Every weekend,I'm hitting the road and following a GPS somewhere. It's part of what you do when your daughter plays on a Tier One 16 and under travel hockey team. We pack the car and set out for a full weekend of fun and adventure. This past weekend,I found myself heading to the beautiful Adirondack Mountain area of Lake Placid, in upstate New York.
"Art Devlin who?", I asked the hockey mom in charge of reservations.
I'm a big fan of Trip Advisor, so, at that moment, I quickly googled up 'Art Devlin' and was pleasantly surprised to read that Art Devlin's Motor Lodge was rated #1!in Lake Placid. Even the highly acclaimed Mirror Lake Inn fell short as it was rated at #2. What? I thought. This can't be true. Did I hit the motel jack pot! Absolutely!
Sure,you can find fancier, and most definitely you can find more expensive, but you will NOT find a better bang for your buck anywhere else than at this comgy abode. Art Devlin's offers over sized, spacious, and clean rooms that make you feel like you're home. In an attempt to keep up with the times, Devlin's have added large flat screen TVs to most of the rooms. Soon, all of the rooms will have the upgraded version. The beautifully tiled over-sized bathrooms are a bonus as well! Coming soon, in August 2010, Art Devlin's will be offering a suite to the list of rooms at the motel. After a good nights sleep, head over to the main house and have a fresh brewed cup of coffee and a homemade muffin made with love by the Devlin's. While having my morning cup of joe, I couldn't help but notice the most impressive trophy case imaginable. At first glance, I thought it must belong to the entire Devlin family, perhaps generations of Devlin awards. I found out after speaking with Art Jr., that indeed, all the trophies in the case belonged to only one person, and that person was his dad, the Olympic ski jumping gold medal winner, Art Devlin Sr.
Art Devlin has a very interesting story. Art was born in the main house (were the lobby is today) on Sept 7,1922. When Art was just two years old, his mother passed away from scarlet fever.Soon after, his father suffered from depression and became a victim of mental health misunderstandings of the time and was institutionalised. With the family disrupted, Art was raised by relatives. Some might think that those turn of events would break a persons soul, but not Art. He was determined to become someone! He built a small ski jump in the back yard (where the pool is located today) and would practice for hours a day. By the time Art was 10 years old, he won his first ski jumping award in a 14-U class. By the time Art was
17, he earned a spot on the 1940 Olympic team. Unfortunately, the 1940 Olympics, scheduled for Japan,were cancelled due to WW2. Like many men of his time, he answered his country's call and joined the Army. After earning the title of Captain, he left the service and went back to his first love of ski jumping.
Although Art's credits are almost too long to mention, they all deserve recognition if we are to get a full appreciation of his triumphs. I have compiled a complete list at the end of this column.
Art passed away in 2002, missed by the Olympic community and by his family who still operate his motel today.
I was extremely comfortable at Art's! Its great location makes it an easy walk to the scenic Mirror Lake and the heart of Lake Placid village. If you plan on skiing the Olympic mountain, Whiteface, it's just a short scenic 9 mile drive down the road to Wilmington.
A list of Art's accomplishments is as follows:
Lake Placid High School - 1941
Syracuse University - 1941, 1942
United States Army Air Force - 1943-1946
Graduated Bombardier - Pilot Training -1943
50 Combat Missions, E.T.O. Germany - 1944
3 Distinguished Flying Crosses
5 Air Medals
3 Purple Hearts
2 Presidential Unit Citations
Rank of Captain - Discharged - 1946
Under Contract, Norma Shearer, Hollywood, CA - 1946-1949
Married Helen McCutcheon, June 28, 1952
Children: Jacqueline-1955, Art-1957, Alexis-1963
Olympic Teams:
1940 - Cancelled because of the war
1948 - St Moritz, Switzerland
1952 - Oslo, Norway
1956 - Cortina, Italy
1960 - Squaw Vally (he resigned to become a TV sports Commentator for CBS)
U.S. Eastern Ski Jumping Champion - 1939,1940,1941
U.S. Eastern Downhill Champion - 1941
National Ski Jumping Champion - 1942,1946,1949,1950
North American Ski Jumping Champion - 1949,1950,1954
National Champion (Canada) - Four Times
World F.I.S.Team - Lake Placid - 1950 - 4th
World F.I.S. Team - Falun, Sweden - 1954
Set North American Distance Record, 307 feet, Steamboat Springs, CO - 1950
First American in Ski Flying - 120 Meter Hill - Oberstdorf, Germany -463 feet - 1952
Broadcast every World Ski Jumping Championship and Winter Olympic games since 1960 on TV, plus an average of 6 ski jumping events every winter on TV.
Wide World of Sports ABC-TV Sports Commentator from 1962, for 21 years.
Installed in the Ski Hall of Fame, 1963
Art spread himself in many directions and he was a true humanitarian. After spending a little time with his son, Art Jr, I feel like I have a better understanding of who Art Devlin really was. The family planted a blue Spruce tree in honor of Art and every year they decorate it with blue lights in remembrance of their father. It's not just a motel, it's a legacy.
I feel like his spirit was with us as my daughters 16U team captured the 2010 Lake Placid International Hockey Tournament championship.
Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Lodge
2764 Main Street
Lake Placid, NY 12946
518-523-3700
www.artdevlins.com
or e-mail: info@artdevlins.com
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