2007 News Archive

Photo Top: Meagan Toussaint
Photo Bottom: Grace Boutot and Kaitlyn Bernard

Coleraine, MN - Hilary McNamee (FortFairfield, ME) and Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME) won for the second time in two tries. McNamee hit 15 of her 20 targets to finish the 7.5km race in a time of 31:40. Skiing away from the rest of the field McNamee won the Youth Women's race by a margin of over 2 minutes. Placing 2nd and 3rd was Addie Byrne (Bovey, MN) and Grace Boutot (FortKent, ME). Like yesterday Byrne and Boutot recoded the same number of hits leaving the finish up to their course time to determine the final outcome. Both athletes hit 14 of 20. Finishing 4th today was Jessica Caron (FortKent, ME) with 16 hits; Kaitlyn Bernard (Ft. Kent, ME) placed 6th with 13 hits and Andrea Mayo (Winterville, ME) placed 8th with 9 hits.

Like her teammate McNamee, Toussaint was unstoppable on the range. Cleaning her first 10 shots, Toussaint missed only 2 shots on the day each coming in each of her standing stages to finish the 10km race with a time of 38:52. Coming in 2nd was Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN) over 4 minutes behind Toussaint. Manbeck struggled on the range missing 10 targets. Rounding out the top three was Ellen Anderson (Ely, MN) with 6 penalties.

In the Youth Men's race Nick Michaud (FortKent, ME) slipped back from 3rd to 8th place with 11 penalties. Winning today was Ethan Dreissigacker (Craftsbury, VT) with 3 penalties and dropping to 2nd was Lief Nordgren (Marine on St. Croix, MN) with 7 penalties.

In the Jr. Men's race Mark Johnson (Grand Rapids, MN) and Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) switched positions placing 1st and 2nd. Roberts shot clean in his final stage and made a strong come back chasing down Johnson on the final loop, but ran out of trail as they crossed the line nearly together. Newt Rogers (FortKent, ME) rounded out the top 3 with 8 penalties; Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) finished 6th with 11 penalties.

Sunday concludes with the Mass Start event. The U.S. Jr. World Championship Team will be announced at 2pm Central Standard time.

Photo Top: Youth Women's podium 1st - Hilary McNamee (center), 2nd Addie Byrne (left), 3rd Grace Boutot (right)
Photo Bottom: Russell Currier at the start

Coleraine, MN - Warming temperatures and little wind provided for perfect conditions for the first day of the Jr. Biathlon Team Trials. Athletes from Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont made the trip after notice of a venue change last week because of the lack of snow in Alaska.

In the Youth Women's race Hilary McNamee (FortFairfield, ME) led the field with 7 out of 10 shooting and the fastest ski time on her way to winning today's opening event. Second place went to Addie Byrne (Bovey, MN) and 3rd place to Grace Boutot (FortKent, ME). Kaitlyn Bernard and Jess Caron (both of FortKent, ME) both hit 8 of 10 targets to finish 5th and 6th and Andrea Mayo (Winterville, ME) finished 8th with 4 penalties.

The Jr. Women's race came down to a battle between Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME) and Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN). With both athletes hitting 7 of 10 targets Toussaint went into the final loop with an 8 second advantage. Over the final 2.5km Toussaint opened up the gap to win by 24 seconds.

In the Youth Men's race two young guys claimed the 2nd and 3rd positions. Finishing 3rd was 15 year-old Nick Michaud (Ft. Kent, ME). In his first major biathlon event Michaud hit 8 of 10 targets. Placing 2nd was another 15 year-old, Raleigh Goessling (Esko, MN) with 3 penalties on the day. Leading the way was Leif Nordgren (Marine on St. Croix, MN) with 3 penalties. Nordgren is one of three athletes to pre-qualify for the Jr. World Championships in Rupholding, Germany in late January. The other two athletes are Laura Spector (Lexnox, MA) of the Maine Winter Sports Center and Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) both in the Jr. category.

In the Jr. Men's race Wynn Roberts cruised to an easy victory hitting 9 of 10 and turning in one of the fastest ski times of the day. Following in 2nd was Mark Johnson (Grand Rapids, MN) also with 1 penalty and Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) in 3rd with 4 penalties. Newt Rogers (Ft. Kent, ME) finished in 4th with 5 penalties on the day.

Tomorrow continues with the Pursuit Format competition where athletes will start in 10 second intervals and shoot four times (prone-prone-standing-standing).

Coleraine, MN, December 27. - Junior and Youth biathletes from across the US are converging at Mt. Itasca today where the Junior and Youth World Championship Trials open tomorrow.

Over 60 competitors from six states including Minnesota, Maine, Alaska, Vermont, New York, and Colorado will vie for positions on the US Team that will compete in the Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany at the end of January. Three athletes have already earned positions based on their results from North American Cup competitions several weeks ago. They are Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN), Leif Nordgren (Marine-on-St. Croix, MN), and The Maine Winter Sports Center's Laura Spector (Lenox, MA). Roberts and Spector compete in the Junior category with Nordgren competing in the Youth category. Up to 13 additional athletes will join these three, based on the results from the next three days of competition.

Junior National Team Coach Vladimir Cervenka says that the Mt. Itasca facility is well prepared for the trials, despite the short notice move there 10 days ago, due to lack of snow at the scheduled location in Anchorage, AK. He commented, "Conditions are very good. We have about 2 feet of artificial base and an additional foot of natural snow over the 3K loop and cutoffs. It snowed almost all day on Wednesday, while temperatures have remained comfortable in the low twenties with little wind. It is almost like European winter weather."

Regarding the competitions, he added, "It will be interesting to see how the other competitors stack up against the pre-qualifiers, who will also race this weekend. The Junior Men will be interesting with MWSC's Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) and Mark Johnson (Grand Rapids) competing against Roberts. In the Junior Women's category, Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids) and MWSC's Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME) are the two top returning team members who will compete against Laura Spector. In the Youth categories, we expect veterans like MWSC's Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME) and Addie Byrne (Bovey, MN) to lead the way, with several spots for youth men and women to be taken by newer athletes."

The competitions open with Sprints on Friday at 11 AM (CST), followed by Pursuit Format on Saturday at the same time. The Trials close on Sunday with a Mass Start Relay Format at 10 AM (CST) and the team announcement at 2 PM (CST) that day.

Complete results will be posted at www.USBiathlon.org. The website also has an RSS feed, available by clicking the RSS logo on our homepage to get the address and all of the latest biathlon news.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

Photo Top Right: Hilary McNamee
Photo Bottom Left: Beth Ann Chamberlain

Presque Isle, ME - The New England cross-country skiing community arrived at the Nordic Heritage Center to test their mettle over the deep Aroostook County snow. When the final rounds of today's sprint competition came to a close under the lights, the athletes of the Stratton Mountain School stood out at the top of the podium.

In the qualification round for the 1.1km skate sprint, Stratton's Sophie Caldwell proved she was the one to beat by posting the fastest time. She was followed to the line by Maine Winter Sports Center's Beth Ann Chamberlain (Caribou) and Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield). In the men's qualification, Doug Debold, of the Green Mountain Valley School posted the fastest time. Caleb Lucy (Mt. Washington Nordic Club) and Dylan McGuffin (University of New Hampshire) earned second and third start spots. The Maine Winter Sports Center's Joey Bard (Woodland) qualified fourth.

In the heats, the women held true to qualification, with Caldwell, Chamberlain, McNamee and Stratton's Megan Killigrew easily advancing through the quarterfinals and semifinals. When the four finally met in the final, Caldwell took the lead and never relinquished her hold on the gold. Chamberlain made a gutsy bid to pass in an early corner and paid for it with a fall that relegated her to fourth. In the final climb, McNamee was the only competitor able to match Caldwell's pace, and the two finished in just that order with Killigrew taking third.

In the men's heats, Debold was never challenged. MWSC's Bard looked like he also had the speed to control his rounds, until he faltered in the semifinals and ran out of real estate in the finish lanes, he was pushed into the B final. In the end, Debold crushed the field with a convincing sprint at the finish. Clarkson University's Matt Delaney finished second, with Chase Marston, of the Stratton Mountain School, taking third.

Bard easily outpaced the other competitors in the B Final to finish 5th on the day. He was somewhat philosophical about the result.

"Yeah, I made a mistake there in the semis," Bard explained. "I thought I could coast until the final hill and then pass when I was ready. There just wasn't any room to get by. But, that's how you learn. In the B Final, I was just mad. I wanted to show what I can do."

Stratton athletes Bridger Tyler and Austin Cobb took first and third in the boys' J2 category, with MWSC's Nick Michaud (Fort Kent) 4th. The girls' J2 race was won by Gage Fitcher, of Stratton.

RESULTS
• Men's Eastern Cup-Saturday Dec 15, 2007 (pdf)
• Women's Eastern Cup-Saturday Dec 15, 2007 (pdf)
• Men's 10k Eastern Cup-Sunday Dec 16, 2007 (pdf)
• Women's 5k Eastern Cup-Sunday Dec 16, 2007 (pdf)
• J2 Boy's Eastern Cup-Sunday Dec 16, 2007 (pdf)
• J2 Girl's Eastern Cup-Sunday Dec 16, 2007 (pdf)

For complete results visit www.nensa.net

Click here for more information (pdf)

Pat Cushman, an important force in nordic skiing in Maine, passed away on Saturday. He was a founding member and past president of the Portland Ski Club, as well as the Port Nordic Ski Club. He was a positive, energetic leader, and a role model for a generation of kids who came through the Portland program.

Pat was also a trusted friend, who's perspective was always thoughtful and balanced. I was honored to know him and always felt blessed to call him a friend. He is missed.

Andy Shepard
President/CEO
Maine Winter Sports Center

West Yellowstone, MT - Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) finished for the second time in four races as the top American female in the combined Senior and Junior category. Spector hit 16 of her 20 targets, but had to settle for 3rd overall, 12 seconds behind eventual winner Megan Tandy (British Columbia) who hit 17 of 20 and 2nd place finisher Claude Godbout (Quebec) who hit 20 for 20. BethAnn Chamberlain (Caribou, ME) finished 13th with 8 misses. Both Johnson and Spector qualified to race European Cups (Langdorf, GER and Osrblie, SVK) in January and Spector also pre-qualified for the Jr. World Championships in Ruhpolding, GER at the end of January.

In the Men's race Russell Currier (Caribou, ME) had a stronger day in the range hitting 15 for 20 to finish 7th overall in the combined Senior and Junior category. Starting 9th on the day Currier took advantage of the hilly course to reel in his competitors gaining two places from the previous day's sprint competition.

The MWSC Biathlon Team will now come home for a couple weeks of rest and training. Currier along with seven other Jr. Biathletes from Maine will travel to Anchorage, AK for the Jr. Team Trials after Christmas. This event will pick the remaining members for the Jr. World Championships.

Photo: David Chamberlain (MWSC) chases Kevin Hochtl (Rossignol) over the crest of the last hill in the Bozeman SuperTour Classic Sprint semi finals.

Bozeman, MT - The U.S. SuperTour moved to Bohart Ranch in the hills above Bozeman, Montana for the second weekend of competition. For the second time this season, David Chamberlain (Wilton, ME) earned a spot in the men's A Final. Using his experience to his advantage, Chamberlain used tactics to move easily through the quarter finals and semi finals. In one of the closest sprint finals in recent years, all six competitors came into the finish lanes within 1.5 seconds of one another. Chamberlain was boxed out as he made a final push for the podium and ended up sixth.

Equally impressive was the performance of MWSC's Joey Bard (Woodland, ME).Ê Bard earned his first berth into the open men's quarter finals with a 30th place in qualifying.Ê Bard was one of 4 juniors to make the open rounds today.Ê In his quarter final, Bard was out of the gate 3rd, and hung on to the pack until the very last hill.Ê He finished the day as the second J1--further indication that his fitness is at national caliber.

Pictures: Laura Spector and Russell Currier

West Yellowstone, MT - The move south was a welcome change for the athletes as temperatures were over 20 degrees warmer from the previous week's NorAm opener in Canmore, Alberta. The simple fact that the athletes would be able to feel their trigger fingers was the first sign that shooting scores would be better than in the first two races. Picking up where she left off, the Maine Winter Sports Center's Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY) won for the 2nd time in two races hitting 8 of her 10 shots. Following Johnson was fellow MWSC teammate Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) with only 1 penalty and just 12 seconds back. Rounding out the top 3 overall (combined Jr. and Sr. athletes) was Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN) also with 1 penalty. Both Spector and Manbeck are Jr.'s (under 21 years old). BethAnn Chamberlain (Caribou) turned in one of the top ski performances on the day, but 5 penalties set her back in

In the Men's race, MWSC's Russell Currier (Stockholm) appeared to be getting back to his normal form as he flew around the ski tracks. Currier, fighting off a cold from the previous week hit 6 of his 10 shots taking 2 penalties in each of his two shooting stages to finish 7th in the overall (4th Jr.). Winning today was Alberta's Yannick Letailluer with 1 penalty and placing 2nd was Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) with 4 penalties.

Tomorrow NorAm #2 will conclude with the Pursuit race.

Canmore, Alberta - The Maine Winter Sports Center's Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY) was the clear winner today. Johnson finished 2nd in yesterday's Sprint, but after realizing she didn't fire all five shots in her final stage she was relegated to 6th place in the Sr. Women's field. Today was a different day however and Johnson went to work again without any hesitation. Starting in the same order of finish from the previous Sprint race with only 5 second intervals between starters Johnson made up time right away on the first loop and cleaned her first prone. She would continue to eat away and eventually put time on her fellow competitors as she hit 11 of her final 15 shots. Johnson with 4 penalties took the win over fellow U.S. Development Team member Sarah Studebaker who hit all 20 of her shots today! Rounding out the top 3 Sr. Women was Denise Teela (Heber City, UT) with 2 penalties. BethAnn Chamberlain (Caribou) finished 8th with 7 penalties.

In the Jr. Women's field Megan Tandy (British Columbia) repeated as the victor with 5 penalties. Switching places was Rosanna Crawford (Canmore, Alberta) and Jessica Sedlock (British Columbia) both with 3 penalties each. The Maine Winter Sports Center's Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska) hit 17 of her 20 shots, not missing until her 14th shot on the day to finish in 4th. Toussaint's teammate Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) dropped after yesterday's strong performance to 6th in the Jr. field with 8 penalties. In the Youth Women's race Hilary McNamee (Ft. Fairfield) finished 5th with 5 penalties.

The Sr. Men's race came down to a sprint finish with Brendan Green and Marc Andre Bedard stretching for the line with Green just outlasting Bedard. Yesterday's winner Green had 8 penalties on the day compared to Bedard's 5 misses. Rounding out the top 3 and a Canadian sweep was Yannick Letailleur of Canmore, Alberta with 4 penalties. Robert Douglas was the top American with 5 penalties in 5th place.

Russell Currier (Stockholm) struggled in the range missing 8 shots to finish 5th in the Jr. Men's race. Fighting off sickness, Currier showed signs of his usual feistiness on the tracks as he constantly moved up through the field after each shooting bout.

The NorAm circuit now moves to West Yellowstone, Montana with races starting this Friday.

Results can be found at www.biathlon.ca

PRESQUE ISLE - As the snow flies, the smiles grow larger on the faces of volunteers at the Nordic Heritage Sport Club (NHSC). Mother nature has cooperated for the earliest ski race ever planned at the Nordic Heritage Center. Currently there are 12-15 inches on the ground at the venue.

On December 15 and 16, the club will host the TAMC/TD Banknorth Eastern Cup Openers at the Presque Isle venue. The racing begins with a freestyle sprint at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Heats for the top 30 men and women and the top 12 J2 boys ans girls will follow at 2 p.m.

Sunday will host classical skiing for all ages beginning with 3-13 year olds at 9 a.m. The J2 boys 5km classical race starts at 10 a.m. followed by the J2 girls at 10:30. The men's 10k classical begins at 11 a.m. followed by the women's 5k at noon. The final event will be a Mass Start Citizen Race, where everyone can get involved.

"We anticipate over 200 athletes to come from all over North America," explained Tim Vernon, president of NHSC. "This is a wonderful opportunity for competitors to boost their USSA and FIS point standing. Plus there will be merchandise prizes for juniors."

Vernon also noted the benefit for the community.

"Anytime we host an event of this kind, the hotels, restaurants, and shops see additional revenue, which is good for all of us," Vernon said. "The early date of this event is a commitment on our part to bring an economic boost to the area before the traditional revenue from snowmobiling comes in."

Vernon said all of the events at the Nordic Heritage Center require a number of volunteers to ensure that everything runs smoothly. The venue has a world-wide reputation for hosting great events thanks in large part to the hard work of many people. While Vernon says they have a good base of volunteers, they are always looking for an extra pair of hands. Any interested individuals should contact Heidi Bartley at info@nordicheritagecenter.org or 762-6972.

Top Photo: Laura Spector leaving the start
Bottom Photo: BethAnn Chamberlain leaving after her prone shooting

Canmore, Alberta - Temperatures barely made it above the legal race limit this morning. Hovering around the -2 degrees Fahrenheit mark the first NorAm races of the season finally were underway after a one hour delay. The Maine Winter Sports Center's Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) finished 4th in the Jr. field and 5th (1st American) amongst a combined Junior and Senior Women's field with 2 penalties in prone and 1 in standing. Spector's MWSC teammate Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska) finished with the best shooting on the day missing just one shot in her standing bout to place 5th in the Jr. field and 3rd American in the combined Jr. and Sr. field. After the race Spector commented, "I felt a bit tired today in the legs. In prone my first shot went off by accident because I couldn't feel my fingers. Overall it was a good start and something to work off of." Megan Tandy and Jessica Sedlock of British Columbia placed 1st and 2nd in the Jr. field and took the same honors in the combined Jr. and Sr. field. MWSC biathletes Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY) placed 6th with 4 penalties and BethAnn Chamberlain (Caribou) placed 8th with 5 penalties. Johnson originally sat 2nd at the finish, but a dud bullet in her standing stage left her one bullet short of the necessary 5 and resulted in a 2-minute penalty added to her final time.

In the Youth Women's races Hilary McNamee (Ft. Fairfield) placed 4th with two penalties. "I just had two bad shots in prone, but in standing I re-focused and made sure they all went down", commented McNamee after the race.

In the Jr. Men's race Russell Currier (Caribou) finished 5th with 6 penalties.

Tomorrow concludes with the Pursuit Competition
Full results: www.biathlon.ca

MWSC invites all 7th and 8th grade skiers to an on snow day camp this Saturday in Fort Kent.

Click here to download the full story (pdf).

PRESQUE ISLE - The snow that has fallen over the last week is a welcome sight for the Nordic Heritage Center. It bodes well for what the organization will need by mid-December for the TAMC/TD Banknorth Eastern Cup Series Opener. On December 15th, the Nordic Heritage Center will host over 200 athletes for the event.

Of course, if the necessary amount of snow doesn't come as expected, the Nordic Heritage Sport Club (NHSC) plans on bringing in the big guns-literally. In fact, the big gun is already here. A few weeks ago John Farra, the VP of the Maine Winter Sports Center, traveled downstate to tow back a "snow gun" for the purpose of making snow if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.

The Standard Pole Cat, standing about eight feet tall, is a large three-wheeled structure that holds a barrel with a fan inside. The NHSC has engaged in a rent-to-own program with Snowmakers Inc., a Vermont based company. Farra and a company employee met halfway at Black Mountain in Rumford to bring the machine to its resting place in Aroostook County.

The machine is being housed at Paul Cyr's farm on the State Road. Cyr has welcomed the club to make snow on his property. He has the necessary acreage and the one main ingredient- water. Currently there is not enough water at the Nordic Heritage Center to make snow. However, McCain Foods has an 18-inch water main that runs through Cyr's property with a hydrant on site. Between McCain and Cyr, snow-making is now possible just in case Mother Nature doesn't pony up to the table.

"Obviously we would prefer the real white stuff," said Farra. "It makes a better base and it is free.

Both Mr. Cyr and McCain have been very generous to allow us to use their facilities, but the manmade snow will still have to be trucked four miles to the venue, and that can be costly. So we are crossing our fingers for lots of snow."

Farra said the long-term plan is to drill a well or create a pond at the Center, so they can make snow on site. But for now they must improvise.

Next week, a committee will meet to discuss the necessity of making snow. They will look at the 10-day forecast, talk to a meteorologist, and then evaluate the situation.

"We are committed to hosting a high caliber event, the kind that athletes and coaches from around the world have come to expect," explained Tim Vernon, current president of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club. "If that means making the snow, we are prepared."

The NHSC is still looking for volunteers for the event. Any interested individuals should contact Heidi Bartley at info@nordicheritagecenter.org or 762-6972.

