WASHBURN – Despite early morning temperatures dipping to near freezing, clear skies and sunshine turned Saturday into the perfect stage for the annual spring Aroostook River Fun Run.  Starting at Washburn’s Thomas Park, the river race had participants paddling from the Washburn boat launch to Presque Isle’s Fish and Game Club, approximately eight miles downstream.

Over 60 people took part in paddling on Saturday, with winners in more than 14 divisions.  The race is a collaborative effort of the Washburn and Presque Isle Rotary Clubs, with help from generous local sponsors and volunteers.    

Caribou, ME-- The Maine Winter Sports Center is now accepting applications for the Junior Racing Team.  All Maine residents who have qualified for the Maine J2 Team, Maine EHSC Team or NENSA Junior National Team are invited to apply.  Applications are available at: www.mainewsc.org under the Junior Racing/Maine Team page.  This team will be limited to 32 participants.  Initial application period closes April 1, 2013.

This past weekend Holderness School in New Hampshire held the 2013 TD Bank J2 Championships. Despite warm temperatures, the courses were well maintained and everyone enjoyed the sunny weekend. Every year, this race brings together 225 of the best Junior 2 or J2 (14 & 15 year old) Nordic skiers in the northeast. This year's participating teams included Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, with guest teams from the Great Lakes and CXC Idaho. 20 boys and 20 girls from each state competed in 4 races over 3 days, and out of the 20 boys from Maine, 7 qualified from Aroostook County.

In February Healthy Hometowns coaches led a group of enthusiastic community members into the woods for a week of backcountry skiing and wilderness education in beautiful Baxter State Park. The group included participants of different ages and abilities from all over the state ranging from Bangor to Caribou. Each day, under the shadow of Katahdin, participants strapped on skis and seized the opportunity to enjoy perfect ski touring conditions within the park. Early in the week high winds and new snow quickly refreshed trails, and during the latter half of the trip Mother Nature blanketed the ground and forest with a fresh layer of white stuff. The park’s summer tote roads and the meandering hiking trails provided a great variety of terrain sights for everyone to enjoy.

PRESQUE ISLE – After coming in like a lion, the March weather turned mild on Saturday with a calm breeze, warm temperatures and light snow for the annual Himie Towle Memorial Ski Frolic.  Held at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, the citizen’s ski event serves as the final stop on the Aroostook Cup tour.  In keeping with past years, more than 100 participants took part, ranging in age from kids under 8 years-old to masters over 70. 

CARIBOU – It is a rare occasion in cross-country skiing that all of the elements of the sport come together to make a perfect day.  This Sunday's February Frolic in Caribou was such an occasion.  With temperatures near 30 degrees, no wind, light snow falling and perfectly groomed trails, participants in the day's events could focus entirely on the simple joy of skiing. 

Nova Maesto, Czech- With high expectations placed on the shoulder’s of Tim Burke since the 2010 Olympic year when he first wore the Leader’s Bib, it has been a long and difficult road of hard work and determination to bring himself back to that place. Persistently getting stronger and more consistent, Burke has been chipping away at mastering the art of biathlon. Today, in the 2013 Nova Maesto World Championship 20 K. Individual Competition, he once again showed just what he is capable of, garnering the first World Championships silver medal since Josh Thomson in 1987.

From Wednesday, Feb. 20th thru Saturday, Feb. 23rd the L.L.Bean Bootmobile will be making tracks throughout the County, visiting outdoor events and venues. Residents and outdoor enthusiasts will have the opportunity to take photos with the 13-foot-high, larger-than-life version of the outdoor retailer’s most iconic product. In 2012, in celebration of L.L.Bean’s 100th Anniversary year, the Bootmobile began visiting cities and parks across the country, inspiring people to get outdoors. During 2013 the journey continues as the Bootmobile delivers the “Discover Something” message.

Bill Ryan, Chairman and founder of US Biathlon Foundation, announced today that he is stepping down and Mark Burton, a Senior Advisor at Evercore Partners, will take over as Chairman, effective immediately. Ryan will continue to serve as a trustee.

