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Posted: 06/26/2010
6/26/10
Presque Isle, ME
Aroostook County has a long history of off-road recreation, but in recent years the off-road recreation in the Presque Isle area has taken a new spin – one with two wheels and two pedals. Off-road cycling, or “mountain” biking in northern Maine has been building in support and enthusiasm with each passing summer season, and no place is that more apparent than with the riders of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club.
Each spring since 2005, when the trails of the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle thaw from a busy winter of on-snow recreation, the same members of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club that ski, snowshoe, and volunteer for world-class competitions, grab their bikes and move to the winding 20+ miles of singletrack trails that accompany the ski trails at the Nordic Heritage Center. Gathering for weekly group rides, running community bike programs, and maintaining the beautiful wooded space provided by the club’s parent organization, the Maine Winter Sports Center, the individuals that make up the Nordic Heritage Sport Club are breathing new and energetic life into the warmer months of Aroostook’s outdoor recreation.
This past Saturday, club members once again gathered their efforts to put in a day’s work at the Nordic Heritage Center. This time the focus was to improve the venue’s mountain bike terrain park for the annual bike festival happening in July. The Fat Tire Festival, which features two days of games, races, and social events, is a one-of-a-kind event in Northern Maine, geared towards celebrating the sport of off-road cycling. The clubs terrain park is a key feature of the festival, providing countless hours of enjoyment for riders of all ages wanting to try their hand at pedaling a bike over wooden teeter-totters, log-rides, stair-steps, dirt jumps and more. With building materials graciously donated by SW Collins Company volunteers were able to put in a full day’s work building new park features, manicuring existing terrain, and cleaning away debris from the winter months.
“Our bike terrain park is the perfect place for riders to get comfortable with new skills”, said Chad McPherson, avid club rider and chief organizer of the work day. “We have features to play on for every level of rider. All you need to improve is an open mind and willingness to try new things.”
Club president Tom Chasse commented that the work day was a huge success, “with lots of fun and great company helping to build new park features”. A huge thank you goes out from the Nordic Heritage Sport Club to all the volunteers who came out to lend a hand, especially those willing to do the chainsaw work. And a special thank you is extended to the SW Collins Company for donating materials.
With continued support of the club, community, and riders from around Maine and New Brunswick, mountain biking in Northern Maine will continue to become a staple of summertime recreation in Aroostook County.
The Nordic Heritage Sport Club also wishes to remind people that there will be a trail work day at the 10th Mtn Ski Center in Fort Kent on July 10th. This will mark the beginning of a new system of singletrack trails in the St. John Valley that cyclists, hikers, runners and walkers can all get out and enjoy. For more information visit www.10thmtskiclub.org. And of course, the Fat Tire Festival is happening this July 31st and August 1st at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle. Check out www.nordicfattire.com for details.
Posted: 06/16/2010
Head over to the MWSC Junior Racing page to download the results!
Biathlon comes back to Maine
Posted: 06/08/2010
Augusta, Maine Governor Baldacci announced today that International Biathlon Union took steps this week to place Presque Isle's Nordic Heritage Center on the 2011 World Cup schedule. This will be the Nordic Heritage Center's first World Cup and will come one week before Fort Kent's event.
See Press release for full story.
 MWSC Press release 06022011.pdf (99 KB)
Posted: 06/05/2010
ANTALYA, Turkey – The International Ski Federation honored the Maine Winter Sports Center’s “Healthy Hometowns” program with second place in its global FIS SnowKidz Awards. The award was presented at the conclusion of the weeklong FIS Congress in Antalya, Turkey.
The program, which earned the USSA's Russell Wilder Award a year ago for contributions to youth, was among eight finalists worldwide. The top prize went to Norway with its Barnas Skiklubb (kids ski club) program.
A total of 23 applications from 19 national associations were received along with nine others from aid and promotion causes for developing ski nations.
"The aim of the FIS SnowKidz program is to recognize innovative programs that are introducing snowsports to youth," said Maine Winter Sports Center Vice President Eileen Carey, who was in Antalya to accept the award. "MWSC’s Healthy Hometowns aspires to be a catalyst for youth to lead a healthy lifestyle through a variety of ski-based initiatives."
With a presence in nearly 100 Maine communities, Healthy Hometowns provides introductory programming for thousands of youth participants each year, through portable ski equipment trailers that travel to Maine communities and schools, seasonal affordable ski rentals and elite athlete school visits. The program also includes an academic school curriculum run in conjunction with major events that are hosted by MWSC’s member clubs.
The eight finalist programs were showcased in a FIS Congress display during the week, providing the more than 1,000 delegates from 74 nations a chance to learn more from the best practices of the award winning programs.