###
NOTE: A picture will be taken Monday, November 26 and emailed to the papers by noon. However, pictures can also be found at www.snowmakers.com

Click here to download the press release (pdf).

UMF Ski Industries isoffering the Black Mountain Snow Riders program again this season. New last year to both Black Mountain of Maine and UMF, this snowboarding school will run lessons for snowboarders of all ages on Friday afternoons for six weeks. This program is designed for both children and adults, beginners and those wanting to improve their riding skills are welcome. Come once or as many times as you want. Sign up or drop in!

Starts:Friday, January 19, 2008
Ends:Friday, March 7, 2008(no lesson on February 22)
Time:3:30-5:30
Cost: $25 per lesson. Ticket is included, rentals are not.
For further information or to sign up, call 364-8977

Photo: David Chamberlain leads Kevin Hochtl (Rossignol) and Tyson Flaherty (APUNSC) in the quarterfinals of the SuperTour Sprint.

West Yellowstone, MT - In Friday's SuperTour sprint races, David Chamberlain opened the season with an excellent third place finish. After squeaking into the rounds with a 15th place, Chamberlain demonstrated his racing savvy in cruising through the quarterfinals and semifinals. In the final, he faced first place qualifier Garrott Kuzzy (CXC), second place qualifier Mike Sinnott (SVSEF), and fifth qualifier Even Sletten (Utah). Sletten had to be considered the class of the field, as he was the 2003 World Junior Sprint Champion. Despite a slight tactical error in the second lap, Chamberlain proved that he had enough pure speed to compete with the youngsters. He held on all the way to the finish lanes, where he had a clear edge on Sletten at the line. The rest of the team showed that they're ready to race as well: Joey Bard earned a third place finish amongst J1 boys racers and Sarah Dominick won the masters women's class.

The 10th Mountain Center received a blanket of new snow Thanksgiving. The new snow on a great base has opened 7km of great skiing at the venue.

Click here to view the latest trial conditions at 10th Mt!

Click here for the full story!

There will be an informational meeting about MWSC race programs at the MWSC office in Caribou at 7pm on Wednesday November 14. We will have information for parents and athletes about training, the winter race schedule, equipment costs and local discounts. Athletes in 8th-12th grades are encouraged to attend with their parents. This should be a short meeting and is intended to answer questions about MWSC programs and the race season.

Ski Season Opens in the County
Aroostook County, ME - More snow fell in Northern Maine adding 1-2" to the frozen base that remains from this past weekends snowfall. Athletes from the Maine Winter Sports Center spent the morning skiing and the forecast looks promising that the snow will stay for a few days.

MWSC invites Maine High School teams to participate in the first ever Maine High School Nordic Festival in Fort Kent. Teams are invited to Fort Kent for some early season training and racing over the winter break.
Click Here for more info (pdf).
Click Here for more on Fort Kent Lodging (zip).

Ft. Kent, ME - Skiers from in Aroostook County woke up to four inches of New England Powder today. Deciding not to take advantage of the extra hour of sleep from daylight savings an excited group gathered early up at the 10th Mtn. Lodge in Fort Kent. Classic tracks were quickly formed as everyone jumped at the opportunity to have first tracks! Touring around the 20+ kilometers of trails made 3.5 hours fly by and lunch by the fire began to sound really good to all. Lunch was quick as everyone wanted to get back outside to take in the sun's rays and get in some biathlon practice. In addition to all the ski trails, the 10th Mtn. Lodge has a full 30 point range and will play host to a 2009 Biathlon World Cup. By day end skiers of all ages were tired, but still smiling and wondering what time everyone would be up the next morning!

More information:
www.10thmtskiclub.org

Photo of Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, UMPI and MWSC Athletes and Coaches at North Haven Time Trial (Betsy Shepard Photo)

(The following Report by Austin Ross, Colby College) - As the ferry from Rockland chugged into the dock and the trucks out on the deck came to life, growling as they waited for the boat to come to a halt, I looked across the narrow straight between North Haven and Vinalhaven Island. The water was choppy from the wind, but the sun was shining brightly on the large houses that stared back across the water at me. This type of crisp New England day was ideal weather for a rollerski race, and North Haven was the ideal setting. Teams from Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, UMaine Presque Isle and the Maine Winter Sports Center had made the trip out to the island for a 15km freestyle race that was organized by Andy Shepard of Maine Winter Sports Center. As we walked up the hill from town toward the start/finish line we admired the fall colors and the idyllic cottages that lined the streets. It was clear that our event was not typical of a Sunday morning in October, but people smiled as they drove past wondering what exactly we planned on doing during our stay on their small island.

At the top of the hill everyone was shown into a small gymnasium where we began to prepare for the race. Bibs were handed out and boots were pulled on. The atmosphere was cheerful as we emerged from the gym ready for our warm-up, and friends chatted as we skied up and down the road getting ready for the start. The pavement was smooth, the scenery was worthy of a post card, and everyone was excited to test themselves against the other teams.

The women started first at fifteen second intervals with a short break before the men. I was the first man out, and felt the pressure of the rest of the field looking to chase me down. I pushed hard out of the start and found a comfortable V2 rhythm as I headed out on course. I forced myself to focus on the female racers ahead of me rather than the men who were trying to chase me down from behind and soon found that I was gaining on the women fast. I turned right onto the road that wound around the outside of the island and began passing people at the top of the first hill. As I coasted up behind other racers, I was struck at the beauty of North Haven. The small coves and rolling pastures seemed like they were straight out of a fairy tale that I had the fortune of passing through. It was hard to feel too much pain while racing in such surroundings, but I worked to stay focused and continued to push myself. Just past the halfway point of the race, I passed the lead woman and knew that I had nothing but open road in front of me. It was exhilarating to know that I was leading the entire pack toward the finish line. I sped over the rolling country road, over a bridge and back into town. I hammered into the finish feeling satisfied that I had pushed hard and stayed in front. Other racers began to come into the finish looking as spent as I felt but just as fulfilled.

After a cool-down, we all headed back into town for a hearty lunch and race results. With a full belly, we went back out for one more loop of the island before it was time to head home. In the afternoon sunshine, we all ambled off to explore the remaining scenery the island had to offer. It was also a chance to catch up with friends from other teams. After an easy hour of skiing we thanked our hosts and boarded the fairy back to Rockland, tired and happy. Perhaps, as one skier proposed, there is a future for destination rollerski racing. After a race like that, I wouldn't bet against it.

Men's Race Time

Place Time

1 36 : 22 Cook Bowdoin

2 36 : 49 Kline Colby

3 38 : 01 Horton Bowdoin

4 38 : 44 Ross Colby

5 38 : 44 Ellefson Bates

6 40 : 01 Mogk Bates

7 40 : 11 Evans-Brown Bates

8 40 : 32 Bailey MWSC

9 40 : 34 Fereday Colby

10 41 : 05 Gill Colby

11 41 : 09 Blazer Colby

12 41 : 14 Cooper Bates

13 41 : 21 Briggs Colby

14 42 : 08 Collins Colby

15 42 : 20 Mathes Colby

16 42 : 35 Poole Bates

17 42 : 46 Shepard Bowdoin

18 42 : 64 Rummel Colby

19 43 : 08 Bowers Bowdoin

20 43 : 50 Whiton Bates

21 43 : 53 Bard MWSC

22 44 : 44 Kabuto Bowdoin

23 45 : 22 Winebaum Bates

24 45 : 31 Bush Bowdoin

25 46 : 27 Smeltzer Bates

26 50 : 05 Maffei UMPI

27 50 : 38 Tyson Colby

Women's Race Time

1 44 : 06 Megan Toussaint MWSC

2 45 : 34 Ingrid knowles Bates

3 45 : 39 Jennie Bentrup Colby

4 46 : 25 Laura Spector MWSC

5 51 : 03 Natalie Ruppertsburger Bates

6 51 : 16 Kirsten Gill Bates

7 51 : 56 Hannah Shepard UMPI

8 53 : 12 Megan Cornwall Colby

9 53 : 43 Lexie Praggastis Colby

10 57 : 20 Linnea Rooke Colby

11 57 : 27 Elissa Rodman Bowdoin

12 66 : 09 Abby Finkel Colby

York is a lifelong athlete, committed to sharing her passion with Maine's youth

Caribou, Maine: The Maine Winter Sports Center announces the addition of 2002 Colby Graduate, Melissa York, to their staff as a Community Development Coach. "Melissa comes ideally suited to work with the Maine Winter Sports Center and our Healthy Hometown programs," said MWSC Vice President John Farra. "She is an inspiring female role model for young women in Maine and we are excited about the impact she can have on our State." An outdoor enthusiast since childhood, Melissa grew up in Suffern, on the outskirts of New York City, where she ran cross-country and track and skied on Suffern High School's downhill team. She also ran cross-country for Colby College, where she graduated in 2002 with a degree in biology. Melissa moved to Portland to work in environmental education and started cross-country skiing. An avid athlete, she ran in the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program and continues with a very active lifestyle.

As a Community Development Coach, Melissa will be a resource to communities looking to establish new outdoor recreation programs, including nordic and alpine skiing programs. She will also be providing continuing support for those looking to enhance existing programs. Melissa hopes to stimulate grassroots efforts to engage children and families in healthy lifestyles, including "learn-to-ski" and "learn-to-shoot" Biathlon clinics, developing recreational trail systems, and engaging more community members in the four-season use of the world-class Nordic venues in the County: the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle and the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent.

"Melissa continues a long tradition of excellence on our staff," said Andy Shepard, President of the MWSC. "I continue to be honored by the extraordinary quality of young men and women who have committed to our mission."

For more information about MWSC community outreach programs, outdoor recreation opportunities at the Nordic Heritage and 10th Mountain Centers, or about upcoming special events, contact Melissa or any of the MWSC staff at 492-1444.

The Maine Winter Sports Center invites young skiers in grades 7-9 to join us for a morning of adventure-based distance training.

What: Training Day: coordination, trail running, rollerskiing and endurance training basic info session
Who: 7th-9th grade skiers
When: 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, October 27, 2007
Where: Stockholm School, Stockholm
Coaches: Will Sweetser, Mark Shea and members of the MWSC junior team
Cost: free
Please reply to: will@mainewsc.org

MWSC will offer area ski leaders and coaches an on-snow education clinic in December. The clinic will take place on December 22nd from 9am-4pm at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle.
download the pdf here

2007 U.S. Summer Biathlon National Champion Grace Boutot of Ft. Kent holding her National Championship Trophy.Ê The trophy is a traveling trophy given to the top ranked male and female annually at the U.S. Summer Biathlon National Championships.

Bill and Joan Alfond started a scholarship to send two promising student athletes from MWSC areas to Carrabassett Valley Academy in 2004. You can follow their progress on the MWSC site.
To learn more click here.

This weekend the best U.S. biathletes will gather just outside Midway, Utah for a three week training camp. Located in the Wasatch Mountains the 2002 Winter Olympic venue of Soldier Hollow will become the primary training center for the U.S. Junior National Team, Senior Development Team and Senior National Team. Five Maine Winter Sports Center biathletes will accompany MWSC Biathlon Coach Gary Colliander to take part in this camp. Nearing an altitude of 6000 feet above sea level the athletes will train in the surrounding mountain terrain and utilize the paved rollerski track for training and races.

MWSC Team Members:
Russell Currier Stockholm
BethAnn Chamberlain Caribou
Haley Johnson Lake Placid, NY
Hilary McNamee Ft. Fairfield
Laura Spector Lenox, MA
Meagan Toussaint - Madawaska

For more information, please contact Gary Colliander. Attached pictures are of Russell Currier and Meagan Toussaint

Maine Winter Sports Center Athletes are highlighted in local area television campaign. Click on the links below to view the two spots. Make sure your internet browser's popup blocker is disabled for this.

click here to see video #1

click here to see video #2

Biathlon Clubs have been training the entire week and will conclude the week with two biathlon roller ski competitions and an afternoon of shooting competitions. A group of 16 athletes and 4 coaches from the Maine Winter Sports Center are training at Camp Ethan Allen. This group includes U.S. Development Team members BethAnn Chamberlain of Caribou and Haley Johnson of Lake Placid, NY in addition to U.S. Junior National Team members Russell Currier of Stockholm, Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent, Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, Hilary McNamee of Ft. Fairfield and Laura Spector of Lennox, MA.

Look for updates following Friday's Sprint Competition.

MWSC will offer an introduction to summer ski training for kids entering 4th-7th grade on Saturday August 11th from 1pm-5pm. For more information, click on the link for the flyer here (pdf).

Caribou, ME - This past March the Nordic Heritage Sport Club of Presque Isle announced they were the winning bid to host the 2009 Junior Olympic Cross Country Skiing Championships. This was big news for the area since it is expected to bring over 400 competitors, 100 coaches and hundreds of family members to the area for the 8 day event. The economic impact for the event is expected to reach $2.2 million.

Organizers were aware of a potential conflict with the timing of the Biathlon World Cup scheduled for the same month. At that point, the actual dates of the events had not been set and it was the hope of all involved that there would be at least a week between the two. Unfortunately, when the dates were announced they both fell during the same week in March of 2009.

While it is possible for both sites to hold these events simultaneously, it was felt that holding the two largest events ever held in the County on the same week would cause both events to suffer with the need to split volunteer efforts, sponsorship dollars, press coverage and of course fans.

Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) Vice President John Farra explained that "when it comes time to roll out the red carpet for the world's best skiers or for the nation's best Junior skiers, we want them all to have a top quality experience and for them to have center stage during their stay. While we could not afford to lose either event for the economic impact that they bring, we really needed to make some major changes in the schedule to make it work for our region."

Officials from Maine Winter Sports Center and the Nordic Heritage Sport Club began negotiations with the host for the 2010 Junior National event and they were able to reach an agreement to switch the Presque Isle event to 2010. This kind of switch is highly uncommon, but received unanimous support at the US Skiing Associations (USSA) Spring Conference in May. MWSC Coach Will Sweetser was present at the conference and remarked that "coaches around the country were clearly confident in the ability of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club to host a high quality competition and offer a terrific experience for the nation's best Junior skiers, so it was worth it for them to accommodate the switch in dates".

"This is really an exciting development for our region", said Farra. "Northern Maine continues to be recognized for hosting events of the highest standards in both skiing and biathlon. Now that we have secured these events, we start the process of planning for how we will make their time here extra special." Nordic Heritage Sport Club President, Tim Vernon echoed the comments of Farra, saying" that the move from 2009 to 2010 was the right decision, and that the members of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club and the community were ready to show the athletes, coaches and families what Northern Maine has to offer."

For more information about skiing and biathlons events and how you can get involved visit: www.nordicheritagecenter.org

Newt Rogers, who competes in winter biathlon events, races in the first summer biathlon hosted by the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent. (Bangor Daily News/Bridget Brown)

By Jessica Bloch
Saturday, July 21, 2007 - Bangor Daily News

FORT KENT - To anyone who is only an occasional visitor to the 10th Mountain Ski Center for a biathlon or cross-country skiing event, the sight of the facility during the warm weather months is a bit jarring.

The berms near the spectator stands are covered in grass instead of snow. Instead of ice falling from the sky, bugs buzz about. And instead of skis propped up around the infield, athletes change running shoes or roller skis in the same area.

The Maine Winter Sports Center, which runs both 10th Mountain and the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle, is hoping more visitors will travel to Aroostook County during the summer, and has instituted several programs with the goal of keeping things humming year-round.

10th Mountain hosted its first summer biathlon competition last weekend. The Fort Kent training center has been busier than previous summers with camps and training sessions for everyone from beginners to world-class athletes in both cross-county skiing and biathlon.

Meanwhile, NHC's mountain biking trails have become more popular and there are other activities at the center, too.

"I think there's no question that initially we're viewed as a cross country and biathlon venue," said John Farra, a 1992 Olympian who serves as the MWSC vice president. "But the skiing and the biathlon lifestyle is a four-season lifestyle. It's outside, it's healthy, it's biking, kayaking, running, the whole picture. We would like these venues to have full parking lots in the summer, too, and not just be thought of as a place to ski."

There's more coming soon. 10th Mountain will have more extensive mountain bike trails in the future. A group in Fort Kent, including two MWSC coaches, recently tested a whitewater slalom course on the Fish River. And the MWSC started a summer biathlon program it hopes will allow Mainers statewide to try a sport with which many Americans are still unfamiliar.

MWSC officials want to make sure just because big events such as World Cup and junior world championship biathlon events and national cross-country happen in the winter doesn't mean the facilities are shut down in the summer.

Summer biathlon

The 10th Mountain center has plenty of experience hosting major biathlon events, from the World Cup in 2004 to the Olympic Trials in 2005 and national championships this year.

So when the opportunity to bid for a summer biathlon event came around, 10th Mountain and MWSC officials made their move.

"It was our first try and there were some nerves about how it would happen," Farra said Sunday, before the final event of the competition was held. "These folks hadn't seen it or witnessed it so it took some learning, but so far so good."

Winning the bid to host was more than a boost of confidence from the New Gloucester-based U.S. Biathlon Association, which sanctions the summer national championships. It could also be a boost for the future Ñ the more experienced the Aroostook County venues are in hosting different kinds of events, the more likely they'll be called upon in the future.

It's also exposure for biathlon and the MWSC facilities. After Saturday's races, youngsters participated in a paintball biathlon and others did a citizens biathlon. Similar events for the public were held after the winter national championships in Fort Kent.

More casual summer biathlon competitions also are being held this year in southern Maine, which isn't exposed to biathlon during the winter. The MWSC established a Run and Shoot series that started at L.L. Bean's Fogg Farm in Freeport and continued in Bethel. There's a Run and Shoot event scheduled for Rumford's Black Mountain, which is also has MWSC affiliation.

Gary Colliander, a MWSC biathlon coach, developed the Run and Shoot program. He said about 150 people have tried biathlon at the events, with a lot of new faces at each site.

Several elite biathlon athletes have also participated in summer clinics in Freeport and Farmington to promote the Run and Shoot series, and about 200 people attended a series of spring clinics in Freeport.

"Probably 90 percent of [Maine's] population is downstate so I'd like to see more people experiencing the sport," Colliander said. "We wanted to spread it around. There's a huge demand and people want to try it downstate, so we're kind of feeding that need."

Increase in camps

Maine Winter Sports Center cross-country skiing coach Will Sweetser led an unusual July 4 activity Ñ a 60-kilometer roller-ski trip that took a group of youngsters around Long Lake, then to Route 161, past Madawaska Lake and into Stockholm.

Along the way the group got waves and calls of encouragement from people driving along the road, and some who even stopped for photos.

"Up here people pull over, wave, say hi," Sweetser said. "It's starting to bring people into the area for off-season training, which is really good."

It's a big difference from experiences athletes have had roller-skiing in other places. Sweetser said one of his athletes had a gun pulled on him during an outing in southern Maine. A group of biathletes from Quebec told Sweetser they had bottles thrown at them during a roller-ski outing near Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

The fact Aroostook County communities have been so welcoming is a big reason 10th Mountain has seen a big increase in campers this summer.

The Quebec athletes, who are members of the Provincial Team, spent a week in Fort Kent and plan to return next summer with a youth group, Sweetser said. A crew from southern Maine took part in the summer biathlon competitions in Fort Kent last weekend and came for a week-long camps. Last year there was a junior national cross-country training camp in Fort Kent.

There are other reasons the area is so attractive to outside coaches and camp organizers.

The weather in Aroostook County is usually good for training, with little humidity and relatively mild temperatures.

And it's an inexpensive venture. The facilities of the MWSC, which is funded primarily through sponsorships and the Libra Foundation in Portland, are free for the public to use, which means the only big expenses are transportation and room and board at either the University of Maine-Fort Kent or UM-Presque Isle.

"People are starting to look here and go, wow," Sweetser said. "It's cheaper to have a camp here than the Olympic training center in Lake Placid. So if people were to open cabins at the foot of the hill here I think they'd start seeing usage in the summer."

Paddling, hiking, biking...

Sweetser and Colliander aren't all about skiing (or roller-skiing in the summer).

About two weeks ago the two coaches, along with Fort Kent native Curt Harvey, strung up gates along the Fish River to create a temporary 100-meter whitewater slalom course.

Three hours later, the gates were taken down. It was just a test run for what the paddlers envision to be a more permanent 200-to-300-meter slalom course if they can get permits to make slight changes to the river in order to produce consistent whitewater.

Another project for Fort Kent in the near future will put mountain biking trails in at the 10th Mountain center.

Skiers spend so much time on the snow in the winter that they frequently look for different, challenging activities in the offseason. Sweetser said he gets together with a group of MWSC athletes once a week for a paddle. Other MWSC athletes have participated in cycling races at sites such as Mars Hill Mountain.