LIMESTONE – While the rest of New England braced for a record-setting blizzard on Saturday, skiers at the annual C-ME Ski in Limestone braced for 14 kilometers of cross-country skiing through fresh falling snow and stiff winds.  Those that made the slow trip to the Aroostook Wildlife Refuge were rewarded with a well-groomed course and beautiful skiing.  The citizen’s ski event celebrated it’s 25^th anniversary over the weekend thanks to the efforts of the Limestone Ski Club and the Friends of the Aroostook Wildlife Refuge.  The C-ME Ski marked the third stop on the Aroostook Cup tour, and with 41 participants, it proved a successful day for all involved.

The MWSC Junior Racing Program is recovering after an excellent weekend at the third NENSA Eastern Cup, held at Trapp's Family Lodge, in Stowe, Vermont.  This Eastern Cup is traditionally the largest and most competitive race of the season, as it is combined with the UVM collegiate race.  This season's event held true to form, pulling more than 500 racers to the mountain-side resort.

FORT KENT – After one of the coldest weeks of the winter in Northern Maine, temperatures rose barely into the single digits for the start of the aptly named Frostbite Ski Marathon, held annually at the 10th Mtn Center in Fort Kent on Sunday.  The cold air, along with stiff winds, forced this year’s participants to consider their apparel as carefully as their ski strategy for the 40-kilometer, 20-kilometer and 5-kilometer races. 

Caribou, ME—The Maine Winter Sports Center is pleased to announce that the 2013 10th Mountain Division Junior Nordic and Biathlon Championships will be hosted by Augusta Trails and the 10th Mountain Ski Club, respectively.  The 10th Mountain Division Championships serve to recognize the highest level of junior racing held in Maine each year.  By hosting the championships in conjunction with clubs from across the state, the Maine Winter Sports Center looks to honor the role that the 10th Mountain Division played in not only helping to win the second world war, but also helping to found the modern ski industry in the United States.

Antholz, Italy- The sun was shinning in Italy today and it certainly added to the excitement and fun of the Women’s 7.5 k Sprint. Finishing 1:10 back behind the winner Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia, Cook finished in 18th with her first top 20 result. As bib number 5,  Cook started strong and set the tone for the day. A gradual and flowing course at altitude, this was the perfect race for Cook’s skiing style. After clean shooting in prone, Cook set out on her second loop with Kaisa Makarainnen one of the strongest skiers in the field and took a ride into the standing stage. Mindful of altitude, Cook did her best to relax despite a miss on her first shot and managed to clean the next four. 

MADAWASKA - In stark contrast the season opener of last winter’s Aroostook Cup series, this past weekend’s Deprey Classic in Madawaska saw skiers enjoying temperatures above freezing, and making the most of soft, spring-like snow.  The annual freestyle ski race was the inaugural event of the 2013 Aroostook Cup – a series of community ski races and tours hosted by clubs around Aroostook County and sponsored by the Maine Winter Sports Center.  These events take place on Saturdays or Sundays from January through March, at participating cross-country ski areas throughout the region.  Participants can take advantage of a variety of events from social ski tours, to snowshoe scavenger hunts, to exciting citizen races.  Individuals earn points for participation throughout the season, and awards are given on an individual and club basis.

Ruhpolding, Germany- With high expectations after last week’s remarkable 5th place relay finish, the U.S. men were unable to match their performance, placing 14th in today’s relay. Despite a strong start, two penalties in the third leg hampered the position of the team. In a three-way race for the last leg of the relay, France out skied Germany and Austria and won despite the hard charging Norwegian team, which finished 2nd.

This weekend Maine Winter Sports Center Biathletes were busy across Europe racing! Russell Currier and Annelies Cook competed in the Oberhof, Germany World Cups while Katrina Howe raced in Otepaa, Estonia in the IBU Cup events. Russell and the US men got the weekend off to an amazing start on Friday with all four team members (Lowell Bailey, Tim Burke, Russell Currier and Leif Nordgren) working hard to finish in 5th place overall, this is the top relay finish that the US has seen! All team members shot well taking no penalties and only using a few spare rounds.

