Brewer will use FinishLynx

BREWER – When Doug DeAngelis was a freshman at Brewer High School in the fall of 1980, he chose to run track and cross country, despite the fact that “it was the first time I’d ever done anything remotely athletic in my life.”

Now, 14 years later, DeAngelis says he’s in a position to do something to help Brewer track, and has donated one of his company’s FinishLynx electronic timing systems to the track program.

The donation makes Brewer one of few high schools in the nation to own a fully automatic timing system for track and field.

DeAngelis, 27, a 1984 Brewer grad, is president of Lynx System Developers of Woburn, Mass., and creator of FinishLynx.

“You can look back on life and see only a few influences that really had anything to do with why you are wherever you are, and certainly the Brewer High track program is one of the major reasons I am where I am.”

His track coach at Brewer, Dave Jeffrey, said the donation didn’t really surprise him.

“It’s just what he feels he owes, in a way,” Jeffrey said. “Also, he has the ability to do that. It’s just Doug being Doug.”

DeAngelis said the donation helps his company.

“I think what my goal would be, and what my goal is all around the country, is to have certain places, centers of competency, where people can go and see how it can be done,” DeAngelis said.

“At the same time, I just think it’s par for the course. It’s totally insignificant,” he said. “There is no way to adequately reward certain people.”

Jeffrey said he’s looking forward to getting the system running.

“I think it will make our site very attractive for bigger meets,” Jeffrey said. “I see other people wanting to rent it for big meets. I think it will help the state of Maine track.”