"We kayak, we bike, we hike, and part of that is, we don't want to ski all year," Farra said.

The Nordic Heritage Center already has 20 miles of mountain bike trails in use.

"Every year we're seeing more and more usage [in the summer]," said Nordic Heritage Sport Club president Tim Vernon. "The mountain biking has really come full circle this summer. We're starting to see more people from southern Maine and we're getting some great feedback."

In fact, the club changed its name several months ago from Nordic Heritage Ski Club to reflect a four-season mentality. The center now offers orienteering, a running sport in which participants use a map and compass to navigate, and geocaching, which is a sort of treasure hunt that utilizes GPS systems to find a hidden container that usually has a small token inside. Vernon said he's also seen plenty of people simply walking trails.

Both the Fort Kent and Presque Isle facilities also have short, paved roller loops suitable for youngsters or those wanting short rides or steadier walks than the unpaved trails.

There are programs for kids, too, including a MWSC wilderness trip last month that featured camping and a four-day paddle on Long Lake, Mud Lake, Cross Lake, Square Lake and Eagle Lake.

Involving kids is key, Farra said. It's not all about grooming future Olympians for biathlon and cross country, but also improving the health of a community.

"We want to improve access for kids in the summer, too, to hook them on four seasons of outside activity," he said. "You create a pattern of behavior that is healthy. It may not increase the number of Olympic hopefuls but it sure could improve the culture of healthy activity."

More activity, more possibilities

More events at the MWSC facilities could improve the local economy Ñ or so officials hope.

That's part of the MWSC's primary mission, which is to help rural communities become self-sustaining through a skiing lifestyle, according to a statement on its Web site.

Farra said the goal is for people in southern Maine and perhaps as far away as Boston to view Aroostook County as an outdoor destination, which would then optimally produce a domino effect for the area.

"Hopefully more outfitters will pop up, people who rent kayaks and can take you on a tour of the rivers," Farra said. "All of a sudden it becomes that much more possible to imagine another hotel, or maybe even a resort that caters to the outdoor adventure kind of place."

The domino effect could continue from the opening of hotels. More housing would likely mean more major events such as World Cups. Finding housing for athletes, coaches, officials and media was one of the biggest challenges 10th Mountain organizers faced in hosting the 2004 World Cup, and it will be the same again when the Cup returns in 2009.

The busier the facilities are outside the winter season, the more likely a business person might see an opportunity for another hotel in the area.

And the more people using the facilities year-round, the more sponsors will be attracted and the better the likelihood the 10th Mountain Center and NHC will remain open and free.

"We've got to make sure we have a plan for the long-term upkeep of these facilities and the clubs have plans of how to keep the lights on and run these events," Farra said. "... That's what we're excited about, to continue to try to find ways to do it all four seasons."

Fort Kent ME, July 12. The Summer Biathlon National Championships/ World Team Trials open this evening at the 10th Mountain Ski Center in Fort Kent.

Three days of competition and fun conducted by the 10th Mountain Ski club and the Maine Winter Sports Center starts with Sprint competitions for men and women at 6 PM today. Entrants include former members of the US Summer Biathlon World Championship Team members Doug Hoover (Williamsburg, PA) and Keith Woodward (Stowe, VT) as well as local competitors Nate Rogers (Fort Kent, ME) and Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME), both of whom have competed in the World Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships. Woodward is one of the most experienced summer Biathlon competitors in the US, having competed in the first US Championships in 1987 as well as winning National Titles numerous times. Competitors from five states and Ontario have traveled here for the running and rifle marksmanship competitions. After tonight's Sprints, the competitors will have a training and rest day as well as an opportunity to enjoy summer in Aroostook County on Friday. Competition resumes with Pursuit competitions on Saturday, followed by the Mass Start competitions on Sunday.

In addition to the main competitions, there are two additional opportunities for anyone wanting to get a taste of biathlon competitions. .On Saturday, a Paintball Biathlon will involve short running distances followed by a chance for the competitors to test their skills with a paintball gun. Sunday's second event will be a Golf Cart Biathlon, with teams of two covering 1.5K in the golf cart followed by a shooting bout.

This weekend's Summer Biathlon National Championships will be the second of the year for Fort Kent, which hosted the North American and US National Championships last March. Athletes who meet the qualifying standards for the US Team will be offered the opportunity to compete in the Summer Biathlon World Championships in Otepaa,, Estonia in September.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

MWSC Coaches Will Sweetser and Gary Colliander, and Fort Kent native Curt Harvey - all paddling enthusiasts - spent the weekend playing on Fort Kent's newest playground, a white water slalom course on the Fish River in the village of Fort Kent.

The IOC members today approved, at the 119th Session in Guatemala City, the project that foresees the first editions for the Youth Olympic Summer Games in 2010 and for the Youth Olympic Winter Games in 2012. "This is an historic moment for the Olympic Movement. We owe this to the youth of the world", declared IOC President Rogge after the decision by his 111 fellow members.

According to Rogge, the Youth Olympic Games, which will take place every second year, are the flagship of the IOC's strategy outlined for young people, which includes other initiatives, such as an educational project on Olympic values, a dedicated web site for youngsters and a campaign highlighting the Olympic values to young people.

The Youth Olympic Games aim:

to bring together talented athletes from around the world to participate in high-level competitions;
to run, alongside the sports element of the event, education programmes on; Olympic values, on the benefits of sport for a healthy lifestyle, the social values sport can deliver and on the dangers of doping and of training to excess and/or of inactivity.
to use the latest communications channels to promote Olympic values and the spirit and essence embodied in the Youth Olympic Games.

Around 3,200 athletes for Summer Games and 1,000 athletes for Winter Games
The Youth Olympic Games - age group 14 to 18 - will bring together approximately 3,200 athletes and 800 officials for the Summer Games and 1,000 athletes and 580 officials for the Winter Games. The sports programme will encompass all sports on the programme of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the 2012 Summer Games with a limited number of disciplines and events. Proposals from Sports Federations to integrate youth-driven disciplines that are not part of the Olympic Games may be accepted.

Main milestones for the first Olympic Youth Summer Games in 2010

The main milestones for the first Youth Olympic Games are the following:

July 2007: opening of bid process to NOCs for the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010
Between November and December 2007: an Evaluation Commission, under the guidance of the IOC and composed of IF, NOC and athlete representatives, may visit the Candidate Cities, pre-selected by an expert panel on the basis of a bid file, and forward a proposal to the Executive Board, which will make a recommendation to the IOC members.
End of February 2008: decision by the IOC members on the host city for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games by postal vote.

Four days into our group camp with the Quebec Provincial JR/U23 Team, and we're finally seeing just how fast they are. Today was a sprint classic rollerski race. Exciting head to head racing on a rainy loop!

Nicolas Poirier showed that he was the class of the men's field with a blistering second half of the A final. Hilary McNamee fought an extremely tight battle with the youngest member of the Quebec women's squad, Camille Pepin, for the top step of the podium. The format followed a typical sprint racing schedule and gave all of the racers some valuable experience.

Next up is a distance skate race. 5km for women and 10km for men. Results will be posted as soon as they are available. In the meantime, we've got an Ultimate Frisbee tournament to attend to!

For results click here

Last week nine county youth got a healthy dose of canoeing, camping, wilderness education, and, of course, black flies on a four-day youth wilderness trip led by the Maine Winter Sports Center. "We are trying to promote healthy lifestyles all year long," said MWSC coach and wilderness leader Eileen Carey, "through offering more summer trips and camps, we hope to promote an active, outdoor lifestyle beyond just the winter months". The group started their trip in Long Lake and throughout the four days paddled through Mud Lake, Cross Lake, Square Lake and Eagle Lake. Along the way participants learned how to canoe, navigate, cook and camp while minimizing their impact in wilderness areas by using "Leave No Trace" wilderness ethics. Sarah Dominick of Stockholm and Jeff Spencer of St. Francis volunteered their time to help lead the trip and shared their expertise with the group. MWSC plans to offer another youth wilderness camp to Deboullie from July 16-18. Interested youth ages 11-14 can get more information at the MWSC website at http://www.mainewsc.org/teams_youth.html.

In the picture L to R:
Front row: Sarah Dominick, Danni Anderson, Cassidy Spencer, Vicki Bernard, Chelsea Bard, Eileen Carey Back Row: Dylan Cyr, Dann Cyr, Grace Boutot, Sam Boutot, Nick Michaud, Jeff Spencer

Freeport - The first Summer Biathlon "Run and Shoot" event kicked off this past Saturday in Freeport at the L.L. Bean Fogg Farm. Known by most in its winter form (skiing and shooting), Summer Biathlon usually combines running or biking with shooting. Families from around Southern and Western Maine, as well as New Hampshire, participated in this first run and shoot and found it to be a fun and interesting twist to just an ordinary running event.

Participants ran a total of three 1.6km out and back loops, while stopping briefly between to shoot five shots. Shooting both from the prone (lying down) and standing positions, participants found it extremely challenging to settle down their rapidly beating hearts and steady their aim just long enough to hit the silver dollar sized targets. Each missed target resulted in a penalty loop 100m in length.

The next Summer Biathlon Event will be held at Gould Academy in Bethel July 1. For more information and event schedules see the events page or contact Gary Colliander.

What makes a cross country skier or winter biathlete? Students entering grades 8 and 9 are invited to find out by joining Maine Winter Sports coaches and athletes for training, skills, games and lessons at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle. Practices will be held Thursday mornings from 8 to 10 a.m. beginning June 28. The Center is located on the Fort Fairfield Road.

The program will introduce students to the sports of cross-country skiing and biathlon on summer terrain. Skills practice includes balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. Games and lessons utilize the skills learned. Students will also gain insight from visiting Maine Winter Sports Center junior and elite athletes.

Eighth and ninth graders are encouraged to attend one or two practices a week, to get a feel for what an outdoor lifestyle geared towards competitive skiing is like. Motivated students will be encouraged to increase participation to prepare for high school racing with commitment and discipline.

For more information contact coach Will Sweetser at will@mainewsc.org

National Champion Biathletes from the Maine Winter Sports Center have been traveling around the state to promote a new summer "run and shoot" series and the North American Summer Biathlon Championships. This past spring the MWSC, in partnership with L.L. Bean, held a series of "learn to" clinics in Freeport to promote the sport of biathlon. The sport however is widely known and popular enough that the program served more to feed the excitement that has grown over the past few years. "We started out not really knowing what the response would be like, but we had nearly 200 folks, of all ages, show up and have a great time. The development of a summer series seemed like a great way to continue this excitement", stated MWSC Biathlon Coach Gary Colliander. The Team just returned from clinics in Farmington and Freeport this past week.

The North American Summer Biathlon Championships will feature the best athletes from the U.S. and Canada. Running July 12-15 there will be three events with three unique Citizen Event options. A normal run and shoot, Paintball Biathlon and Golf Cart Biathlon will also be a part of the schedule.

The State of Maine "Run and Shoot" series starts this weekend in Freeport and continues in Bethel, Ft. Kent and Rumford with events starting in the fall in Presque Isle. The MWSC Biathlon Team will be present at all of the events.

For more information and schedules contact Gary Colliander.

Picture - Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent instructing a group in Farmington.

Cape Elizabeth, a small town on the coast of Maine just outside Portland is looking for a head Nordic ski coach for their High School ski team. This is a traditionally strong program with a recent history that includes conference and state titles as well as many top 10 individual finishes. The coed program includes 20-30 participants who range in ability from novice to junior olympic team members. Most skiers have participated in a middle school program. Practices are weekdays in Cape Elizabeth, at Twinbrook (Cumberland) and occasionally at Pineland (New Gloucester). Races are held both locally and around the state on weekdays and some weekends.

For more info contact Cape Nordic at kbarton@maine.rr.com

The Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) is looking for a multitalented Community Development Coach to join its staff in Aroostook County Maine. The candidate will be responsible for creating and implementing introductory and development ski programs to participants at every age group, but focused primarily on youth and adults. In addition, this coach will share direct 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 learn the sport of Biathlon to a point that they can run learn-to-shoot programs with live ammunition rifles as well as with laser rifles. 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 will have some travel responsibilities, including coordinating and transporting athletes to events and camps around the East. 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/Biathlon Venues. The MWSC Community Development Coach will manage the deployment of the Healthy Hometown Ski Trailers to communities and events to provide ski equipment and instruction to people of all ages. The Community Development Coach will oversee the Aroostook Cup Ski Race Series and may be required to assist in executing the events as well managing the scheduling, scoring, and results for all events. 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 Coach. A four-year college degree, experience as a coach and Nordic skier are requirements for the position. All MWSC Coaches will be involved in the initiation and implementation of other programs and events and other duties that will advance the MWSC toward its mission. Female coaches are strongly encouraged to apply.

This position is a full-time position to begin June 18, 2007. Applicants should send a short cover letter and resume with three professional references to john@mainewsc.org or to John Farra, Vice President, Maine Winter Sports Center, 552 Main St, Caribou, ME 04736

BRUNSWICK, Maine - Nathan Alsobrook, a 1997 graduate of Bowdoin College, has been named the new head coach of the Nordic Skiing program at his alma mater. Formerly the head coach of the Whitman (Wash.) College nordic ski program, Alsobrook began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant under Marty Hall at Bowdoin in 1999.

"As a former Division III athlete, Nathan is able to relate to the demands of being a student-athlete at a place such as Bowdoin," according to Athletic Director Jeff Ward. "Our nordic skiing program took great strides under the leadership of Marty Hall, and we look forward to seeing Nathan continue that trend."

An English major who graduated magna cum laude, Alsobrook was a four-year competitor on the nordic ski team as well as a cross-country and track team member. After serving as an instructor at Sunday River for two years following graduation, he joined the staff at Bowdoin as an assistant to Marty Hall for the 1999-2000 academic year.

Following a season as an assistant at Colby, Alsobrook moved west where he earned his first full-time head coaching job at the Pocatello (Idaho) Cross-Country Ski Foundation, promoting cross-country skiing through coaching and training sessions. He returned to the collegiate ranks in 2003 as the assistant coach at Montana State University and then earned his first collegiate head job at Whitman in 2005.

At Whitman, he supervised the Division I nordic ski program and was also a member of the faculty as a Lecturer of Sport Science. Alsobrook has a wealth of academic experience and holds a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology from Montana State. His thesis work for the degree was specific to his sport, entitled "The Role of Upper Body Power in Classical Cross-Country Ski Performance."

Alsobrook takes the reins of a program that has improved in depth and performance over the past few seasons. In 2007, Bowdoin nordic skiing saw several best-ever performances by individuals during the EISA season and finished ninth at the Eastern Championships this past winter.

Caribou, Maine: The Maine Winter Sports Center announces the addition of Mark Shea, formerly the Director of Recreation in Caribou, to their staff. Shea is a Maine native and a graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and comes to the MWSC team with a solid understanding of the people of Maine and a track record of success at creating programs that get them more active.

"During Mark's time in Caribou he was one of the first to embrace the Maine Winter Sports Center and skiing as a way to get kids and families more active," said MWSC Vice President John Farra. "Most notably, Mark has developed a Nordic ski program that reaches more than 500 Caribou schoolchildren each winter, as well as a summertime outdoor adventure program that has been developing a passion for outdoor skills and a healthy lifestyle since 2000." "From a young age, I knew I wanted a career where I could help people enjoy being active. This new responsibility is a tremendous opportunity for me to work with other people who share my passion for the outdoors and to try to make a difference."

As the Community Development Director, Mark will be a resource to communities that look to establish new outdoor recreation programs, including nordic and alpine skiing programs. He will also be a resource for those looking to enhance their existing programs. From coordinating the Healthy Hometown Ski Program, the Healthy Hometown Ski Trailers, Elite Athlete School Visits, and Ski Leaders Education, to developing community based trail systems; Mark will have plenty of projects to which he will lend his expertise.

Mark resides in Caribou with his wife, Becky, and children, Hope, Edie and Jude.

Skiing however is still possible at the 10th Mtn. Ski Center in Ft. Kent and through this past weekend the base on the trails ranged from 6" to 20"! Skiers have been enjoying the trails as well as venturing out to the fields and logging roads for some early morning crust skiing. Check out the pictures taken this past weekend!

Fort Kent Crust Cruising.	10th mt skiing on Sunday April 15th

getting ready for some sun and ski	flexing

Head Coach of Men's and Women's Nordic Skiing

Bowdoin College invites applications for a Head Coach of Men's and Women's Nordic Skiing. The Head Coach directs all aspects of the intercollegiate Nordic Ski team including coaching, recruiting, scheduling, program administration and budgeting. Additional responsibilities may include teaching, assisting in another sport or performing administrative duties as assigned at the discretion of the Director of Athletics. This is a half-time position with a salary range of $20-$25,000 annually.

Bachelor's degree (Physical Education or related field) preferred, or 5 years coaching experience at the post secondary level and/or professional competitive experience. Required skills include: Knowledge of Nordic skiing skills and strategy and the ability to effectively teach them; ability to motivate and effectively communicate with student-athletes; willingness and ability to actively recruit qualified candidates to Bowdoin; commitment to being a positive member of the Athletics Department, the College community and the ability to influence his/her athletes to do the same; working knowledge of NCAA and NESCAC rules and an understanding of the philosophy behind them; Administrative skills such as prioritization, organization, and budgeting are needed. The coach must be self directed and motivated and be able to work independently and work in a stressful environment. Current CPR, AED, and First Aid certification must be maintained. Subject to pre-placement criminal background check. Valid driver's license and ability to meet the standards of the College's current Motor Vehicle Policy required. Demonstrated effectiveness in coaching Nordic skiing is required. 1 - 3 years head coaching at the secondary or post secondary level or 1 - 3 years experience working in a competitive collegiate environment is required. Successful recruiting to a highly selective institution is desirable.

To apply, please visit www.bowdoin.edu, select the Employment link, and complete an online application for the position. Our new online application system will allow you to fill out one application that may be used to apply for any posting, to attach documents that may be job-specific, and to check the status of your application at any time. Paper or emailed applications for this position will not be accepted. If you have any questions about this process, please call 207-725-3923 or email careers@bowdoin.edu. Bowdoin College is committed to equality through affirmative action and is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage inquiries from candidates who will enrich and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our College. Bowdoin College does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or disability status in employment, or in our education programs.

Team won 11 medals in last two years at USCSA National Championships, including 6 Gold

Head Nordic Ski Coach/Lecturer

The University of Maine at Presque Isle announces a Head Nordic Ski Coach/Lecturer position beginning August 27, 2007. We are looking for someone to bring the ski team to the top ranks of Division I skiing. Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree; (Master's degree preferred) and the ability to demonstrate successful ski coaching experience. The position consists of half-coaching time and half-teaching time within the university's new Ski Coaching degree program. The classes will include, but are not limited to, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Ski Coaching Techniques, Program Design and Evaluation, Supervision of Practical, and Fieldwork Experiences. Teaching as a collateral assignment is possible. In addition, the candidate will be responsible for recruiting student-athletes, developing and maintaining working relationships with the university, surrounding communities, and the Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC). Early season snow, world-class facilities, passionate community support and regular calendar of world-class events, bringing top junior skiers to the area, makes this a tremendous opportunity for the right person.

The MWSC is a non-profit organization that seeks to reestablish skiing as the dominant winter lifestyle in Maine by investing in the rural communities where skiing remains viable. MWSC has built or acquired four premier facilities in Aroostook County. These ski areas support programs for local children and adults, as well as a MWSC competitive team. The facilities host world-class competitions that bring in superior athletes from across the country and around the world. The coach will have access to the top Nordic skiing facilities and staff for state-of-art athlete testing and expertise. There are many opportunities to gain exposure to the academic and science aspects of coaching. These include testing with lactate and VO2 Max in the field and on the over-sized treadmill at the university.

One of seven campuses within the University of Maine System, the University of Maine at Presque Isle provides its 1,500 students with opportunities in a caring, small-university environment. It combines liberal arts and selected professional studies programs and serves as a cultural and educational resource for the entire area. Visit our website at www.umpi.maine.edu

To apply, candidates should send a letter of application, resume vitae, a copy of official university transcripts, and the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of at least three references to Carolyn Cheney, Director of Human Resources, 181 Main Street, Presque Isle, Maine 04769. or email cheney@umpi.maine.edu. Evaluation of candidates will begin on April 16, 2007 and continue until a suitable candidate is identified. The University of Maine at Presque Isle is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.