Val di Fiemme, Italy--Kris Freeman (MWSC, USST, Andover, NH) struggled with blood sugar issues over the past two days of the FIS Tour de Ski.  Just a day after moving up the ranks in the 35km freestyle pursuit, Freeman, a type 1 diabetic, posted one of his worst results on the World Cup in years.  Freeman described the 35km race two days ago as difficult to balance sugar needs.  

Soldier Hollow, UT--After another day of less than stellar performance at the U.S. National Cross-Country Skiing Championships, Welly Ramsey (MWSC, New Sharon, ME) is putting it all behind him and looking forward to the 30km classic on Sunday.  Today's 15km freestyle race was won by Erik Bjornsen (USST, APU Nordic Ski Club, Anchorage, AK) in one of the most fractured national fields in recent memory.  Only four competitors were able to stay within a minute of Bjornsen, a result of both the altitude and the decision to run the race on 15 second interval starts.  In the end, many of the top ten skiers formed trains chasing either Bjornsen or runner-up Tad Elliot (USST, SSCV, Durango, CO).  Ramsey finished the day in 43rd place, 16th among U23 competitors.

Soldier Hollow, UT--Against the strongest domestic sprint field ever assembled in the U.S., Hilary McNamee (MWSC, Fort Fairfield, ME) came up 2 seconds short this morning at the U.S. National Cross-Country Skiing Championships.  Following the morning qualifier for the 1.4km classic sprint, McNamee was ranked 38th, just over 2 seconds away from the top 30 who move on to the afternoon rounds.  The women's field included 10 FIS World Cup starters and an additional 3 women who have stood on the U.S. National podium.  In fact, McNamee edged out Lauren Fritz (APUNSC, Anchorage, AK) who started the Quebec World Cups just 3 weeks ago.

STATEWIDE – The well-known and well-loved adult ski program, dubbed Arooskis, has recently made a significant leap to more southerly locales. Arooskis started in the County as a weekly adult ski program held in Fort Kent and Presque Isle and has now developed into a dedicated group that meets throughout the year to pursue active, outdoor adventures. The idea worked so well Healthy Hometowns aimed to replicate the model in other parts of Maine.

Ostresund, Sweden- For the opening World Cup Individual for women, Tora Berger showed that she was not to be messed with. The battle between her and Darya Domracheva was decided in the last shooting stage, when Berger slowly and deliberately made sure to hit each and every last target, while Domracheva had an unfortunate last miss, putting her 1:03 behind in the standings. 

Ostresund, Sweden- At the IBU World Cup today, excitement was high and athletes anxious to see where months of hard work have put them. After a disappointing stint on the Nordic World Cup, Martin Fourcade was back on top, winning the individual by only twelve seconds but showing his confidence with a fist pump after his last shooting stage. Late starter, Erik Lesser of Germany, was the surprise podium athlete of the evening by being the fastest athlete to hit all 20 targets.

New snow on the plateau in Yellowstone today. First weekend in the books with good performances from Annalies Cook (32nd and 25th in IBU Cup in Idre, SWE), Welly Ramsey (33rd and 18th at SuperTour in West Yellowstone) and Kris Freeman (33rd in FIS World Cup in Gallivare, SWE). 

Results from both days of racing in Utah! Two sprint races down, the season is fast approaching now. Up next, Russell and Annelies will be heading to Sweden to start the winter off, in the US we will be going to West Yellowstone to get on snow before the Trials races held at Mt Itasca in Grand Rapids MN. Also keep checking in on our Facebook page for more news.

Thanks to a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Healthy Hometowns, Old Town Rec, and Bicycle Coalition of Maine, area children in grades 4^th-8^th were able to participate in a month-long after school instructional mountain bike program. 

