October 04, 2012 (Fort Kent, ME) – Over the weekend of September 21-23 junior athletes from throughout the county came to the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent to participate in a 3-day shooting camp. During the camp athletes learned the skills needed to begin training in the sport of biathlon. They participated in a variety of shooting practices, running, strength and roller ski sessions over the long weekend in preparation for the 2012-13 winter season.

Focused sessions like this are great prior to the winter to help young athletes hone their skills while the weather is warm. This winter the Maine Winter Sports Center is excited to announce the 10th Mountain Center will be hosting the 2013 USBA National Championship over March 7th through 10th.. We hope to see many of these young athletes competing there. These athletes will also have an opportunity to participate in biathlon evens as part of the North American Cup races in Valcartier and La Patrie Quebec, and Jericho Vermont.

What is next? Junior athletes from throughout Maine are currently training outside Cody, Wyoming with MWSC Head Nordic Coach Will Sweetser. Here in Maine a group is enjoying fall training on Mount Desert Island, and we are preparing to start our regular weekly fall/winter sessions.

Parent information sessions will be held on October 2nd in Presque Isle at the Nordic Heritage center at 7:30pm as well as on October 4th in Fort Kent at the 10th Mountain Center at 7:30pm. Come and learn more about these programs. We look forward to seeing you all out this fall.

March 06, 2012 (Rumford, ME) – Ski conditions are expected to be very good for The TD Bank J2 Nordic Ski Championships being held at Rumford’s Historic Black Mountain of Maine, from Friday, March 9 through Sunday, March 11, 2012.

Elite teams of 14-15 year-old Nordic racers from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and elite guest teams from Colorado and Wisconsin, will arrive at Rumford’s Black Mountain of Maine Friday, March 9th for three days of intense junior Nordic ski competition.

228 Athletes are registered for this last major Nordic race of the season at Black Mountain of Maine. This event is being hosted by the New England Nordic Skiing Association (NENSA) and the Chisholm Ski Club.

“The Chisholm Ski Club is looking forward to hosting this event,” said Chief of Competition, Roger Arsenault. “This is an exciting event and it’s the first opportunity many of these top junior skiers from the Northeast have had to compete against each other. We are also very pleased to welcome the teams from Colorado and Wisconsin to Rumford.”

Arsenault continued, “The snow made for the US Cross Country Championships in January has held up very well over this very busy competition season and we have accumulated quite a bit of natural snow on top of it. We anticipate conditions will continue to be very good and the club is working to make this an outstanding event for both the competitors and the spectators.”

Arsenault also commented “The Black Mountain of Maine lodge, the tiered parking and bridge access allows both recreational Alpine skiing and Nordic competition events to take place without conflicting with each other. The lodge’s second floor and upper tier parking are always reserved for Alpine skiers on competition days.”

J2 schedule (As of Monday, March 5th. Please check HERE for most current info.)

Friday:
– 9:00 am Course open for inspection
– 9:00 am Race Headquarters open for packets and bib pick-up
– 12:30 pm Coaches Meeting in Base Lodge Conference Room
– 3:00 pm Men 5 km Free Technique- seeded wave start
– 4:00 pm Women 5 km Free Technique- seeded wave start
Flower ceremony immediately following each event

Saturday:
– 8:00 am Course open for inspection Bib pick up in Race Headquarters
– 8:30 am Coaches meeting in lower level of the Timing Building
– 9:30 am Women 5 km Classic- seeded wave start
– 10:30 am Men Free 5 km Classic- seeded wave start
Flower ceremony immediately following each event.
– 11:30 pm Sprint course open for inspection
– 12:00 pm Stadium layout open for inspection
– 2:30 pm Women 1 km Free Technique sprint – seeded wave start
– 3:15 pm Men 1 km Free Technique sprint- seeded wave start
Flower ceremony immediately following Sprint event.
– 6:30 pm Banquet and awards held at Mountain Valley High School Gym.

Must have ticket to enter. Banquet complimentary to all athletes, Team Leader and up to 7 coaches. All others $15.00. Tickets available in Race Headquarters while they last.