"It is an honor to be recognized among so many great programs," said Carey. "One of the best aspects of the award is it provides an opportunity to learn from innovative programs throughout the world that are driving development of snow sports for the next generation."
In addition to the 5,000 Swiss francs awarded to each of the eight finalists, the Maine program was presented another 8,000 Swiss francs for second.
"This was an outstanding program for the FIS to recognize best practices in getting kids onto the snow," said USSA Vice President, Athletics and two-time Olympian Luke Bodensteiner. "We're honored to have the Maine Winter Sports Center recognized as one of the top three FIS SnowKidz programs in the world and hope it will encourage other USSA clubs to develop innovative ways to spread the word about our healthful, lifelong sports."
The eight finalists were selected by a panel including Satu Kalajainen of Finland, representing the FIS Youth and Children’s’ Coordination Group; Essar Gabriel of Lebanon, head of the IOC Youth Olympic Games; and Swiss Riet R. Campell, President of the International Ski Instructors’ Association. The FIS Council made the final decision on the top three.
FIS SnowKidz Award Finalists
1. Barnas Skiklubb, Norway
2. Maine Winter Sports Center, Healthy Hometowns Program, USA
3. Schneekinderleicht – Bewegtes Land, Germany
Suusabuss (Skibus), Estonia
Snow Day, Hungary
Skilly Day, Italy
Teach the Teachers to Ski, Finland
Naltar Ski School, Pakistan
"The more I learned about these projects in all the nations I felt proud – extremely proud," said Kalajainen, one of the judges and chair of the FIS Youth and Children's Coordination Group. "Each of you have every reason to be proud of what is going on with youth and children in your countries."
"This is the first time we have awarded this special prize and we will, of course, continue," said FIS President Gian Franco Kasper. "You know, it's not always a question of money - it's a question of what you can do in your nation for the kids, and that doesn't always cost a lot to bring them to the snow."
Fans can check out more information on FIS SnowKidz at: http://snowkidz.fisski.com/.
Posted: 06/01/2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins applauded the announcement today that Maine will host the entire North American Biathlon World Cup tour in February 2011. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced that the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle and Fort Kent’s 10th Mountain Ski Club will host biathlon competitions for the 2011 World Cup. Fort Kent hosted the first Biathlon World Cup in Maine history in March 2004, and Presque Isle hosted the Biathlon World Junior Championship in 2006.
“This is terrific news for the State of Maine and the sport of biathlon. As a native of Aroostook County, I am thrilled that the IBU has selected the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle and the 10th Mountain Ski Club in Fort Kent to host the 2011 World Cup. Both of these state-of-the-art venues have an exceptional track record of hosting world-class athletic competitions, and they are the only two venues in the U.S. licensed to hold World Cup and World Championship biathlon competitions. The Maine Winter Sports Center has done an excellent job in making Maine a premier destination for biathlon competition and attracting top winter athletes.
“The World Cup also provides a significant opportunity to showcase Maine’s recreational and business opportunities. The event is expected to draw more than 120 million television viewers in Europe over a two-week period, and it will help bring new visitors and increased tourism to Northern Maine. This is good news for our economy at a time when we need it most.”
Jeff Dubis rides the boardwalk at Bradbury Mtn
Posted: 06/01/2010
Falmouth, ME
5/29/10
Over the holiday weekend, despite the call of family BBQ’s and trips to the lake, representatives from the 10th Mtn Ski Club of Fort Kent, and the Four Seasons Trail Association of Madawaska attended a multi-use trail building workshop in the greater Portland area.
The workshop, lead by an IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) Trail Care Crew, focused on sustainable trail design and construction techniques. The session included a three-hour classroom session followed by an afternoon of hands-on education in the Falmouth woods. Jeff Dubis of 10th Mtn and Mark Dionne of FSTA were joined by development coaches Seth Hubbard and Mike Smith of the Maine Winter Sports Center, as well as 30+ mountain bikers from the Southern Maine area.
Applauded for making the long trip, the efforts of the crew from the St. John Valley helped build a beautiful piece of singletrack for trail-enthusiasts in the Falmouth area. As part of the trip the gentlemen were also ventured out on a mountain bike ride through the trails at Bradbury Mountain State Park, in Pownal. These trails have gained recognition as one the premier mountain bike destinations in the state of Maine and provided plenty of discussion for the travelling volunteers.
This trip marked the beginning of what will be a busy summer season of building and riding in the St. John Valley. The 10th Mtn Ski Club begins construction this month on a new system of singletrack trails that will accommodate hikers, runners, mountain bikers and snowshoers. The multi-use trails at the Four Seasons Lodge in Madawaska, already in use, will see maintenance and modification over the summer months. Both areas will now benefit from the experience and knowledge brought back by their local riders and volunteers.