Ski Again Pass With Access To Five Ski Areas Only $150 for the season Day Tickets $15.

Caribou, Maine - The Maine Winter Sports Center announced its Ski Again Pass today, giving you unlimited skiing at all MWSC facilities for only $150 for the season. This unique season pass gives holders access to five downhill and nordic areas across Maine, with no blackout dates. "The Maine Winter Sports Center has been dedicated to making skiing accessible to everyone since our inception in 1999," said Andy Shepard, President and CEO of the MWSC. "I believe this Ski Again Pass and our $15 day ticket, are another significant step in that direction."

Carrabassett Valley, ME--When you bring the very best together, great things happen.  At the second Maine Team Camp of the year, Maine's top high school skiers have the opportunity to train alongside and learn from Maine's very best nordic racers and coaches.  16 high school skiers from across the state have joined MWSC Team athletes Kris Freeman, Welly Ramsey, Hilary McNamee, Fred Bailey, Gabby Naranja and Nick Michaud for five solid days of training in Maine's beautiful western mountains.  Under the tutelage of coaches Dick Taylor, Nick Kline (Gould Academy) and Will Sweetser (MWSC), the group receives two classroom sessions each day centered around junior racing development.

Presque Isle, ME- The summer kicked off with the annual Middle School Racer Camp this past weekend held at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.  A total of 26 skiers from the Farmington and Winthrop area came up to join athletes from Aroostook County to practice summer dry-land training skills, play games and learn how to roller ski.

 Check out the June issue of our newsletter Snow Dance. 

Information meetings for all interested Development and Junior Team athletes (12-19 years old) and their parents next Saturday, June 9, at 7 p.m. at both the Nordic Heritage Center and the 10th Mountain Ski Center.

 Caribou, Maine Nordic skiing guru Dick Taylor has a new book out and it is a "must-have" for all coaches. The book is called Pocket Thoughts for all Coaches. It is a 31 page booklet put together by Dick, one of the counties most respected authorities on cross country skiing. It is full of concise pearls of wisdom that will help you understand better ways to train, what good technique is and how to achieve it and other mysteries of cross country skiing. Great to help pass long van rides in most productive ways and sure to stimulate a lot of conversation. If you only read one book on cross country skiing - this should be it. 

To get your copy today send a check for $7.00 to:

Dick Taylor, Box16, Bethel Maine, 04217 or email him at rw.taylorxc@yahoo.com

Outdoor Retailer Launches L.L.Bean Healthy Hometowns Program

Freeport, ME - Today L.L.Bean is announcing a $1 million donation to Healthy Hometowns, a program designed to provide Maine children and families the opportunity to get outside and discover new outdoor activities.

The L.L.Bean Healthy Hometowns Program expands upon the winter program developed in northern Maine by the Maine Winter Sports Center into a year-round, state-wide effort. The Maine Winter Sports Center, an organization that has a demonstrated ability in making a difference in the lives of Maine's youth, is currently active in just over 100 communities in Maine. The nationally and internationally recognized program's emphasis has been on engaging communities with cross-country skiing. This donation will enable the organization to expand both the reach and the activity offering. The funds will be used to purchase year-round outdoor equipment, coordinate programming at the community level throughout the state, and hire staff to train local volunteers. As the program expands to more communities, the focus will encompass activities such as paddling, hiking, mountain biking, orienteering and camping.

The L.L.Bean Healthy Hometowns Program will launch in the communities of Freeport and Bangor, as well as expand in areas of western and northern Maine, such as Farmington and Presque Isle, where the program is already present.

Charlo, New Brunswick-  As spring was arriving early in Aroostook County, there was still snow over the border in Canada on the trails in Charlo, New Brunswick.  The Maine Winter Sports Center Development Team was welcomed by the Cross Country New Brunswick Ski Club to participate in their 4th New Brunswick Cup of the winter season. There were sunny skies and great skiing conditions for skiers of all ages who came to race for the weekend.