Rumford, Maine - which has produced more winter Olympians than any other town in Maine, is looking to recapture the heritage of being one of the skiing hotbeds in the United States. They are looking for someone who would like to be a part of bringing that tradition alive again. Mountain Valley High School, a 9-12 school of about 600 students, is located in the Western Mountains of Maine. Its home nordic and alpine races are held at Black Mountain of Maine, a world-class ski venue and the site of numerous league, state, and national championships. We compete in the Mountain Valley Conference and host the MVC Championships for both nordic and alpine skiing. Our ski program has a great support system in the work staff of Black Mountain, and the Chisholm Ski Club, a nationally recognized ski organization of over 60 active volunteers who help run all ski meets.

The stipend for first year coaches is $3300. First year teacher salary for 2007-08 is $30,000. Anticipated teacher openings in Math, English, and Health. Applications are available by calling 207-364-7896 ext. 212 or online at http://valnet.mtvalleyhs.sad43.k12.me.us/MSAD43/employmentpostings3.html FMI, contact:
John G. Bernard CAA
Athletic Administrator
Mountain Valley High School
Rumford, Maine 04276
207-364-4547 ext. 241

Presque Isle, Maine - Kris Freeman, the US Ski Team's most successful distance skier this year is signed up to race in the TAMC US National Championship Pursuit and Marathon.

Over the past several years Kris Freeman has lead the US Ski Team's men in top finishes in the distance races on the international circuit. At this year's World Championships in Sapporo, Japan, Freeman managed a 12th place in the mass start 50km marathon. This was the top finish for the US Team in the distance events.

Accompanying Freeman, will be his US Teammates Torin Koos, Leif Zimmerman and Andrew Johnson. Koos and Zimmerman are scheduled to compete in all races including the Northern Skiers Cash Sprints in Caribou. Freeman and Johnson will sit out the Sprint competition and focus on the distance races - a 30km Pursuit and 50km Marathon for the men.

On the women's squad of the US Ski Team, 5 competitors will soon arrive in Presque Isle. They are Liz Stephen, Tazlina Mannix, Lindsey Weier, Lindsay Williams and Morgan Arritola. Arritola will rest during the Team Sprints in Caribou while the others will compete in all three competitions of the TAMC International Spring Series. The Women's Pursuit on March 30th is a 15 kilometer race and the Marathon on April 1st is a 30 kilometer race.

For more information and exact competition schedules go to www.nordicheritagecenter.org

Charlo, New Brunswick - Spring is officially here and rain during the Individual Competition of the Canadian Biathlon Championships made it even more evident that temperatures are on the rise. After a successful U.S. Nationals in Ft. Kent, athletes packed their bags and headed north to Charlo, New Brunswick. A new venue for most of the athletes, the competition trails with its swooping downhill's and long climbs received high marks from the athletes.

In the Senior Women's race Haley Johnson was one shot away from the top spot on the podium. Hitting 16 of her 20 shots Johnson matched the shooting of winner Sandra Keith from Alberta, Canada. Missing just one more shot than Johnson, BethAnn Chamberlain finished 4th just 12 seconds from 3rd. Erin Graham of Vermont was 7th. In the Senior Men's race Seth Hubbard finished 5th with 6 misses on the day; Jason Ray of Wyoming was 11th. In the Junior Men's race Russell Currier finished 6th with the 2nd fastest ski time, but struggled in the range managing just 7 hits. In the Youth Men's race Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake, MN finished 7th with 10 hits, Joey Bard matched Roberts on the range to finish 11 and Craig Maffe finished 16th.

In the Girls race Grace Boutot finished 4th with 6 penalties and the 4th fastest ski time. Andrea Mayo had solid shooting throughout the race finishing 14th and Rose-Mary Williams finished 19th. In the Boys race, Philip Willey finished 13th with 10 hits and the 8th fastest ski time.

Racing resumes on Saturday with the Sprint Competition and Sunday with the Pursuit Competition.

Be apart of something special on skis this weekend in Aroostook County! Ski some unique trails with good food, friends and drink. Do one, or do them all, open to all skiers and families. Snacks provided at all stops, as well as MWSC Demo skis for those without equipment. Come ski Westmanland, Nordic Heritage Center, Van Buren, Madawaska and Fort Kent this weekend with good food and drink along the way! For more info click here to download the pdf.

March 18, 2007 (Rangeley, ME): In the midst of a late-season snowstorm, the best high school skiers in the East competed at the Rangeley Lakes XC Ski Center this weekend, racing state against state for the overall title of TD Banknorth Eastern High School Nordic Champion. Teams from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York raced 24 of their best girls and 24 of their best boys, making this one of the most competitive junior cross-country ski competitions of the season. And with New England Junior Olympic team back from a strong performance at Junior Nationals, the teams were full of fast athletes from that team racing alongside athletes who just missed the team and were looking to prove their speed.

The schedule began with the 5km freestyle races Friday afternoon. Vermont grabbed the lead, but New Hampshire's Harrison Harb (Contoocook) and New York's Sophie McClelland (Keene Valley) took individual honors for the day. For boys, Caleb Lucy(Intervale, NH), Evan Dethier (Williamstown, MA), Alex Schulz (Johnson, VT) and Steven Bedard (Cheshire, NH) rounded out the top five. Following McClleland in the girl's race was Sophie Caldwell (Peru, VT), Stephanie Crocker (Poughkeepsie, NY), Elise Moody-Roberts (Cape Elizabeth, ME), and Megan Killigrew (Peru, VT). Friday afternoon's races finished just as a spring snowstorm settled in over Maine's Western Mountains.

It snowed through the day on Saturday creating a challenge for both the competitors and the organizers. The event proceeded as scheduled and continued to show off the top skiing talent of New England's high school skiers. Saturday also saw the strong Vermont team build on its day one lead to take control of the team championship. In the women's 5K freestyle it was Freeport, Maine's Adele Espy surprised the crowd with a 12-second victory over former Freeport High School teammate, now Burke Mountain Academy student Lucy Garrec. Sophie Caldwell, Elise Moody-Roberts, and Sophie McClelland continued to ski well, grabbing 3rd through 5th place. Steve Vargo (Shaftsbury, VT) narrowly edged Sam Marshall (Etna, NH) by 3.1 seconds to take the boy's 5K freestyle victory. Sam Tarling (Cumberland, ME), Steven Bedard, and Keith Kantack (Jackson, NH) followed to round out the top five.

Saturday afternoon, the racing continued as the snowstorm began to pull away from Rangeley with the 2 boy, 2 girls, mixed technique relay. Vermont put two teams in the top three and continued to dominate the event's team scoring. The Vermont #1 team of Noah Brautigam, Steven Vargo, Megan Killigrew, and Sophie Caldwell took first, followed by Maine's Graham Egan, Sam Tarling, Lucy Garrec, and Elise Moody-Roberts. The Vermont #2 team of Alex Schulz, Ethan Dreissigacker, Madeleine Talkington, and Mae Foster took the final spot on the relay podium.

Athletes, coaches, spectators, and event organizers were thrilled to see the sun poking through the clouds and more pleasant conditions for Sunday's Mass Start 7K Classic event. The mass start is a highlight of the weekend, featuring head-to-head racing using the old-style classical skiing technique. The girls raced first and featured some familiar names in the top five. The two "Sophie's", Caldwell and McClelland, battled for the entire race and sprinted side-by-side to the finish line along with Elise Moody-Roberts. Caldwell took the narrow victory, followed by McClelland and Moody-Roberts. Stephanie Crocker followed closely in 4th, with Lucy Garrec taking the 5th spot. The men's race featured a pack of ten skiers maneuvering for position through the first lap of the course. As things stretched out on the second lap it became a three-skier fight to the finish with Steven Bedard, Fritz Horst, and Keith Kantack all having a good chance of victory coming into the finishing sprint. Bedard, an athlete who did not qualify for this year's New England Junior Olympic team grabbed the win over Junior Olympic team members Horst and Kantack in second and third. Closely following the top three, the remainder of the lead group quickly flowed to the finish with Sam Tarling grabbing 4th and Noah Brautigam in 5th.

For results and more, visit NENSA.net.

The Rangeley Lakes Cross Country Ski Trails are located in the heart of the scenic western mountains and lakes region of Maine, with an annual snowfall approaching 200 inches. The snow conditions plus fantastic terrain make skiing at Rangeley a wonderful experience for any skier from novice to expert. In the summer of 2005 the nonprofit Rangeley Lakes XC Ski Club moved their ski center to Saddleback Mountain. Learn more at www.rangeleyxcski.com.

Team Results:

Vermont
New Hampshire
Maine
Massachusetts
NY

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA.net
Contact: Patrick Cote, NENSA Executive Director.
(E) pat@nensa.net (please email or check website for complete results)
(P) 207-873-2360

Track the results as Maine Winter Sports Center athletes take on the best biathletes in North America. US National Championships are also being contested.
For results click here, or find out more at www.10thmtskiclub.org

7 members also named to Academic All-Americans Team

Winter Park, Colorado - In a Rocky Mountain blizzard, the University of Maine Presque Isle Women's Ski Team capped a very successful US National Championship week by winning the 3x5k relay championship today, against a heavily favored University of Wyoming team.

The UM Presque Isle Owls are in their second year of competition and looking to become a fully recognized NCAA program. They compete on the NCAA Carnival circuit during the regular season, but have one more season as a provisional school before they can compete in NCAA Championships. The Owls have been making the most of their two visits to the US Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA) National Championships with 6 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals in their two trips.

Meagan Toussaint, a sophomore from Madawaska led the Women's Team this week with 2 individual Gold's and a Bronze medal, as well as being the anchor on the Gold medal Women's Relay Team.

The Lady Owls are a young team (two freshman and a sophomore) and were underdogs to the powerful University of Wyoming team. Chandra Wisneski ('10) skied the first leg - Classic technique, in hard conditions. Wisneski and Kari Boroff of Wyoming quickly skied away from the rest of the field and the two traded places over the entire 5km course. Wisneski tagged Hannah Shepard ('10), in second place - 10 seconds out of first. Shepard, of Yarmouth, Maine, took the second classic leg and continued to trade places at the front of the field with Melissa Gangl Wyoming for the next 4km. Shepard made her move on the final downhill and tagged Meagan Toussaint ('09) for the anchor leg with a 30 second lead. Toussaint, who won both the 15k Freestyle and 8.5k Classic Championships this week took the lead and skied away from the rest of the field for Presque Isle's first Relay National Championship.

On the Men's side, Presque Isle's Bjorn Bakken ('08) finished the week with two Silver medals to go along with the three Gold medals he won in last year's National Championships. In the first competition of the week, the 1.5k Sprint, Matt Delaney of Clarkson University edged out Bakken in a photo finish. Bakken also took second in the 15k Freestyle race to John Erickson of Cornell.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle also placed 7 skiers on the Academic All-American Team (Hannah Shepard, Chandra Wisneski, Meagan Toussaint, Allison Keiffer on the Women's Team and Bjorn Bakken, Aaron Schmersal and Brandon Ostroot on the Men's Team). To visit the UM Presque Isle Ski Team website, click here.

MWSC Coach, Mike Yeo will be guiding a trip to North American Biathlon Championships in Fort Kent the weekend of March 16-18. Trip will include 2 nights lodging in a cabin on beautiful Eagle Lake, all meals, travel costs, all use of 10th Mountain Center and entry in a citizen's biathlon race (rifles will be provided and no previous experience is necessary). This is a great trip and one not to be missed.

Depart Friday - 9AM 3/16
Return Sunday -10PM 3/18

Cost: $95.00 per kid. This includes 2 nights lodging, all meals, travel costs, and entry in the citizen's biathlon race. Rifles at the race will be provided.

Itinerary:
Friday, March 16th

1. Arrive at Overlook Motel on Eagle Lake - @3PM
2. Ski Training - 10th Mountain Center Friday Evening
(Note: trails are groomed 24/7, and well lit)

Saturday, March 17th

3. AM ski training
4. 9-12 watch North American Championship Sprint Race
5. 1PM - participate in citizen's race
6. Evening : chance to meet w/ elite athletes/coaches

Sunday, March 18th 7. AM - Ski Training - World Cup trails
8. 1PM - watchNorth American Championship Pursuit Competition
9. 3PM - Return home

Other: We will be staying at the Overlook Motel on beautiful Eagle Lake. Group accommodations, with group cooking/meals. Kids should bring skis, training clothes, very warm race viewing clothing, and pocket money for snacks, souvenirs, etc. Get ready for an awesome time!

To sign up, call Mike Yeo 318-7550 or email at mike@mainewsc.org.

Carrabassett Valley, ME - After consistently strong race finishes in seven qualifying FIS races throughout the 2006-07 season Carrabassett Valley Academy is sending four athletes to Junior Nationals this year. Dominque Cyr of Van Buren, Maine,Makayla Brown of Naples, Maine, Katie Houser of Marblehead, Massachusetts and Kristin Waddle of Carrabassett Valley, Maine will join the top 15-16 year old alpine racers from across the country at Alpine Junior Nationals at Mt. Bachelor, Oregon March 6-12. Traveling with the group and selected to represent the eastern coaching staff for theUS will be Carrabassett Valley Academy alpine coach Yoshi Watanabe.

According to Doug Williams, Carrabassett Valley Academy Alpine Program Manager, Dom has consistently earned top place finishes in each of his races. As a member of the U.S. Ski Team National Development System, this is Dom's second year qualifying for this national event. This is a great opportunity for Dom, Makayla, Katie and Kristin to compete against the top racers in the country in downhill, super G, giant slalom and slalom."

"This is a very significant result for us to qualify three women for Junior Nationals", said Carrabassett Valley Academy Head Women's Alpine Coach, Martin Gray. "Makayla has shown great determination and improvement this year as a first year J2 and Katie and Kristin have each had very solid results this season."

ABOUT CVA - Founded in 1982, CVA is a fully accredited co-educational boarding school for grades eight thru post-graduate located at the base of Sugarloaf/USA. The Academy's mission is to foster individual student development by providing the optimum balance of excellence in athletic training with a focus on skiing/snowboarding, college preparatory academics, and responsible living. Notable alumni include: Olympians Seth Wescott (gold medalist in snowboardcross in 2006); Bode Miller (two silver medals in 2002); Brenda Petzold (bronze medal in 1998); Kirsten Clark, and Emily Cook. In twenty five years CVA has produced 10 Olympians, 71 National Titles, 16 NCAA and USCSA All-Americans, one overall alpine world cup title, two individual alpine world cup titles, 25 national team members, and six world champions.

For results, click here.

Carrabassett Valley, ME — Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA) announced today that Nathan Alsobrook has been selected to spear head the Academy's Nordic Ski Program. Alsobrook, currently the Head Nordic Ski Coach at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, previously served as assistant Nordic coach at Montana State University, head Nordic coach at Pocatello Cross-Country Ski Foundation, assistant Nordic ski coach at Colby College and assistant Nordic coach at his alma mater, Bowdoin College. Last year at Whitman College one of Alsobrook's skiers, Laura Valaas, earned NCAA Division I All-American honors and also qualified for the U-23 World Championships. Also, three Whitman skiers earned Academic All-American status.

According to Alsobrook, "I am extremely excited to join CVA. Long recognized as a leader in winter sports, CVA's rigorous college preparatory academics and competitive athletic philosophy combined with access to Sugarloaf Outdoor Center's 100km trail system and the areas abundant annual snowfall are the ingredients for a highly successful program. We'll be skiing earlier and more consistently than almost anyone in New England. Nine training sessions a week in the fall and hours of on-snow training during the winter will allow CVA skiers excellent preparation for Eastern and North American races."

Andy Shepard, President and Chief Executive Officer, of the Maine Winter Sports Center said, "CVA has a long tradition of developing some of the top alpine skiers and snowboarders in the world; adding a Nordic program is a natural evolution. Given the world-class resources that Carrabassett Valley has to offer, as well as those throughout the rest of Maine, there is no reason to believe that CVA won't soon be adding to their long tradition of Olympic success."

CVA Trustee, and long time Nordic enthusiast, Kevin Burns, of Yarmouth, ME said, "Given the Academy's history and knowledge in winter sports, CVA is poised to burst off the starting line with an incredible program. With CVA's proven ability to train the athlete's mind and body matched with Nathan's coaching experience and philosophy, skiers will leave CVA with a very strong knowledge of the fundamentals of skiing, training, equipment preparation, nutrition, and an ownership of his or her own training needs and self awareness - attributes that college coaches will see as a major advantage over other applicants."

In addition to CVA's general scholarship fund there is a designated Nordic scholarship fund available. For more information contact Dawn Smith, Director of Admissions at 207-237-2250 or by email at dsmith@gocva.com.

ABOUT CVA - Founded in 1982, CVA is a fully accredited co-educational boarding school for grades eight thru post-graduate located at the base of Sugarloaf/USA. The Academy's mission is to foster individual student development by providing the optimum balance of excellence in athletic training with a focus on skiing/snowboarding, college preparatory academics, and responsible living. Notable alumni include: Olympians Seth Wescott (gold medalist in snowboardcross in 2006); Bode Miller (two silver medals in 2002); Brenda Petzold (bronze medal in 1998); Kirsten Clark, and Emily Cook. In twenty five years CVA has produced 10 Olympians, 71 National Titles, 16 NCAA and USCSA All-Americans, one overall alpine world cup title, two individual alpine world cup titles, 25 national team members, and six world champions.

Sat.March 3rd
9:30 am
USSA EHSC Nordic - Maine Selection - Classical

11:30 am
USSA EHSC Alpine - Maine Selection - Slalom

2:30 pm
USSA EHSC Nordic - Maine Selection - Free Style Pursuit

4:30 pm
USSA EHSC Alpine - Maine Selection - Giant Slalom

For more details visit the Chisholm Ski Club website at www.chisholmskiclub.org

The intro to biathlon clinic will take place at the Fogg Farm in Freeport - the site for the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Program. The clinic is free and open to middle school students. Kids are to be accompanied by a coach or parent/chaperone. Event starts at 10AM and will last until approximately 1PM. The site is in a rural setting, so participants are encouraged to pack a lunch, and bring warm clothing. Skate ski lanes will be groomed, with shooting stations outdoors.

What: Intro to Biathlon Clinic

When: Wednesday, February 21st

Location:
Fogg Farm
11 Desert Road
Freeport, ME 04033

Directions: Exit 20 off I-295. Traveling north, take left. Traveling south, take right onto Desert Rd. Farm is 1/4 mile West on Desert Rd., and across from the Freeport Maintenance Facility. Off site parking may be taking place. If so, a shuttle will be provided.

Who: Gary Colliander, youth development coach for MWSC, will be leading the clinic. There will be additional coaching from Mike Yeo of Maine Winter Sports Center, and several biathletes.

Additional: Mike Yeo can be contacted with questions at 207-318-7550. The Fogg Farm phone # is 207-865-9577.

Last weeks Biathlon World Championships from Antholz, Italy produced historic results for the United States. NESN will be broadcasting 5 hours of coverage From February 27 through March 13. There will be another 12 hours of coverage on Fox Sport North and Fox Sport Rocky Mountain's.

NESN Coverage
February 27 5-6 PM Men's 10 km Sprint
March 1 5-6 PM Men's 12.5 km Pursuit
March 6 1:30-2:30 PM Men's 20 km Individual
March 6 2:30-3:30 PM Men's 4 x 7.5 km Relay
March 13 1-2 PM Men's 15 km Mass Start

Former World Cup biathlete, NBC Olympic Commentator and regular MWSC announcer, Chad Salemla, will call the action from Antholz stadium. MWSC and US Biathlon Development Coach, James Upham, will provide color commentary on some of the coverage as well.

Nove Mesto, Czech Republic - Finding his form two weeks after the Jr. World Championships Russell Currier of Caribou, ME placed 10th in a European Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. Competing against a Junior field that included 3x Jr. World Championship Gold Medalist Christoph Stephen of Germany, Currier hit 8 of his 10 targets gaining his second top 10 finish in a European Cup this season. Currier placed 3rd in the Sprint race in San Sicario, Italy in early January. Also competing for the U.S., Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake, MN placed 32nd with 3 penalties.

In the Sr. Men's race, Seth Hubbard of Ft. Kent place 41st in his first European Cup competition. Hubbard a recent graduate of Bates College picked up a biathlon rifle for the first time last June and began training with U.S. Development Coach James Upham. Jason Ray of Laramie, Wyoming finished 55th.

In the Sr. Women's field Erin Graham of Burlington, VT led all U.S. women placing 13th with 2 penalties. Like Graham, Haley Johnson of Ft. Kent had 2 penalties to finish 15th. BethAnn Chamberlain of Caribou placed 21st with 6 penalties.

Lake Placid, NY - This past week World Champion Ole Einar Bjorendalen of Norway talked after winning his first gold medal of how it is possible to have a good performance and not win a race. This became the goal for the weekend, to have a good performance, not worry about results, but to see progress and to learn from the things that went right and the things that went wrong. The sport of biathlon offers so many variables that can change a race in a matter of seconds and the best way to learn is simply through competing and experiencing.