For more information on trail activities at both of these clubs check out their respective websites:
10th Mtn Ski Club – www.10thmtskiclub.org
Four Seasons Trail Association – www.fourseasonstrail.org
Mike Smith climbing rock at Bradbury
Posted: 05/20/2010
Not quite ready to hang up the race skis, but interested in developing skills as a ski coach? The Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) is seeking multi-talented skiers to join its staff in Aroostook County Maine as part of the MWSC Intern Program. The MWSC Community Development Intern position is a part-time seasonal position with programs in the summer and winter months. The candidate will be responsible for assisting with and implementing introductory and development ski programs to participants at all ages, but focused primarily on youth and junior community and race programs. In addition, the intern will share responsibility for community outreach and ski club building in remote communities around Aroostook County. These grassroots community outreach efforts may include meetings, speaking engagements, trail building, ski park design, community races and events, learn to ski clinics, learn to shoot clinics and on-snow school visits. The candidate will need to have or be willing to develop biathlon skills in order to run learn to shoot programs with live ammunition rifles as well as with laser rifles. The candidate will need to play a supportive role in MWSC XC and Biathlon training sessions designed primarily for youth and juniors, including biathlon range support. Candidate may have some travel responsibilities, including coordinating and transporting athletes to events and camps. Candidate will be expected to create strong relationships with local and regional coaches, community ski clubs, municipal recreation directors, and the organizing committees of our two World Class Nordic Venues. The MWSC Community Development Intern will help manage the deployment of the Healthy Hometown Ski Trailers to communities and events to provide ski equipment and instruction to people of all ages. Skilled and effective communication, creativity, initiative, self-direction, as well as inspired leadership are all critical pre-requisites for the position of MWSC Community Development Intern. A four-year college degree and experience as a Nordic skier are requirements for the position. Detailed responsibilities can be negotiated depending on experience and skill set. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
This position is a part-time, seasonal position. Former and current cross-country racers and biathletes are encouraged to apply, as this program is designed to work in conjunction with the MWSC racing programs. Summer session will be from mid-June to mid-August. Winter session will be from mid-December until late March. Applicants can apply to one or both of the sessions. Interns will work 25 hours per week and earn $15 per hour. Applicants should send a short cover letter and resume with three professional references to eileen@mainewsc.org or to Eileen Carey, Maine Winter Sports Center, 552 Main St, Caribou, ME 04736.
Posted: 05/10/2010
Caribou, Maine We are extremely excited to introduce you to Fresh Tracks Adventures - a new active adventure company that specializes in providing unique, fully supported cycling tours throughout New England, Eastern Canada, and Europe, while experiencing fine regional cuisine and bed & breakfast lodging. Offerings are designed to inspire customers to live well while pursuing an active lifestyle.
Fresh Tracks Adventures had a very successful kickoff to the season as twenty lucky cyclists enjoyed fabulous weather, five-star cuisine, and excellent accommodations touring across the beautiful Lac Temiscouata, Quebec region. Check out the pictures from this latest trip and get excited to sign up for one of the following upcoming tours.
To visit the site: www.makefreshtracks.com/index.html
Posted: 05/06/2010
PARK CITY, UT (May 5) – The Maine Winter Sports Center was among eight finalists for the first International Ski Federation's FIS SnowKidz Award, which will be announced June 4 at the FIS Congress in Antalya, Turkey. Its ongoing "Healthy Hometowns" program introduces nearly 5,000 new participants to nordic skiing each year.
The new award was launched to recognize and promote the best examples of bringing children to the snow in varying national circumstances around the globe. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association awarded its 2009 Russell Wilder Award for contributions to youth to the Maine Winter Sports Center, one of over 425 USSA clubs across America. FIS member national ski associations worldwide were invited to submit projects for consideration. A total of 22 applications from 18 national associations were received along with nine others from aid and promotion causes for developing ski nations.
Healthy Hometowns provides programming for nearly 5,000 youth participants each year, in addition to providing seasonal equipment rentals to an additional 2,000. The program has a presence in clubs and schools in 96 different Maine communities. A pair of portable trailers makes rounds all winter long throughout Maine. The program also conducts leadership workshops to bring wintersport teaching skills to Maine communities so the program stays behind.
"I believe our program provides an exciting introduction to skiing as well as tools for communities to build sustainable ski programs," Andy Shepard, MWSC President said. "Best of all, it's a model that consists of easily replicable components, which any other state, region or nation could implement."
"Healthy Hometowns is a truly amazing program that is bringing kids to the snow by the thousands," said USSA Vice President, Athletics and two-time Olympian Luke Bodensteiner. "We're honored as a nation to have the Maine Winter Sports Center as a finalist and hope its program motivates other communities and nations to bring the excitement of our winter sports to more kids."
