Provided photo Brad Preston

On Friday, Feb. 28, the Mount Van Hoevenberg and Ski Jump crew installed a 10- by 15-foot mural representing the U.S. flag on the sliding track finish platform as U.S. bobsled and Skeleton athletes and their competitors arrived in Lake Placid to begin their final training and practice runs for the 2025 IBSF Bobsled & Skeleton World Championships.

The day before, the “anguish” wall, where leading sliders wait to learn if their times have been beaten or not, resulting in their making the top three to five podium slots, was moved diagonally across the platform to improve media access and enhance the loading of sleds on the trucks. In its stead, Brad Preston of the ORDA crew finished the installation of a mural assembled from 330 drawings created by area youth.

“A lot of the athletes love the mural, ours and members of the other teams,” Preston said. “I think it’s different than they’ve seen at other tracks. The athletes have been taking lots of pictures. I think it’s great that our kids chipped in and helped create the mural; it shows that they have a lot of spirit.”

The young artists who created the sliding sport-themed drawings, ranging in ages from kindergarten to seniors, came from Camp Placid, CYC of Lake Placid/Wilmington, Keene Central School, Lake Placid Central School (Elementary and Middle/High School), North Country School, Northwood School, Saint Agnes School and the Shipman Youth Center. An initial viewing was held in the Mount Van Hoevenberg Awards Plaza on Friday, Dec. 13, so the youth could see their creation before it went into storage until the World Championships.

“Involving youth in projects like the flag mural is important because they don’t always feel seen, and this project provides them a way to be seen and builds their self-esteem; years later, they can see it and say, I helped make that,” said Tina Clark, president of CYC. “Also, so many of our kids will be future athletes. How cool is it for them to work on this mural at the sliding track, where one day they may compete? Is that full circle or what?”

Charlie Volker of the U.S. World Championship Bobsled Team.

The assignment for students was to celebrate and encourage U.S. bobsled, luge, and skeleton athletes using either a blue, red, or white background on an 8- by 8-inch square piece of paper. ORDA provided the schools with images of men and women participating in the various sliding disciplines to help the students understand the differences between the sports and inspire their creativity. Clearly, the photos were but a launching pad for the youth’s creativity, with some inserting elements that were inspiring to them, such as a $1 slice of pizza or a hamburger, winning a gold trophy, or being cheered on by an alien from space.

“The mural shows off the students’ love and respect for the athletes who have trained and competed in Lake Placid,” said Sonja Franklin, Principal of Lake Placid Elementary School. “The kids are embedded in this culture; the athletes are our neighbors, as their training center is just down the road. We already have the kids scheduled to come out and watch the events.”

“I’m amazed that 330 kids created this,” said US skeleton forerunner Darryl Payne Jr.

“I think it’s awesome. I love seeing the creativity of children and seeing what their minds see. It helps you look at the world from a different and better perspective. I think it’s gorgeous.”

“This is gorgeous,” said forerunner Andy Whittier. “We appreciate the local support, ‘Go team USA!’ ‘We love you guys!'” There is nothing like this anywhere else in the world. We feel their love; it’s uplifting, and it helps us keep going and pushing our limits.”

Elana Meyers Taylor of the US World Championship Bobsled Team.

“One of the things that stands out for me is the flags and the hearts,” said teammate Sam Allred.” It makes me feel a lot of love from the members of our country that we’re doing our best to represent. We appreciate the people that made this mural that they made for us.”

“I love the mural,” said US Skeleton World Cup athlete Kelly Curtis. “I love the community effort that went into this. It’s awesome.”

“The mural is great,” said fellow World Cup athlete Mystique Ro. “It’s nice to have so much support from the locals and the kids especially; it’s exciting. I love seeing their Olympic spirit; it’s nice having them behind us, please thank them so much.”

Members of the US Bobsled Team were equally as enthusiastic.

“The mural is awesome; it’s very sweet,” said Kaillie Humphries.

Provided photos From left are Sam Allred, Andy Whittier and Darryl Payne Jr. Below is Brad Preston, ORDA crew member who did the final install of the images.

“I love picking out the different details each kid has done,” said Elana Meyers Taylor. “I love all the gold medals, the bobsled pictures, and how it all comes together as our flag. The mural is very special. We feel their love, and we appreciate that they made the effort and how they are learning about sliding sports.”

“The mural is so magical,” said US bobsledder Macy Tarlton. “Many internationals have been so caught up in the kid’s drawings that they didn’t realize it’s an American flag; all the beautiful art enraptured them. The mural makes the venue a bit homey; I mean, hanging a work of art on a bobsled track that’s pretty unique. It could be in a museum. So many people are checking out the mural while waiting for the sled truck. My favorite image is of the two doggies riding a bobsled.”

“The mural is very cool,” said Charlie Volker. “We were all those kids at one point, looking up at the older athletes and hoping we could be like them one day. It’s pretty sweet to see what they created. I am thrilled that many of them are coming out to cheer us on during the event, that’s awesome.”

“Arts and sports go together,” said Joe Martens, President of ORDA. “One inspires the other. The mural created by our area youth is their way of expressing joy, enthusiasm, and encouragement. The mural was made out of drawings created by kids of all ages. The mural is a wonderful sign of encouragement for our sliding athletes. On the flip side, the kids get to think about the importance of sports, encouragement, and community support. It works both ways, and that’s why ORDA was happy to support it.”

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)