Kim Yuna, of South Korea, performs in the exhibition skate of the 2009 Skate America event in Lake Placid. She went on to win a gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. (Photo provided)

LAKE PLACID — If you can’t attend the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyongchang, South Korea, then you should at least consider attending the 2017 Skate America Grand Prix event in Lake Placid on Nov. 24-26, 2017 to see the top figure skaters in the upcoming Olympic season.

At the 2009 Skate America in Lake Placid, Evan Lysacek of the United States won the men’s title and Kim Yuna of South Korea set a world record in the short program and won the ladies title. Both went on to capture gold at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

In pairs, the Skate America winners, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China, who tied the world record in their short program, also went on to become Olympic champions in Vancouver.

The ice dancing title in Lake Placid was captured by the 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.

“U.S. Figure Skating looks forward to returning to Lake Placid for this prestigious international competition,” U.S. Figure Skating President Sam Auxier said. “The community has a rich history in figure skating and we are excited to celebrate part of the Olympic season in Lake Placid.”

Originally called “Norton Skate” as part of the Flaming Leaves Festival, Skate America began in Lake Placid in 1979, serving as a “trial” event of sorts for the 1980 Olympic Games to be hosted in the Fieldhouse, which is the 1980 wing of the Olympic Center.

Scott Hamilton, Lisa Marie Allen, Sabine Bae and Tassilo Thierbach, and Krisztina Regoczy and Andras Sallay were the gold medalists in men’s singles, ladies singles, pairs and dance, respectively.

The third-place finish of Canada’s Lorna Wighton and John Dowding in ice dance should be noted as well, as Wighton later moved to Lake Placid and taught skating here until she relocated to California in 2013.

Other well-known skaters who competed in the inaugural event in 1979 included two-time US national silver medalist Scott Cramer, 1980 national bronze medalist Sandy Lenz (Canada), and pairs skaters Kitty and Peter Carruthers of the USA.

US Figure Skating, the governing body of the sport, selected Lake Placid as the host for the event and will work with the Olympic Regional Development Authority to plan a successful Skate America.

“Over the last several years bringing Skate America back to Lake Placid has been a focus of this organization,” ORDA chairman Pat Barrett said. “The Lake Placid community takes extreme pride in its figure skating history and through Skate America, as well as other competitions, it’s our opportunity to showcase it.”

The event has been hosted by Lake Placid four times, in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 2009. Although it is traditionally the first International Figure Skating (ISU) Grand Prix event of the series, in 2017 it will be the last of the season. Points earned in the series determine which skaters qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in December.

Other notable Skate America titlists include five-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan and Olympic champions Kristi Yamaguchi, Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

Stops on the Grand Prix Series include Skate Canada International, Rostelecom Cup, Trophee de France, Cup of China and NHK Trophy. Skaters earn points throughout the Grand Prix Series to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final each December.

Skate America in Lake Placid will include three days of elite international competition in freestyle, pairs and ice dance. Tickets will be available starting the week of Dec. 15, 2016. For more information, visit www.2017skateamerica.com.