Maine Winter Sports Center

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 all ages, but focused primarily on youth and junior community and race programs. 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 develop biathlon skills in order to 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. 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. 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. Responsibilities can be negotiated depending on experience. Female coaches are strongly encouraged to apply.

This position is a full-time position to begin on June 1, 2008. Applicants should send a short cover letter and resume with three professional references to eileen@mainewsc.org or to Eileen Carey, Program Coordinator, Maine Winter Sports Center, 552 Main St, Caribou, ME 04736

Eileen Carey, Program Coordinator for the Maine Winter Sports Center says one of her favorite things about coaching juniors is their energy and enthusiasm; and the opportunity for her to make an impact on their lives. Watching the programs come to fruition in Northern Maine, it appears that she is doing just that!

Eileen is a Maine native who grew up skiing in the Maine Bill Koch Youth Ski League, skied for the Leavitt High School in Turner where she became a four-time state champion, and went on to ski for Dartmouth College where she was the captain of the ski team. After graduating from Dartmouth, Eileen moved on to the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, Colorado where she taught Spanish and coached skiing for the school and for the Rocky Mountain Nordic Division.

Eileen was excited to return to Maine to work for Maine Winter Sports Center in June of 2006. Since that time she has been serving as a Community Development Coach for communities all over Aroostook County. In addition to coaching youth and juniors in XC Skiing and Biathlon, Eileen has been involved in all types of camps, clinics, and events that introduce new people to skiing and mountain biking. She is a dynamic leader, liked by all who spend time with her and passionate about life and the outdoors!

When asked what she likes most about Maine, her exuberance about her home state came through. "Living out west it was obvious where the big mountains and chance for outdoor adventure was. In Maine, there are also many big adventures to be had if you are willing to explore and look for them". The ocean, lakes and plentiful areas to explore and do mountain biking, kayaking, and road biking are just some of things she loves about the area. Eileen was a member of this years JO coaching staff in Anchorage. There it was obvious that she loves being around these kids. Whether it was rocking the van with music at the gas station ( Complete with visual effects!) or prepping skiers prior to their event on race strategies, she is there in full force.

I asked Eileen why she chose coaching to pursue a career and what she would do if she was not coaching... She replied that the connection she feels to the juniors at this age and level of experience is something she thoroughly enjoys. They are at an age where they are excited about learning and are contiually developming. She enjoys being able to make a positive impact on the kids who may not have had a chance to try the sport of xc skiing, were it not for the programs in the county. Inevitably, what starts as sport, soon becomes a way of life. If she were not coaching, she would still see herself in a role where education or counseling enabled her to continue with the interaction and development of people. She is a dynamic leader, liked by all who spend time with her and passionate about life and the outdoors!

Eileen, far right at 2008 JO's in Anchorage

Congratulations to Eileen on her passion and dedication to the sport of nordic skiing, and as the recipient of the NENSA Coach of the Year award.

3.28.2008 Fairbanks, AK - It may have been the U.S. Championship, but someone forgot to tell the foreigners. The men's 30km pursuit race at Birch Hill looked a bit like a world cup, with guest athletes taking four of the top five places.

In a packed field of about 50 starters, newly minted Canadian Ivan Babikov controlled the race for most of the distance. Off the line, a large group of between 15 and 20 athletes established a front pack and took turns leading. Babikov, Norwegian Peter Eliassen and the U.S. Ski Team's Kris Freeman seemed to think that was too many. By 7km, the three had taken turns at the front and strung the group out significantly. Babikov, a Russian by birth, traded leads throughout the second half of the classic leg with Freeman. By the exchange zone, the two had nearly a 20 second lead.

The early pace proved too much for many of the lead group. Lars Flora was a casualty of the pace and dropped from the race at 12km. Even Freeman, in the end, couldn't hold Babikov, as he, too, dropped out shortly after the start of the skate leg. Babikov soldiered on alone, leading Eliassen and German Marius Korthauer to the line. Lief Zimmerman finished fourth, earning the U.S. title.

For the Maine Winter Sports Center's David Chamberlain, top gear just never engaged. After a solid start in the lead pack, Chamberlain settled back to the third group, where he remained for the race, eventually finishing 17th (13th American).

U.S. Distance Nationals conclude on Sunday with the 50km Classic.

For complete results, see www.summittiming.com

Whistler BC, Canada, March 27 - Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) continued to his streak of top performances that began two weeks ago in Oslo, with a victory in the 20K Individual competition at the Canadian National Championships today.

Burke had two penalties, in each of the prone stages in this first-ever major biathlon competition at the Whistler Olympic Park. He covered the 20K in 52:44.7, topping Canadian Robin Clegg (Ontario) by 2:18.2. Clegg had three penalties, as did third place finisher Brendan Green (Northwest Territories). Green finished 4:53.4 behind Burke.

Less than two weeks after his back-to-back 7th and 8th places in the final two World Cup competitions of the year, Burke once again looked strong especially in the second half of his race. He explained at the finish line, "Ever since I got home from Oslo, I have been skiing a lot, because there is so much snow in Lake Placid. Still, when the race started, I felt a little bit sluggish. In the two prone stages, I felt like it was the first race of the year. I had not picked up my rifle since Norway until I came out here on Monday. When I started the third loop, my skiing picked up and I cleaned the last two stages."

Burke was pleased with his first look at the 2010 Olympic Biathlon course today, "I really like the course here. It is pretty technical, which suits my style. I am looking forward to training and racing here in the future."

Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) finished fifth today, with five penalties, 5:16.4 back. For Teela, who did not compete in the final World Cups, it was like starting up all over again. He commented, "I was very tired after I came home from Pyeong Chang, so my training was limited. Today, I tried to be conservative on the tracks and the range and I felt OK."

A video interview with Burke and Teela discussing their races and their first impressions of the new Olympic venue follows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDBXm5V1Z2Y

Walt Shepard (Bowdoin College), who won three titles at the US National Championships, finished sixth today. Shepard had another strong shooting performance, with two penalties, finishing just 10.1 seconds behind Teela. US Biathlon Development athletes Jason Ray (Pinedale, WY) and Zach Hall (Nikiski, AK) finished 16th and 21st respectively, with five and seven penalties, 10:23.8 and 12:29 back.

In the Women's 15K Individual, Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID) took third place with the best result of her career. Studebaker, also on the Development Team started biathlon last May. She had three penalties, finishing 2:32.5 behind Megan Imrie (Manitoba). Imrie, a first year World Cup competitor had one penalty in her 48:58.2 victory. Second went to veteran Sandra Keith (Alberta), with two penalties, finished 58.5 seconds back.

Studebaker commented, "I am pleased to have a race like this. I have learned a lot (about biathlon) in the past year, but I still have a long way to go."

Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY) started strong with two penalties in the first three stages, but missed five in the final standing stage, to finish fifth, 5:18.6 back. She said, "In the final standing stage, I started to shake and could not control it. When that happens, there is not much you can do." BethAnn Chamberlain (Fort Kent, ME) edged her for fourth place by 19.8 seconds. Chamberlain had four penalties. Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) in seventh place had eight penalties, 6:03.7 back while Denise Teela (Anchorage, AK) was 11th, with seven penalties, 9:12.4 back.

Leif Nordgren (Marine-on-St. Croix, MN) claimed his first podium spot in the junior category, with third in the Junior Men's 15k Individual. At the finish, he said, "This was not one of my best days on the shooting range." Nevertheless, his six penalties put him a very close 1:25.9 behind Canada's Tyson Smith (Alberta), with five penalties. Smith won in 47:30.4. Maxime Leboeuf (Quebec) finished second, with eight penalties, 1:07.9 back. Fifth went to Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) with 11 penalties, 4:49 back, while Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) had 13 penalties, 5:51.4 back in sixth. Looking at the results sheet, Junior National Coach Vladimir Cervenka shook his head and said, "This was the worst shooting day collectively we (the Junior Team) had all season."

