Maine Winter Sports Center

330 Presque Isle Road, Fort Fairfield, ME 04742

Don Gallagher Farm 88 acres

Consists of approx 18 acres grassland
57 acres of woodland/woodlot (which includes Nordic Heritage Center Ski trails and bike trails.)
1 Butler Farm building with small livestock stable
1 shop building w/ many farm tools including:
2 tractors
Massy Ferguson 180 Diesel, and Massy Ferguson 65 gasoline
tractor implements include:
snowblower and snowplow
2 mowers
1 disc harrow
20 acres of this land is presently in the federal Conservation Reserve Program.
Farm house with garage for sale with or without farm property
This property is listed with Remax. Norman Grant agent.
Remax has listed house and farm for $150,000

Caribou, Maine - The Maine Winter Sports Center announced today that William "Willie" Neal, age 19, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming was killed while rollerskiing in Fort Fairfield yesterday. Neal, who had been named to the MWSC Regional Biathlon Team last month, was on a training session with another MWSC athlete, who was not hurt in the incident. Details of the accident are still under investigation, but according to the Fort Fairfield Police Department, the skiers were on the correct side of the road when an automobile struck and killed Mr. Neal. The driver of the automobile had recently graduated from Fort Fairfield High School.

Neal had been accepted to Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, but had deferred for a year to train full time with the Maine Winter Sports Center in the hopes of making the 2010 World Junior Biathlon Team.

"Willie was a talented young athlete, a smart and inquisitive young man and exactly the kind of athlete we look for," said Andy Shepard, President of the Maine Winter Sports Center. "He was a role model others looked up to and we were excited to have him join our program." "This is a devastating blow to the entire US nordic skiing family and on behalf of the volunteers, athletes, staff and board of the MWSC; our thoughts and prayers go out to the Neal family."

Neal came to the MWSC after spending time with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and his hometown club, the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club.

Neal was known throughout Jackson Hole for his environmental and political activism. In August 2008, he attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver as the youngest delegate from Wyoming. He also served as an intern to Sen. John Kerry in Washington D.C. He started the Idle Free Jackson Hole campaign, which worked to craft a no-idling ordinance for the town of Jackson.

June 17, 2009: Bowdoin College invites applications for an Assistant Coach of Nordic Skiing. This position assists in all aspects of the intercollegiate Nordic Ski team including race day logistics and waxing, travel, grooming, and team events.

Click the link to learn more. http://tinyurl.com/bowdoinski

If you have any questions or want to apply please contact Nathan Alsobrook at nalsobro@bowdoin.edu.

Nintendo Wii Includes Fort Kent in their biathlon game.

Caribou, Maine - Nintendo Wii, the world's leading video game system, has come out with a biathlon game which features 13 World Cup venues and Maine biathlon fans will be excited to know that Fort Kent is one of them.

The game is an interactive system that requires you to simulate the skiing motion with a game wand in each hand while standing on a game-board shifting your weight from side to side. While the motion is not as physically demanding as a real ski race, both the athletes in the game and the players in real life get their heart rate up. That becomes an issue when you head into the range and try to hit your targets. The game lets you create your own athletes and as your athletes get more experience their skills improve - just like real biathletes.

"It's a lot of fun to have a global giant like Nintendo become a part of the momentum and fun we are creating here in Maine," says Andy Shepard, MWSC President. "I think it also is a statement about Maine's new role on the world's sports stage."

Maine Winter Sports Center's 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent hosted Maine's first Biathlon World Cup in 2004. Over 600 local volunteers put on a wildly successful event with 20,000 spectators over the three days of racing. Another 50 million watched live on TV around the world. The event was responsible for $5.2 million in economic impact to the Saint John Valley.

The Nintendo Wii game system retails for $250.00 and the biathlon game is $28.00.

Ft. Kent, Maine - The Nation's top female biathletes will come to Ft. Kent Maine for their first summer training camp. From June 21 to July 4th, the women will utilize the landscape of the St. John Valley, the 10th Mtn. Center, and the facilities at the University of Maine-Ft. Kent.

In 2005, the trials for the 2006 Olympic Team were held in Ft. Kent and although the team may not be selected here this time around, it's guaranteed that the women's team selected for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics will be here for two weeks. The women will train primarily up at the 10th Mtn. where the rollerski loop was extended last season making it the 3rd longest in the country and an ideal place to train. "We're really excited to be in Ft. Kent and to utilize the facilities there", stated Assistant Coach Patrick Coffey. "This will be a first time experience for me, but I'm looking forward to seeing the 10th Mtn. and surrounding landscape, I've heard many great things from the athletes."