The FIS SnowKidz Awards jury selected the eight finalists. Each of those selected will receive an award of 5,000 Swiss francs. The top three will be decided by the FIS Council in June, with the winner getting a 15,000 Swiss franc grant, 10,000 for second. The eight finalists include:
• Barnas Skiklubb, Norway
• Maine Winter Sports Center, Healthy Hometowns Program, USA
• Naltar Ski School, Pakistan
• Schneekinderleicht – Bewegtes Land, Germany
• Suusabuss (Skibus), Estonia
• Skilly Day, Italy
• Snow Day, Hungary
• Teach the Teachers to Ski, Finland
The selection jury included Satu Kalajainen of Finland, representing the FIS Youth and Children’s’ Coordination Group; Essar Gabriel of Lebanon, head of the IOC Youth Olympic Games; and Swiss Riet R. Campell, President of the International Ski Instructors’ Association.
Fans can checkout more info on FIS SnowKidz at: http://snowkidz.fisski.com/ and the Maine Winter Sports Center at: www.mainewsc.org.
61 Raymond Joseph Lane, Caribou
Posted: 04/09/2010
MWSC now has a page for those interested in some featured Aroostook County real estate listings. Click the link below to view our latest 6 properties for sale!
www.mainewsc.org/real-estate.html
Kikkan Randall and friends
Posted: 03/25/2010
Madawaska, Maine 35 coaches, including Olympians Kikkan Randall, Holly Brookes, Rebecca Dussault, Tracy Colliander and Haley Johnson spent the day with over 120 young women from the St John Valley today. Click here for the photo gallery: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100445
Posted: 03/24/2010
Fort Kent, Maine Canadian, Ivan Babikov took the US National Marathon, just ahead of Tad Elliot, who won the US Championship. Lars Flora was third overall. More to follow.
To view photo gallery click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100437
For results click here.
Posted: 03/24/2010
Fort Kent, Maine Kikkan Randall took the US National Womens 30k in a lead pack. Rebecca Dussault, Holly Brooks and Caitlyn Compton followed close behind. The MEn's 50k is about to start.
Photo gallery: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100427
For results click here.
Posted: 03/24/2010
Fort Kent, Maine Six inches of accumulation arrived just in time for the US National Marathon Championships at the 10th Mountain Center. Follow live updates from Fasterskier throughout the race at: blogs.fasterskier.com/continentalcup/
Posted: 03/23/2010
Fort Kent, Maine The US National marathon championships are on tap for tomorrow at the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent, to be followed by the SuperTour Final, which will be co-hosted by Fort Kent and the newly finished Four Season Trails in Madawaska. While the 10th Mountain Ski Club is a veteran at organizing major competitions, this will be Madawaska's first national event.
The weeks of unseasonably warm, sunny weather have been welcomed by all, but with the marathon to start tomorrow, we are expecting to get between 3-5 inches of accumulation over the next 24 hours. Temperatures overnight should dip to the upper 20's and be around 30 degrees at the start of the race.
The field of 44 men and 35 women includes US Olympians, Kikkan Randall, Caitlin Compton, James Southam, Andy Newell, Torin Koos and Simi Hamilton, along with Canadian Olympians, Ivan Babikov and Stefan Kuhn. They headline what will be the strongest field of the year, outside of the Olympics, in North America. Also racing will be MWSC's Walt Shepard, Russell Currier, Fred Bailey and Pavel Sotskov, BethAnn Chamberlain and Grace Boutot.
Check here for photos and results as the week progresses.
Russell Currier celebrates win
Posted: 03/21/2010
Fort Kent, Maine Russell Currier had felt like this was a lost season, but he overcame his disappointment to finish with a bang, taking the North American Biathlon 15k Mass Start Championship in convincing fashion. Currier (1-2-1-1) had struggled with his shooting this season, but hit 15 of 20 shots including 4 of the last 5 to cruise to the win, 46.4 seconds ahead of Marc-Andre Bedard (2-0-1-2) from Quebec, Canada.
Walt Shepard, in his last race before retiring from an 18 year career, led halfway through the race, but uncharacteristically struggled on the range, hitting 13 of 20 (3-0-3-1), to take the Bronze medal in the North American Championships, 1 minute 42 seconds back – Silver for the U.S. National Championships. Shepard and Tracy Colliander were the only two senior competitors to make the podium in all 6 events this week.
Casey Simons took the Bronze in the U.S. National Championships, 3:16 back (2-2-2-1). Simons (2-2-1-2) and Zach Hall (1-3-1-3) also battled to a photo finish to decide the last spot on the podium.