The US Junior Women did not follow the trend of their male counterparts on the shooting range. Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME) finished fourth in the Junior Women's 12.5K, with three penalties, 2:01.6 behind Canadian Megan Tandy of British Columbia. Tandy had four penalties and a time of 42:07. Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN) finished sixth, with six penalties, 7:04.5 back.

In speaking to many athletes, today's first impressions of the biathlon venue here at the Whistler Olympic Park were all positive. Burke added, "This is a beautiful place. The courses do not have any big climbs and it is fast."

The venue is situated high in the Callaghan Valley, an area blessed with abundant snowfall. There is currently at least 2 meters of snow on the ground and although the weather was mild (just at freezing), it snowed on and off during the competitions all day. It is located 20 kilometers south of the world-renowned Whistler Ski area.

Vancouver 2010 Biathlon Manager Max Saenger was equally happy about the first big test for the facility, commenting, "I am very pleased with how the event went today. I like the look of the event and venue. Our volunteers are to be commended with the job they did in preparation for these competitions."

Friday is a training day here, with the Sprint competitions scheduled for 10AM PDT on Saturday. The US Biathlon website 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.

Mt. Itasca, MN - MWSC Biathletes continued their strong performances in the Pursuit race adding four more National Championship titles to their record. Walt Shepard (Yarmouth) won the Sr. Men's title, Russell Currier (Stokholm) won the Jr. Men's title, Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) won the Sr. Women's title and Hilary McNamee (Ft. Fairfield) won the Youth Women's title. Both Currier and Spector continued to display strong ski form by actually winning the overall titles. Currier struggled in the first two stages missing 5 of 10, but bounced back hitting 9 of his final 10 targets. Spector followed a similar shooting style missing 4 of 10 in her first two stages and hitting 9 of 10 in her final two.

The National Championships conclude today with the Mass Start.

Mt. Itasca, MN - The opening day of the U.S. Biathlon National Championships brought perfect conditions. Sunshine, clear skies and fast ski trails greeted athletes as they arrived today at the Mt. Itasca biathlon venue.

Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) displayed the strong form she had in January and February while racing in Europe. Skiing amongst the fastest Jr. racers in the world this winter, Spector used that speed to win both the Jr. and Sr. category in today's 7.5km Sprint race. Entering the range for her first shooting, Spector had already made up time on the starters ahead of her. With a steady rhythm she hit all five targets and left the range with a strong lead. Two penalties in standing would narrow the gap to second place, but again on the final lap Spector flew around the course crossing the line in a time of 21:29. Placing 2nd in the Jr. Women's race was Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska) with 2 penalties. Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN) was 3rd with 3 penalties. BethAnn Chamberlain (Caribou) finished 7th in the Sr. Women's race with 4 penalties.

Taking time to focus on school, Walt Shepard (Yarmouth) proved that he hasnt lost his touch on the range. A former National Team Member and current member of the Bowdoin Ski Team, Shepards only mistake on the range came in his prone stage. Former MWSC Biathlete Bjorn Bakken finished 3rd with 4 penalties.

Like Spector, Russell Currier used the top form he displayed while racing in Europe to capture the title of National Champion. Currier had one miss in prone and two in standing to finish in a time of 26:16. Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) finished 2nd also with 3 penalties 30 seconds behind Currier. Finishing 3rd was Newt Rogers (Ft. Kent) with 4 penalties. Rogers currently going to school at the Univiversity of Vermont and is a member of the Vermont Biathlon Collegiate Proram in Burlington, VT.

In the Youth Womens race Hilary McNamee (Ft. Fairfield) finished 2nd with 5 penalties in a time of 20:53. Winning her first National Championship was Addie Byrne (Bovey, MN) with 3 penalties in a time of 20:10. Grace Boutot (Ft. Kent) was 3rd with 3 penalties.

In the Youth Mens race Nick Michaud (Ft. Kent) finished 7th with 5 penalties. After missing 4 of 5 in prone, Michaud shot with authority hitting 4 of 5 along side Leif Nordgren, a Bronze Medalist from the Youth World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany this past January. Fourteen old Sam Humphries (Yarmouth) competed against the big boys finishing 8th with 6 penalties.

Racing resumes with the Pursuit on Friday. Full results and pictures can be found at www.usbiathlon.org

Farra has led development of world-class staff
Caribou, Maine - The Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) announces that John Farra has accepted a position as the Nordic Director for the United States Ski Team in Park City, Utah. Farra, a 1992 Olympian, has been with the MWSC since 2002, and Vice President since 2005.

"John has made profound contributions to the Maine Winter Sports Center since he arrived in 2002," says Andy Shepard, President of the MWSC. "His calm, empowering leadership style has been instrumental in creating one of the top programming and development staff's in the ski world. When you look at where our alumni have gone, it is clear that the industry also sees the quality of our staff. While we are sorry to see John go, we are all very excited for him in this new opportunity."

Other former MWSC staff members include: Per Nilsson - Head Coach of the US Biathlon Team, Eli Brown Head Coach of perennial NCAA powerhouse, University of Utah and Max Saenger - Biathlon Sport Manager for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Farra credits his time living and working in Maine for inspiring him and readying him for this new challenge. "Working with community members throughout Maine has proven just how resilient and dedicated Mainers can be", said Farra. "It has also shown me how magical it is when kids discover the joy of skiing and being outside in the winter, and when those kids infect their whole families with that joy. I'll take that perspective with me as I work to support the continued development of Nordic Skiing at the US Ski Team. With any luck, I will be issuing a US Ski Team jacket to some of our Maine skiers very soon!"

Farra will head up a team of 10 coaches and service professionals in the sports of Cross Country Skiing, Jumping and Nordic Combined as they help their athletes contend for Olympic, World Championship, and World Cup medals. Farra will also be involved in setting policy and direction for the Development of these Nordic Sports through the country.

As Vice President for the MWSC, Farra leaves a strong legacy of accomplishments and successful initiatives, including overseeing the growth of our Healthy Hometowns programs from 28 communities in 2005 to over 90 programs by the end of the 2008 season.

Mt. Itasca, MN - Arriving in Minnesota the signs of spring appear more evident as the green grass seems to be re-claiming its territory and the snow banks disappearing. The end to the winter racing season is fast approaching, but for a group of Mainers there is at least one more week of racing to be had. The strongest team of biathletes Maine has put together arrived in Grand Rapids, MN on Tuesday; 15 athletes and 3 coaches strong the Team will compete for the prestigious titles of U.S. National Champion.

Leading the way are members of both the Jr. and Sr. World Championship Teams. Russell Currier (Stockholm) and Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) have put together their best season of racing this year. Currier had 3 top 15 finishes including a 15th place in the Sprint at the Jr. World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany. The following next week he finished 79th in his first Sr. World Championships in the Individual. Spectors season has been highlighted with 3 top 25 finishes with a 20th place finish in the Sprint at the Jr. World Championships, a 62nd at the Sr. World Championships in Ostersund, Sweden and a 6th place in the Sprint at the European Championships in Nove Mesto, CZE. Both athletes have proven that they can compete with the best in the World.

Other National Team athletes to look for: Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska) is coming off a strong performance at the USCSA Cross-Country Nationals where she won the Skate race. Toussaint also finished 28th at the Jr. World Championships in the Sprint race. Hilary McNamee (Ft. Fairfield) had a 20th place in the Sprint race at the Youth World Championships and Grace Boutot (Ft. Kent) was also a member of the Youth World Championship Team and just returned from the U.S. Cross Country Jr. Olympics where she had a 15th place in the Skate race.