Sunday:
– 7:30 am Course open for inspection Bib pick up in Race Headquarters
– 8:00 am Coaches meeting in Hand Timing Building
– 9:30 am Mix Medley Relay 2.2 km, 2.5 km course
Flower ceremony and awards immediately following completion of team scoring

Entered as of Sunday, March 4, the Maine J2 Team (by seed):

Women:
1. Sarah Doak, Caribou
2. Sarah Wade, Mt Blue
3. Lizzy Landry, Portland
4. Ellie Teare, Yarmouth
5. Elizabeth Martin, Freeport
6. Dana Hatton, Cape Elizabeth
7. Emma Houston, Mt Abram
8. Caitlin Teare, Yarmouth
9. India Lucas, Oxford Hills
10. Ihilia Lesnikova, Yarmouth
11. Laura Frank, Portland
12. Lucy Alexander, Harrison
13. Emma Torres, Yarmouth
14. Samantha Pierce, Merriconeag
15. Audrey Garcia, GNG
16. Hanna Renedo, Orono
17. Rachel Ingram, Winthrop
18. Jesse Saffeir, Merriconeag
19. Natalie Wicks, Marranacook
20. Julia Rand, Windham

Men:
1. Aiden Clarke, Gould Academy
2. Ryan Washington, Caribou
3. Carter Hall, Yarmouth
4. Braden Becker, Yarmouth
5. Thomas Faraday, Mt Abram
6. Marcello Duluca, Gould Academy
7. Kamran Husain, MWSC
8. Sam Alexander, Yarmouth
9. Rylee Knox, Leavitt
10. Mitch Harris, Thornton
11. Jasper Houston, Yarmouth
12. Sam Wood, Mt Ararat
13. Dustin Ramsey, Hampden Academy
14. Eli McCurdy, Merriconeag
15. Sam Pratico, Falmouth
16. Graham Roeber, Merriconeag
17. Sean Beaulieu, MDI
18. Ethan Harriman, Maranacook
19. Gabe Mahoney, Falmouth
20. Julian Pelzer, Cape Elizabeth

Maine Coaches:
– Deven Morrill, Cape Elizabeth
– Buzz Bean, Mt Abram
– Sally Bean, Mt Abram
– Kalie Dunn, NYA
– Sara Dominique, Maine Winter Sports Center
– Erin Hatton, Bowdoin
– Bob Morse, Yarmouth
– Aaron Duphily, Chevrus
– Amber Dodge, Maine Winter Sports Center
– Meagan Toussaint, Yarmouth

Event Schedule HERE.

January 24, 2012 (Rumford, ME) – The EISA season kicked off with the Bates Carnival from Jan. 20-21. The alpine races were  contested at Sunday River in Newry, Maine, while the Nordic events were held at Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine.

Day 1
EISA schools patiently awaited the start of Carnival races over the past few weeks. When racing finally kicked off today (Jan. 20) with the Bates College Carnival at Sunday River and Black Mountain in Maine, the University of Vermont could not be thwarted.

On the opening day of the Bates Carnival, Vermont didn’t just fire the missiles; they launched the nukes. Of a total twelve podium spots up for grabs, Catamount racers locked up eight and scored a head-turning 531 points.

Lucy Garrec (UVM) won the women’s 5km freestyle race and was joined on the podium by teammate Caitlin Patterson. It was Garrec’s first collegiate freestyle victory, and after the race she noted, “I felt like the [5km freestyle] course suited me and allowed me to be light and quick.” Sophie Caldwell of Dartmouth finished third. The Bates women made an impressive move into third place with solid results from Beth Taylor, sixth, and Hallie Grossman, eleventh.

The Big Green retaliated in the men’s 10km freestyle race when Sam Tarling took second, Eric Packer third, and Gordon Vermeer fourth for Dartmouth. Race winner Patrick Johnson has returned to his Middlebury team with evidenced strength this season, and Vermont’s Franz Bernstein found the podium in third.

Day 2
Led by a second alpine podium sweep in the men’s races on Saturday (Jan. 21), the University of Vermont extended its convincing lead to take a noteworthy win at the Bates Carnival. The Catamounts once again broke the 1000-point mark, tallying 1004 total points over runner-up Dartmouth who posted 837. Middlebury was third with 699.

Two areas of weakness for the Catamounts were capitalized upon by other teams. In the men’s 10k classic at Black Mountain, Eric Packer of Dartmouth timed his decisive break perfectly in the final kilometer to secure the victory. He noted that his coach’s specific training plan leading into the season was beneficial, “Ruff [Patterson] frequently had us do head-to-head intervals to mimic the chaos of mass start racing, and that type of workout really paid off today in the hectic, short distance mass start.” He was flanked on the podium by Vermont’s Franz Bernstein in second and Middlebury standout Patrick Johnson in third.

