Skaters Train, Play on Olympic Ice

A few yards away, down the hill, on the same ice where Eric Heiden won Five Olympic gold medals, people in Lake Placid play.

Eight-year-old Kyle Moran is happy to be out on a sunny Saturday skating. He says it doesn't happen that often in the winter.

The ice oval is right in the center of Lake Placid, right along the main drag. People come here from miles around.

Kirsten Richnodsky really enjoys skating. She's been a figure skater for more than eight years and a hockey player for three.

Playground equipment is snowed under. So in the winter time, the ice is their park. It's where people socialize and just hang out.

Among the young people who enjoy the rink is 13-year-old Tom Angelone. He likes playing hockey with his friends.

Russian native Anna Levin especially enjoys winter skating. She lives in New York and can't often find the time to spend a lazy day skating.

Lake Placid is also the place to be if you're an athlete. It's got great facilities for winter sports. Some of the best winter sports coaches call this place home.

Figure skating instructor Kim Hunt says Lake Placid is known for its heavy-duty training. Kids practice from 6-8 hours a day and fit their schooling around their skating.

Rick Petrosi lives in the area. He's quite certain that some great athletes will come out of the many skating programs and other winter sports programs.

Some of the best athletes, coaches and facilities center their world around Lake Placid. It's a world that's different than ours, a world of people with winter Olympic hopes and dreams.