Upcoming athletes to look for: Nick Michaud (Ft. Kent) returns to Mt. Itasca where he placed 3rd at the Jr. World Team Trials back in December. Michaud arrived from the Jr. Olympics in Anchorage, AK where he achieved a 4th place in the Classic Sprint, 11th in the Skate race and was a member of the 3rd place Relay. Kaitlyn Bernard (Ft. Kent) and Molly Susla (Freeport) were recently part of the Maine State Team that won the Eastern H.S. Championships. Bernard placed 5th in the Classic race and Susla placed 7th in the Skate race.

Anchorage, AK - When 409 cross-country skiers from all over the country arrived in Anchorage, Alaska on March 9th for the 2008 Cross-Country Junior Olympics, a lack of snow was not what they were expecting to find. But warm temperatures and lower than usual snowfall transformed the typically white landscape to one with patchy snow coverage. Race organizers spent the week shoveling, pumping standing water out of the stadium and pleading with the snow gods. Races were changed, courses were changed at the last minute, and some training days were held at other venues around Anchorage. In the end, with the help of an inch of new snow mid-week, all the races were held fairly and skiers took the rapidly changing schedule in stride.

Among the athletes competing at the event were Maine Winter Sports Center and Aroostook County stand-outs Joey Bard (Caribou) and Grace Boutot and Nick Michaud (Fort Kent). In his first Junior Olympics, Michaud had a strong showing in the J2 age class (14 and 15 year olds) and placed 4th in the classic sprint, 12th in the 5km skate, and 3rd place in the team relay. Boutot, also in her first national cross-country competition, raced to 15th place in the 5km skate and helped her team to a 5th place finish in the team relay. Bard, racing in the strongest boys' age group, sprinted to a 12th place finish in the classic sprint. The three skied for the New England team, which ended up the week in second place to the home team of Alaska. The Nordic Heritage Sport Club in Presque Isle will host this event in 2010.

Anchorage, AK - Sunny skies and low snow coverage greeted three Maine Winter Sports Center skiers at the first race of the Cross-Country Junior Olympics in Anchorage, Alaska on March 10th. In the first of four races in a week, athletes from all over the country battled each other in a 1.2km classic sprint. At his first national cross-country ski event, Fort Kent sophomore and Maine Winter Sports Center skier Nick Michaud had high expectations. "I was hoping for a top ten result, but I thought it was going to be a reach," Michaud said of the sprint. In sprint racing, athletes race in an individual start qualification round in the morning. Those who finish in the top 24 earn spots in afternoon head to head sprint rounds. Michaud had the 12th fastest qualifying time in his age group, a result that advanced him to the heats in the afternoon.

In the quarterfinal heat, Michaud was on the line with five other skiers. In order to go on to the next round, he knew he needed to finish in the top three. "I wanted to get off the line fast and get a good position," Michaud said of his strategy, "then I knew I just needed to focus on relaxing and picking up time on the last uphill of the course." The plan seemed to work for Michaud, who made it through two heats to ski in the finals. In an exciting race, the six top skiers jockeyed for position at the front of the pack. Michaud skied well and ended up in a sprint for third. He was narrowly defeated and ended up fourth on the day. His position earned him All-American status and bolstered his confidence for the rest of the week of racing. "Now I know I am capable of top ten finishes," Michaud said, "I am hoping to keep getting top ten results throughout the week."

Joey Bard of Caribou, another Maine Winter Sports Center athlete, also had a great race on Monday. Bard had the 9th fastest qualifying time for his age group in the morning. In the quarterfinal rounds he was second place for most of the race and got edged out by two skiers in the final stretch, just missing the semifinal rounds. Bard ended up in 12th place. Skiers race in two more individual races and one team relay before leaving Anchorage on the March 16th.

Fort Kent, ME The University of Maine at Fort Kent will offer a business concentration in Winter Sports Management beginning with the 2008 fall semester, it was announced today by University officials.

The Winter Sports Management concentration, within the business major at UMFK, will be designed to prepare students to enter positions of responsibility within the community-based ski industry.

Maine currently has many small, community-based, ski areas including two in Fort Kent (10th Mountain Ski Center and Lonesome Pine Trails) and three others in Aroostook County, alone. Although there are several current college programs throughout the country in ski area management, those are geared toward ski resort management. UMFK's program will be unique in that it will prepare students to successfully run, what are often non-profit ski areas.

"The development of the Winter Sports Management concentration at UMFK fits well with the University's mission, which embraces our proximity to Maine's wilderness and the joys of outdoor sports," said Dr. Richard W. Cost, president of UMFK.

The Winter Sports Management concentration will be the only program nationally, which focuses on small, non-profit, ski areas each with its own set of unique management goals and objectives. The focus of the Winter Sports Management concentration will be on how to develop a business model that is sustainable. Areas to be covered include fundraising, event hosting and grant writing. The concentration also will focus on aspects such as coordinating volunteer activities, community-based programming, and the basic development and maintenance of ski area infrastructures.

"Small community-based ski facilities are an important, but often overlooked, resource especially in regard to college programs, which train individuals for the ski business," said Jeff Dubis, an instructor of Forestry at UMFK who is coordinating the development of the Winter Sports Management program.

Dubis is very involved in many aspects of Nordic skiing, including ski venue management, programming, event hosting, and instructing various youth ski programs. He is an international referee with the International Biathlon Union and will be serving as Chief of Competition for the upcoming 2009 Biathlon World Cup.

"Hopefully, the Winter Sports Management program can provide people with the skills necessary to run these small facilities. UMFK has a world-class Nordic facility practically at its door. The Winter Sports Management program will help to strengthen ties between the University, 10th mountain Ski Center, and the Maine Winter Sports Center," Dubis added.

The Winter Sports Management concentration will consist of 24 credit hours within a classroom setting and 12 credit hours in an internship capacity. Ties between the University and the Maine Winter Sports Center will create ideal opportunities for internships at any of Maine Winter Sports Centers' various alpine and Nordic ski facilities throughout the state, and especially here in Aroostook County. Those 36 credit hours are in addition to general education, business management core courses, and electives totaling 128 credit hours for a Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree.

The concentration will incorporate three new classes specific to Winter Sports Management (Introduction to Winter Sports Management; Ski Area Equipment Operations; and Trail and Facility Design), in addition to using several cross-functional business, electronic commerce and public safety administration classes, as well.

"The sustainability of the ski industry - especially in Maine - depends on the sustainability of the community ski area." said Andy Shepard, president of the Maine Winter Sports Center.

"These ski facilities need leadership that is skilled in all areas of traditional ski area management, but the leaders also need to know how to tap into available state and federal grants, organize volunteers, and engage their communities in ways that resorts do not need to. I am very excited about this new degree program, because it will develop a new generation of entrepreneurial community ski area operators, prepared to handle today's issues, and that is desperately needed," Shepard added.

"The opportunities for our students to be involved in the major national and international events hosted by the Maine Winter Sports Center at the 10th Mountain Lodge truly are extraordinary. Look at our snow this is the perfect location of this concentration!" UMFK's Dr. Cost concluded.

For additional information on the Winter Sports Management business concentration at UMFK, please call Jeff Dubis at 207/ 834-7543.

This weekend's Maine Biathlon State Championships has been cancelled. Two storms are predicted to hit the County with an estimated 15-20" of snow. In addition they are also predicting high winds starting Saturday afternoon. Thinking about the safety of those traveling and the ability to put on a quality event with such conditions it was decided not to hold the event.

The Overlook Motel in Eagle Lake (207-444-4742) and Camel Brook Camps (207-316-4742) in Fort Kent still have accommodations available for this weekends Maine Biathlon Club Championships. This is a celebration of biathlon in Maine and is for people of all abilities. Even if you have never shot a rifle before, there will be clinics and events for you. For more details click here.

