CORTLAND, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The 42nd Empire State Winter Games (ESWG) Torch Relay will stop in Cortland on Monday, January 31, at the JM McDonald Sports Complex, the home rink to the Cortland Figure Skating Club. Thirteen club members will compete at this year’s Empire State Winter Games.
One of those thirteen members is 18-year-old Amanda Demmerle, a figure skater from Camillus, who was named ESWG Athlete of the Year. Amanda will light the flame in Lake Placid on February 3 to officially begin the games — the same day the 2022 Winter Games begin in Beijing.
In Cortland, the torch will travel down Fairgrounds Drive in a procession that includes the Cortlandville Fire Department, the Cortland Fire Department, the Cortland Police Department, the Homer Police Department, and the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office. Once the torch arrives at JM McDonald Sports Complex around 5:30 p.m., it will be handed to members of the Cortland Figure Skating Club. Here, the club will join with Cortland mayor Scott Steve and SUNY Cortland President Erik Bitterbaum in a small presentation.
The Empire State Winter Games competition begins on February 4 and is the largest multi-sport amateur athletic winter sporting event in North America. ESWG expects around 2,000 athletes to compete at over 30 events in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Paul Smiths, and the surrounding area.