On the Women's side, Tracy Colliander and Susan Dunklee battled to the finish and it took a still-action camera to decide the winner - Dunklee by a few feet. She won her first North American Championship race in her second year in the sport. Colliander, who won the first two races of the Championships was uncharacteristically off in the range on her first shooting stage, missing four, but was clean from that point on. Dunklee missed six of the first ten shots, but only one of the last ten to work her way back into contention. She caught Colliander on the last hill before entering the stadium neck and neck. Annelies Cook (2-0-3-1) was 1 minute 7 seconds back for the Bronze.
For link to Faster skier story: fasterskier.com/2010/03/currier-wraps-up-championships-with-mass-start-win/
For link to photo gallery of Mass Start click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100412
For link to photo gallery of banquet click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100405
srt_biathlon_v1_NACH-2010Mass.pdf (251 KB)
Posted: 03/20/2010
Fort Kent, Maine the 10th Mountain Center hosted the second annual Maine Biathlon Club Championships this afternoon. To view the photo gallery click here.gallery.me.com/mwsc/100397
We will have results posted soon as well.
Posted: 03/20/2010
Presque Isle, Maine Here is the photo gallery from last weeks JO Championships at the Nordic Heritage Center. To view and download click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100390
Colliander in the range
Posted: 03/20/2010
Fort Kent, Maine After weeks of beautiful blue skies the athletes had to adjust to clouds and a light drizzle for today's Pursuit format race. Although the sun made for great spectator weather, it made skiing slow. The clouds and low temperatures today made for much faster skiing and the athletes took advantage. The racers were sent out in the order of finish from Thursday's Sprint race, but in 5 second intervals, rather than the actual time back and the first person across the line was the winner and with four shooting stages, the Pursuit is a race for shooters. .
In the Senior Men's Race 2010 Olympian Wynn Roberts with three misses (1-0-1-1) edged out MWSC's Walt Shepard (0-2-1-0) by 12 seconds for the Gold medal. Shepard, who is retiring from biathlon after 18 years in the sport, gave the crowd a show in his last shooting stage of the day. With the race on the line and Roberts in the penalty loop, he used lightning fast and clean shooting to take the lead going into the last lap. Roberts caught him over the last 3k loop to take the North American title. Canadian Marc Andre Bedard (0-1-2-1) took the bronze, 17 seconds back.
Tracy Colliander (1-1-2-2) made it two for two winning the Women's Pursuit in spite of an uncharacteristically tough time in the range. Canadian Claude Godbout (0-2-1-1) took the Silver. In a race to the line, Annelies Cook (0-0-2-3) took the Silver from Kat Howe.
For full results check here later:
For photo gallery click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100382
Casey Simon taking Men's title
Posted: 03/18/2010
Fort Kent, Maine Casey Simons (3-0) shot clean in the last stage of the Men's Sprint to take the North American Sprint title today. MWSC's Walt Shepard (2-1) knew he had to shoot clean and fast to catch Simons on the last shooting stage and hit the first four shots in very rapid succession before just missing the last shot and finishing 9 seconds back. MWSC's Bill Bowler (2-0) took third, 26.6 seconds back, with 2 misses.
MWSC Alumnus Tracy Colliander (0-0) took the North American title with clean shooting, 6.6 seconds ahead of Claude Gobout (0-1) from Quebec, who missed one shot in the prone position. MWSC alum and 2010 Olympian Haley Johnson, (2-2) took third, 45.3 seconds back. MWSC alum, Annelies Cook took third in the US National Championships (2-3), 2 minutes, 17 seconds back.
For full results check here later: 10thmtskiclub.org/
To view Day 1 slideshow click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100366
Posted: 03/18/2010
Fort Kent, Maine The 2010 U.S. National Biathlon Championships get underway with cloudless skies, little wind and temperatures in the mid 40's. Although this is not a typical mid-March day in Fort Kent, organizers and spectators are starting to get used to the balmy weather.
MWSC athletes Walt Shepard, Russell Currier, Bill Bowler, Eliot Neal, BethAnn Chamberlain, Grace Boutot and Andrea Mayo, will compete alongside 2010 Olympians Wynn Roberts, Haley Johnson and Laura Spector.
Check here later for full results.
Madawaska SuperTour Sprint Course on 3-16-10
Posted: 03/16/2010
Fort Kent, ME—Spring has come early to Aroostook County, but the snow has stayed with us. Daytime highs in the 40s and 50s with cold, clear nights well below freezing have made for excellent crust skiing, fast early morning conditions and softening snow in the afternoons. Currently, our extended forecast calls for similar conditions with chances of freezing precipitation and snow on Thursday night and next Monday.
While the snowpack is well below normal for this time of year, all courses have a minimum depth of 8” of packed snow right now. The photos below were taken at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 on the courses for the SuperTour Finals Sprint and Mass Start Classic. The skiing is unbelievably good!