Caribou, Me - Three County skiers will represent New England at the Cross Country Junior National Championships in Anchorage, Alaska this month. The Maine Winter Sports Center skiers completed the final qualifying race in New Hampshire on February 24th to secure their spots on the New England Junior National Ski Team. Joey Bard of Caribou, and Nick Michaud and Grace Boutot of Fort Kent will travel across the country for the races, to occur March 9th-15th. Hilary McNamee of Fort Fairfield also qualified for the team but chose to forgo the event to compete at the European Biathlon Championships. As part of the New England team, the athletes will compete against the best skiers representing regions from all over the country. On the schedule for the week is a sprint race, two individual distances races and a team relay.

Rumford, Me - March 2, 2008 a will be a day Corey Park remembers. It was on this day the Presque Isle senior won the last ski race of his Maine high school skiing career. Park and a small crew of Aroostook County skiers traveled to Black Mountain in Rumford with hopes of qualifying to race as part of the Maine Team at the upcoming Eastern High School Championships. The Maine Team, which consists of the top 24 boys and 24 girls from the state, was chosen based on the day's race results. Skiers raced a 5km classic race in the morning. The afternoon was a 5km skate pursuit style race. In a pursuit, skiers start based on their performance in the morning's race, with skiers starting in the order and time of their finish. This makes for very exciting racing, as the leader is effectively being chased down by the rest of the field.

Corey Park won the classic race in the morning, but a mere 3 seconds separated him and the second place skier. Park responded well to the pressure, and showed his competitors he was a force in both disciplines, as he extended his lead to 20 seconds in the 5km skate.

On the girls side, Kaitlyn Bernard of Fort Kent finished 5th overall. She started the skate race in 10th position and moved up five places with the 2nd fastest skate time of the day. Just behind her in 6th place was Jessica Caron, also of Fort Kent, who had the 5th fastest classic time and 4th fastest skate time of the day. Park, Bernard, and Caron will race as a part of the Maine Team at the Eastern High School Championships. Lindsey Cote and Jordan Powers, both of Caribou High School, qualified as alternates for the Maine Team. The Championships will be held in Stowe, Vermont from March 14-16 and will feature teams from each New England state.

The Rangeley Lakes Loppet Organizing Committee has decided to delay the start of the races on Saturday March 1, by 1 hour, to allow those with long drives a little extra time to get there. Groomers will be running constantly through the early hours of the storm in order to stay ahead of the snowpack. For full details visit http://xcskirangeley.com/Loppet.asp or call 207-864-4309.

Nove Mesto, CZE - In her final individual competition as a Jr. competitor, MWSC biathlete Laura Spector finished with a bang! Starting the Pursuit race in 12th Spector gradually moved up to finish 6th. Missing two targets in her first stage Spector dropped back to 15th, but re-entered the range in her initial 12th position. She then missed just one shot per stage putting her up in 6th where she finished 3:16 behind Sprint Race Champion Marine Bolliet of France.

Russell Currier also had a strong day in his final race at the European Championships moving up from 42nd place to 27th. Currier hit 8 of his first 10 shots bringing him near the top 20. But 6 misses in his final two stages left him in 27th. Throughout the competition both Spector and Currier skied within the top 3 in the field!

La Patrie, QC Fighting off gusting winds and a very hilly course BethAnn Chamberlain out skied Denise Teela in the Sprint competition. Chamberlain struggled in the range missing 7 of her 10 shots, but still won by 14 seconds over Teela who had 5 penalties. In Sundays Pursuit, Chamberlain again dominated on the tracks clocking the fastest ski time, but the penalties kept her from re-gaining the top spot.

In her first biathlon competition since the Jr. World Championships, Grace Boutot finished 2nd to Valcartiers Yolaine Oddou who shot clean. In the Pursuit race, Boutot like Chamberlain turned in the fastest ski time of the day, but had to settle for 3rd with 6 penalties.

In her first biathlon weekend Cassidy Spencer (Ft. Kent) hit 25 for 25 in her two races in the Girls Air Rifle category.

Holderness, NH - Nick Michaud and Fred Bailey made it three for three for the Maine Winter Sports Center in NENSA Eastern Cup action this weekend. Michaud, of Fort Kent, showed that he clearly belongs on the New England Team to Junior Nationals with his third podium in three races. Michaud, Bridger Tyler, of the Stratton Mountain School, and David Sinclair, of Green Mountain Valley School, came to the line together in the Silver Fox Trot 5km Freestyle at Dartmouth College's Oak Hill trails. While Michaud proved he had the best sprint, the others had gained enough time on him to bump him to third place.

Fred Bailey, of Andover, had a fierce duel with Cumberland's Sam Tarling over the men's 10km race. Tarling, skiing for Burke Mountain Academy, went out like a rocket and built a solid 22 second lead in the first 4 km of the competition. When Bailey got the news that he was trailing, he found a new gear. By 8.5km, he had cut the lead to 8 seconds. At the finish, he came up 5 seconds short, but earned his second silver medal in two starts on the NENSA Eastern Cup.

Sunday brought the NENSA field to Holderness for the Eastern Cup Finals. The race format shifted to classical mass start. Michaud showed signs of fatigue in his fourth race in a week. He finished seventh in the J2 boys race, but easily protected his spot on the NENSA Junior National Team. Bailey was out for the win, but struggled to regain contact with the lead pack after suffering not one, but two broken poles. Joey Bard, of Woodland, turned in the best men's performance for MWSC with a solid 14th place finish. Bard was competing for the third time in four days, hot off wins at both the classic and skate Maine State Class B Championships.

Bard, Michaud and Grace Boutot (Fort Kent) will travel to Anchorage, Alaska to compete at the USSA Junior National Cross-Country Skiing Championships, March 8-15.

Caribou, ME - The Maine Winter Sports Center and Cary Medical Center have released the second in a series of televised public service announcements aimed at encouraging healthy outdoor exercise. While the first announcement, which ran during the fall, targeted elementary and middle school students, this second video is focused on family winter activities.

By encouraging parents to set aside one weekday afternoon for exercise, MWSC and Cary hope to help boost the number of Aroostook County residents who reach three days per week of aerobic exercise.

"It really doesn't take as much as many people think," said MWSC Cross-Country Coach Will Sweetser. "Outdoor exercise can be as simple as taking a stroll on skis or snowshoes around your back yard. If you can find the time to set aside one hour after work, and use a bit of time on Saturday and Sunday, you'll get out three times each week."

Click here to view the video

2.10.2008 - Saxtons River, VT - After a fantastic day of racing at the Prospect Mountain Eastern Cup, the MWSC XC Team traveled to Vermont Academy for a follow up race in classical technique. Yesterday's victory by Joey Bard had the team's spirits riding high, and the racers rode that spirit to a second day of success.

MWSC Elite Team member Fred Bailey charged the tough trails right from the starting gate, and looked set to earn the squad a second win in as many days. But a late charge from 2002 Olympian Patrick Weaver left Bailey in silver medal positionby far his best race of this season. Yesterday's gold medal boy Joey Bard struggled in the early portions of the race, but stormed back in the second loop to earn 11th. While he was just shy of his goal of a top 10 finish, he was 3rd amongst his age group, and 7th junior racer.

Fort Kent's Nick Michaud earned his second podium of the season, and the weekend, with a solid 3rd place in the J2 men's 5km. Michaud's finish has guaranteed him a spot on the NENSA Junior National Team.

In Bill Koch League action, three Aroostook County boys traveled to the Vermont Academy event to get a preview of the competition for the New England Bill Koch Championships. Jon Rochester, of Presque Isle, proved that he is ready to test his mettle against the best with a 4th place finish in a very tough field. Joel Shay, of Mapleton, earned 6th, and Jesse Rochester placed 20th.

Next up for the MWSC XC Team is the American Birkebeiner, the largest Nordic ski race in North America.