The Pursuit Format started athletes in the order of finish from the Sprint competition with 10 second intervals separating each starter. Winner of the Youth Women's race yesterday, Hilary McNamee of Fort Fairfield left the start gate with a line of eager girls behind her ready to give chase. Missing 3 in her first stage the door was open, but no one was ready to step through as targets were left standing by many of her followers. The only athlete looking to challenge was Kaitlyn Bernard ofFort Kent hitting 11 of her first 15 shots. Entering the final stage McNamee left 3 targets standing managing just 50% shooting for the day and leaving another opportunity for Bernard. Bernard however couldn't capitalize as she left 4 targets standing. McNamee won for the second day in a row, with Ottawa's Mareck Beaudoin finishing 2nd and Bernard 3rd. Jess Caron ofFort Kent finished 4th and Andrea Mayo of Oxbow finished 6th. Grace Boutot ofFort Kentdidn't race due to illness.

Preston Butler of the Green Mountain Valley School started out first for the Youth Men. Following close behind was Philip Wiley of Caribou and Nick Michaud ofFort Kent. Matching shot for shot and hitting 6 of 10 in the first two stages Michaud stayed close to Butler as Wiley dropped back to 3rd after struggling to find the mark in his prone shooting. But with two stages to go the race was far from over. Michaud and Butler again shot nearly the same each stage, but this time missing more. Wiley on the other hand found his rhythm and turned his day around hitting 6 of his last 10 targets. At the finish it was Butler maintaining his lead spot to win for the second day and Wiley passing Michaud after the final standing shoot to finish 2nd with Michaud 3rd.

Full results can be found at www.nybiathlon.org

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Lake Placid, NY - Home of two past Winter Olympic Games, the magic of Lake Placid can still be felt. Seven Maine Winter Sports Center athletes made the trip this weekend to take part in this weekend's NorAm event. Approaching the outskirts of town the "Oooo's and Ahhhh's" started up as the ski jumps came into view. Towering within the Adirondack Mountains theLake Placid ski jumps are a symbol of this winter wonderland. More then half the group had never done an official biathlon race and what a treat for them as they would call the Olympic Training Center home for the next two days and have the opportunity to live like an Olympian.

Just back from the Youth World Championships in Italy, Hilary McNamee of Ft. Fairfield scored her first victory of the New Year. Shooting through gusting winds McNamee hit 4 of her 5 prone shots with ease, but her standing stage didn't come as easy as she left 3 targets still standing. "I felt good out there today, but my standing shooting has been my nemesis all year". Hilary still skied fast enough to overcome her four penalties and take the crown. Placing 2nd in the Youth category with two penalties was Grace Boutot of Ft. Kent. Boutot known for her steady shooting cleaned her prone stage and hit 3 in her standing stage. Mareck Beaudoin of Ottawa was 3rd. Other Maine finishers were Jess Caron and Kaitlyn Bernard of Ft. Kent in 5th and 6th and Andrea Mayo of Oxbow in 7th.

Competing in the Youth Men's race Philip Willey of Caribou hit 3 of 5 in prone and the same in standing to place 2nd. Willey finished just 35 seconds behind Preston Butler of the GreenMountain Valley School in Vermont. Nick Michaud of Ft. Kent turned in a strong ski performance, but struggled to find the center of the target missing 7 of 10. Michaud finished 4th.

Tomorrow's competition resumes with the Pursuit Format. Racers will start in the order of finish of the Sprint race with 10 second intervals between each racer.

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To join, click here.

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Antholz, Italy, February 7. Tim Burke (Maine Winter Sports Center) placed seventh in the Men's 20K Individual competition here, giving him the best result for an American at World Championships since Josh Thompson's silver medal in the 1987 World Championships in Lake Placid World Championships. Asked how it feels to have a place in biathlon history at the age of 25, Burke had a one-word answer, "Nice."

Today's competition for Burke was near perfect. He shot 90% missing just two of his twenty shots. The two penalties, both in the standing stage (worth one minute penalty each) were within a millimeter of hitting the mark. Burke finished 1:27.6 behind Raphael Poiree of France, who was perfect on the shooting range, winning in 56:14.6. Second went to Olympic Gold medalist Michael Greis of Germany, with two penalties, 26.8 seconds back, while Michal Slesinger of Czech Republic won the bronze medal to go with his silver medal from Sunday's Pursuit competition. Slesinger, with one penalty was 39.3 seconds back.

From the outset today, Burke was never out of the top 8 except at the first split, just before the first shooting stage, when he ranked 14th. At the time, Coach Mikael Lofgren looked at the scrolling results on his computer and said, "Tim is being conservative." Burke then came to the shooing range and downed the five targets in rapid succession, leaving in sixth position. According to Burke, he actually approached today's competition as a workout. "I decided that I was going to race just as if it was a threshold combo workout (intensity with shooting). I was very relaxed from the start. I took the first two loops a little conservatively, and then realized it was going well and started to push. At that point, the effort (at this altitude) started to hurt. At each shooting stage, I was very solid and just shot like in practice. The coaches told the guys after Sunday's Pursuit that we were capable of hitting more targets and that we were trying too hard. That really helped me. I did not pick up my rifle until we zeroed today before the race and then it felt great again."

Burke's first penalty came in the first standing stage with a close miss that caused Lofgren to grimace, muttering, "So close," as he recorded it on his clipboard. Burke was skiing so well that he held eighth position. The next stage, prone was perfect again and Burke was solidly in eighth position. Lofgren, twice an Olympic Bronze medalist in 1992, was just as nervous as if he was out on the tracks as Burke approached the final standing stage. Unlike his three penalties in the final stage in the Pokljuka Pursuit a few weeks ago, Burke mowed down four of the five targets and rocketed out of the shooting range. Lofgren told the staff out on the tracks, "Tim Burke is in eighth place, six seconds from seventh and 20 from sixth." "I felt good on the last loop today," Burke stated after the race. "The coaches told me I could catch a couple of people and I did, passing Simon Fourcade of France in the final few hundred meters." Burke crossed in sixth place, but a later starter, Frode Andresen of Norway finished fourth, pushing Burke back to seventh.

At the finish line, Burke was nothing but smiles. "After this race, the smile is going to be there for a long time. I am so happy to have a race like this. I was bitterly disappointed in the Sprint and Pursuit. I did not perform at the level I am capable of, either day. I wanted to show people that I could do well here, in a Championship and not just in the World Cups. I knew I could have a race like this. It is such a great feeling."

With his historic race today, Burke secured a place in the 15K Mass Start competition on Sunday, which follows the Men's 4 X 7.5K relay competition on Saturday. After the Flower Ceremony for the top eight finishers, Burke explained that after today, he was looking forward to both and was, "excited!"

Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) just missed the top 30, finishing 31st, with three penalties, 4:47.4 back. The Alaskan, who was 18th in the Pursuit competition two days ago, missed two shot in the first standing stage and another in the final stage. "I was trying too hard to hit them (when his missed two) and held a bit long," he commented. Hakkinen also qualified for the Mass Start competition based on the World cup Points he scored in the Pursuit . Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) matching Hakkinen on the shooting range finished 41st, 6:19.6 back. Bailey edged Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) by 6.4 seconds. Teela finished 44th, with four penalties.

The combined efforts of the four US men gave the team their second best day of the year, scoring 322 Nations Cup Points, second only to the 349 they scored in the Hochfilzen Sprint in December. The US men are ranked 10th in the world at this time.

Head US Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler commented on Burke's historic effort today, summing up the thoughts of the whole US Biathlon staff. "Tim had the third or fourth fastest ski time today. I expected a lot from him but this was even beyond my expectations, seventh place with two penalties!"

Competition continues tomorrow with the Women's 15K Individual. Live coverage and commentary of every competition at the Biathlon World Championships is available at the World Championships Sports Network website, WCSN.com. The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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Caribou, ME - Six Aroostook County cross-country ski racers qualified to represent the state as members of the Maine J2 Team. The squad will compete against teams from all six other New England states and New York at the New England J2 Championships, slated for Prospect Mountain, VT in early March. The competition serves as the premier event for 14 and 15-year-old cross-country skiers in the region.

The Maine J2 Team is selected based upon results at the John Sassi Memorial Race. Held annually at Black Mountain, in Rumford, the Sassi Memorial is the largest high school Nordic race in Maine, attracting over 500 racers from schools across the state. Leading the charge for Aroostook County racers was Jessica Caron, of Fort Kent. Caron paced herself perfectly to a 6th place overall finish among the girls field of 237. Caron was the 2nd fastest J2 racer in the entire state. Rose-Mary Williams, of Fort Fairfield earned a 15th place finish, 4th among J2s. Andrea Mayo, of Oxbow, finished 7th in the J2 field. Danielle Cote, a freshman at Madawaska High School, finished 28th among J2 girls, just out of the team cut off.

In the boy's race, Nick Michaud, of Fort Kent, and Phil Willey, of Caribou, earned 1st and 2nd place for J2s, respectively. Both Michaud and Willey are freshmen. The two easily placed within the top 20 overall in the field of 283 men. Also qualifying for the Maine J2 Team was Finn Bondeson, a freshman from Caribou High School, with a 17th place among J2s.

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First Annual Homecoming To Take Place As Upper Slopes Open

RUMFORD - Black Mountain of Maine, located in Rumford,announced this afternoon that it will be open from the summit as of 9:00 AM tomorrow morning(Saturday, February 3). Bob Chase, Matt Fuller and their crew completed snowmaking and grooming operations Friday afternoon.

Served by the Summit triple chair, Black Mountain's nearly mile-long upper and lower "Androscoggin" trails, as well as 2/3 mile long Upper and Lower "Sunday" trails will be open for the first time this season.

The Ellis trail, served by the mountain's double chairlift, and the Edge tubing park will also be open, as will Black Mountain of Maine's Nordic trails.

Alpine skiing hours are 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Sunday, closed Monday, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Tuesday and Wednesday and 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM Thursday and 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM Friday. Nordic skiing hours from mountain opening to approximately sunset (depending on light and conditions).Tubing hours are Friday 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Saturday 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

As an added attraction, while the upper slopes openthis weekend, Black Mountain of Maine's first annual Homecoming will be takingplace. Saturday's activities include a family Nordic race at 11:00 AM, a family Alpine raceat 2:00 PM, a kid's magic show at 4:00 PM and a chicken pie and l dinner special, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and dancing to DJ's Scot & Cindy Grassette from 7:00 PM until 10:00 PM.

Black Mountain of Maine is a non-profit organization owned by The Maine Winter Sports Center and is dedicated to re-establishing skiing as a lifestyle in Maine.

This Ski Season, Get Back To Black!
####
For more information, please contact:
Craig G. Zurhorst
Marketing & Development Manager
Black Mountain of Maine
P.O. Box 296
39 Glover Road
Rumford, ME 04276

Office: 207-364-8977 ext. 103
Fax: 207-369-0252
Cell: 207-357-9102
email: cgzurhorst@aim.com
www.skiblackmtnofme.org

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Antholz, Italy, Feb 1.Every competition in this years Biathlon World Championships will be webcast same-day-delay and on-demand on WCSN.com (World Championship Sports Network). Former World Cup biathlete and NBC commentator at the Torino Olympic Winter Games, Chad Salmela, will call the action from Antholz Stadium. Salmela is a biathlon expert, who knows the sport from the inside as a competitor, as well as knowing most of the athletes personally. His commentary will make these broadcasts a truly exciting event for biathlon fans. A complete competition schedule for the Biathlon World Championships can be found in the Skiing Channel atWCSN.com.

In addition to the WCSN.com webcasts, 17 hours of broadcasts will run in February and early March on NESN (New England Sports Network), as well as Fox Sports North and Fox Sports Rocky Mountain. Both Fox sports networks will broadcast programs on February 8 and 9 from 12-2 PM, with the Rocky Mountain outlets airing programs also on February 12 and 13. NESN will broadcast on the following schedule:

February 27 5-6 PM Mens 10 km Sprint

March 1 5-6 PM - Mens 12.5 km Pursuit

March 6 1:30-2:30 PM Mens 20 km Individual and 2:30-3:30 PM Mens 4 x 7.5 km Relay

March 13 1-2 PM Mens 15 km Mass Start.

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Antholz, Italy, February 1. In a year that has been anything but normal weather-wise, the 2007 Biathlon World Championships open here Saturday under (finally) normal winter conditions. Europe has suffered through a virtually snowless, warm winter until early last week. At that point, the moisture that has been rain in most of December and January clashed with the cold air and violasnow! More than a meter of snow buried all of central Europe from northern Germany through Austria, Slovenia, and the northern Italian Dolomites. As this precious commodity fell, there was a collective sigh of relief from hotel and ski area operators across the region. Antholz suffered through the winter up to now, preparing for these Championships with hundreds of thousands of meters of artificial snow to cover the tracks. Prior to last week, the venue was ready, but the copious snowfall completed the setting for what promises to be a spectacular event. Now, from the bottom to the top of the Antholz Valley (a distance of about 7 miles), the Tyrolean style houses and barns as well as the high meadows are glistening white in the midwinter sun, typical of Antholz in February.

With the competitions just two days off, the organizers are busy putting finishing touches on the competition venue and spectator areas. The television compound is up and running with technicians testing the miles of cables under the stadium and the 33 camera positions that cover virtually every inch of the tracks. As much of the US watches the Super Bowl, millions of Europeans will be watching every minute of the four competitions this weekend and the over the following seven days.

Nevertheless, US Biathlon fans can log on to WCSN.com and see all of the competitions live with Chad Salmela doing live commentary this weekend and throughout the Championships. Additionally, many of the competitions will be broadcast through out February on NESN, Fox Sports North, and Fox Sports Rocky Mountain.

The tracks are in "super condition," according to US head Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler. Like his counterparts from most of the larger nations, Eisenbichler has been testing skis and wax for several days, seeking the magic potion for the US Team's skis. The newly rebuilt (in 2005) Antholz stadium looks ready to host the competitions at any time, with the Hora targets getting a good test from the athletes all week. By Saturday, each athlete will know exactly how mush effort it takes to climb the small bridge as they leave the stadium on their tour of the pine forests before returning through a final tunnel into the stadium which will be filled to capacity with 12,000 spectators. Another 6,000 plus spectators will be on the tracks, making for a crowd of over 18,000 each day.

Antholz has always been a great party for the spectators. The organizers know how to combine the boisterous German biathlon atmosphere with a bit of Italian culture and sophistication. This means there will be Bavarian-style oompah bands, beer tents, pop idols, men in traditional alpine hats complete with a feather and some pins, as well as women dressed furs and boots straight from the runways in Milan. To keep the party atmosphere running until the wee hours, the "Biathlon Champs Village" now fills a large part of the village of Antholz (population maybe 500). This 6 PM to 2 AM party venue will feature medals presentations nightly, concessionaires, plus more music and dancing. To keep the roads safe, virtually everyone save the athletes and staff will come up to Antholz from their accommodations by an extensive bus transport system. Besides all of the television productions and the 10-day non-stop party, there will be competitions, the true reason for this once a year event.

Many times the competitive fire wanes in the top athletes in the year after the Olympic Winter Games. This year is an exception, as Olympic Gold medalists from Torino at the top of both the men and women's Overall World cup standings. Germany's Kati Wilhelm only took the lead in the final competition at Pokljuka, but her performances have been steadily improving making her a favorite to win several World Championships here. Close on her heels is Anna Carin Olofsson of Sweden whose skiing ability and the confidence from a Gold medal last year in Torino could produce some classic battles with the red-haired German star.

Atop the men's standings is Michael Greis of Germany, the multi Gold medalist from Torino. Despite being at the top of the heap now, Greis has struggled at times and has only one victory this season. He has competed in every possible competition to accumulate 398 points thus far. Breathing down his back is Norway's Ole Einar Bjorndalen. After four Gold Medals in Salt Lake City 2002, the "king of biathlon" failed to score a victory in Torino, settling for less shiny medals, after a season of illness. This season is a different story. Bjorndalen started the year with a cross-country World Cup victory and never looked back. He has competed in nine of the 14 Biathlon World Cup competitions, winning seven, mostly in a dominant fashion and now trails Greis by just 10 points. Based on the season to date, look for Bjorndalen to leave Antholz with a sore neck from all of the medals hanging on it.

The US Biathlon team comes to Antholz with Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) in 22nd place in the overall World Cup and capable of competing equally with all of the top men. Burke's last three World cup competitions resulted in 13th, 11th and 6th places, by far one of the best race series ever put together by a US Biathlete in World Cup competition. Burke, as well as Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), 10th in the Olympic Mass Start competition is capable of good results here. Their teammates Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) have also scored world cup points this season, making it possible that all four could be in the top 30 here.. This quartet forms a potent relay team that will be trying to improve their 7th place season best at Ruhpolding.

The Barnes twins, Lanny and Tracy (Durango, CO), lead the US women. Lanny has a 15th place in an individual competition earlier this season and hopes to repeat that here. Tracy recently placed 10th in Europa Cup competitions, is shooting well, and should challenge her sister in each competition. Carolyn (Treacy) Bramante (Duluth, MN), Sarah Konrad (Laramie, WY), and Erin Graham (Jericho, VT) will also start in one or more competitions here. Graham, a first time World Championships competitor and member of the National Guard will be the US flag bearer in Friday evening's opening ceremony.

"Spirit and Power," the slogan for these World championships is very appropriate, as the spirit of the fans will surely drive the power and precision of the athletes to great performances in an almost idyllic setting.

Live streaming video coverage of Biathlon World Cup competitions for the remainder of the season is available by clicking the Biathlon World Cup logo at the top right of the page at www.usbiathlon.org.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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Val Martello, Italy - Hilary McNamee of Ft. Fairfield, ME was the lone U.S. competitor in the Youth Women's race. Skiing well all week McNamee continued today with the goal of finding her rhythm in the shooting range. McNamee started out hitting 8 of her first 10 shots, but only managed 4 of 10 in her final 10 shots. Starting 36th, McNamee had to settle for 38th place today. "My skiing has been good so far, but I'm not satisfied with this performance. I want to hit more targets," stated McNamee afterwards. Moving up from 11 place, Marie Laure Brunet of France won with only penalties followed by Ksenia Kulikova of Russia and yesterday's Sprint winner Laure Bosc of France.

In the Jr. Women's race Brynden Manbeck of Grand Rapids, MN finished 22nd with 4 penalties. Manbeck raced much of the day just inside the top 20 until two missed shots in her final stage. Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, ME finished 44th with 4 penalties and Laura Spector of Hanover, NH finished 54th with12 penalties followed by Ellen Anderson of Ely, MN with 7 penalties.

Hitting 16 of his 20 targets Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake, MN moved up from 45th to 39th. Saving just enough for the final loop Roberts gradually moved up throughout the race to finally crack the top 40. Justin Tyner of Battle Lake, MN started the day 41st, but 11 penalties dropped him back to 53rd place. Leif Nordgren of Marine, MN finished 54th with 8 misses. Florian Graf of Germany moved up from 3rd place to start a winning trend for the German Men's Team hitting 16 of 20 targets.

In the Jr. Men's race a German quartet swept the top four places with a total of just 6 missed targets amongst them. Russell Currier of Stockholm, ME started 36th and like Roberts moved up gradually throughout the race. With the 4th fastest course time on the 2nd loop Currier sat in the top 30, but 3 misses in his first standing stage dropped him back to 36th. With only one penalty in his final stage, Currier left in 35th and passed two racers to finish 33rd. Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent, ME finished 58th with 7 penalties.

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It doesn't matter if this will be your first time or one thousandth time at the mountain, Black Mountain of Maine's First Annual Homecoming is meant for you and your whole family. This Friday night kicks off the weekend of fun, friendship and fundraising at one of North America's most historic ski areas. The weekend's schedule of events is as follows.

Friday
All Evening...50/50 raffle sales
6:00 PM Special Dinner
7:00 PM Open Mic/Jam Night until 10:00 PM ----Nachos and Pizza Night
9:30 PM 50/50 raffle drawing

Saturday
Afternoon...Silent Auction, 50/50 raffle sales & Black Mountain Family Movies Morning---TBA-----Discount Grorp Ski Lessons
11:00 AM Family Nordic Racea course suitable for everyone.
2:00 PM Family Alpine Racea laid-back set of gates suitable for everyone.
4:00 PM Kid's Magic Show by award-winning magician Scot Grassette
6:00 PM Chicken Pie & Lasagna Dinner Special and the cafe will be open until 8:30.
6:00PM Bon Fire
8:00 PM Dance to DJs Scot & Cindy Grassette until 11:00 PM
9:00 50/50 raffle drawing
9:30 Silent Auction wrap-up

Sunday
Mountain opens at 9;00 for any that want to ski one more day before they head home. 1:00 Mountain Dew Alpine Race.

