Dear Tony,
Emotional....Inspirational....Magical.....Thankful......Hopeful
Your dream, your vision, your passion it was unbelievable. It truly was much much more than I ever imagined or dreamed it could be.
Your dream was unbelievable! You brought out "the best" in everybody. Not only the students, but yourself, the parents, Greg O'Brien, Mike Lewis, me....everybody in your presence. I have never experienced anything like your Senior Weekend.
Your video, "The Miracle at Placid, Part 1: Dreams" was just incredible. I watched it twice last night. Once with James and once alone. It truly captured the feelings, emotions and values you wanted to emphasize. I felt very honored to have James and I included in it. But, that just shows what kind of person you are. Thank you.
The weekend was almost like an inspirational retreat for me. The outpouring of love and gratitude expressed throughout the weekend was like nothing I have ever experienced. You truly are loved by many. I hope that you can feel that outpouring of love for you.
Your students definitely showed "their best" in their final projects. You should feel so proud to have to given them that opportunity. The thoughts and feelings that shared with you in their last one minute drill should resonate in your heart forever and ever.
I pray that you can start to feel some inner peace from knowing that you touch every person that you meet. Your heart reached me....and I am forever grateful for knowing you.
There is so much more I will share with you in the next couple of days and weeks ahead. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am a better person for knowing you. Thank you for opening my heart and my eyes again. You are true leader! You aren't Herb Brooks. You are Tony Mussari, one of the most incredible men I will ever know. Thank you for the gifts you have given me.
Julie
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I was at once flattered and intrigued when asked by Dr. Mussari to come and speak to his Mass Communications class as part of their Miracle at Placid project. Prior to my visit, Dr. Mussari provided a brief description of the project as well as the students’ newly constructed website. My fascination arose from an admitted lack of knowledge about Herb Brooks and the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team’s triumph in Lake Placid, NY. (I was only nine years old at the time.) I hadn’t seen the movie, Miracle, and surprisingly, in six years of marriage, my husband—a goalie in two recreational leagues—had never mentioned the legendary U.S. vs. Soviet matchup, even though he, like so many, considers it to be the greatest upset and most momentous event in sports history.
As I combed through the text on the beautifully designed Miracle at Placid site, I began to appreciate the magnitude of this undertaking by a dedicated professor and an enthusiastic group of seniors. I was amazed that they had actually traveled to Lake Placid to attend the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1980 Olympics, reliving the spirit of Brooks’s Hockey Team and coming face to face with some of its members as well as the Brooks family. I also realized what an ideal and meaningful context Herb Brooks and his team, as well as the Lake Placid community, provide for teaching students about what’s truly important—about values that will add richness to their professional and personal lives, setting them apart in a world that has largely abandoned those universal values in the name of profit, mass production, and self aggrandizement.
I hope that in my conversation with Dr. Mussari and his students I was able to contribute to this significant life lesson. I love the idea of being able to help and inspire young people simply by sharing my experiences and perhaps prepare them for what may lie ahead—especially obstacles they may face in striving toward their goals and dreams. In meeting and talking with this group of bright and talented seniors and their mentor I was inspired myself—and excited to play a small part in their project.
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Dr. Mussari very kindly invited me to attend the special events surrounding the Miracle project, and to create my own piece of artwork for the website. This led me to research Herb Brooks and his team, seeking to understand the emotion that reverberated in the arena during that unforgettable 4-3 win over the Soviets. My intention was to convey the key elements of the Miracle project (Brooks’s impact on his players, the team’s dedication and will to prevail, and the spirit of the fans and the citizens of Lake Placid) without overcomplicating my composition. Initial collage sketches finally gave way to a more simplified, mixed media design that I have titled “An Olympic Moment.”
I created this piece using watercolor with colored pencil enhancements in order to highlight my focal image: three members of the U.S. Hockey Team reveling in their “Olympic Moment.” Several game photographs provided sources for the work although only one of the three players—Mike Ramsey—is identified by his jersey. (I chose Ramsey because he began his career playing under Brooks at the University of Minnesota and later deferred his NHL draft offer to join Brooks’s Olympic team.) The idea here is not to recreate a photographic image so that the other two figures could represent any member(s) of the team. I positioned their gloves to symbolize the five Olympic rings while the American flags convey the elation and patriotism that overtook Lake Placid and the country, which was struggling to overcome a troubled decade (Vietnam, Watergate, etc.) and concerned about its 52 American hostages in Iran, as well as the Cold War. (USA Hockey: A Celebration of a Great Tradition contains a passage noting the “incredible number of American flags” in the crowd, many of them the oversized sort normally hung from high flag polls.)
Finally, in order to tie my image to Herb Brooks, I chose to do something rather unusual and include a three-line paraphrase of Brooks’s pre-game speech in the foreground: “Great moments are born from great opportunity…You were meant to be here; this moment is yours.” I think these words, more than perhaps an image of the man himself, underscore his integrity, his success as a coach, and the vital role he played in the “Miracle on Ice.”
-Colleen Curley
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Mike Lewis composed original music for the Miracle at Placid Project. He attended the screening of Miracle in Windsor Park, and during that visit he began to conceptualize his music.
He presented a lecture demonstration in our seminar room on creativity and the art of composing music and performing.
He returned to Windsor Park to work with Matt Harm, D.J. Pizzani and Doc on a Saturday afternoon. During that visit he provided a scratch track of his music.
Later he contacted Gene Cotton a well known performer and family friend. Working with Cotton who produced the music in Nashville, developed the title, "I Say Fly".
Click Above to listen to "I Say Fly"
"I Say Fly" was written by Mike Lewis, Cut Across Publishing, BMI, and Gene Cotton, People Song, ASCAP. It is protected by US Copyright laws and it may not be copied or reproduced without permission of Mike Lewis.
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Hi Tony,
I really can't describe just how fortunate I feel to have been part of Sunday's event. I honestly felt as though I was allowed into a mystical or sacred place, a place of warmth, love and friendship. A special place where every dream seemed attainable. I kept asking myself how I ever came to be there. Now, I know at times over the years, you have questioned yourself, we all do, but you absolutely need to believe that you have left an everlasting mark on the hearts & minds of so many. Some students may not clearly understand or realize the immeasurable impact you've made on their lives until several years have passed, but believe me dear friend, they will.
On Sunday, I learned a tremendous amount in just one of your classes and I will forever benefit from it. I sincerely hope to be able to spend more time with you and Kitch and I know that all things are possible because of people like you!
My weekend journey to King's College inspired me to write "You Just Never Know" and I sincerely hope you understand just how grateful I am. With all my heart, I thank you!
Keep smilin' and laugh often!
All the best,
Greg
You Just Never Know
In Honor of Lasting Friendship
It’s amazing that with all the planning, all the strategy and all the resources available to us…
there are still so many things we don’t have, nor ever will have, control over
Life really does take some unexpected twists & turns and it's just
remarkable to have found someone like you around the bend
Thank you for being an inspiration when inspiration is scarce
Thank you for being objective when options are few
And thank you for being supportive in times of need
A friend like you comes along very seldom in life
A true friend, whose presence can never be
adequately assessed, but without it, the world is faint
So, thank you for being my friend
and for helping to guide me on my journey
For where it will end…you just never know
- Greg O’Brien © 2005
On May 8, 2005, Greg O' Brien performed the song, "Angels Among Us" at the Senior Breakfast held for the students who participated in the Miracle At Lake Placid Project. Click below to hear the song.
Click Above to listen to "Angels Among Us"
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