2.09.2008 - Woodford, VT - Two weeks can be plenty of time for a turn-around in an athletic career, and Joey Bard, of Woodland, ME, showed just that today. Racing for the Maine Winter Sports Center, Bard earned his first NENSA Eastern Cup victory with a sprint finish in the 10km Mass Start Freestyle at Prospect Mountain. Bard topped a field of more than 90 men, and guaranteed his selection to the New England Junior National Championship squad.

Two short weeks ago, Bard was on the back page of the results list at the NENSA Tour de Rumford 15km Freestyle race. He was left shaking his head and wondering what went wrong. Today, it appears that nothing was wrong but the timing.

"This is just an incredible turnaround for Joey," said MWSC Cross-Country Coach Will Sweetser. "We talked after his races in Rumford, and I emphasized that he had done all of the work to be competitive in this field. He just needed to believe it himself. I guess he showed me today!"

What is most remarkable about Bard's victory is that he still has two seasons left as a Junior competitor.

"I don't know exactly why everything just worked right today," Bard said after the race. "But it sure is sweet when you look up, and the leaders are right there, and you say to yourself, 'you know, you can win this thing.'"

Bard will travel with the NENSA Junior National Team to the USSA Junior National Championships in Anchorage, AK, March 8-15.

In another fine performance, Nick Michaud, of Fort Kent, ME, earned 3rd place among J2 boys (ages 14-15). While three races remain in the season, Michaud looks likely to join Bard on the NENSA Junior National Team.

Nearly 100 women participated in raising money for the Battered Women's Project while enjoying a fun day of skiing, eating and relaxing in the lodge at the Nordic Heritage Center. A special thank you to our fabulous volunteers and sponsors: UMPI, F.A. Peabody, York's of Houlton, Katahdin Trust Company, Hayden/Perry UIG Insurance, County Physical Therapy, Alpina Sports and Wilder's Jewelry. We are already looking forward to next year!

PHOTO: Amanda Morin of UMPI leads a classic ski clinic.

Caribou, Maine- The Maine Winter Sports Center is honored to announce that Russell Currier of Stockholm, Maine has been named to the 2008 United States Biathlon World Championship Team. Currier was named to the team based on his results at World Junior Championships this past week in Ruhpolding, Germany.

This brings the number of current Maine Winter Sports Center athletes and alumni to eight of the ten member team. "All of us involved in the Maine Winter Sports Center, from our trustees to our coaches and staff, are incredibly proud of Russell today," says Andy Shepard, President of Maine Winter Sports Center. "Russell is the first Aroostook County athlete to make it all the way through our programs to a Senior World Championships but he won't be the last."

The World Championships will be held in Ostersund, Sweden, from February 8th through the 17th. For those with a PC computer, live video stream can be seen at the U.S. Biathlon website.

Max Cobb, Executive Director of the US Biathlon Association had this to say, "It's wonderful to see junior athletes on our World Championship Team. Personally, it is very satisfying to see Russell achieve this milestone since I remember the day he began biathlon. The Maine Winter Sports Center program can be very proud of all Russell has accomplished."

Other Maine Winter Sports Center athletes competing are Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), Lowell Bailey (Saranac, NY), Jeremy Teela (Medway, Utah),Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY),Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO), Tracy Barnes (Durango, CO) and Laura Spector (Lenox, MA).

The festival, scheduled for February 17th at Riverside in Portland, has been cancelled.

Black Mountain (Rumford, Maine) - The Colby College Men's team swept the top three places in the 15K freestyle race on Sunday to power the Mules to Maine's College Championships. Matt Briggs led the Men's team in 38:28, 26 seconds over teammate Nick Kline.

Colby's Kathlene Maynard won the Women's 10K race in a time of 30:24, 61 seconds over Bates freshman Ingrid Knowles.

The Championships showcased the depth of Maine college skiing, with the three establish NCAA programs Colby, Bates and Bowdoin all posting strong scores. The new programs at University of Maine at Presque Isle and Orono also showed strength.

The Chummy Broomhall Cup recognizes the Rumford native, who has been a force in cross country skiing, internationally, for over 60 years. Chummy is a two time Olympian, organized the 1950 Cross Country World Championships as well as hundreds of other events over the years, including countless national cross country, jumping and biathlon championships, NCAA championships and regional and State championships. He is also responsible for introducing machine grooming to the ski industry as the Chief of Course during the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics.

Owen Wells, the President of the Libra Foundation, which is the primary funding source for the Maine Winter Sports Center, helped Chummy present the championship trophy to the Colby Team.

For full results click here

Ruhpolding, Germany, January 27. Leif Nordgren (Marine-on-St. Croix MN), in fourth place just 100 meters from the finish, burst past Lukas Hofer of Italy in the final 10 meters to win the Bronze Medal in the Youth 10K Pursuit competition today at the Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships.

The Bronze Medal is the first medal won by the US at these Championships since 2002, when the US won two medals in the Junior Women's category, the second medal ever by a US man (Jay Hakkinen Gold in 1997), and the first ever medal for the US in the Youth category.

Nordgren, after collapsing with exhaustion at the finish, got up and asked, "Was I third or fourth?" When the answer was, "third," there was a huge look of relief followed by a broad smile. He questioned the place as he had battled Hofer for the final 2K, before taking the advantage, just before the finish line. Nordgren, with four penalties, finished 1:01.4 behind the winner Ludwig Ehrhart of France, while Hofer with six penalties, was 1:01.8 back

He explained what happened on that final loop, "I left the shooting range just ahead of him (Hofer), and then he pulled ahead by a couple of meters. When we got to the first hill, I tested him a bit and pulled away easily. I knew he did not have much left. I decided to rest (and Hofer passed again). Coming to the finish, I started to go wide to pass and he was forcing me to the left even more. We were so close that our skis touched. Then I just went for the finish line. I could hardly feel my legs as we came off the last bridge. As we approached the finish line, I was doing two things; trying to stay on my feet and keep from losing my breakfast, that's all!" The 18-ear old Minnesotan started in sixth position, 24 seconds behind the leader today. He maintained his position to the shooting range. Cleaning the firs prone stage, Nordgren moved up to fifth position. In the second prone stage, he recorded one penalty, "A high split," according to Coach Vladimir Cervenka.

He held that position coming into the first standing stage, which was surely to be challenging as the wind was blowing so hard this morning that it blew the shooting mats off the positions. Nordgren missed two targets, but only lost one position. "I came in too hard�that is all," he said, explaining the missed shots. Continuing, he added, "I felt a little sluggish today especially early in the race. I really did not start to push harder until that third loop." Approaching the final standing stage, Nordgren was almost 30 seconds from the Bronze Medal position. With his fate in his own hands, Nordgren had a single penalty, while those in front of him had five, four, and for Hofer three penalties. Nordgren went to the penalty loop just ahead of Hofer who was on his final loop. They left seconds apart setting up the battle over the final 2K which was won by Nordgren.

As Nordgren changed clothes and waited for the flower ceremony, there was jubilation in the US Team as well as high fives, and even a kiss on the cheek for Nordgren promised by the massage therapist if he won a medal. Coach Cervenka, who felt Nordgren could have won the Sprint yesterday, if he had escaped the rifle problems, could only say, "I feel so relieved!" Nordgren accepted congratulations from his rivals and a big hug from his mother (who got the flower bouquet).

Reflecting on his big day, Nordgren said, "I more than exceeded my expectations today for "World Juniors."

A video with Nordgren on the podium at the flower ceremony and a post race interview follows.

Ludwig Ehrhart of France, the Youth Pursuit winner, had three penalties and a winning time of 33:10.1, Manuel Muller of Germany, also with three penalties finished 37.7 seconds back, with Nordgren in third and Hofer, another four seconds back.

