POTSDAM  - St. Lawrence County youth sliding sport athletes dominated the podium in Empire State Winter Games sliding events this past Saturday, February 3rd at Mt Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid.

In the Luge competition, Madrid-Waddington middle schooler Warren Briggs (Madrid, N.Y.) earned a bronze medal in the Youth B division. Briggs is a member of the USA Luge Youth Development Team training with young athletes from across the USA.

Carly Coates of Potsdam, N.Y. (Little River Community School) tied for the gold medal in the Skeleton competition. Wyatt LaMarche of Canton, N.Y. earned the silver medal and John Mitchell of Canton, N.Y. took bronze. Both LaMarche and Parcell attend A.A. Kingston Middle School. Alexis Mitchell of Canton, N.Y. also competed but missed the podium.

In the Junior Bobsled competition, Carly Coates again attained a podium position, earning a silver medal with her partner Charlotte Borden of Keene, N.Y. Giovanna Pantoja-Willson of Canton, N.Y. (Little River Community School) earned the bronze medal with her partner, William Marshall Roberts of Holliston, Mass. The team of Wyatt LaMarche and John Mitchell finished in fourth place.

North Country residents can benefit from unique opportunities to participate in sliding sports given our proximity to the Lake Placid Combined Track at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. Information about trying Luge can be found at https://adk-luge.org. Information about the Junior Bobsled and Skeleton program can be found through https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/lesson/youth-bobsled-skeleton/.