Please contact Black Mountain at 364-8977 for any furthur information. Thank you and come see all your new and old friends at Black Mountain during our 1st Annual Homecoming Week-end.

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Val Martello, Italy - Situated up a narrow valley in the Sudtirol region of Italy winter has found a home. Less then 24 hours before the first race of the Biathlon World Junior Championships 16 inches of fresh powder filled the narrow valley covering the previously brown fields.

In the first day off competition with softened tracks athletes competed in the Individual Competition. Shooting four times athletes are penalized 1-minute for each missed target. Brynden Manbeck of Grand Rapids, MN finished 28th with 3 penalties in the Junior Women's field. Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake, MN despite 8 penalties finished 39th. In the Youth Women's field Hilary McNamee of Ft. Fairfield, ME finished 45th with 8 penalties, but recorded the 12th fastest course time.

In Saturday's Sprint Competition winds roared up through the valley. Event organizers had to bolt down the shooting mats prior to the zeroing period. In the Youth Women's race Hilary McNamee placed 36th hitting 4 of her 10 targets and again recorded the 12th fastest course time. Brynden Manbeck hit 8 of 10 targets to finish in 21st place. Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, ME like Manbeck hit 8 of her 10 targets to finish 36th. In the Youth Men's race Wynn Roberts finished 45th with 4 penalties. In the Junior Men's race Russell Currier finished 36th with 4 penalties and the 21st fastest course time. Also, qualifying for Sunday's Pursuit race was Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent, ME in the Jr. Men's category placing 55th with 2 penalties, Laura Spector or Hanover, NH and Ellen Anderson of Ely, MN in the Jr. Women's category; Justin Tyner of Baxter, MN and Leif Nordgren or St. Croix, MN in the Youth Men's race.

Sunday continues with the Pursuit competitions. Full results and updates can be found at www.biathlonworld.com.

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To follow Hilary, Meagan, Russell, Newt and Brandon in Martel, Italy click here.

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It's snowing like crazy in Fort Kent, and that must mean it's time again for our annual Loppet renamed this year to Le Fort Kent Voyageur Loppet. See the attached announcement for all the latest information, and this year find a couple of partners if your conditioning isn't quite up to the 40k yet, and enter as a relay team. Spread the word, post some flyers, and head north to the best ski conditions in the northeast. See you next Sunday January 28 at the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent.! For more details click here.

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Men move to 10th in Nations Cup Ranking

Pokljuka (Bled), Slovenia, January 18. Tim Burke (Maine Winer Sports Center) after 23rd in Sunday's Mass Start at Ruhpolding, came back today with his second best ever World Cup result, 13th place in Men's 10K Sprint.

For the first two days here on the Pokljuka plateau, the wind flags barely moved. Today that all changed as a front started to moved in, bringing strong winds from noon on. By the time Burke, with start number six, left the starting gate, many of the national flags behind the shooting range were wrapped around the poles from the blustery winds.

Burke entered the shooting range for prone during a particularly gusty period. He shot aggressively, but missed one shot. "I knew it was a bad shot," he commented later. Even with one penalty, Burke was flying around the tracks. He came to standing and again left with one penalty. His skiing was so strong today that he almost out skied the penalties. With two penalties, he finished just 52.8 seconds behind the winner Alexander Wolf of Germany, who shot clean. Wolf's winning time was 22:41.4. Second went to Bjorn Ferry of Sweden who also shot clean, 6.6 seconds behind Wolf. Emile Hegle Svendsen of Norway, with one penalty was third, 8.7 seconds back.

Standing in the finish area with about thirty competitors through the standing stage, Burke was all smiles. "Even with the two penalties, everything was good today. It was very windy both times that I shot. I really had to battle in standing to have only one penalty. The skiing was good today. The tracks were pretty fast. I like where I am with my form now. I feel like it is going in the right direction before World Championships."

US head Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler, flashing a big grin, like Burke, commented on track conditions and Burke's race. "The tracks are in very good shape for Pokljuka where there is usually a big difference between the woods and the open spaces where the sun hits. These are probably some of the best conditions of the season so far. Tim was very strong today. He was ninth on the tracks as well as on the last loop. He was very good. Some of the athletes were not as strong as him on that last loop."

With the 13th place today, Burke moved up to 27th position, from 29th, in the Overall World Cup, virtually assuring him a spot in Sunday's Mass Start competition. Three of the top 30 men are not competing here, which solidifies his place in the top 30 men for the Mass Start. The 13th today also puts him in an advantageous position in Saturday's 12.5K Pursuit, starting 52 seconds behind Wolf.

Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) tried to match Burke today, but finished 37th, with three penalties, 1:46.2 back. Skiing faster than Burke on the first loop, Teela shot conservatively, but still had one penalty. "I shot really slowly. When I go to the final shot, my mind was saying, 'you are holding too long,' and I missed." In standing, he had an additional two penalties. "Actually, I did not feel that good today," he added. Still, in Saturday's Pursuit, Teela will start within striking distance of the top 30 and World Cup Points. Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), like Teela started strong, with only one prone penalty. He shot standing during a period of wind gusts and picked up two additional penalties. Bailey finished 51st, 2:09.5 back. Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) was also battered by the wind and finished 63rd, with four penalties, 2:42.7 back.

Burke, Bailey, and Teela will all compete in the 12.5K Pursuit competition on Saturday. Live streaming video coverage of Biathlon World Cup competitions for the remainder of the season is available by clicking the Biathlon World Cup logo at the top right of the page at www.usbiathlon.org

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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Impressive Performance Comes Against Elite European Cup Field on Last Years Olympic Course

Russell Currier battled back from three penalties to finish third today in the junior men's San Sicario European Cup sprint competition. Currier continues to ski well on the tough Olympic courses. He muscled his way to the third fastest ski time in the slushy individual earlier in the weekend and modified his style to ski well in icy conditions today. Currier is also starting to find the his shooting touch, which should scare his competition.Perhaps keeping it simple suits him. Calm and unassuming, but sporting his signature smirk after the race, Currier explained his race strategy, "I just wanted to pass everyone."

Currier's teammate, Wynn Roberts, crashed hard on the first corner and knocked the butt plate off his stock. He continued skiing the icy loop with the plate still attached to his arm sling but flopping around. Somehow he managed to reattach the plate on the range and hit four out of five prone shots. He admitted to approaching the range too fast in standing. "I couldn't get the rifle to settle on the target." He had three penalties and finished the race 14th.

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MWSC's Haley Johnson finishes 36th

Brynden Manbeck floated over the slush and regained her shooting confidence to finish fifth among the juniors in today's San Sicario European Cup 7.5k sprint. Extreme temperatures continued with the thermometer touching +66F several times during the women's race. Manbeck cleaned prone easily, then left the range in second place. Two standing penalties dropped her to seventh before an inspired last loop caught two women to move her to fifth. As the US coaching staff lined the last climb to cheer her to the finish, Manbeck admitted "I could hear the cheering and I thought, oh good, I still have a couple of turns before they see me!" The brutal climb and high altitude make the course one of the toughest in the world, but when the conditions also make the snow slow, the result is an enormous amount of pain. Not entirely happy with her shooting, she was satisfied, saying, "anything is better than yesterday in the individual."

Kevin Patzoldt topped the US men with one penalty in the 20k individual. "I just threw that one standing shot and refocused and put the rest down," he said, "I have never been so hot in a race before!" Patzoldt survived the course to finish 42nd. Brian Olsen had six penalties to finish 56th.

The US women could not match their tremendous performance from yesterday as they fought both the conditions and the excellent overall shooting in the strong women's field. Sarah Konrad finished 19th with four penalties, Carolyn Bramante finished 23rd with two penalties and Maine Winter Sports Center's Haley Johnson finished 36th with three penalties.

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Bates College Holds On To Claim the Chummy Broomhall Cup

January 14 (Rumford, ME): Over four hundred cross-country skiers from across New England arrived here on Friday excited to take advantage of the "only show in town"; they ended up getting the best show in the history of the TD Banknorth Eastern Cup. The 1.7 kilometer loop that coaches and competitors thought would be a limiting factor ended up setting the stage for action-packed racing and great spectating.

Today's early races again featured another win by Stratton Mountain School's Megan Killigrew (Peru, VT) but she was joined by two new faces on the podium: Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, VT/Craftsbury) and Isabel Caldwell (Peru, VT/Stratton). Youth was the theme as Geraghy-Moats is still in the J3 age-group and Caldwell is in her first year as a J2. Yesterday's second-place finisher Ethan Dreissigacker (Craftsbury) moved up to take a 16-second victory over teammate and fellow Morrisville, VT resident Jake Barton. GMVS claimed the final spot on the podium with first-year J2 David Sinclair (Waitsfield, VT).

After junior skiers swept the top four spots in the first day of women's competition, Hannah Dreissigacker (Morrisville, VT/Dartmouth) and Cassidy Edwards (Glen Arbor, MI/Middlebury) today salvaged the pride of New England's collegiate skiers by claiming the top two spots. Junior Ida Sargent (Orleans, VT/Burke Mtn) grabbed third and was followed by UVM's Carina Hamel (Southampton, MA) and Middlebury's Jenny Hamilton (Aspen, CO). Collegiate dominance was again the theme in the men's competition where only World Junior Team member Alex Howe (Gilford, NH/Gunstock) could manage a spot in the top five. Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley, ID/Dartmouth) ran away with the victory while local Andover, Maine native and former Chisholm Ski Club member Fred Bailey (Colby) skied into second. Sylvan Ellefson (Vail, CO/Bates) and Simi Hamilton (Aspen, CO) rounded out the top five.

Today's event was the conclusion of the 3-day Tour de Rumford competition. GMVS coach Justin Beckwith easily captured the men's title when his closest competition (and boss) Jon Arne Enevoldsen bowed out of today's competition. Sophie Caldwell's consistent performance throughout the weekend allowed her to overtake her day one teammate Parker Tyler for the women's title.

The Chummy Broomhall Cup is the first annual Maine Collegiate Nordic Ski Championships Broomhall Cup and is named in honor of Rumford native, 10th Mountain Division veteran, two-time Olympian and the head of the Chisholm Ski Club, Wendall "Chummy" Broomhall. The prize is an overall team award combining the score of both the men's and women's teams from Maine's colleges. Bates College claimed the cup by building a huge lead on the first day of competition and skiing well enough to hold off a fast charging Colby team on the second day. Bates College coaches Becky Woods, Bob Flynn, and Jordi St. John accepted the award from Maine Governor John Baldacci at the conclusion of today's event.

The weekend's events were hosted by the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) and Chisholm Ski Club. Chisholm Ski Club is located at Black Mountain of Maine Ski Area in Rumford, Maine. The Club has a rich tradition dating back to the early days of the 20th century at its Spruce Street location and its mid 1900's days at Scottie's Mountain. Over the years the Club has hosted several world class Nordic skiing events, including the 1950 World Championships, 1976 NCAAs, 1991 National Biathlon Championships, 1993 US Nationals, 1993 U.S. Masters Nationals, 1996 National Junior Olympics, 1996 US Nationals, the 1999 NCAAs, and the 2003 and 2004 US Nationals. Black Mountain is also the site of Chisholm Ski Club's annual Winter Carnival, a traditional event that dates back to 1924.

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San Sicario, Italy--Russell Currier, of Stockholm, Maine, earned his first ever podium finish on the EuropaCup junior biathlon circuit today. After finishing 15th, with subpar shooting yesterday, Currier told friends and family via phone that he would hit targets today and stand on the podium. He was true to his word.

Currier hit 7 of 10 targets in the 10km sprint race to earn 3rd place, just 28.6 seconds back of Italian Claudio Mussner. Lukas Hofer, also of Italy, edged Currier by just 8 seconds for the silver. This is the first time that Currier has competed in EuropaCup junior competition. He will prepare this week in Italy for the Biathlon Junior World Championships which open in Martell, Italy at the end of the month.

IMAGE: Russell Currier, in red, white and blue charges past a competitor on his way to 3rd place.

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While rain, record warmth and a lack of snow has wiped out skiing in the eastern United States, Black Mountain inRumford stands out as the epicenter of nordic skiing in the East. 350 cross country racers put Black's man-made snow loop through the paces. The Chisholm Club hosted a middle school race at 9AM, a high school race at 1PM and the UMaine Farmington Carnival race at 3PM. (click here for results)

Black Mountain's snowmaking effort will continue through next week to ensure the best conditions for next weekends Chummy Broomhall Cup. For the full schedule of events click here to download pdf.

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Hope to see you at Black Mountain of Maine for an exciting evening of a 14 person Steel Drum Band

For Ticket Purchase:
Stop By HairDesign, Adley Auto Sales or
Davis Florist
$15.00 for Dinner & Dance
$5.00 for Dance Only

For more information:
Contact Sue Adley at 364-4919
or Lisa Arsenault at 364-8977 ext.104
or
adleyfive@gwi.net

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On Friday, January 12, as part of the TD Banknorth Eastern Cup Tour de Rumford & Chummy Broomhall Cup weekend, Black Mountain of Maine and the Chisholm Ski Club are proud to present Bill Yeo and his breathtaking multimedia presentation, Everest Adventure!

Yeo ishalf of a two-man unsupported (no Sherpas or porters) Maine-based, 2006 Everest Summit team, along with New Vinyard's John Bagnulo.Bill has organized, planned and lead dozens of expeditions over the last 20 years to some of the most remote and wild locations on earth.

Come see the stunning images and hear his stories from the top of the world.

Friday,January 12at the Black Mountain of Maine Lodge
5:00 PM Social Hour,6:00 PM Dinner, 7:00 PM Presentation

$12.00 Dinner & Presentation, $7.00 Presentation Only

Please Call 207-364-8977 for Tickets & Information
Advanced Ticket Purchases Recommended
Cash, Check, VISA & MasterCard Accepted
For details on the Chummy Broomhall Cup click here to download pdf

Colby College Ski Team training on the nordic trails at Black Mountain Wednesday afternoon.

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Although snow may be in short supply over most of the East, Aroostook County has good to excellent conditions. The 10th Mountain Nordic Center has 25km of skiing and the Nordic Heritage Center has 10km. In addition to that the Caribou Ski Center, the Snowy Mtn. Trails in Stockholm and 17 other community ski trails are available. To learn more about these trails and to get printable pdf trail maps click here. Come on up and get the winter season underway in style.

Coleraine, MN - Two days before ringing in the New Year no one would ever have imagined a rainstorm in Northern Minnesota. Athletes awoke to a downpour, but by the time they finished breakfast giant snowflakes were falling and disappearing as they landed in puddles that grew overnight. The final day of the U.S. Biathlon Jr. Trials brought out the best in wicked weather, but it was the nerves that were shaking the most and not the trees from the gusting winds. Each athlete has eight rounds instead of the normal five to clear five targets. The task seems simple but a break in focus easily spells disaster resulting in lost time and penalty loops.

In the Jr. Men's race Mark Johnson was the only man officially qualified for the Team. Brandan Ostroot of Caribou, ME, Russell Currier of Stockholm, ME, and Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent, ME each faltered in the range leading to at least one penalty loop and the desperate need to push harder on the ski tracks. When the day was said and done, each of the three had qualified for the Team separated by no more than a half point. Mark Johnson won for the 3rd straight day by 57 seconds with one penalty.

The most exciting and tightly contested race came again in the Youth Men's race. Leif Nordgren of Marine on St. Croix, MN topped the field with clean shooting and a mere 21 seconds over Travis Man-Glow of Burlington, VT who suffered 3 penalties in the standing position. Man-Glow however had the speed on the tracks to make up the extra distance in penalty loops to grab his second podium of the Trials. Finishing in 3rd was Justin Tyner of Baxter, MN just 44 seconds back with two penalties.

Brynden Manbeck captured her second win in as many races with smooth clean shooting. Ellen Anderson finished second with one penalty in prone 1 minute 3 seconds back followed by Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, ME 13 seconds behind Anderson and with two penalties.

In the Youth Women's race Hilary McNamee continued to show that she was well over the sickness she suffered earlier this week as she won the Youth and Jr. Women's race. Separating herself from the pack just after the prone stage McNamee chased down Brynden Manbeck and entered the range in the lead as the two ladies settled in for the standing shoot. Manbeck again showed that she is the veteran as she shot clean first and left with a small lead. McNamee again chased and took the lead, and in the final stretch was able to hold off a charging Manbeck for the win. Janna Widness of Anchorage, AK finished 2nd with one penalty just 45 seconds back of McNamee and Addie Byrne of Bovey, MN finished 3rd also with one penalty 1 minute 33 seconds out.

Representing the U.S. at the Junior Biathlon World Championships in Martel, Italy January 22-31 will be:

Junior Men
Mark Johnson - Grand Rapids, MN
Brandan Ostroot - Caribou, ME
Russell Currier - Stockholm, ME
Newt Rogers - Ft. Kent, ME

Junior Women
Brynden Manbeck - Grand Rapids, MN
Laura Spector - Hanover, NH
Ellen Anderson - Ely, MN
Meagan Toussaint - Madawaska, ME

Youth Men
Wynn Roberts - Battle Lake, MN
Travis Man-Glow - Burlington, VT
Justin Tyner - Baxter, MN
Leif Nordgren - Marine on St. Croix, MN

Youth Women
Hilary McNamee - Ft. Fairfield, ME
Janna Widness - Anchorage, AK
Addie Bryne - Bovey, MN
Kalie Mix - Grand Rapids, MN

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Coleraine, MN - Snow has been hard to come by this season, but the Mt. Itasca Biathlon Club has done their magic once again in providing Nordic enthusiasts with some great skiing. A 2.5 kilometer loop of man-made snow was prepared to near perfection for the U.S. Biathlon Jr. World Championship Trials which started today. With snow falling steadily all morning conditions gradually toughened as 1-2" fell by race end. Athletes from around the country competed today in the Sprint Competition and the results didn't have too many surprises at the top.

Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska finished 3rd with 4 penalties. Toussaint who also skis for the University of Maine in Presque Isle recorded two misses per shooting bout today. "My skiing felt pretty good today, but my shooting was not my usual", sad Toussaint afterwards. "I had some bolting problems in prone and I think that threw me off a bit." Brynden Manbeck of Grand Rapids, MN and Laura Spector of Hanover, NH are the top two returning females from last seasons' Jr. National Team and today they finished 1-2 in the Jr. Women's category. Manbeck finished with only one penalty to win the opening race and Spector recorded the fastest course time, but four penalties left her in 2nd place just 48 seconds behind.

Finishing 2-3 were Russell Currier of Stockholm and Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent. Currier recorded five penalties and Rogers four. Coach Gary Colliander stated, "This is ok for Newt considering he hasn't shot that much this past fall while attending the University of Vermont; Russell's misses were low and this has been the case all winter. His sighting in has been great, really great groups, but still some misses low." Mark Johnson of Grand Rapids, MN won the Jr. Men's competition recording one penalty in both his prone and standing stages.

The Youth Women's race held some mystery as many of last year's Jr. World Championship Team moved up into the Jr. Women's category. Hilary McNamee of Ft. Fairfield and Kalie Mix of Grand Rapids, MN were the only two returning members. McNamee was struck with food poisoning yesterday and didn't race; Mix finished in 4th with five penalties. Addie Byrne of Bovey, MN won with just two penalties beating out Janna Widness of Anchorage, AK by 1 minute and 16 seconds who had three misses. Rose-Mary Williams of Ft. Fairfield finished 5th with six misses, Andrea Mayo of Oxbow finished 6th with five misses and Grace Boutot of Ft. Kent finished 7th with nine misses. "It was a tough day today for us here" stated Colliander. Rose-Mary just got over food poisoning, Andrea missed her start and Grace actually hit three shots in standing, but on the wrong target making it five misses, plus she missed a penalty loop which requires a 2-minute penalty be added. The girls have been skiing and shooting well, but I think the nerves got the best of them today unfortunately."

Just prior to Grace's cross-fire, Joey Bard of Woodland did just the same thing. Missing three in prone, Bard pulled it back together and hit 4 of 5 in standing, but unfortunately on the target next to him. "Joey skied well today and his standing stage was beautiful; I think he could've been in the top 5 or 6 today," stated Colliander. In a sport where a break in focus can create a difference, Travis Man-Glow of Burlington, VT had only one miss in the prone position and was holding a 15 second lead over Jr. National Team member Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake, MN. Needing just two hits to secure his win Man-Glow quickly saw his lead slip away as he left the range with four penalties. Roberts was solid with three penalties winning by 36 seconds. Luke Busta of St. Cloud, MN was 3rd with three penalties.