The Junior Men's 12.5K Pursuit followed immediately after Nordgren's big day here in Ruhpolding. With Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) starting 15th and Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) 22nd, the US prospects seemed good once again. Nevertheless, the wind continued to play havoc with many of the competitors in the shooting range. In the first stage, Currier picked up three penalties, while Roberts had one. Currier steadied himself in the second stage with one penalty as Roberts picked up two. They had both slipped to the high twenties at this stage. The two then slipped further with three more by Roberts and two by Currier. The chances for moving up were gone by this stage. Despite this, Currier recovered nicely in the final stage, with only one penalty, which combined with aggressive skiing (3rd fastest on the day!) moved him back up to 20th place, with six penalties. Roberts had a disastrous final standing stage, missing all five targets, pushing him back to 38th place with 11 penalties.

Yesterday's Sprint winner Anton Shipulin of Russia ran away with the Pursuit, winning in 39:50.9. Shipulin was the only competitor in the field of 60 to shoot clean! Florian Graf of Germany maintained his second place as in the Sprint, with four penalties, 1:37.2 back, while Victor Vasilyev, also with four penalties, took third, 1:54.4 back.

The weather continued to deteriorate for the afternoon Women's competitions, as the strong wind brought in driving rain. In the Youth Women 7.5K Pursuit, Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME) finished 25th, with 10 penalties, 5:28.2 behind Janien Hammerschmidt of Germany. Hammerschmidt had six penalties, finishing in 34:41.1. Second went to Sophie Boilley of France, with four penalties, 20 seconds back. Incredibly, Elise Ringen of Norway finished third with 10 penalties, a mere 27.9 seconds back! Addie Byrne (Bovey, MN), 11:17.6 back, and Grace Boutot (Fort Kent, ME) 11:31.2 back, finished 55th and 57th, with 12 and 11 penalties, respectively.

"It was like doing biathlon in the summer, getting soaked by the rain and beaten up by the wind," was how 25th place Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) described the Junior Women's 10K Pursuit. The driving rain persisted through the whole competition, won not surprisingly by Magdalena Neuner of Germany, with seven penalties in 37:22. Veronika Vitkova of the Czech Republic finished a distant second, 2:27.4 back with three penalties, while Marie Laure Brunet of France took third, 2:45.7 back with six penalties. Spector, despite seven penalties, was the top US woman, finishing 7:55.3 back. Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME) had just four penalties in 34th place, 9:08.1 back, with Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN), in 39th, with seven penalties, 10:49 back.

Monday is a rest/training day for the athletes who will need it after the trying conditions today. Competition resumes with the Individual competitions for the Youth and Junior Men.

Live streaming video coverage of all of the competitions at the Youth and Junior World Championships competitions as well as archived highlights of the World Cup season, is available by clicking the athlete photo at the top of the news column 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.

MWSC Biathletes:
Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) - 15th place in Jr. Men's race
Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) - 20th place in Jr. Women's race
Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME) - 28th in Jr. Women's race
Hilary McNamee (Ft. Fairfield, ME) - 18th in Youth Women's race
Grace Boutot (Ft. Kent, ME) - 54th in Youth Women's race

Ruhpolding, Germany, January 26. Leif Nordgren (Marine-on-St. Croix MN) led the US Biathlon Team here today with sixth place in the Youth 7.5K Sprint at the Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships.

Nordgren, who had one penalty in the prone stage, finished a mere 24 seconds behind the winner, Vladimir Alenishenko of Belarus, who won in 22:53.8. The sixth place is an outstanding achievement, based on how the prone stage went for Nordgren. He had trouble bolting the rifle; then ejected the first round which he later had to hand load, resulting in at least 20 seconds of extra range time and the penalty. Coming to the standing stage, nevertheless, he made up time in the next 2.5K. After handily cleaning the standing stage, he was close to the top six. As he approached the final climb on the tough Ruhpolding layout, Coach Vladimir Cervenka told Assistant Coach Gary Colliander, "It is all in your hands! Get him over that hill!" The urging of the staff pushed the 18 year old to a state of exhaustion by the finish, but his skiing gained valuable seconds that pushed him to the sixth place finish.

Well recovered about thirty minutes later, Nordgren was recovered and smiling as he accepted a bouquet of flowers and stood with his rivals in the flower ceremony.

He talked about his day after the flower ceremony, "Coming into the race, I did not know what to expect, because last year, I placed in the fifties (54th in the Sprint). After prone, I knew I was skiing well and still thought that I could have a good race. My standing shooting has been good all week here, so I had a lot of confidence." As for the missed prone shot and the "what could have been," he added, "Misses are a part of biathlon. They just happen."

In a video interview, Nordgren explains his shooting range experience and how he felt handled the Ruhpolding Wall:

Nordgren is the only US competitor in the Youth category to qualify for tomorrow's 10K Pursuit competition. Coach Cervenka commented, as Nordgren left the flower ceremony, "Watch out for Leif in the Pursuit!"

Preston Butler (Marion, MA) just missed the 60-man Pursuit field in 62nd place, with three penalties, 3:06.5 back. He was followed by Ethan Dreissigacker (Morrisville, VT) with four penalties, in 70th place, 3:57.9 back and Raleigh Goessling (Duluth, MN), with six penalties, in 80th place, 4:59.3 back.

Normally, biathlon in Europe starts at rather sane times of the day, late morning, or mid-afternoon, to reach the widest television audience. Additionally, there are usually only one or at the most two competitions per day. The Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships are the exception. With four categories competing in one day, today's Junior Men's 10K Sprint started at the almost unheard-of hour of 8;50 AM, which meant very early breakfasts with ski preparation and testing beginning well before sunrise.

The US men responded well to the early start and cold minus 7-Celsius temperatures. Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) recorded his best ever finish, 15th place in these Championships. Well known as a fast skier, Currier's shooting has improved dramatically in recent weeks and today was no exception. He shot with authority in both prone and standing, recording single penalties in each stage. After the prone penalty, he was in the mid-twenties. Leaving standing, he was in 18th position. A fast last loop helped him grab the 15th place, 1:28.6 behind Anton Shipulin of Russia, who shot clean, winning in 24;47.7. Germans Florian Graf, one penalty, and Arnd Peiffer, two penalties finished 12 and 16.7 seconds back, respectively.

Russell Currier

At the finish, Currier was on the ground, obviously spent from the effort. He talked about the course, "This course does not particularly suit my style. It was much harder than I thought and took a lot out of me on the last loop."

Finishing 25.1 seconds and seven places behind Currier was Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN). Roberts also had two penalties, although both of his were in standing. Smiling, but disappointed with the two penalties, he said, "I came in a little too fast. Just a few heartbeats slower and I would have hit them." Roberts 22nd place put him 1:53.7 behind the Russian.

Laura Spector

Mark Johnson (Grand Rapids, MN) struggled on the shooting range with two prone and three standing penalties to finish 77th, 5:01.6 back. The Ruhpolding crowds came out for the Junior Women's 7.5K Sprint, as their new "biathlon queen" Magdalena Neuner was competing. After Neuner won three senior World Championships' titles last year at Antholz, it was thought her days in junior level competitions were over. Nevertheless, she was on the start today, for what could be called a 'tune-up" for the big dance in Ostersund in two weeks. The German star did not disappoint her fans, easily winning in 24:38.9, despite two standing penalties. Teammate Susan Konig had a single penalty to finish 41.8 seconds back, while clean-shooting Marine Dusser of France finished a distant third, 1:07.1 back.

Both Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) and Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME) shot well, finishing 20th and 28th, respectively. Spector, 3:04.1 back had only one prone penalty while shooting clean in the standing stage, but took a fall in the final 500 meters that cost her some time and probably two or three places. She explained, "I was coming down the hill and went down face first. It was pretty icy. The girl right in front of me took a harder fall as she went completely off the course. I tried to be aggressive especially on the first loop today, to get a feel for the snow. I try not to be tentative when it is icy, but usually I am."

