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LAKE PLACID - Wednesday was just like a lot of days in Lake Placid this summer. There was a mix of bright, warm sunshine, fluffy white clouds, dark storm clouds and occasional downpours.

Wednesday's weather also provided a magnificent double rainbow that arched over Lake Placid's brand-new athletic fields as the opening day of play wrapped up at the 19th annual Summit Lacrosse Tournament.Four new fields adjacent to Lake Placid's airport were christened as the Summit Tournament kicked off five days of action in seven different divisions, and Wednesday belonged to the most veteran players as the men's Super Grand Masters teams played their opening-round games.

For 19 seasons, the tourney has been drawing some of the top lacrosse talent from up and down the east coast to Lake Placid. The players who traveled here say the venue, the camaraderie, the fun and the love of the game keep bringing them back to the Adirondacks each summer.

"Vail, Florida and Lake Placid are the big tournaments to go to each year, and this is still my favorite venue," said Charlie Hartigan of Canton, Conn. "It's a fraternity. You get to play lacrosse with the same guys all over the country."

In the Super Grand Masters division for players age 52 and above, Hartigan is a member of the Ohio Wesleyan University Legends team. On Wednesday, Hartigan and his teammates posted a win and a loss in matches played in front of a breathtaking mountainous background.

"I come here to be with the friends I used to play with in college 25 years ago," said Hartigan, who made his eighth trip to Lake Placid for the tournament. "We come to have fun, so winning and losing isn't so important."

Wearing his Wesleyan jersey, Hartigan walked off the field with his friend Curt Johnson, who is on the Super Grand Masters Denison University team. At the college level, there is a huge rivalry between the two Ohio schools, and that edge appeared to carry over as a fun competition between the savvy veterans.

"The two colleges are still big rivals until this day, and we bring that rivalry to Lake Placid." Hartigan said.

"It was chippy out there," added Johnson, who is making his third appearance at the Summit tourney. "I come for the camaraderie and the craziness. It's great fun."

Johnson, who also hails from Connecticut, actually played his collegiate lacrosse in Virginia at Roanoke College and was a member of that school's NCAA Division III national championship team in 1978.

If Hartigan and Johnson hope to be on another title winning team this weekend, they will have a tough task ahead over the next two days as last year's two finalists in the division - Cloud Splitter and the Ultra Legends - won both of their two opening-round games on Wednesday.

Ultra Legends goalie and captain Pete Bence played his collegiate lacrosse at Geneseo, and as a North Country resident from Norwood, he didn't have to travel nearly as far as most of this week's other hundreds of players who will take to the fields in Lake Placid.

"We've been coming here for 18 years. We only missed the first year," said Bence, whose Ultra Legends fell to Cloud Splitter in the division's title tilt last summer. "To be successful at this level, you just have to play basic lacrosse. That's the bottom line. So far, we are 2-0 and off to a good start. Hopefully, we can keep it going."

Along with the players who return to Lake Placid each summer for the tournament, there are new faces here as well.

Mike Phillips of Charlottesville, Va. is visiting the Adirondacks for the first time this week. He was at the fields Wednesday evening getting in some practice while he prepared to play Thursday with the Slo Moes, who compete in the men's over-45 Grand Masters division.

"I played with this team in Florida, and now I'm in Lake Placid for the first time with them," said Phillips, who along with Johnson, was on Roanoke College's 1978 national championship team. "I'm happy to be up here. It's beautiful man. I like it."

The men's Super Grand Masters division will conclude play Friday with its championship game. Meanwhile, additional masters division games begin today, with more divisions' teams taking to the fields from Friday through Sunday. Featured in the tournament are past collegiate stars, as well as some of top lacrosse talent from the men's and women's current college ranks.