Ties to the Maine Winter Sports Center - "This will be a bit of a homecoming for most of this team, since all but three women in this group have gone through the Maine Winter Sports Center Program", stated MWSC Biathlon Coach Gary Colliander. "Many of the women still keep in contact with friends they made during their time here. They're all really excited to come back and be here."

U.S. Team: Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO)*, Tracy Barnes-Colliander (Ft. Kent)*, Carolyn Bramante (Duluth, MN)*, Annelies Cook (Saranac Lake, NY)*, Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT), Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY)*, Laura Spector (Lenox, MA)*, Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID), Jennifer Wygant (Burnsville, MN)
*former MWSC Biathlon Team members

Also joining the camp will be some of Maine's best female biathletes: BethAnn Chamberlain, Grace Boutot, Hilary McNamee, and Meagan Toussaint.

Official News of the U.S. Ski Team

PARK CITY, UT (May 26) - Some of Maine's finest were honored last weekend as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's recognized the nation's top contributors to skiing and snowboarding in the U.S. Friday (May 15) in Park City.

Among the many honored were local Maine residents Andy Shepard and Lee Todd.

Shepard, of Yarmouth, ME and head of the Maine Winter Sports Center, was honored with the USSA's Russell Wilder Award, given annually to recognize the most outstanding effort in focusing the interests of American youth on the sports of skiing or snowboard.

Shepard has led the effort of motivating 3,000 kids in northern Maine, and about 5,000 annually statewide, to participate in ski sports through the Maine Winter Sports Center. The cross country ski leasing program alone involves 2,000 pairs of skis! He is constantly searching for ways to increase the numbers of skiing youth in Maine. MWSC has been hosting USSA events since 2000, including SuperTours, U.S. Championship events, and has the Junior Olympics set for 2010.

Todd, who has served USSA's sports as a staff member and a volunteer over a period spanning four decades, received the organization's highest volunteer honor, the Julius Blegen Award. A longtime cross country skier, Lee joined the USSA staff and worked for 10 years from 1978-89, leaving his position as USSA nordic program director to takeover International Special Olympics. For much of the next 20 years, he worked as a volunteer serving in a variety of domestic and international leadership positions.

His work with the FIS was vital to the growth of cross country skiing internationally - and always with the USA's interests at heart. He served nearly 20 years on the FIS Cross Country Rules and Controls Sub-committee, as well as the non-European representative to the FIS Cross Country Committee from 1998 until his retirement in 2008.

Domestically, he played a pivotal leadership role as a USSA board member for cross country from 1994 through 2006. During that time he skillfully represented cross country skiing building consensus within the USSA Cross Country Sport Committee.

For more information on the USSA awards visit www.usskiteam.com

Will Sweetser(MWSC XC Development Director), Andy Shepard(MWSC President), Lee Todd(Chief of World Games and Competition for Special Olympics and MWSC Trustee), Eileen Carey(Vice President MWSC, John Farra (Nordic Director US Ski Team and former MWSC VP).

May 16, 2009: MWSC President Andy Shepard received the Russell Wilder award at the annual US Ski Team Congress in Park City, Utah. The award recognizes efforts to develop skiing in the United States. "It was an honor, and certainly a highlight of my career, to accept the honor on behalf of the MWSC Board, staff and thousands of volunteers who have made such a difference over the last 10 years," said Shepard. The Russell Wilder Award was established in 1955 and past winners include Buddy Werner, Charles Broomhall, John Caldwell, Steve and Phil Mahre, Bob Beattie and Billy Kidd.

MWSC trustee Lee Todd was also recognized, receiving the Lifetime Achievement award for over 30 years of service to the US Ski Team and Special Olympics.

The Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) announces that registration is now open for the third annual Maine Training Group Summer Volume Camp. The camp will take place at the University of Maine Campus in Fort Kent and is open to all Maine State residents who have qualified for the NENSA JO Team or the Maine EHSC or J2 Championship Teams in 2009. This camp has been very well attended in the past few years. It is run in conjunction with the Quebec Junior/U23 Provincial Team. The camp is a great chance for athletes to get an extra edge on summer training and train with the other top skiers in Maine, as well as MWSC and Quebec elite athletes. Coaching is done by Maine Winter Sports Center coaches, MWSC Continental Team athletes, Quebec Team coaches, and select coaches from around the state of Maine.

