New York State
Registration Information

Have you qualified for the 2008 Empire State Winter Games?
Qualifying criteria differs from sport to sport for the Empire State Winter Games, and athletes must qualify as per the rules established for their sport.

Preliminary rosters will be posted on the ESG website by February 15; final rosters will be posted by 4pm on Wednesday, February 20. If your name appears on the ESG Roster page for the 2008 Empire State Winter Games, or if your name appears as ESG Qualified on the roster page for your Sport's website (i.e. websites published by NYSSRA-Nordic, NYSSRA-Alpine, Empire Snowshoe, etc.), or if you have been otherwise notified officially that you have qualified for the Games, please read the general information below, and then take note of any specific instructions for your sport that follows.

Dear Empire State Winter Games Qualified Athlete:

Congratulations on qualifying for the 2008 Empire State Winter Games, to be held in Lake Placid, February 22-24!  For a complete competition schedule, please visit the Schedule page.

To compete at the Finals in Lake Placid, you must complete an ESG registration form and make sure it is on file with the ESG office prior to your competition. (Note: This ESG form may be in addition to any other forms required by your sport’s governing body. Scroll down to your sport to determine if any other forms are necessary.)

There are 3 ways to submit your form, and ensure that you will be permitted to participate in the Games. You may:

1

drop it off at the ESG Lake Placid Office (located at the Comfort Inn & Suites on Saranac Ave, Lake Placid - the ESG Office opens on Monday, February 18);

or

2

drop it off at ESG Registration (locations and times as indicated below);

or

3

deliver it to your sport’s representative at competition day check-in or when you pickup your racing bib on competition day.

If we do not have your ESG registration form on file (via one of the 3 ways noted above), you will not be permitted to compete or receive other ESG materials. Please note that if you have already submitted a registration form to the ESG office in Albany (i.e. Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, 5K Snowshoe), you need not submit it again.

In addition, your sport may have its own registration form or other requirements you must meet to officially be registered for the Games. Scroll down this page to your sport to determine what additional items may be required for your sport.

ESG Registration, at which you will pickup the ESG ID card, hat and (if eligible) sweatsuit, will take place as follows:

All Registration will be conducted at the Olympic Center in the Hall of Fame Room (enter the Center at the Box Office)
 
Thursday, February 21 - 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Friday, February 22 - 10:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday, February 23 - 4:30pm - 6pm

At registration, all qualified Open and Scholastic Division athletes will receive a complimentary ESG hat and sweatsuit; Masters Division athletes and all who have qualified for the Snowshoe 5K* race will receive a complimentary ESG hat, and may purchase a sweatsuit during posted registration hours (one per person), while supply lasts. Materials will not be mailed and only the qualified athlete with photo ID may pickup items at registration (no proxy).
*5K Snowshoe - hats will be distributed at the race site on race day (Sunday, 2/24), but will also be available for pickup during the hours indicated above.

Please note that while it is not necessary to pick up the ESG ID tag or sweatsuit prior to your competition, you must wear the ESG ID tag and sweatsuit to participate in the Opening Ceremony Parade of Athletes.

Athletes who accept a sweatsuit and/or hat and fail to compete must return the items or they will be banned from future Empire State Games (winter and summer Games), unless the athlete is injured during the period of the Games and sufficient medical proof is provided.

All participants must present government or school issued PHOTO ID at ESG registration (i.e. driver's license, non-driver ID, school ID, NGB photo ID, Passport, etc). THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS PHOTO ID REQUIREMENT. The athlete must appear in person at ESG registration - materials will not be given to proxies.

Please check the Empire State Games Schedule for the most up to date information for the dates and times of your event.

Other Weekend Events!

Empire State Winter Games Merchandise! Help support the Games!
Official ESG Merchandise will be available in the Olympic Arena (2nd level near the Box Office entrance) as follows:
Thursday, February 21 -- 4pm - 9pm
Friday, February 22 -- 10am - 8:30pm
Saturday, February 23 -- 10am - 7:30pm (with an additional location outdoors at the "Chill Out" event from 5pm - 7:30pm)
Sunday, February 24 -- 9am - Noon

Opening Ceremonies will be held on Friday, February 22, beginning at 6pm in the Herb Brooks Arena at the Olympic Center, Main Street, Lake Placid; admission is free. The traditional parade of athletes, video presentation, and torch lighting will highlight the ceremony. Athletes who wish to march in the Parade of Athletes must wear their 2008 ESG sweatsuit, hat, and ESG issued Athlete ID tag, and assemble in the USA Rink at the Olympic Arena by 5:30pm.

Immediately following the Opening Ceremonies on Friday evening will be the 12th Annual Winter Festival sponsored by the New York Lottery. Throughout the Olympic Center, there will be activities, games, and music until 8:30pm.

On Saturday, February 23rd, join in the fun with the Winter Games Chill Out join us for an evening of fun at the "Chill Out", with live music, food, games, fireworks and some great prizes! It's a terrific evening of fun for the entire family! Olympic Drive and Main Street in Lake Placid (next to the Olympic Center), 5pm - 7:30pm.

Also, the Empire State Games, the US Olympic Committee, the Lake Placid Regional Sports Commission, and the Olympic Regional Development Authority have teamed with the Taylor Hooton Foundation to present an educational program on the dangers of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs on Saturday, February 23, at 1pm and 4pm at the Lussi Rink in the Olympic Center in Lake Placid. It is being done in conjunction with the Empire State Winter Games and is free to the public. All athletes and parents are urged to attend.

