Empire State Games torch coming to town tomorrow and this weekend’s Games in Lake Placid

WATERTOWN, NY — The Figure Skating Club of Watertown has been chosen to be one of the stops for the Empire State games torch relay this Wednesday, January 29 at the Watertown Municipal Arena.

In its 40th year, the Empire State Winter Games (ESWG) Torch Relay has 2 routes – one starting in Buffalo, NY, and the other goes from Manhattan to Lake Placid, New York. The relay begins January 27 and culminates five days, and over 700 miles of travel when the flame ignites the ESWG cauldron and kicks off the 2020 Games which is hosted in the Adirondacks from January 30 – February 2.

The Figure Skating Club of Watertown has several skaters participating in this year’s Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid. Skaters from the Club who are participating in the games will be part of the relay.

The skaters take the ice at 4pm for the torch relay with a short program to follow at 4:10pm. Mayor Jeff Smith, members of the City Council and the County Legislature have been invited to attend as well as the community.

The Club will have 14 skaters participating in this year’s Empire Games. The ESWG, New York State’s largest and oldest amateur sporting event, has become the Northeast’s largest multisport destination. In 2019, over 2,100 athletes competed in more than 30 events across 17 sports from 15 states and three countries. The 2020 Games are expected to exceed that number.

We encourage community members to join the Club to show their support on Wednesday. The Figure Skating Club of Watertown is honored to be part of this significant event and looks forward to being part of the 2020 Empire State Game opening ceremony.