Volunteers, including State Troopers and members of the New York City Fire Department, Lake Placid Police Department and Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department deliver team luggage and equipment to athlete's rooms at the Cambria Hotel in Lake Placid on Sunday, Jan. 5.

LAKE PLACID — A group of 58 athletes, along with 15 coaches, medical staff and personnel, with Invictus Team United States took to the snow and ice at several winter sports venues around the Olympic Region from Jan. 5 to 10.

The team was in town for a training camp for the Invictus Games, which are scheduled for Feb. 8 to 16 in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.

The Invictus Games “give soldiers who are wounded, injured or ill in body and soul a greater awareness and recognition in society and to support their path in rehabilitation,” according to the team’s website.

To date, 23 nations have sent athletes to the games, founded in 2014 by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. This year is the first time the games have included a winter sports element, said Jen Mott, the state Olympic Regional Development Authority’s coordinator for athlete services, schedules and accreditations.

ORDA, which operates several venues being used by the athletes this week, helped to coordinate the training camp, which was supported by the Gary Sinise Foundation saw a number of local organizations and agencies volunteer to help run.

Wheelchair curling training takes place at the Saranac Lake Civic Center on Monday, Jan. 6. From left on ice are Stephen Maikowski, John Marano, John Breen (standing), Moses Debraska, Justin Wolfe and Katrina Dearden. Photo type: Staff photo Photo credit: Chris Gaige

The Winter Invictus Games will have six sports: alpine skiing, alpine snowboarding, biathlon, nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling. Team United States athletes trained at Whiteface Mountain for skiing and snowboarding, Mount Van Hoevenberg for biathlon, Nordic skiing and skeleton and the Saranac Lake Civic Center for wheelchair curling.

The athletes hail from all across the country. They arrived at the Albany International Airport on Sunday, Jan. 5 and were escorted up the Northway by State Police. They were joined by the Lake Placid Police and Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department when the convoy neared Lake Placid.

Members of the above departments were joined by a delegation from the New York City Fire Department who volunteered to help unpack and deliver luggage and equipment to the athletes’ rooms and the Cambria Hotel, where the team stayed for the training camp.

Moses Debraska, a U.S. Air Force veteran and one of the five wheelchair curling athletes said the athletes were enjoying the training camp after the first day of curling practice at the Saranac Lake Civic Center.

“It’s a cool place, a cool town and things have been awesome so far,” he said.

Michael Murphy, a U.S. Army Veteran and snowboard, skeleton, swimming and indoor rowing athlete on Invictus Team U.S. arrives at the Cambria Hotel in Lake Placid on Sunday, Jan. 5. Photo type: Staff Photo Photo credit: Chris Gaige

Kim Seevers, who serves as manager of the USA Para Bobsled and Skeleton Program as well as an athletics manager with the Gary Sinise Foundation, said a herculean amount of work went into planning the training camp, which began in June.

She said it was a lot to handle for her team of four in the foundation’s sports and recreation department, but their experience managing large events with the organization in the past — along with helpful collaboration from ORDA — helped to make this week possible.

“For a minute, we tried to decide if we were being nuts or not,” she said. “I can tell you that pretty much all of November and December, we’ve been working really long weeks, but it’s so, so worth it.”

Seevers said the team will gather again at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, near Tacoma, Wash., a week ahead of the Invictus Games for final training and preparations.