When: 1 p.m., July 7 through noon, July 12
Where: UMaine Fort Kent campus
What: Dryland training including rollerskiing (skate and classic), hill bounding, running, strength training and games
Cost: $200
Registration deadline: June 15
For more information: please contact Will Sweetser at will@mainewsc.org.

Participation is limited so sign up soon!

Caribou, ME The Maine Winter Sports Center is pleased to welcome its Biathlon and Cross-Country Teams for the 2010 season. This year's squads are led by returning veterans David Chamberlain, Russell Currier, BethAnn Chamberlain and Sarah Dominick. Promotions for young stars like Grace Boutot and Nick Michaud, continue to emphasize the importance of steady, progressive development. On the cusp of the 2010 Olympic Year, MWSC is proud to introduce its largest team to date.

Olympic Development Team:

Grace Boutot - Biathlon (Ft. Kent, ME)
BethAnn Chamberlain - Biathlon (Caribou, ME)
David Chamberlain - Cross-Country (Caribou, ME)
Russell Currier - Biathlon (Stockholm, ME)

Continental Team:

Fred Bailey - Cross-Country (Caribou, ME)
Bill Bowler -Biathlon (Wausau, WI)
Nick Kline - Cross-Country (Portland, ME)
Andrea Mayo - Biathlon (Soldier Pond, ME)
Hilary McNamee - Biathlon (Ft. Fairfield, ME)
Nick Michaud - Cross-Country (Fort Kent, ME)
Walt Shepard - Biathlon (Yarmouth, ME)
Meagan Toussaint - Biathlon (Madawaska, ME)

Regional Team:

Joey Bard, junior - Cross-Country (Woodland, ME)
Sarah Dominick, master - Cross-Country (Stockholm, ME)
John Dixon, junior - Cross-Country (Champlain Valley, VT)
Cameron MacKugler, U23 - Cross-Country (Londonderry, VT)
Willie Neal, junior - Biathlon (Jackson Hole, WY)
Eliot Neal, junior - Biathlon (Jackson Hole, WY)
Welly Ramsey, junior - Cross-Country (Farmington, ME)
Derek Rowe, junior - Cross-Country (Farmington, ME)
Pavel Sotskov, U23 - Cross-Country (Gilford, NH)
Tim Whiton, U23 - Cross-Country (Portland, ME)

Collegiate Training Group:

Corey Park - Colby College
Kyle Marvinney - St. Lawrence University
Justin Fereshetian - UMPI
Andrew Levesque - UMPI
Kaitlyn Bernard - Colby College
Jessica Caron - Bowdoin College
Molly Susla - Colby College
Adam Fissette - UMPI
Justine Cyr - UMPI/College of the Atlantic
Sam Tarling - Dartmouth
Ben Knowles - St. Lawrence University

Bowdoin College is hosting a free coaching clinic, geared toward all Maine high school and youth coaches (although coaches from other states are welcome to attend as well - no charge for anyone). The keynote presentation is geared toward all sports, and the rest of the clinic is a mix of general and sport-specific presentations. Bowdoin Nordic Coach, Nathan Alsobrook will be giving a talk about the concept of xc skiing as a power-endurance sport and how this affects our approach to training. There are also a few other presentations that might be useful to ski coaches: strength and conditioning, speed and agility training, and teambuilding, among others.
Please pass this along to anyone you think might be interested. Thanks!

For more info visit Bowdoin's Athletics page here.

PRESQUE ISLE - The University of Maine at Presque Isle announced today that it has hired a nationally recognized ski coach - whose athletes have garnered World Championship and Junior Olympics National titles and spots on prestigious national and international ski teams - to lead the development of its Nordic Ski Team as it prepares for Division I NCAA status for the 2009-2010 athletic season.

Alexei Sotskov, who helped to develop the Gunstock Nordic Association in Gilford, New Hampshire, and Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vermont, into national powerhouses for the U.S. Nordic Ski Team, will take over the University's program, which has won seven National Championships in its first four years in the U.S. Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA). Sotskov will begin work this summer to recruit athletes to UMPI's Nordic program.

Sotskov's former athletes include U.S. Ski Team member Kris Freeman (4th at the 2009 World Championships and a contender for a medal at the Vancouver Olympics), Carl Van Loan and Jed Hinkley (U.S. Nordic Combined Team and former World Nordic Combined Junior Champions), and Kate Newick, a standout for Middlebury Ski Team. Sotskov has also had 14 athletes win Junior Olympic National titles.