Megan Toussaint

Toussaint, in 28th place was all smiles at the finish, as she shot clean. "I knew I would have to shoot clean to get a good place. I am definitely cautious when the course is like this." Toussaint caution is tempered by the fact that she took a serious fall last season at these same Championships in Martell, Italy.

Brynden Manbeck (Grand Rapids, MN) had three penalties, finishing 45th, 5:01.9 back. All three US Junior women qualified for tomorrow's 10K Pursuit.

Today's competitions ended with the Youth Women's 6K Sprint, where Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME) added another top 20 finish for the US Biathlon Team with 18th place. McNamee, with a single prone penalty and clean standing shooting finished 1:43.6 behind Maren Hammerschmidt of Germany, who shot clean in a 20:21.6 victory. Norwegian Elise Ringen in second, 2.2 seconds stopped a German 1-2 finish by Hammerschmidt and her twin sister Janien, who finished 9.7 seconds back.

As the tracks iced up in many places, the Youth Women had problems staying upright, with approximately 25 falls in the field of 92. McNamee, who did not fall commented, "It was icy in places, but on the big uphill (which was sunny most of the day), it was actually sugary and deep."

Like the winner, Addie Byrne (Bovey, MN) shot clean, while finishing 35th, 2:37.6 back. Grace Boutot (Fort Kent, ME) finished 55th, 4:10.6 back, with one penalty in each stage. Boutot not as lucky as some others, fell twice on the same icy turn. Despite the falls, she qualified for the Pursuit field, as did McNamee and Byrne.

Today was one of the best days that the US Biathlon Team has experienced at these annual Championships, with two top fifteen finishes, highlighted by Nordgren's sixth, and Currier's 15th,as well as McNamee's 18th and Spector's 20th. Additionally, the shooting was world-class with two clean shooting performances and several athletes with only one or two penalties. Coach Colliander summed up the day, "We had a good day, especially on the shooting range."

On Sunday, the Pursuit competitions start at 10 AM CET (4 AM EST) with the Youth Men, followed by the Junior Men at 11 AM, the Youth Women at 1:30 PM and the Junior Women at 2:30 PM.

Live streaming video coverage of all of the competitions at the Youth and Junior World Championships competitions as well as archived highlights of the World Cup season, is available by clicking the athlete photo at the top of the news column 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.

The Maine Winter Sports Center and Maine's chapter of the 10th Mountain Division veterans have jointly hosted the 10th Mountain Championships for Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing each year since 1999. These events are intended to represent the highest level of competition in these two sports for Maine's Juniors (20 and under).

Our priority is to have these Championships held in Aroostook County. If that is not practical, then we will look for a competition statewide that has an appropriately strong field. Finally, if there is no competition in Maine, we will look for the highest level of competition nationally, attended by the strongest field of Maine Juniors.

The 10th Mountain Division suffered the highest casualties of any division during World War II. They were also the most heavily decorated division in the history of the US Army. Following the war, these heroes came home and were the founders of the modern ski industry. They started ski resorts, founded ski magazines and ski companies and made skiing a lifestyle for the past two generations of Americans. The Maine Winter Sports Center aspires to carry on in their tradition in Maine and lay the foundation for the re-emergence of that tradition.

For more info on the Origin of the 10th Mountain Division click here.

1.22.2008 - It had all the makings of a breakout day for Maine Winter Sports Center's David Chamberlain, but in the end, disaster struck. Chamberlain had recovered from a difficult U.S. National Championship, and felt that he had regained excellent form just in time to attack the FIS World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. Instead, Chamberlain struggled with an asthma attack.

"I've had this very rarely in the past," Chamberlain said. "But nothing as severe as this and not in the past three seasons."

Chamberlain could tell early on in the race that he was in trouble.

"I just couldn't get a full breath. I was breathing only high up in my chest," he explained.

After hanging on and hoping for improvement through the first 3.75 kilometer lap, Chamberlain began losing time to the lead at an alarming rate. Finally, it just didn't make sense to suffer for the more than 20 kilometers remaining in the race. With Friday's 15km skate race on the horizon, Chamberlain has already put today's race in the past.

In a tactical and tightly bunched pursuit, Russia's Nikolai Pankratov came through with the victory.

1.21.2008 - Canmore, AB - Tomorrow marks the third time since the 1988 Winter Olympic Games that the FIS Cross-Country World Cup has returned to the trails at the Canmore Nordic Center. Racers from across the world are slated to compete in a continuous pursuit format tomorrow, and MWSC's David Chamberlain is ready to rumble. After a difficult U.S. National Championships, Chamberlain came home to Aroostook County to solidify his fitness. If last week's training sessions are any indication, he has not only returned to form, but is ready to match his top performances.

Chamberlain is aiming at scoring World Cup points (finishing amonst the top 30 competitors) in this opening competition. He generally performs best in longer events. And the head to head, mass-start format favors his mental toughness. Training last week was aimed specifically at giving him the ability to start fast and then settle in for the 30km race.

Do you have a passion for:

Alpine racing
Mogul skiing
Freeride skiing
Snowboarding
Nordic skiing
Big Mountain skiing or riding

Scholarships to the school that helped Kirsten Clark and Seth Wescott reach Olympic success are available.

For more information about applying to CVA or applying for the scholarships, contact Dawn Smith at 207-237-4466 or dsmith@gocva.com.

The Bill and Joan Alfond Scholarship Fund provides financial aid for qualified CVA students from Aroostook County. Are you the next Alfond Scholar?

Caribou, ME - Haley Johnson (Lake Placid,NY) and Laura Spector (Lenox,MA) were named to the five woman team that will represent the U.S. at the Biathlon World Championships in Ostersund, Sweden February 8-17. Johnson secured her spot this weekend by leading the U.S. Team and placing 12th and 19th at the European Cup in Osrblie, Slovakia. Spector secured her spot last weekend by qualifying as the top Jr. and the second woman overall from the first two NorAm events in December and the European Cup in Langdorf, Germany.

Also qualifying for the Women's Team are Tracy and Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) and Caitlin Compton (Minneapolis, MN). On the Men's Team will be Tim Burkeand Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK).

Spector, still competing as a Junior, will take part in the Junior World Championships this month starting January 26th. She will be joined by MWSC teammates Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME), Hilary McNamee (FortFairfield, ME), Grace Boutot (FortKent, ME) and Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME).

10th Mountain Cross Country Ski Championships will recognize the top 20-and-under skier at this weekend's Eastern Cup at Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine. The top Male and Female skier will each receive a trophy sponsored by the Maine Chapter of the 10th Mountain Division veterans. Their Division was the most highly decorated in the history of the US Army. Many went on to pioneer the foundation of the modern ski industry. Maine veterans include Chummy Broomhall (Skiing legend) and Andre Benoit (legendary Maine businessman and father of Olympian Joan Benoit).

Celebration of Pat Cushman's love of winter fun planned to include 8 Km Classic Technique Ski Race, Ice Skating, Sliding, Snow Shoeing, Equipment Demo's. There will even be a race for wooden skis! The festival is planned for February 17, 2008 at Riverside Golf Course in Portland. For more information call 207-797-3524.

To view and print the registration form click here to download (doc).

Langdorf, Germany - Russell Currier scored a top 10 in today's Jr. Men's Sprint Competition hitting 9 of his 10 targets to finish 1:41 behind Arnd Pfeiffer of Germany who cleaned today's race and finished in a time of 26:58. Skiing through the "mashed potato" like conditions Currier's light ski technique matched well with the hilly course and slow conditions; his lone miss came in his standing stage. U.S. Jr. Team members Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) with 4 misses and Lief Nordgren (Marine on St. Croix, MN) with 2 misses finished 25th and 26th, 3:02 and 3:05 out.