Participants, athletes and spectators are discouraged from bringing packs, packages, bags or containers into the Olympic Arena or any other ESG venue or event. Any items of this sort brought into the Arena or other venues will be subject to search and any items left unattended will be confiscated. Please tell your parents and friends who plan to attend Games events about this policy.

If you have any questions about the Games, please call our Lake Placid office at 518-523-1822.

We hope that you and your family will join in the fun as Lake Placid welcomes the Games!

Please scroll down to find any additional registration information for your sport.

......and for other general information about your sport, please visit the Winter Games home page.

Alpine Skiing:
Athletes that have qualified for the Games will be listed on the ESG Roster at the NYSSRA-Alpine website (www.nyssra.org), and there will be a link at that website to an information letter and ESG registration form. Qualified athletes may obtain their official ESG registration form from either the NYSSRA website, or from this website. Only one ESG registration form per athlete need be submitted. Click here for an official ESG registration form.
Final rosters will be posted on this website by 3pm on Wednesday, February 20.

Please note that the ESG registration form is in addition to any other forms and fees required by New York State Ski Racing and/or Whiteface Mountain. If you plan to mail your race voucher and payment - send it to: NYSEF-WF, P.O. Box 300, Wilmington, NY 12997. DO NOT send your NYSSRA entry card/fee to the Empire State Games office

In addition to completing the necessary forms noted above, please be aware of the ESG Alpine rule that in order to participate in the Games, you must accept this invitation to compete by emailing the NYSSRA Office no later than 4pm on Thursday, February 14, 2008 to the email address: conniew@nyssra.org. Athletes who fail to confirm their participation by February 14 will be removed from the start list and ESG registration list.  Exception: Those qualifying at the Winter Carnival Series must notify NYSSRA office by 4 pm Monday February 18, 2008.

Athletes who accept the invitation to race and subsequently fail to compete without notifying NYSSRA or the Games office will be banned from the Empire State Games for one year.

Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing, Ski Orienteering, Speed Skating, Snowshoe, Speed Skating:
Athletes that have qualified for these sports (as of February 10) will be listed on the Games Roster page by February 15. Final rosters will be posted by 3pm on Wednesday, February 20.

Rosters of qualified athletes will also be posted on the respective sport's web sites, as well at the ESG Website by Friday, February 15 (Rosters). Only those persons who are listed as qualified on the NYSSRA Nordic Website, Empire Orienteering Club website (for Ski-O), NYS Biathlon website, Empire State Snowshoe website or the Empire State Games Website will be accepted to enter the Games.

Qualified athletes need to obtain their official ESG registration form by downloading it from this website. Only one form per athlete need be submitted. Additional information for these sports can be found below. If you know of someone who has qualified for one of these sports, please encourage them to visit this website!

Biathlon, Cross Country and Ski Orienteering: Qualifying for these events will not automatically register you to compete.
If you wish to compete you must notify the ESG Sport Chairperson for your event as to your intention to compete. Notification must be made by Wednesday, Feb. 20 as follows:
Biathlon: Bill Lilly at (716) 233-9513 or email: wlilly@rochester.rr.com;
Cross Country: Larry Wilkinson; use the online form at  www.nyssranordic.com or email to nordic@roadrunner.com or 315-797-9341;
Ski Orienteering: Eric Hamilton at (518) 383-8565, or email to ejh.bkh@juno.com.

Snowshoe: Snowshoe racers who have qualified for the 5K race must have submitted an ESG registration form by 3pm Wednesday, February 13; there are no post entries. Check the roster page for your name.
Snowshoe sprint and 1500m racers - select this link for the official ESG registration form. Additional information about the Snowshoe events is available at the Empire State Snowshoe website (http://www.empirestatesnowshoe.org/).

Speed Skaters:  The top 12 racers on the points list for each division will qualify for the Games. The qualifying season will end on February 4, 2008. You must RSVP by January 31, 2008, to the ESG Speed Skating Sport Chairperson, your intention to participate at the ESG finals in Lake Placid. Please email Gretchen Burns at dburns2@twcny.rr.com, with "ESG RSVP" in the subject line and include a message as to whether or not you intend to compete in the finals in Lake Placid.
Those that do not RSVP by January 31, 2008 will be replaced in the qualifying list. Skaters should check the ESG Website Roster February 15 to confirm their qualification and print the ESG registration form to bring to registration.

Bobsled, Skeleton, Luge, Ski Jumping:
Those wishing to qualify for the Games in these sports must qualify and/or obtain approval from their sport's NGB Office in Lake Placid. For those athletes that have been approved and named to the ESG start list please download the ESG registration form and deliver it as indicated at the top of the page.  Each sport's NGB will submit a roster of names to the ESG Office by February 13, 2008. It is the athlete's responsibility to ensure that his/her name will be on the start list that is submitted to the ESG Office, as only those on the list will be permitted to participate in the Games. Athletes should check the Roster page on February 15 to confirm that their entry has been accepted.

Figure Skating:
The entry deadline for Figure Skating was January 18, 2008.  Skaters should take note of the registration information indicated at the top of this page.
Skating Schedules, flights and additional registration information is now available.

Ice Hockey:
Women's Ice Hockey teams were selected in early February. Players should take note of the registration information indicated at the top of this page. Hockey players should plan to arrive at the Ice Hockey registration table at the 32 Rink in the Olympic Center one hour prior to their first game to pick up their competition jersey. Players may not send someone in their place to pick up the jersey; photo ID showing proof of NYS residency or full-time status as a student in a NY school will be required for jersey pickup.