"Presque Isle offers one of the top Nordic venues in the world, one of the longest snow seasons in the country and a community that embraces the benefits of the Nordic skiing lifestyle," President Don Zillman said. "We thank coaches Kris Cheney Seymour and Petr Jakl for advancing our fledgling program at UMPI. They set the stage for Coach Sotskov to bring the program to competitive excellence at the highest level of NCAA competition."

Sotskov was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, and has spent his entire career coaching and mentoring Nordic skiers. He has a wealth of international coaching experience, having served as a ski and athletic coach for the Russian National Nordic Combined Team, and as the head Nordic Combined coach at the School of Superior Athletic Performance in Russia. During the summer of 2008, he coached the New Zealand National Nordic team, and one of the athletes qualified for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Sotskov moved to the United States in 1992 to coach for the Gunstock Nordic Association. Three of the racers he trained there competed in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In 2002, he joined Vermont Academy as Nordic Coach and Director of Sports on Snow. While there, his athletes won four out of six NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) titles and five Lakes Region championships. Most recently, Sotskov served as the Assistant Athletic Director and On-Snow Sports Coordinator at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire.

Sotskov has a bachelor's degree in physical education/athletics from the State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport named after P.F. Lesgaft in Russia. He and his wife Victoria Vinidiktova will be relocating to northern Maine. They have a son, Pavel, who is a member of the Dartmouth College varsity Nordic team. Their son will be graduating this summer and will be joining the Maine Winter Sports Center program as a Nordic skier.

With the University's Ski Team competing in the NCAA Division I next season, Maine will have more college ski teams than any other state in the country. Other NCAA ski programs in Maine include those at Bowdoin, Bates and Colby colleges.

Student athletes looking for more information about the University of Maine at Presque Isle Ski Program should contact Alexei Sotskov at (603) 630-5486 or asotskov60@gmail.com.

The Portland Sunday Telegram has announced its annual All State Ski Team and Fort Kent High School and the Maine Winter Sports Center are very well represented. The Telegram All State Team includes nine Boys, 12 Girls and an Alpine and Cross Country coach.

It is a very prestigious and exclusive award and those named to the Team, and the schools they represent, have a lot to be proud of. Only 21 skiers were chosen from across three Classes and between three disciplines - alpine, nordic and skimeister (skiers who combine their alpine and nordic scores to crown an overall champion.)

MWSC nordic skiers include Nick Michaud, Kaitlyn Bernard and Grace Boutot - all of whom ski for Fort Kent High School. Also representing Fort Kent on the All-State Team are Logan Doak, a Sophomore who won the Class C Skimeister title, Roxanne Pelletier, the Class C Skimeister Champions as a Freshman and Fort Kent High School coach, Greg Voisine. Voisine's Fort Kent Team won the Nordic Class C title, the Alpine title and the Overall State Championships this year - his 10th Overall title in his 18 years. "Five Fort Kent skiers named to a State team of 21 is a very impressive showing for Fort Kent, but not at all surprising when you look at the long skiing tradition in town, said MWSC President, Andy Shepard." Yarmouth and Mt. Blue high school in farmington each had two skiers named to the All-State Team.

Michaud is a Junior at Fort Kent and won both the Freestyle and Classic State titles. Bernard is a Senior at Fort Kent and won the Classic State title and was 3rd in the Freestyle. Boutot was the State Freestyle Champion and also added a Silver medal at Biathlon Junior World Championships this season.

Lucas Mather, a Senior at Presque Isle High School, was also named to the Team, winning the Class B Giant Slalom and Skimeister titles.

Maine Winter Sports Center finished off an historic year with very strong results at North American Championships in Val Cartier, Quebec. The weather was warm and sunny and with the Men going first they had calm winds and relatively fast tracks. The Women, racing in the afternoon, were racing on slow, spring snow throughout the weekend.

Individual
Current and former MWSC female athletes took 5 of the top 6 spots in the North American Biathlon Championships on Thursday. Tracy Barnes took the Individual title with 4 penalties and fast skiing, 2 minutes 17 seconds ahead of Canadian Megan Imrie (5 misses). Carolyn Brumante took the Bronze with 3 misses (3:24 back). Annelies Cook was fourth with 5 misses (5:00 back), followed by BethAnn Chamberlain with 4 misses (5:27 back) and Laura Spector with 9 misses (5:44 back). Yolaine Oddoue from Canada took the Youth Women's title with 1 miss, 1:44 ahead of Minnesota's Addie Byrne, who had 3 misses. Grace Boutot took the Bronze with 4 penalties, 2:29 back. Andrea Mayo was 7th with 8 misses, Hilary McNamee was 9th with 8 penalties, Jess Caron was 14th with 12 misses and Kaitlyn was 20th with 9 penalties.