In the Women's Competition, the MWSC's Haley Johnson skied to a 24th place finish today with 3 penalties, 2:25 behind winner Juliane Doll of Germany. Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) placed 40th in a time of 25:38. Spector shot quickly in prone hitting 4 of 5, but struggled in standing missing 3 targets. Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) was the top American finishing 22nd with 1 penalty, her twin sister Tracy was 33rd with 2 penalties and recent U.S. X-C National Champion Caitlin Compton was 37th with 6 misses.

Currier and Spector now head to the Czech Republic for a few days of training before going to Ruhpolding. The Maine Winter Sports Center's Haley Johnson continues racing next week in Osrblie, Slovakia where she will be joined by teammate Meagan Toussaint (Madawaska, ME).

Pictures: Russell Currier and Laura Spector

Langdorf, Germany - Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) led the U.S. Jr. Men's Team today in his first taste of action overseas this season. Competing in the Individual Currier hit 15 of his 20 targets to place 18th, 5:06 out of first. In the Individual Competition each athlete shoots four bouts of five shots and for each missed shot they are assessed a 1-minute penalty. Currier's teammates Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) finished 28th with 7 penalties and 7:42 out of first. Lief Nordgren (Marine on St. Croix, MN) finished 43rd with 8 penalties and 9:50 back.

Competing in the Sr. category, MWSC's Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) placed 26th with 5 penalties, 8:06 out of first. Placing ahead of Spector were MWSC alumni Tracy and Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO) placing 15th and 19th with 1 and 2 penalties on the day. Spector's MWSC teammate Haley Johnson placed 36th with 8 penalties, 10:49 out.

Both Spector and Currier along with the rest of the U.S. Jr. Team will compete at the Jr. World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany starting January 26th.

Tomorrow concludes with the Sprint Competition.

PHOTOS
Top: David Chamberlain (far left) passes the lead group in qualifying at the U.S. National Team Sprint.
Below left: Chamberlain leaves the tag zone during the finals of yesterday's U.S. National Team Sprint.
Below right: David Chamberlain (3rd) coasts behind the lead during qualifying at the U.S. National Team Sprint.

Houghton, MI - The U.S. Cross-Country Skiing Championships came to a close today with the team sprint events. The event served as the last qualifying event for those hoping to be named to the U.S. squad to the FIS World Cups slated for January 22-27 in Canmore, Alberta. Despite a poor showing here at U.S. Nationals, MWSC's David Chamberlain earned a spot on that U.S. World Cup Team.

Chamberlain entered Nationals ranked 4th on the distance point list, 3rd on the sprint point list and 3rd overall. After the first day of competition, where Chamberlain finished 18th in the 10km skate race, he said that he just didn't feel right. The feeling persisted through the week until today's relay competition--where Chamberlain and XC Oregon's Marshall Greene combined for an 8th place finish. As scoring goes to the top 20 finishers in every competition at U.S. Nationals, that first 18th place turned out to be crucial. Chamberlain earned the last spot on the World Cup squad thanks to the handful of points he scored that first day.

"I'm glad to have made the team," Chamberlain said after the awards ceremony. "It's a surprise and a relief. My season plan has really been aimed at performing well at the Canadian World Cups. I can't explain what happened this week. But I just have to put it behind me and focus on getting the right work done in the next three weeks."

PHOTO: BethAnn Chamberlain chases Kikkan Randall out of the start at the U.S. National Sprint Championships.

Houghton, MI - Over 420 skiers competed today over a 1.3km skate skiing course for the title of U.S. Cross-Country Ski Sprint Champion. The U.S. Ski Team stars Kikkan Randall and Andy Newell were the favorites, and they showed why today. Both were at the top of the leader board in the qualifying round. And, despite a tumble from Randall in the quarterfinals, both easily outpaced the field in the head to head rounds.

The Maine Winter Sports Center was led today by biathlete BethAnn Chamberlain. In her first U.S. Cross-Country Nationals, Chamberlain showed that she is amongst the very best in the nation with an 11th place finish in qualifying. In the quarterfinal round, Chamberlain faced Randall and Dartmouth College sprinters Ida and Elsa Sargent.

After being boxed out of the start, Chamberlain began to move forward in the six woman pack on the first downhill. Just as she was moving up to fourth place, race leader Randall fell. Chamberlain skidded around her and pushed for the front of the pack. Amazingly, Randall regained the lead after just 300 meters. When Chamberlain moved behind to follow, she was tripped up and fell on the last steep climb. Despite failing to move on, the day was a success.

"Yeah, I've never really done this," Chamberlain said. "It was fun! I wish I got to do more, but I learned a lot."

Other MWSC finishers were: David Chamberlain, 37th, Joey Bard, 104th and Fred Bailey, 145th. U.S. Nationals concludes tomorrow with the Classic Sprint Relay.

PHOTO: Sarah Dominick, competing in the women's 5km skate U.S. National Championship

Houghton, MI - The Maine Winter Sports Center cross-country squad got off to a rocky start at the U.S. National Cross-Country Ski Championships today. In the 10km men's race, David Chamberlain (Caribou) finished a disappointing 18th. The race was won by Russian Ivan Babikov, with U.S. Ski Team members Leif Zimmerman and Kris Freeman taking 2nd and 3rd. Chamberlain was just over 1 minute back of the pace.

Chamberlain currently sits 4th in the U.S. SuperTour distance rankings, but today was simply not his day. Poor skis played a role, but Chamberlain never felt that his body would respond the way that he wanted.

"It just never felt right," Chamberlain said after the race. "But, it's just one day. We've had a lot of good days already this season, and we'll have more this week."

Chamberlain's philosophical outlook was echoed by his teammates, who struggled in different ways today. Fred Bailey (Caribou), hoping for a top 5 finish amongst U23 competitors, crashed on the course and fell short of his goal. Joey Bard (Woodland), competing in the Junior division, started far enough back in the field that a severe snowstorm that picked up mid-way through the field left him slogging through more than three inches of fresh snow.

"I was hammering the whole way," Bard said, "but it didn't feel like I was getting anywhere."

Complete men's results were not available at press time. Check www.itiming.com for full results.

In the women's race, BethAnn Chamberlain (Caribou) led the way for the MWSC squad with a 37th place finish, 1:17 behind the leader. The race was dominated from start to finish by U.S. Biathlon Team member Caitlin Compton. U.S. Ski Team member Liz Stephen placed second, 24 seconds back of Compton, with Swiss skier Karin Carmenish taking 3rd.

Sarah Dominick (Stockholm), the oldest competitor in the field, finished another minute and ten seconds behind Chamberlain, in 10th place.

Stay tuned for results as we follow the progress of Dave Chamberlain, Fred Bailey, Joey Bard and the rest of the Maine Winter Sports Center's Cross Country team.

The lifestyle of the elite U.S. ski racer may conjure up images of Bode Miller living the high life, appearing on magazine covers, defining apr�s ski in Aspen.
For a slightly different experience, go to the list of elite ski racers at the Maine Winter Sports Center, one of just a handful of top national training programs for Nordic skiers, and read about Fred Bailey '07.

Click here to visit Colby's site for the full story.

Fort Kent, ME - Maine Winter Sports Center and the 10th Mountain Lodge hosted 16 4th though 8th graders from all over Aroostook County for the annual Youth Overnight Camp, December 27th and 28th. Thursday activities included skate skiing instruction and plenty of games. Favorites were Alaskan baseball and Sharks and Minnows! Students learned to wax their skis, enjoyed a homemade pizza dinner, and watched a movie on the big screen. Friday brought bright sunshine and a few inches of fresh snow.

The group enjoyed a morning of perfect skiing conditions before heading home after a hearty lunch. In two days the kids logged about seven healthy hours on the snow. Way to go!

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).� Bard earned his first berth into the open men's quarter finals with a 30th place in qualifying.� Bard was one of 4 juniors to make the open rounds today.� In his quarter final, Bard was out of the gate 3rd, and hung on to the pack until the very last hill.� 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 Shepar