Saturday will be the Pursuit Format Competition. Athletes will start in the order of finish from today's Sprint Competition in 5 second interval starts.

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Coleraine, MN - Questions were asked all around yesterday as to why Hilary McNamee didn't race. Not able to start yesterday because of food poisoning, the 16 year old from Ft. Fairfield, ME stormed back treating the crowd with a come from behind win in the Youth Women's race. Starting in the order of finish from yesterday, McNamee started last, but with only 5 seconds between each starter creating a tight race. After 4 penalties in the first prone, McNamee missed only 3 of the final 15 shots winning by a margin of 1 minute 6 seconds over Kalie Mix of Grand Rapids, MN. Rounding out the top three was Janna Widness of Anchorage, AK with 9 penalties.

In the most tightly contested race of the day, it came down to two training partners fighting for the top spot. Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake, MN started first on the day and Justin Tyner of Baxter, MN started 4th. Roberts held the edge missing just 5 of his 20 shots while Tyner missed 7 of 20, 3 of which came in his 3rd stage. Skiing together on the final loop, Tyner overtook Roberts on the final downhill and never let go of the lead winning by 22 seconds. Moving up from 5th place was Ethan Dreissigacker of Morrisville, VT who hit 16 of his 20 shots and finished just 32 seconds behind Tyner.

Laura Spector of Hanover, NH won with just 5 penalties with strong skiing by 1 minute 7 seconds. Finishing 2nd was Ellen Anderson of Ely, MN also with 5 penalties. Rounding out the top 3 was Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, ME. Toussaint usually a sharp shooter struggled hitting just 10 of her 20 shots. Yesterday's winner, Brynden Manbeck of Grand Rapids, MN did not race today.

Mark Johnson of Grand Rapids, MN led the Jr. Men out of the start gate and built his lead winning by a margin of 2 minutes 47 seconds. Johnson shot smoothly hitting 16 of his 20 shots. Finishing 2nd was Brandan Ostroot of Caribou, ME who hit 15 of his 20 shots. Russell Currier of Stockholm, ME struggled hitting just 2 of his first 10 shots, but maintained a strong focus and hit 7 of his last 10 shots.

Tomorrow will conclude with the Mass Start Relay Format competition. The U.S. Jr. World Championship Team will be announced tomorrow afternoon.

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Caribou, Maine, December 31 - After three days of stressful competition, five Maine Winter Sports Center athletes qualified for the Jr. World Championships in Martel, Italy January 22-31. They are Hilary McNamee of Ft. Fairfield, Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, Brandan Ostroot of Caribou, Russell Currier of Stockholm and Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent. McNamee, Currier and Rogers are veterans qualifying for the team over the past three years, while Ostroot and Toussaint will make their first trip overseas. Ostroot and Toussaint also attend and ski for the University of Maine - Presque Isle. "This is great to see two more athletes make this Team," stated Coach Gary Colliander. "We struggled with a lot of sickness early on, some really tough weather and just the overall stress of a trials series; I think we're all really happy this is over and now we can focus on Italy."

The athletes will continue to train in Maine over the next couple weeks before heading over on January 19th. The only exception will be Currier who will head over early to compete in a European Cup in San Sicario, Italy the site of the 2006 Olympic Games.

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A small group of Maine Winter Sports Center athletes and coaches will head to the Midwest just after Christmas to compete at the U.S. Biathlon Jr. World Championship Trials in Colleraine, MN. The athletes will compete in three races over a three day period with a U.S. Team contingent of up to 16 athletes heading over to compete in Martell, Italy in late January. A Junior (ages 19-20) and a Youth (ages 17-18 or younger) Team each consisting of up to 4 Men and 4 Women will be chosen. Four athletes have already pre-qualified off of results from last years Jr. World Championships held in Presque, ME. These athletes are Brynden Manbeck and Mark Johnson of Grand Rapids, MN, Laura Spector of Lennox, MA, and Wynn Roberts of Baxter, MN.

Three local athletes are members of past Jr. World Championship Teams; they are Russell Currier of Stockholm, Newt Rogers of Ft. Kent, and Hilary McNamee of Ft. Fairfield. Currier, also a Jr. National Champion and Maine State Champion in Nordic is known for his speed around the tracks; Rogers is known for his ability to put a solid performance together day in and day out; McNamee was the rookie last season but has made big strides in both her fitness and shooting accuracy. Other local athletes competing are Brandan Ostroot of Caribou, Meagan Toussaint of Madawaska, Joey Bard of Woodland, Andrea Mayo of Oxbow, Rose-Mary Williams of Ft. Fairfield, and Grace Boutot of Ft. Kent. They will be coached by Gary Colliander and Scott Johnstone.

Race Schedule:
12/28 - Official Training
12/29 - Sprint Competition (Prone - Standing shooting)
12/30 - Pursuit Format (Prone - Prone - Standing - Standing shooting)
12/31 - Mass Start Relay Format (Prone +3 - Standing +3 shooting)
*Jr. World Championship Team Announcement

Check www.mainewsc.org and www.usbiathlon.org for updates.

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David Chamberlain put together a fantastic race to earn an 8th place finish in todays classic sprint competition at Soldier Hollow, Utah. While his finish was solid, it doesnt begin to represent the effort he put forth to get into the mens B Final. In one of the toughest fields seen in North American Nordic racing in recent years, Chamberlain had the toughest draw almost all day.

After qualifying 7th in the morning preliminary round. Chamberlain toed the line with top U.S. sprinter Andrew Newell during the quarter final round. Newell is currently ranked 4th in the world. Joining the pair on the line were Anders Haugen, of Rossignol, and Brian Cook, of CXC. Cook made a strong move toward the front on the first climb and was quickly answered by Newell. Chamberlain fell to the rear and looked to be in trouble. Strong double poling and good skis on the downhill brought Chamberlain into the lead briefly before the final turn. Newell charged ahead into the stadium with Chamberlain double poling furiously behind. The effort was enough to barely edge out Haugen, one of the countrys best finishers, and move Chamberlain through to the semi finals.

In the semis, Chamberlain faced not only Newell, but also the U.S. Teams second ranked sprinter, Torin Koos, who is currently ranked 20th in the world. Rounding out the semi final was U.S. Ski Team leader Kris Freeman. With heavy snow falling, Freeman saw an opportunity to challenge the sprinters. He charged to the front and set what was perhaps the most furious pace of the day. Chamberlain again closed on the downhill and mounted a finishing charge, but there was very little left in the tank. He was relegated to the B Finalwhich determines places 5 through 8.

After such a fierce effort, the 10 minutes between rounds proved not to be enough, and Chamberlain clung to the back of the pack throughout the B Final. In the A final, Freeman proved he truly is the strongman of the ski circuit by first pushing the pace to drop Drew Goldsack and Sean Crooks of the Canadian Ski Team, then out sprinting Andrew Newell for the victory.

MWSCs Tom Keefe was 27th in qualifying, just a few seconds away from making the quarter finals. Keefes finish placed him 15th among Americans. Both Chamberlain and Keefe had solid results in Saturdays 15km freestyle competition, with Chamberlain finishing 15th and Keefe crossing the line in 27th. Aroostook County masters racer Sarah Dominick showed that she can still compete with the youngsters with a 31st place finish in the womens 10 km freestyle race.

Complete results are available at www.summittiming.com

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When: Saturday, December 16, 2007 - 1pm Start

What: 1.5k for Middle School and under
6k or 9k Skate Race dependant on conditions
Mass Start in waves by age

Where: Ft. Kent, Maine - 10th Mountain Ski Trails
Cost: $5 Kids 10 and under are FREE
Conditions: 3km of excellent trail conditions; 6km of marginal conditions (rock skis recommended).

Fort Kent is one of a few places in New England that has skiable snow. Bring your family, friends or team up for weekend of skiing and racing. The 10th Mountain Ski Center offers full waxing facilities, lit trails and a cozy lodge with necessary amenities including a kitchen, fire place and sauna.

For more information, check out www.10thmtskiclub.org and check current trail conditions for weather related updates at: http://www.10thmtskiclub.org/trail_conditions.html If you have further questions, email us at 10thmtskiclub@geiweb.net

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In spite of limited help from Mother Nature, Big Rock Alpine area will be opening 2 lifts (Shooting Star Triple and Space Walk Carpet) and three trails (Outer Orbit, Wendle's Way and Bunny Slope) on 12-24" base. While you are there also come check out the new Last Run lounge.

The New Tubing Park will open December 23rd.

Visit http://www.bigrockmaine.com/ to learn more.

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Hochfilzen, Austria, December 8 - Tim Burke 10th in Hochfilzen Sprint; Three US Men in Top 25 for the First Time

Summary: Hochfilzen, Austria, December 8. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), led teammates Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY, and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) into US Biathlon history as the trio finished 10th, 18th,and 21st,today in the Men's 10K Sprint. This is the first time three US Biathletes finished in the top 25 in the same World Cup competition. PHOTOS RECENTLY ADDED!

Burke's first words at the finish were, "Four for four!" This was Burke's fourth top thirty in four competitions this season. The 10th place today is another personal best for Burke, topping his 19th place in the 12.5K Pursuit competition in Ostersund, Sweden last Sunday. He was visibly happier today than Sunday when he was "simply pleased" with his result.

The afternoon Men's 10K Sprint, had conditions that were worse than even the women faced in the morning, when it was already warm and sunny, deteriorating the snow. The plus 15-Celsius temperatures made the snow look more like deep sand than snow for all of the men. The snow on the tracks is a dull ribbon of glacier snow, brought to the venue by the organizers from several of the highest glaciers in Austria, cutting through brown fields of brown grass. The positive part of this situation is that there is snow here at all; the negative is that the tracks are very soft and slow for everyone. US Biathlon Coach Mikael Lofgren commented before the women started at 10:30, "When we started testing skis at 7:30; the tracks were perfect, with a light crust on top, but now the women are sinking down already. By the time the men start, they will sink down to their knees!"

Burke started in 25th position. In prone, he faced a wind that shifted left to right twice. Keeping his calm, he had only one penalty. Even with the penalty, he was close to all of the top men, about 45 seconds behind Michael Greis of Germany who eventually finished second. In the standing stage, the young New Yorker was brilliant, literally drilling the five shots. He left the stadium in 10th and by the finish was in sixth position, after only 25 of 119 men had finished. He lost a few places as the competition progressed, ending up 10th, 1:10.9 behind Norway's Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who now is four for four, in the victory category this season. Greis, with one penalty finished second, 39.2 seconds back, while third today went to Matthias Simmen of Switzerland, with two penalties, was 46.5 seconds back.

Burke's 10th was a mere 2.7 seconds from an eighth place podium finish. Beaming at the finish, he stated, "Today's effort was like a 20K; the snow was so deep. In places, it was up to here (pointing at a spot just blow the knee). I really had to fight in prone with the changing wind. Nevertheless, the standing was very relaxed. They felt good and I just let them fly." Burke was extremely nervous last week starting in the top group, but today he felt differently. "I was totally calm today (starting 25th). After last week, I am fine being up there now."

The story does not end with Burke, as his teammates Bailey and Teela were the perfect supporting cast today.

Bailey started near the end of the field at number 96. Like Burke, Bailey missed a single prone shot. Going into the standing stage, he was about 30 seconds behind his friend. With a clean standing stage, he left about 25 seconds behind. With each stride, Bailey was gaining on the field, moving from near 30th position to 18th at the finish, 1:27.1 back. His 18th place was a personal best also, topping his 27th place in the 2006 Olympic 20K Individual competition. "I skied very conservatively on the first two loops, but went for it on the last one. It is good to get my World Champ's qualifier (top 30 finish)." he commented.

With his hard last loop, Bailey overtook teammate Jeremy Teela in the final standings. Teela, an earlier starter finished three places (21st) and 3.3 seconds behind Bailey. Teela shot clean on prone for the first time this season and had a single standing penalty. The staff was pushing him just as hard as his teammates on the tracks, as the split times indicated there was less than 20 seconds between 10th and 30th positions throughout the day. The 21st place was Teela's best result since a 20th place at Ostersund in December 2004. Teela expected more of himself, "I was dead on the last loop. Usually, I can kick better than almost anyone can, but today, I was just hanging on. I felt really slow."

Jeremy Teela

The three US men all had just one penalty each today, leading Bailey to comment, "We all had one penalty," that is super!" Coach Mikael Lofgren added, "That is the way it should be. The three boys were super today." His counterpart, Coach Per Nilsson said, "I told Mikael that I expected we would have at least three in the top 30 today, but this is even better than I imagined. The boys are in a very good position for tomorrow's Pursuit competition." The three top 25 finishes gave the US men fourth place in the Nations Cup score today, another high point for the US program. For the season to date, the US men are in 8th place in those rankings.

Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) placed 79th today, with two prone penalties, 3:32.2 back. Despite this result, it was a breakthrough day for Hakkinen, as he cleaned standing very fast for the first time this season.

For the three US women in the morning 7.5K Sprint, it was another day of frustration in the soft snow under warm temperatures Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO), had a good start, cleaning prone, which kept her in the top half of the field. In the standing stage, her normally reliable shooting missed the mark three times. On day when the skiing is so hard, every missed target adds to the struggle and she fell rapidly down the standings. She finished 68th, 4:36.7 behind the winner, Andra Henkel of Germany. This left Barnes 31.5 seconds from making the cut for Saturday's 10K Pursuit. Henkel shot clean today, leaving rising Polish star Magdalena Gwizdon, who also shot clean, 30.6 seconds back. Third went to Yingchao Kong of China, 37.4 seconds back with one penalty. Only two of the top 10 women had more than one penalty today.

Lanny's sister Tracy had two prone penalties and another on standing, giving her the same three penalties as her sister. Tracy finished 77th, 5:04.2 back. Sarah Konrad (Laramie, WY), starting at 106, near the end of the field had three penalties on both prone and standing. She finished 89th, 6:01.1 back. Although none of the US women made the pursuit field, Burke, Bailey and Teela will start tomorrow, all less than one minute behind the third starter. Like today, the competition will surely be very close. The competitions here conclude on Sunday with relays for both men and women.

Live streaming video coverage of Biathlon World Cup competitions for the remainder of the season is available by clicking the Biathlon World Cup logo at the top right of the page at www.usbaithlon.org.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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Coach Kris Seymour has launched an exciting new UM Presque Isle Ski Team website. New site has video clips, updates on Team, roster and news on what makes college skiing in The County unique.http://www.presqueisleskiing.wordpress.com

Winter finally arrived in Northern Maine this year more than one month later than last season. Last season skiing started around October 25 with snow coming and going over the weeks. Despite a few small snowfalls this year, snow has been reluctant to stay. This past weekend about 5" fell creating a 2" packed base which surprisingly set up well enough to skate on by the afternoon. MWSC athletes trained over the weekend in Ft. Kent at the 10th Mtn. Ski Trails taking part in long easy ski sessions, ski games and biathlon combo training.
Nordic Heritage Ski Center in Presque Isle has also been rolled on Dec 5th and is in good shape for skating! See you on the snow!

Competing in the first competition of the season MWSC biathletes received a good sign that their hard work over the past six months has been paying off. After arriving in West Yellowstone four days earlier the biathletes competed in a Sprint competition in tough conditions where winds were gusting up to 40mph. Bjorn Bakken (Sr. Men), Russell Currier (Jr. Men), Meagan Toussaint (Jr. Women), and Hilary McNamee (Youth Women) won their respective categories; Brandan Ostroot finished 2nd just behind Currier and Joey Bard finished a strong 5th in the Youth Men's field.
For the full results, go to www.usbiathlon.org or click here to download the pdf.

Ostersund, Sweden, December 3 - Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) chalked up another personal best today with a 19th place finish in the Men's 12.5K Pursuit competition on the closing day of the Ostersund Biathlon World Cup.

Three competitions here resulted in three personal bests for Burke. He began with 30th in the 20K Individual, came back with 22nd place in yesterday's 10K Sprint and followed with a 19th place today. These results did not surprise Burke. "I had a good year of training, and did all of the work. So this is where I expected to be."

The fifth day of competition in Ostersund dawned crisp and cold, finally a perfect day for the Men's and Women's Pursuit competitions. The organizers added more stored snow to the tracks, which froze hard overnight and the stadium flags laid flat against the poles, leaving no excuse for shots missing the mark today.

Burke started in 22nd position, 1:39 behind Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who continued his unbeaten streak today. After shooting clean in the first prone stage, Burke moved up five places. He cleaned the second stage, moving him solidly into 17th position. He slipped out of the top 20 with one penalty in the first standing stage, but moved back to 17th by the final shooting stage.

He missed two shots in the stage and left the penalty loop in 22nd position with two athletes five seconds ahead of him. Commenting on that final shooting stage Burke said, "I was too conservative on the final stage. I over-held on both of the shots that I missed; the shooting will come as the season goes on and I will not miss them. Still, I was happy to clean prone today."

Burke skied aggressively on the final loop, catching and leaving Michael Roesch of Germany and Lars Berger of Norway in his wake. "I skied easily on the first four loops. My skis were good, so the effort was not too hard. Coming off the penalty loop, I knew I would pass those two. I stayed just behind for part of the final loop and then pulled away."

His final burst put Burke in the top 20 for the first time,1:55.1 behind Bjorndalen. The Norwegian continues to dominate this season despite four penalties today. He and long-time rival Raphael Poiree of France battled for more than half of the race, with Poiree faltering with one penalty in the final stage. The French star fell to third place, 29.2 seconds back, and 9.5 seconds behind Dmitri Iarochenko of Russia, who claimed second. Both Poiree and Iarochenko had one penalty.

Burke's teammate, Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) started the Pursuit in 55th position, but fell back to a 59th place finish. Teela had nine penalties, finishing 6:44.7 back.

Even with the three best World Cup performances of his life, Burke was not jubilant. "You could say I am pleased, but not happy. I still have a long way to go this season." Still, it was a great week for him and the US Biathlon team.

The Women's 10K Pursuit kicked off the day, with Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) as the sole US entrant. Barnes had five penalties in the first three shooting stages. The leader lapped her after the third stage, which ended her day. Linda Grubben of Norway claimed the victory in 31:07.4, with one penalty. Local favorite Anna Carin Olofsson, also with one penalty, had her best performance of the week, finishing, 23.3 seconds back. Surprise Sprint Champion Magdalena Gwizdon of Poland, with three penalties, dropped to third, 59.7 seconds back.

The World Cup circuit now shifts south to Hochfilzen, Austria. Competitions start on Friday Dec. 8, with Sprints, followed by Pursuit competitions on Saturday, and Relays on Sunday. Conditions in Austria have been very warm and are likely to remain so. To provide snow, organizers have brought in snow from several glaciers to prepare the venue for the three days of racing.

Live streaming video coverage of Biathlon World Cup competitions for the remainder of the season is available by clicking the Biathlon World Cup logo at the top right of the page at www.usbaithlon.org.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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Ostersund, Sweden, December 2 - Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), after a personal best 30th place finish in the Men's Individual on Thursday, today posted another personal best 22nd place in the Men's 10K Sprint.

The Men's and Women's competitions have been a contrast in weather at Ostersund. The men have had hard fast tracks, while the women have skied through rain and soft tracks. Today continued that trend.

"Dangerously" fast conditions today, after a hard overnight freeze, allowed Ole Einer Bjorndalen to capture his second win of the season and number 65 for his career. The Norwegian again dominated the field, covering the glistening icy tracks with one penalty in 24:16.2 and besting clean-shooting Russian Dmitri Iarochenko by 15.5 seconds. German Olympic star Michael Greis, with one penalty followed the Russian by 1.7 seconds.

Tim Burke had much better luck today than Thursday when he fell before the third shooting stage, breaking his rifle stock and forcing him to use the US Team's spare rifle for two shooting stages. After several hours of woodworking repairs by Coach Mikael Lofgren, Burke had his rifle back the next day for training and the Sprint. "I made it over the whole course (in the Sprint) standing up, nothing was broken, so I consider today a success," he chuckled at the finish.

Today was more than just making it through the whole competition for Burke. He picked up another personal best with his 22nd place finish, putting him solidly in the top 30 in the Overall World Cup standings after two competitions.

Burke started at number four, his first time in the first seed group, surrounded by all of the big stars like Bjorndalen, Greis, Poiree, and Gross. In the prone stage, the 24-year old Burke had two penalties, well of the mark. "I was pretty nervous starting up at the front today, so I am not surprised those were big misses."

Despite the two penalties, Burke was having another good day, just as in the Individual two days ago. He shot clean in the standing stage, flying around the ribbon of artificial snow to finish 1:38.8 behind Bjorndalen. On the skiing today, he added, "My skis were really good and I felt good. But it was pretty scary out there, very icy and dangerous."