The women’s 10k classic leader board developed predictably with UVM and Dartmouth duking it out in alternating fashion. Vermont’s Caitlin Patterson returned to her familiar spot in the winner’s column while fellow Catamounts Amy Glen and Lucy Garrec finished second and fourth, respectively. Dartmouth’s Sophie Caldwell snagged third and the Big Green placed its other two scoring racers, Anne Hart and Isabel Caldwell, well inside the top 10.

EISA action continues Jan. 27-28 with the University of New Hampshire Carnival at Attitash Mountain Resort and the Jackson XC Center.

Final team scores at the conclusion of the Bates Carnival:
University of Vermont – 1004
Dartmouth College – 837
Middlebury College – 699

Results HERE.
Full breakdown of team scores available HERE.

January 10, 2012 (Rumford, Maine) – This year’s snowless winter isn’t getting the best of the cross country ski season – it’s in full force and Rudy Project athletes continue finishing ahead of the competition.  At the 2012 USSA Cross Country Skiing Championships this past Tuesday in Rumford, Maine, U.S. Olympic skier and Rudy Project sponsored athlete, Torin Koos, found himself at the top of the podium, winning the men’s freestyle 1.6km sprint. Winning the women’s 1.4km sprint was another Rudy Project athlete, Jessie Diggins.

The event at Black Mountain, originally scheduled for last Monday, was cancelled early that morning as a result of temperatures being too warm for snow making on the barren course.  However, as Mother Nature often does, within 24 hours, she chilled the 40-degree temperature to a frigid 15 degrees, cold enough to make snow for Tuesday’s competition.

In the men’s 1.6km sprint, Torin Koos was victorious, ahead of Blackhorse-von Jess in second, and Tyler Kornfield of the University of Alaska in third.  Koos crossed the finish line wearing his Rudy Project Ekynox SGV Mask, an older model that Koos has been swearing by for years.  “Most days, I’m usually rocking the Rudy Project Prestige Sunglasses. But on race days, I pull out the old school Ekynok SGV Mask with the double-layered racing red lens,” said Koos. “They are kind of like my lucky charm on race day,” he added.

While crossing the finish line in her Rudy Project pink fluo Noyz sunglasses, Jessie Diggins took the gold in the women’s 1.4km sprint.  Finishing second was Caitlin Gregg and Jennie Bender in third, all sporting their Rudy Project shades. “As an official supplier for USSA, Rudy Project is honored to see so many Rudys out there on the championship course,” remarked Paul Craig, President and Co-Founder of Rudy Project North America.  “We are especially thrilled to see so many top athletes crossing the finish line in Rudy’s fluo colors,” added Craig.

www.e-rudy.com

January 06, 2012 (Rumford, Maine) – Famed sports reporter and commentator Peter Graves was on site in Rumford, Maine at the US XC Ski Championships and spoke with women’s 10km FR individual start winner Jessie Diggins (USST-CXC) after her race. Sport insiders have spoken often over the last year about the near limitless potential of  the 19-year-old. Graves also caught up with 15km FR men’s winner Tad Elliott, Caitlin Gregg (formerly Compton), and Sylvan Ellefson.

Interview with Jessie Diggins

Interview with Tad Elliott

Interview with Caitlin Gregg

Interview with Sylan Ellefson

November 21, 2011 (Caribou, ME) – The Maine Winter Sports Center is pleased to host the 10th Mountain Division Junior Nordic and Junior Biathlon Championships in 2012. These events serve as Maine’s state-wide junior championships and offer Maine’s best young cross-country skiers and biathletes the opportunity to show their skills at the highest level of junior racing. For the 2012 season, the 10th Mountain Division Championships have been slated for Rumford and Fort Kent, Maine.

The Chisholm Ski Club will host the 10th Mountain Division Nordic Championships in conjunction with the USSA Cross-Country Skiing Championship junior 10km set for January 6th, at Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine. In the men’s division, look for Tom Rabon (Burke Mountain Academy) and Nick Michaud (Bates College) to battle it out for the title of Maine’s fastest junior man. If either should falter, Cam Reagan (Bates College) will be waiting. On the women’s side, Rachel Hall (Middlebury College) is the one to beat. Shelby Aseltine (Bowdoin College) should offer challenge.