Russell Currier won the Bronze medal in the Men's division with 4 penalties, 2 minutes behind Canadian Robin Clegg who had 2 penalties.

Sprint
MWSC Alumni again dominated the top of the Senior Women's results. Lanny Barnes took the Silver medal in the Sprint race - the last individual race of the season. Barnes shot clean and finished 1:11 behind Canadian Megan Imrie. Laura Spector won the Bronze with 1 penalty, 1:21 back. Haley Johnson was 4th, 1 penalty - 1:36 back, Tracy Barnes was 5th, 2 penalties - 2:13 back, Annelies Cook was 6th, 3 penalties - 2:37 back, BethAnn Chamberlain was 9th, 2 penalties - 3:06 back and Carolyn Brumante was 10th, 4 penalties - 4:13 back.

In the Youth Women's division, Boutot and Oddoue switched places, with Boutot taking the Gold with 1 penalty, 1:05 ahead of the Canadian, who also has 1 penalty. Kaitlyn Bernard recovered from a difficult day in the Individual to take 5th with 6 misses, 3:14 back. Andrea Mayo was 9th, 5 misses - 4:55 back, Hilary McNamee was 11th, 5 misses - 5:19 back and Jess Caron was 12th, 5 misses - 5:39 back.

Russell Currier was 8th in the Senior Men's division with 4 penalties, 1:46 back.

Mixed Relay
The US team of Kevin Patzoldt, Tracy Barnes and Russell Currier took the Silver medal, 46 seconds behind a Quebec Team made up of Marc-Andre' Bedard, Claude Godbout, and Robin Clegg. The US took the Gold with a dominating performance in the Junior division with a team made up of Lief Nordgren, Grace Boutot and Wynn Roberts. They finished 2:46 ahead of Canada's top Junior team (Matt Neumann, Aaron Neumann, Megan Tandy).

For full results: http://www.biathloncanada.ca/main.php?p=3746&lan=1
Photos: http://gallery.me.com/mwsc#100305
This wraps up the 2008/2009 Biathlon Season.

The 2008-2009 winter season will wrap up for Black Mountain of Maine on March 29th, but not before a last hoorah. Sponsored by the Rumford Hospital, Family Fun Weekend is an event not to be missed.

Friday March 27 - The festivities begin Friday March 27th at 6:00 pm with the third and final Hill Climb of the season. Trophies will be awarded for the race that evening plus the prestigious King Of The Hill awards will be presented for the winners of the Hill Climb series.

Saturday March 28 - Saturday March 28th gets off to a soaring start at 10:00 am with a Balloon race, followed by the ever challenging backwards race at 11:00am. There will be a Firehose race at 1:00 and a Tug-of-War at 2:30. Don't miss out on the fun and beautiful Torchlight Parade at 8:15 pm. (Remember, participants must be 12 years of age or older to carry a torch).

Sunday March 29 - Sunday March 29th brings the Egg McMogul Race at 9:30 am, this is the perfect way to "earn" your breakfast! At 11:00 am test your skills on the obstacle course. From 11:00am to 1:00 pm enjoy an A-La-Carte style lunch at the summit. Not a skier or boarder? Take a $2 lift ride to the top, and enjoy lunch and the spectacular scenery. (Rides up the lift will be at 11:00am, 11:30 am, noon and 12:30. Rides down will be at 11:30, noon, 12:30 and 1:00).

The Family Alpine Race begins at 1:00 and the wildly popular Pond Skimming at 3:00. Watch as both skiers and snowboarders' talents are tested with attempts to clear the man made slush pond at the base of the mountain. Spectators beware; viewers of this spectacle have been known to get wet in the past. Or throw on your own equipment and give it a whirl. Awards will be presented at 4:15 just after the pond skimming ends. Family Fun Weekend is the perfect way to close the shutters on a great winter season. Don't miss out. For more information call the mountain at 364-8977 or check out our website www.skiblackmountain.org

'09 Nationals Sprint
'09 Nationals Pursuit
'09 Nationals Mass Start
Maine Club Championships