US Coach Mikael Lofgren added, "Tim did a very good job out there today. He still has a lot of room to improve in both his shape and his shooting, as the season goes on."

Burke's 2 penalties and 22nd place put him ahead of his two fellow MWSC alumni, Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK), Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), as well as Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), who were battling to make the Sunday's Pursuit field. All three had three penalties today. Still everyone took to heart the words of Head US Wax Technician Bernd Eisenbichler who urged the team last night, "to fight for every second as it will be a very close competition."

Of the three, Teela made the 60-man Pursuit field, in 55th place, 2:33.9 behind Bjorndalen. The usually glib Teela at the finish was pleased to make the Pursuit, but not pleased with his shooting. "I really tried hard to clean prone (shooting very slow and deliberately), but still missed one." When told he missed the two standing shots by about 1/4 inch each, he simply frowned.

For Bailey and Hakkinen, the day was pure frustration. The duo missed the Pursuit cut by 5.9 and 6.2 seconds respectively. Bailey placed 64th, 2:49 back with Hakkinen on his heels, 2:49.3 back. The men's field was so tightly packed that both were less than one minute from 30th place and World Cup Points.

After two hard competitions, the Ostersund Biathlon World Cup winds down on Sunday with the Men's 12.5K and the Women's 10K Pursuit Competitions. Burke and Teela will start for the men, while MWSC alumni Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) is the lone US female entrant.

Although the conditions are up to very fickle weather gods, one thing is for sure; the men and women, starting just over an hour apart, will have the same conditions at least once this week.

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Ostersund, Sweden, December 1 - Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) led the US women for the second consecutive competition with a 58th place in today's 7.5K Sprint. After a brief dip back to colder temperatures yesterday, today's dawn (or gray haze) brought plus six temperatures and light drizzle. This gave the women almost identical conditions to the 15K Individual on Wednesday. Lanny commented at the finish, "Believe it or not, conditions were a bit better today than Wednesday. The men were extremely lucky yesterday with the colder conditions. Now the snow is very dirty. In some places, it is so thin that you can see the pavement."

Barnes, in 58th place, had one penalty today in standing, just as on Wednesday. She finished 2:58.4 behind the surprise winner, Magdalena Gwizdon of Poland. Gwizdon has never won a Biathlon World Cup prior to today. Gwizdon finished in 24:05, with perfect shooting on a breezy day. She topped Olympic Champion and the pre-competition favorite Kati Wilhelm of Germany by 21.4 seconds. Wilhelm had one standing penalty, which possibly cost the victory. Her teammate, Martina Glagow, also with one penalty, was 35.2 seconds back.
"Lanny shot well on a tough day. Many of the women will struggle on standing," according to US Biathlon coach Mikael Lofgren. "The breezes were steady from the right for most of the competition." Tracy Barnes had a better day than in the 15K Individual, but with a 63rd place finish failed to advance to Sunday's 10K Pursuit competition. She had two standing penalties today, finishing 3:09.6 back. "I felt a thousand times better today than Wednesday. I could actually move out there today. As for those two penalties, I should not have missed them."

Sarah Konrad (Laramie, WY) finished 78th today, 4:20.2 back with five penalties. The men take the stage on Saturday in the 10K Sprint with Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) starting for the US Biathlon Team.
Live streaming video coverage of that competition as well as for the remainder of the season is available by clicking the logo at the top right of the page at www.usbaithlon.org.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.
TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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Tim Burke 30th in 20K Individual despite Mid-race Fall

Ostersund, Sweden, November 30 - Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) scored his first-ever World Cup Points with a 30th place finish today in the Men's 20K Individual competition here, despite losing almost one minute after falling on a downhill portion of the tracks.

Burke finished 4:33.7 behind the legendary Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway, who won in 51:38.6, with two penalties. Clean-shooting Andreas Birnbacher of Germany was 14.3 seconds back, with German Olympic star Michael Greis, with one penalty 32.7 seconds back.

A sharp dip in the tracks caused Burke's fall as he approached the stadium for the second prone stage. Prior to the fall, he had a single penalty in each of the first two stages. Burke described the fall, "It was in one of the scary places on the tracks, on a dip just before a sharp uphill and then down into the stadium. I sat down on my rifle and knew it was broken. I lost some time there and in the shooting range; I had to call for the spare rifle, and lost more time. I took 12 clicks to be ready to shoot." Despite the jarring fall and shooting with the spare rifle, Burke still managed to hit four of five prone shots. In the final standing stage, he cleaned, ending the day with three penalties, matching teammate Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) who also had three penalties.

Burke finished one place and 6.7 seconds ahead of Bailey who was 31st. Burke was both happy and disappointed at the finish. "I am in good shape and I had a good race going when that happened. I actually shot better with the spare, which is amazing since I had to take so many clicks. I am happy to get a top 30 finally and get my pre-qualifier (one top 30 or two top 40) for the World Championships out of the way."

Bailey, finishing several minutes before Burke knew he would not beat his friend even with the fall. "Tim was skiing a lot faster today. I felt a bit flat, but this is a good first race." Bailey hit 14 targets in a row before missing the final shot in the third stage. Going into the final stage, he in the top 15 and commented on that final shooting, "My legs were shaking a bit, and I told myself that I did not want three penalties for the day, but it happened. I am still happy with this first race." On hearing that Burke fell, used the spare rifle and was still nine for 10 on the shooting range, Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) said, "That is amazing. You actually can do it with the spare rifle." Teela used his own rifle throughout the competition today, finishing 42nd, with four penalties, 5:16.6 back, missing the top 40 by 10 seconds.

Jay Hakkinen, (Kasilof, AK) had the toughest day of all of the US men. He finished 79th, 8:28.6 back, with six penalties. Hakkinen skied well early, before backing off after five penalties in the first three stages.

The conditions today were dramatically different from yesterday. As always seems to be the case in the winter, 24 hours can make a huge difference in the weather. When the women kicked off the new season yesterday, temperatures were well above freezing, with drizzle creating soft challenging conditions for the competitors. Today, after a hard freeze overnight, conditions for the men were closer to normal, with hard, fast tracks and temperatures hovering near freezing. This combined with no wind on the shooting range made for good shooting and fast skiing, as expected at the World Cup level.

The US men like Lanny Barnes with her 15th place yesterday, served notice that they are moving up. US Biathlon Executive Director commented, "This is the first time in a long while that we had three men on the first page of the results. This, and yesterday have been very exciting start to the season." The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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Ostersund, Sweden, November 29 - Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) finished 15th today in the season-opening Women's 15K Individual at the Ostersund World Cup.

Barnes' top-15 finish was a huge step for the US Women's Biathlon Team. This was Barnes' personal best World Cup finish, her first top 30 (World Cup Points scoring result), the best US woman's finish since March 2005, and almost a perfect shooting race as she had but a single shooting penalty. "In my mind, I hit that target before I pulled the trigger. But actually, I squeezed the shot just a split second before I should have." she commented at the finish. Asked how she compared this season with the Olympic year when she and her twin sister Tracy struggled with a series of illnesses, ending in mononucleosis. "Well, there is actually no comparison; no words can explain how much better I am physically. It also helps that we have such good support from staff and coaches."

With her first World Cup top 15, Barnes, with a single penalty, was only 2:13.5 behind the first time World Cup winner Irina Malgina of Russia. Malgina had two penalties on the day, while second and third finishers Liv Kjersti Eikeland of Norway and Zina Kocher of Canada had one each. They finished 3.6 and 23.3 seconds back. Kocher attributed her first podium result "in a long, long time, to taking the nervousness of the first race which everyone has and embracing it, which made me very relaxed." If the calendar did not read November 29 in Ostersund, it would have been easy to think that today was March 29. Conditions for this opening competition of the World Cup Biathlon season were spring-like, with light drizzle in the morning giving way to high clouds and steady temperatures all day around plus 5 Celsius, until just before the competition started. Suddenly, the wind picked up, temperatures dropped about three degrees, and there was a brief rain shower. Before the women started, the men had trained on the tracks, leaving visible ruts and tracks in the soft wet snow on every turn and uphill. Under these conditions, a field of 92 women kicked off the 2006-2007 season. Lanny Barnes was the second US starter at number 63 while her sister, Tracy started at number 44. Neither Tracy, nor Sarah Konrad (Laramie, WY) could match Lanny today. Tracy had four penalties, finishing 68th, 7:09.9 back. Konrad started well with a single penalty in the first stage, but collected eight more in the final three stages, finishing 77th, 9:36.8 back.

After the rain and short-lived windy conditions, the later start time for Lanny was a bonus, as conditions did improve. Both Barnes sisters are excellent shooters and today Lanny was "on her game." She flew through the first three stages of prone, standing, and prone flawlessly, even though one prone hit was a split bullet that fell for her. After three clean stages, the new US coaches Per Nilsson and Mikael Lofgren were visibly nervous, but smiling and confident. Lofgren commented, "I should have the heart monitor now, because my pulse is racing."

Approaching the final stage, Barnes was in sixth position. A clean stage would put her within reach of a podium position. She calmly set up for the final five shots. They fell, one, two, three, four, and then the penalty, her only shooting error of the day One minute was automatically added to her time, but she still left the stadium in 13th position. The coaches and staff scattered to the tracks to help her over the final 3K loop. She crossed the finish line in 14th, but another later starter eventually finished ahead of her. Smiling, but definitely tired at the finish, she talked about her day. "I am happy to have done so well this early. The skiing is not quite there yet, but it is early."

One of Lanny's goals for the season was to shoot clean (no penalties) in every competition. She almost succeeded, drolly adding, "I guess I still have a bit of work to do on that." Even with "work to do," Lanny Barnes efforts today opened not only a new biathlon season, but led the US women in an exciting new direction.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of Biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. Lapua, adidas®, the Hilton Family of Hotels and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team.

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With no snow in the East or Midwest one's best bet would be to look out West. Each year thousands of skiers travel to West Yellowstone, MT for some of the seasons' first skiing. High School Teams, Factory Teams, National Teams, College Teams, Clubs and families all have helped create one of the greatest events in America's ski culture - the West Yellowstone Ski Festival. Ski Manufacturers have their new gear lined up for all to try, wax clinics, extreme videos and an expo provide some of the action in a busy week of ski related festivities. For those looking for some competition, whether to participate or just watch, there are three days of consecutive racing starting with a biathlon race followed by the first two races of the National Super Tour circuit.

Seven athletes from Maine traveled to West Yellowstone with Biathlon Coach Gary Colliander. The focus for the camp was to get re-acquainted with the skis and to put in some long hours to create a base for the upcoming race season. The days didn't seem long enough as the group trained twice a day working on basic technique drills, balance and coordination, speed, strength and biathlon combination training. In addition to the simple life of eat, sleep, ski (repeat twice daily), the group also took part in a biathlon time trial and spent the final day skiing to some hot springs in the National Park where they skied near elk and bison.

This is an outstanding opportunity for someone looking to be a part of one of the most exciting Nordic skiing communities in North America

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is accepting applications for the position of Division I Assistant Nordic Ski Coach. This is a part-time, four-month appointment. Responsibilities include: recruiting quality student-athletes; assisting in the training of athletes for successful competition; supporting the academic success of the student-athletes; undertaking public relations and promotional activities appropriate to the position and carrying out other related duties. Candidates will be expected and have the opportunity to work in cooperation with the coaches of the Maine Winter Sports Center. Many of the University skiing student-athletes also work with the coaches and teams of the MWSC on a weekly basis. In addition, there are numerous occasions to be involved with a highly engaged local community that embraces cross-country skiing and its associated lifestyle.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle has started a Cross Country Ski Coaching degree program. In association with this program there are many opportunities to gain exposure to the academic and science pieces of coaching. These include testing with lactate and VO2 Max in the field (only lactate) and on the over-sized treadmill at the University.

This is a stipend position and also offers the opportunity for room, board and tuition waiver at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Review of applications will begin immediately. Applications accepted until position is filled. Preferred starting date is January 8, 2007. Send letter of interest, resume, names, addresses and phone number and email of three professional references to: Kris Cheney Seymour, Head Nordic Ski Coach, University of Maine at Presque Isle, 181 Main Street, Presque Isle, Maine or e-mail to krist.seymour@maine.edu.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is an Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

In an effort to support ski clubs around Aroostook County, the Maine Winter Sports Center will offer a clinic for parents, volunteers, ski helpers, and current coaches. According to John Farra, Vice President of Programs at MWSC, this opportunity is an important piece of the puzzle: "There is no question we are seeing a big increase in the number cross country skiers in Aroostook County. What we need now is more parental support, more volunteers, and more coaches who are willing to help skiers from ages 5 - 18 continue to enjoy the sport. Even if someone has never skied they can be a part of this awesome tradition of introducing thousands of youth to this healthy lifelong sport."

The clinic will take place in Caribou on Saturday December 9th from 12-4pm. No prior experience with skiing or coaching is necessary, just a desire to make a positive change in your community. The clinic will consist of classroom sessions as well as on-snow instruction. Participants will glean knowledge about practices to run with their clubs and teams, fun things to do on skis, how to plan a club ski day or trip, and training tips. For more information e-mail eileen@mainewsc.org.

Check out regular blog updates from our athletes as the season progresses. To follow our athletes click here.

Black Mountain of Maine season passes are on sale at the same prices as last year until Friday, December 1. Alpine passes are $249.00 for adults, $170.00 for, juniors. Nordic passes are $65.00 for adults and $45.00 for juniors. Both Alpine and Nordic passes have spouse, family and senior discounts available. As with last year, Alpine Season passes will include a free Nordic season pass. Area merchants are adding to this great value by including discount coupons as part of the season pass packages. Anyone interested in purchasing a season pass, should call 364-8977, extension 104. Black Mountain of Maine accepts cash, check, VISA or MasterCard. Any merchants wishing to place coupons for their business or service in the season pass package should contact Craig Zurhorst at 207-364-8977, extension 103.

The 2007 season Need To Ski Scholarship program to provide season passes, rental ski and snowboard equipment to disadvantaged youth in the greater Rumford area is under way. Last year's program provided over 40 area students, ages 6 to 16, with the opportunity to ski free. Black Mountain of Maine, working in concert with MSAD 43 and MSAD 21 to make sure that interested students are encouraged to write and submit essays and make sure students with financial needs are given highest priority. Black Mountain of Maine will continue to seek Sponsor contributions of $200.00 and co-sponsor contributions of $100.00 until the last week in November. In exchange for support, business or personal names will be featured on WOXO's Mountain Valley and Dirigo High School Basketball games, be listed in a thank-you ad in the Rumford Falls Times, and appear on posters in the Black Mountain of Maine lodge. If you have any questions about the Need To Ski Scholarship program, please call Lisa Arsenault at (207) 364-8977 ext. 104. If you or your business would like to be a sponsor or co-sponsor, please contact Craig Zurhorst at 207-364-8977, extension 103.

MWSC Healthy Hometowns coaches, Mike Yeo and Elizabeth Algeo are offering free pre-season dry land training for middle school and high school Nordic racers at Black Mountain of Maine. The training is open to any athlete from grades 4 through 12 who can be at the mountain Thursday afternoons at 3:00 PM. Training activities include hiking, trail running, nordic walking, bounding, roller skiing and general exercises. "The idea is to keep these young athletes in shape between sports seasons and help them to improve their performance as skiers" said Yeo. Although intended for nordic ski racing, the training being provided is open to any middle or high school athlete.

Rumford, Maine — November 3, 2006 On Friday afternoon, Governor John Baldacci announced the first annual Maine Collegiate Nordic Ski Championships to be held January 13 — 14, 2007 at Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford. The event, put together by the Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) and called the Chummy Broomhall Cup, is named in honor of Rumford native, 10th Mountain Division veteran, two-time Olympian and the head of the Chisholm Ski Club, (one of the nations oldest and most active ski clubs), Wendall "Chummy" Broomhall.

"The importance of physical activity at all ages for a healthy lifestyle cannot be overstated." said Governor Baldacci. "I am proud that the Maine Winter Sports Center continues to encourage physical activity among high school and college aged students — and is naming this event after a man who is undoubtedly one of the best and most active skiers to come from Maine, Chummy Broomhall."

The Championship will be a two-day event and bring all of Maine's college ski teams to compete for the Cup. "Maine colleges have a long and proud tradition of skiing." said Andy Shepard, President of the Maine Winter Sports Center. "We are hoping that this event will add to that tradition." "We are also hoping this initiative will help give the most talented student/athletes in the Country another reason to look at colleges in Maine."

Representatives from UM Presque Isle, UM Fort Kent, UM Orono, UM Farmington, Colby, Bates and Bowdoin were on hand for the announcement.

Among those participating in the championships will be teams from the Maine campuses of Presque Isle, Fort Kent, Orono and Farmington as well as Colby, Bates and Bowdoin. The top three skiers from each college will be scored in both the men's and women's races with the winning team having the highest overall score for the two days. The winning team will be able to display the Chummy Broomhall Cup on their campus for the following year.

The MWSC is a non-profit, economic development company that operates with sustained funding from the Portland-based Libra Foundation. Our mission is to re-establish skiing as a lifestyle in Maine. For more information on the Maine Winter Sports Center, Black Mountain of Maine or the Chisholm Ski Club, visit our website at www.mainewsc.org or contact Andy Shepard at mwsc@mac.com.
Click Here to download the event poster.
Click Here to read more about the cup.

Muonio, Finland — It is real winter in Northern Finland right now, and that has worked out great for the MWSC Cross-Country Team who have been training on great conditions in Vuokatti, Finland for 10 days. This Saturday, November 3rd marks the first races of the year for MWSC Elite Team members David Chamberlain and Tom Keefe in Muonio, Finland. Coach Will Sweetser who is with them, explained that "the Japanese, Finnish, German, Russian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian and Austrian National Teams will all have some skiers entered in these races and it should be a good test for our boys!" For more recent updates and photos from this trip visit the Teams and Programs page.

Caribou, Maine — For the 3rd year running, The Northern Skiers Club in Caribou have brought the most recent Warren Miller Movie to the Caribou Performing Arts Center.

This years film, "Off The Grid" will play on Friday November 3rd, 2006 with all proceeds going to the Northern Skiers Youth Skiing fund. Advanced tickets are $7.50, and $10 at the door. For more info on this years film go to www.warrenmiller.com.

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Snow arrived at Black Mountain of Maine on Monday as a very visual reminder of the fact that winter is just around the corner. Today's snow wasn't enough to crank up the lifts yet, but it was enough to slide around on cross country skis. It should also be enough to get people started at planning their winter. To view a listing of events around Maine visit our EVENTS page. Click here.

Caribou, Maine — "Our website has become an important source for people throughout New England", said John Farra, MWSC Vice President. "People were looking for more information, they wanted a more intuitive site and they also wanted one site to track all that was going on in Maine in the winter. We hope this new site meets all those needs."

The new site offers information on both major and local skiing events around the state and bios on our inspiring athletes. It also offers a full program guide to all that MWSC has to offer, including our fight against childhood obesity and other health issues around the State, using our world-class facilities and events to create a more robust business environment for our rural communities and supporting athletes as they pursue their dreams.

The site was created by Gordon Holman at SlickFish Studios. www.slickfishstudios.com

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Sunday River, Maine — MWSC Coach and Vice President of Programs, John Farra and his wife Tess combined to top the 28 couple field at the 7th Annual North American Wife-Carrying Championships at Sunday River Ski Area on October 7th, 2006. Tess heard about this unique event and decided that it would be a fun challenge for her husband, a 1992 Olympic Skier from Caribou, Maine.

While the MWSC duo swear they kept their participation "all about fun", John did in fact "train" for the event in a rather unique way. Given their busy lives, they couldn't seem to meet up often to practice the unique "Estonian" hold, which places the carried partner upside down on the carriers back. To simulate the challenge John used an 80lb bag of mortar mix in a backpack and did interval training up the local Caribou Alpine hill. The Sunday River course included uphill's, downhill's, log obstacles and a large water pit to make the event even more challenging. The Caribou Couple completed the 280yard course in 1:06, nearly 10 seconds ahead of the second place team.

John and Tess won $675 cash, Tess's weight in Red Hook beer, and $1000 towards a trip to the World Championships in Sonkajarvi Finland, which takes place in early July 2007.

"I am very proud of all our coaches." said Andy Shepard, President of the MWSC. "They are all so dedicated to being role models for a healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle for the rest of us." "The most impressive thing however, is how creative they all are at finding ways to stay active — and in this case even win 110 pounds of beer and a trip to Finland. Now that is dedication..."

See the article on MSN.com. Click Here.

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St. Olaf College of Minnesota was ranked first, followed by Clarkson, University of Wyoming, Cornell and UMPI. This is great recognition for a program that is in only its second year.

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