Entries continue to roll in, and the series is shaping up to be the very best points races of the year on the North American circuit. With Andy Newell, Kris Freeman, Torin Koos, Ivan Babikov, Simi Hamilton, Chris Cook and Stephan Kuhn all planning to attend, it is very likely that the men’s point base will be below 20 FIS points. On the women’s side, Kikkan Randall, Caitlin Compton, Holly Brooks, Rebecca Dussualt, Liz Stephen, Morgan Arritola, Brittany Webster and Nicole DeYong are all planning to toe the starting line.
Confirmations include: the entire U.S. Ski Team, Canadian National and top club level athletes, APUNSC, CXC Team Vertical Limit, SVSEF, MWSC, FAST, Craftsbury Green Team, XC Oregon, U. Laval, Dartmouth, GMVS, Stratton Mountain School, Burke Mountain Academy and athletes from Sweden, Japan and Brazil.
The U.S. SuperTour Finals 2010 will feature a true Tour format, with prize money awarded for each individual race, time and cash bonuses in both the Mass Start and the Sprint, and a pursuit start Hill Climb that will leave the winners of the overall event splitting up more than $11,000 in cash. Visit www.supertourfinals2010.com to download the invitation and for complete details of the event.
Additionally, the U.S. National 30km and 50km Championships are slated for March 24th, in Fort Kent, Maine.
EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010. REGISTER TODAY!
Posted: 03/14/2010
Nordic Heritage Center, Presque Isle
3/14/10
The 2010 Aroostook Cup Cross-Country race series that started with a brisk and cold day in January this year, wrapped up with a sunny day more reminiscent of May in Northern Maine than March. More than fifty club and community members came out for the annual Himie Towle Memorial XC Ski Frolic on Sunday at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle. A tremendously busy week for fans and volunteers at the USSA Junior Olympics did not deter skiers from coming together once again to celebrate the sport and the season in style.
Participants in the frolic enjoyed freestyle cross-country races for all ages and abilities. The main event of the afternoon was a 7.5 km race around a beautiful course, taking skiers up and down the trails surrounding the main lodge and stadium and the Heritage Center. In the men’s division Seth Hubbard of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club took first, while Sarah Dominick of Stockholm’s Snowy Mtn Ski Club took the win in the women’s division.
In unofficial results for the Aroostook Cup Club Point series the 10th Mtn Ski Club of Fort Kent finishes in first place with 126 points, while the Nordic Heritage Sport Club of Presque Isle finishes close behind with 114 points. For a list of the full season’s results and point standings please visit http://www.fourseasonstrail.org/Aroostook_Cup__.html. Official point series results will be posted online, and the awards will be presented at the end of season Maine Winter Sports Center banquet on April 2nd. Details on this event will be posted at www.mainewsc.org. Congratulations to all the participants and organizers from this winter’s events!
Posted: 03/13/2010
Nordic Heritage Center Okay, we could get used to this weather. The final day of JO National Championships was more of the same as the tracks were fast and the weather perfect for the spectators. They also seemed to suit the New England team well as they continued their dominating performance in the Relay.
For the full results click here: www.juniorolympics2010.org/
For a slide show click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc#100358
Posted: 03/12/2010
Nordic Heritage Center It was another beautiful late winter day at the Nordic Heritage Center, and big crowds and great conditions are making sure these Championships will be remembered for a long time. Mother Nature has been especially cooperative with cold nights ensuring that the snow sets up perfectly for the next day, and cloudless skies and temperatures in the mid forty's during the day making sure that conditions are also perfect for the spectators.
Posted: 03/11/2010
Nordic Heritage Center Day two of the Junior Olympics was a perfect way to celebrate cross country skiing in the United States. Cloudless skies, temperatures in the upper 30's and over 300 volunteers met the athletes as they arrived for the Classic race yesterday. It was a festive atmosphere with athletes signing autographs for the thousand fans, hundreds of cow bells and as much sun screen being used as klister.
For a photo gallery click here: gallery.me.com/mwsc/100342
For full results click here: www.juniorolympics2010.org/
Posted: 03/07/2010
Presque Isle - Nearly 500 athletes and coaches, 350 volunteers, and thousands of spectators will descend upon the Nordic Heritage Center during the next week for the 2010 USSA Cross-Country Junior Olympics. For up to date news, results and live video visit the official event website at www.juniorolympics2010.com.
Posted: 03/06/2010
3/06/10
Caribou, ME
A beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the 40’s greeted 110 kids from around Aroostook County on Saturday at the annual Aroostook Youth Ski Festival. Caribou’s Northern Skiers Club in conjunction with Cary Medical Center and Maine Winter Sports Center hosted this year’s event, which included games, activities, relays and a terrain park that kept participants busy for hours.