The 10th Mountain Division Biathlon Championship will be run in conjunction with the January 21st Biathlon NorAm competitions hosted by the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent, Maine. The field is open on both the men’s and women’s side in this competition as a young crew of biathletes begins to grow. Chester Jacobs (Yarmouth) has the most experience on the men’s side, but Presque Isle natives Jesse and Jon Rochester will be hunting their first victory. The women’s field is crowded with young talent: Tara Humphries (Yarmouth), Danni Anderson (Mapleton), Emelie and Zoe Chace-Donahue (Freeport), and Anna Soderberg (Caribou) may all stake their claim to the title.

In hosting these championships for our young nordic athletes, the Maine Winter Sports Center looks to honor the role that the 10th Mountain Division played in not only helping to win the second world war, but also helping to found the modern ski industry in the United States. For more information, please contact the Maine Winter Sports Center at (207) 492-1442.

www.Mainewsc.org

October 21, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – On Saturday, October 22, Black Mountain of Maine will be holding its annual one-day season pass sale. Season passes are only $195 with no black-out dates. The one-day season pass sale is part of Black Mountain’s Octoberfest – a daylong celebration of the changing seasons at the Rumford ski area.

Billed as the “Early-Early Bird Special,” the $195 pass price is available only on Saturday, October 22 at the mountain. For a family, the first two passes are $195 with each additional pass just $95. This allows a family of four to ski all season long for less than $600, which is approximately half the price of an individual season pass at many New England resorts.

Other events during Octoberfest include:
– Ski Swap from 8:00am – 12:00pm
– Meet the Black Mountain Race Program Coaches: Julie Parisien, Tim LaVallee and Mark Thibodeau
– Register for Black Mountain Race Program and Ski School
– Silent Auction to benefit the “Need to Ski” Program
– Dinner & Beer Tasting featuring beverages from Long Trail Brewing and food from Gourmet in a Pinch
– Live entertainment from Punting Baxter from 7:00pm – 10:00pm

Black Mountain of Maine season passes offer unlimited cross country skiing at the area’s world class nordic trail system. Additionally, a Black Mountain of Maine season pass is honored at Big Rock Ski Area in Mars Hill and Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.

Through a unique partnership with the Big Adventure Center in Bethel, a season pass holder will also receive one free day pass to the family fun center and 20% off additional tickets for pass holders throughout the year.

Black Mountain of Maine has also entered into a partnership with other Maine ski areas providing two for one lift tickets for Black Mountain of Maine season passholders at the following ski areas: Camden Snowbowl, Lost Valley, Titcomb Mountain, Spruce Mountain, Big Rock and Herman Mountain.

Black Mountain of Maine season pass details: Each pass issued must be from the purchaser’s immediate family. The offer cannot be combined with any other discount, deal, or promotion.

For more information, contact Black Mountain of Maine at 207-864-3977 or visit www.SkiBlackMountain.org.

September 29, 2011 (Waterville, ME) – Major donations from Colby College and the Harold Alfond Foundation will help make Quarry Road Recreation Area one of the best of its kind in the northeast. More than $915,000 has been raised in private money for the project, with about a third of the contributions coming from Colby College. Highlights include: a 5K FIS D-homologated loop ready for this winter, $385K invested in snowmaking system ready for winter 2013, and more. Check out the full article from the Waterville Morning Sentinel HERE.

September 12, 2011 (Sugarloaf, ME) – Attention Maine EHSC, J2 Fest, or JO Team members – MWSC coaches Sarah Kamilewicz and David Chamberlain will be hosting a training weekend on Oct. 1 and 2 at Sugarloaf Resort for Maine Team members.

We have one condo available for Saturday night to be filled first come-first served. Any others interested will have to find lodging OYO. Meals will be provided including lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Meeting place will be the Sugarloaf Inn at 8:30AM on Saturday.

Maine Team Fall Training Weekend:
When: Oct. 1 – 2
Where: Sugarloaf Resort
Bring: skate rollerskis, classic bounding poles, running shoes, sleeping bag, towel, and pillow.
Cost: $40. For those who are interested please reserve a spot with Sarah Kamilewicz at sarah@mainewsc.org