth programs through NYSEF, where she developed an affinity for skiing, especially downhill. She went on to attend the nearby National Sports Academy to pursue alpine skiing at a higher level. “It turned out that I really wasn’t having fun with it anymore,” Johnson said, “and at the same time, my Earth Science teacher, also the local NYSEF Nordic coach, Kris Cheney-Seymour, urged and encouraged me to give crosscountry a try. I did, loved it, and made an immediate switch.” From there, she picked up biathlon, which combines crosscountry skiing and rifle-shooting. “I liked biathlon, mainly because it is something that I was then able to continue throughout the winter and train for in Lake Placid,” she said. Johnson said growing up in the Olympic Village provided just the right people and facilities to fuel her interest in traditional winter sports. “I not only skied, but also tried speed skating and figure skating,” she said. “I could have even pursued one of the sliding sports if I desired.” Biathlon stuck, however, and Johnson continued to compete while attending college in Maine. As her skills developed and she began qualifying for more international competitions, she gained more financial support and decided to train full-time at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid. Johnson said competing overseas and traveling to other ski towns throughout the world has given her even more of an appreciation for the Adirondacks. “After spending time training in Sweden, while at college, and in northern Maine, it was great to return home,” said
See JOHNSON, page 9
By Matt Bosley matt@denpubs.com LAKE PLACID — One of the region’s most prominent historical figures will be the center of attention next weekend as a coalition of cultural, educational and historic organizations presents a series of activities to commemorate his life and his death. John Brown moved his family to North Elba in 1849 to assist with a free black settlement called “Timbucto.” Ten years later, he and his followers attacked the U.S. Arsenal at Harper's Ferry in an ill-fated attempt to incite a slave revolt. He was subsequently tried, convicted and executed, and his body was transported back to his home in Lake Placid. “John Brown Coming Home,” an initiative to commemorate the 150th anniversary of those events, will feature an illustrious series of events across Essex County Dec. 4-8. The weekend of events kicks off at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. as area students who have been working in concert with professional artists present personal works of art, dance, song, and poetry inspired by Brown’s legacy. At 7:30 p.m., J.W. Wiley, Director of the Center for Di-
The John Brown State Historic Site on the outskirts of Lake Placid will be one of many venues to host events for “John Brown Coming Home,” a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, Va., and the return of his body to North Elba. Photo by Matt Bosley
versity, Pluralism, and Inclusion for SUNY-Plattsburgh, will lead an exploration of contemporary films about present-day slavery and how they relate to the historic conditions of racism that motivated John Brown. The event is presented by the Adirondack Film Society, and a reception will follow. Saturday, Dec. 5, the High Peaks Resort will host a Symposium on the Life and Legacy of John Brown. This
event begins at 9 a.m. and will feature well-noted professors and historians speaking on the AfricanAmerican experience in the years surrounding the Civil War and the experiences and faith that shaped John Brown. “A lot of attention has been given this year to the actions of John Brown and the abolitionists who supported him, and not enough to the critical role that Black Americans played in setting
the stage and forcing the issue of slavery on the national conscious,” said Naj Wikoff, coordinator of the 150th Commemoration of John Brown, “It was Free Blacks who took up Gerrit Smith’s offer to leave the urban environment to the Adirondack wilderness in an attempt to create a new beginning; without them John Brown would never have moved here where his raid was planned.”
See BROWN, page 9
Kids share their experience being in ‘The Nutcracker’ Performance continues this weekend at Hartman Theatre, Lake Placid shows to follow By Jeremiah S. Papineau jeremiah@denpubs.com PLATTSBURGH — The North Country Ballet Ensemble doesn’t just love having children in the audience for their performances, they enjoy having them on stage as well. The ensemble’s upcoming annual production of “The Nutcracker” features several children who are both new to the stage and what some would consider seasoned veterans. Madison Cleveland, a 6thgrade student at Beekmantown Middle School, has been performing in The Nutcracker for the past five years, though said she still loves being on stage. “Ballet is a story told without words, just by movement,” she said. “It’s
See NUTCRACKER, page 6
A few of the performers from the North Country Ballet Ensemble’s upcoming performance of “The Nutcracker.” The dancers include, from left, Korinne Stay, Drew Roublick, Heather Cleveland and Eydon Thomashow. Photo by Jeremiah S. Papineau