The goal of the festival is to provide kids, ages 5 to 14, a chance to celebrate cross-country skiing, and introduce a variety of ways to have fun on skis. The event, which focuses on a non-competitive format, allows kids to move from activity to activity with a group of their peers. These groups are lead by skiers comprised of older kids, adults, and athletes from around the county.
With recent warm temperatures organizers had to get creative to produce a venue filled with fun. Soderberg Construction of Caribou graciously donated use of equipment, man-power, hay bails and snow to create the main attraction – a terrain park filled with jumps, rollers, banked corners, and a slalom course.
The Northern Skiers Club wishes to thank all of the wonderful volunteers and sponsors of the festival. Thanks to the work of many, the youth of Aroostook County were provided a tremendous day of fun on cross-country skis.
Posted: 03/04/2010
AUGUSTA - A bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Carey, D-Lewiston, which seeks to increase safety for roller skiers, was signed by Governor Baldacci on Tuesday. The bill, LD 1640: An Act to Provide for the Safety of Maine Athletes, will provide protections for athletes and others who engage in the sport of roller skiing.
Existing law was unclear if roller skiers were allowed to travel in the same direction as traffic on Maine roads or if they must travel into oncoming traffic like pedestrians. The bill seeks to apply the same rules to roller skiers as those that are already in effect for cyclists.
"Given the rise of competitive Nordic skiing in Maine it's clear we need to address this issue," said Carey. "We can greatly enhance safety for those who roller ski with these very simple changes."
Before the Governor's action, both the House and the Senate passed the bill. The new law will take effect 90 days after the Governor's signature.
Posted: 03/01/2010
Otepaa, Estonia - The 2nd Annual European U26 Championships kick off tomorrow in Otepaa, Estonia. 274 athletes from 29 nations all under the age of 26, have signed up to compete in this year's competition. The US Team includes 9 athletes in both Jr. and Sr. categories.
The MWSC's Grace Boutot will compete in the Jr. Women's category. The Individual competition is the first scheduled competition starting tomorrow.
Jr. Men - Leif Nordgren
Sr. Men - Wynn Roberts, Zach Hall, Casey Simons Jr. Women - Grace Boutot Sr. Women - Laura Spector, Annelies Cook, Susan Dunklee, Hannah Dreisigacker
Posted: 03/01/2010
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THE AROOSTOOK YOUTH SKI FESTIVAL
Saturday March 6th, 2010
Northern Skiers Club,
Caribou, Maine, USA
A new and COOL way to celebrate all the ways kids can MOVE on a pair of XC skis!! All skiing youth ages 5-14 are welcome to attend this unique HALF-DAY festival! The entry fee is only $5 and includes snacks, parting gift and entry to all events!!
Wild & Winding Terrain Park: Explore bumps, turns, and even get some big air thrills.
XC Speed Skiing: Measured with a radar gun for maximum speed in MPH.
Double Pole for Distance: A show of double poling ski strength with this arms-only event. Group Ski Games: Relays, Speed Ball, Tag…all on skis and all with your friends.
Barrel Sprints: 100 meter - Super short sprints around a barrel and back.
Registration: The entry fee is just $5 the day of event and includes a healthy snack and drinks, fun parting gifts and entry to all events. Registration can be done on the event day, but the liability waiver must be presented signed by parents/guardian to participate. Pre-registration can be mailed in by Thursday, March 4th.
Event Description: This Festival is about fun! So do them all, or do just one event, your choice! Each participant will be recognized for his/her accomplishments, but we will not focus on results at this festival. We will break the skiers up into age group as follows: JIII = 12-13+ JIV = 10-11 JV = 8-9 Lollipop = 5-7
Event Details: NEW! This is a HALF-DAY Festival beginning at 8:30am at the Caribou High School Ski Trails in Caribou, ME. We will wrap up at 12:30pm. Each youth skier should bring a complete set of skis, boots and poles to complete each event. Skiers should also bring a parent or group chaperone along with them during this event for safety reasons. (Parents/chaperones are not required to ski, however) Skis, boots, and poles are available on a first come, first serve basis, courtesy MWSC.
Contacts: Northern Skiers Club, 552 Main St, Caribou, ME 04736 northernskiersclub.wordpress.com Phone 227-6733 or Fax 492-1442
Posted: 02/27/2010
22nd Annual C-ME Ski Event
Aroostook Wildlife Refuge – Limestone, ME
2/28/10
With temperatures hovering around the 40-degree mark, and the threat of rain showers, the 22nd annual C-ME Ski Event took place this past Saturday, February 27th, at the Aroostook Wildlife Refuge in Limestone. Jointly sponsored by the Friends of The Aroostook Wildlife Refuge and the Limestone Ski Club, the C-ME Ski drew a strong gathering of citizen skiers from the surrounding area.
While junior skiers raced a 2km loop, youth skiers raced a 7km course, and adult participants took three laps around the same course for a 21km classic race. On the women’s side Snowy Mtn Ski Club skier Sarah Dominick took the win with Patty Hebert and Bonnie Cyr of the 10th Mtn Ski Club following suit in second and third place.
Fred Bailey of the Nordic Heritage Sports Club won the men’s field, barely edging past Northern Skiers club member Joey Bard. Rounding out the top three was Adam Fisette also of the Nordic Heritage Sports Club. For a complete list of results and Aroostook Cup Point standings visit http://www.fourseasonstrail.org/Aroostook_Cup__.html. The final race in the 2010 Aroostook Cup series is the annual Himie Towle Memorial XC Ski Frolic, which takes place on Sunday, March 14th at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle.
Posted: 02/24/2010
At the Olympics you hope to have the best race of your season, or even your life. Unfortunately this was not the case for me on Saturday. I went out way too fast and crashed and burned. Read on if you want the details. I think a good indicator of how big a race is, is how long before the start do you get diarrhea. Small time races: never, pretty serious events: right before or even the morning of, the Olympics: two days before. Although I've skied against some high caliber fields over the last couple of years, it has been since the '06 season that I've skied a World Cup and this is definitely my first Olympics. Needless to say I was fairly nervous going into my first race and having missed the first two races I was rearing to go. I was bib 62 out of 64, so I was starting on the back row. The gun went off, the crowd roared and everything went as it usually does at the start, double polling down the stadium madly, shuffling lanes, protecting poles, trying to stay out of trouble, etc. The first bottleneck was an uphill left hander, a couple people got tangled up in front of me so I jumped out of the tracks to the outside and kept moving along, trying to find a spot to get back in. With most of the mass start races I have been doing (Eastern Cups, Carnivals...)the goal is to get up front away from the mess and go from there. But this is the Olympics. I had a fair bit of adrenalin coursing through the veins, and my frontal lobe wasn't working as it should. Before I knew it I was back in the tracks leading the field. Al Trautwig on NBC said "whats up with that...I don't think I've ever seen a skier from NZ lead a race" and I thought "Oh God". I continued hammering and was feeling ok for the first couple of Ks before it all started going down hill. On top of going out to hard it didn't help to have soggy red blood cells and a bit of the sickness that has been going around. I have never hit the wall so hard and so early and the rest of the race was damage control. I made a amateur move and paid for it with another hour of lactic suffering, a very poor result, and then about 10 minutes of vomiting. For the record this was not part of the game plan and I can assure you that I will not lead out the 50k race on the 28th.
To read more on Ben's experiences go to
http://www.mainewsc.org/athlete_bkoons.html
Posted: 02/07/2010
Presque Isle, ME
On Sunday, February 7th, over 150 motivated women of all fitness levels gathered at the Nordic Heritage Center to show their support for the Battered Women’s Project, the Nordic Heritage Sport Club, and the Limestone Ski Club in memory of Linda Page. The third annual Aroostook Women’s XC Ski Day offered a full day of activities that enhance women's lifestyles while giving back to the community. Ski clinics and tours, Snowshoeing tours, Yoga, Pilates and even a nutrition activity taught by Bonnie Wood of UMPI helped give motivation and encouragement to all who attended. Enthusiastic volunteers from NHSC, UMPI, and MWSC coaches and athletes lead the women throughout the day. Massage sessions were also a treat given by Stephanie Caverhill and Tracy Spooner of Northern Massage and Wellness Center, Diana Higgins-Sadler from Well Spring Health Center, and Leslie Smith of Wellspring Health Center.
Cafe Sorpreso catered a delicious healthy lunch including homemade soups, salads and fresh bread. After a bit of recharging, door prizes were given to lucky winners. Generous prizes came from Country Collectibles, The Hampton Inn, Morning Star Art & Framing, Wilder's Jewelry Store, Pampered Chef, Jewelry by Kimberly Kennedy, New England Outdoor Center, Great Beginnings, Echoes Magazine, The Braden Theatre, and Duska Kingsbury for Mary Kay.
A portion of the proceeds will also be going to the Nordic Heritage Sport Club, the non-profit group that runs the Nordic Heritage Center. The day wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of sponsors like TAMC, Coca-Cola, MMG, Katahdin Trust Company, UMPI, Terry & Barb Chalou, French Construction, Kitchen and Bath Shop, United Insurance, and Lynox Welding Supply.
Many thanks to all the volunteers that helped make the 3rd Annual Aroostook Women's Ski Day a big success and we look forward to seeing more new faces next year.
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