Timing system stolen in Brewer

When more than $15,000 worth of electronic equipment was stolen from Brewer High school Tuesday, the Witches track team lost its prized possession: the high-tech FinishLynx timing system.

Brewer track coach Dave Jeffrey said the worst of it is, the timing system worth between $8,000 and $9,000 is of value only to the track team.

“I’m sure they looked at the suitcase it was in and saw a camera sort of thing and thought it was expensive and took it having no idea what it was,” Jeffrey said.

“There’s not much they can do with it. There’s only about 130 of them in the world. There’s no market to sell it. Unless they leave it for someone to find it, they will probably dump it somewhere,” he added.

Jeffrey said former Witch runner and 1984 Brewer grad Doug DeAngelis donated the timing system when he formed Lynx System Developers in Woburn, Mass., three years ago. The timing system, also owned by the University of Maine, has benefited the Witches.

If the timing system is not recovered, Jeffrey said the biggest disadvantage in running meets without FinishLynx will be in determining where individuals finish in races.

“With electronic timing, there are not mistakes,” Jeffrey said. “Coaches will put up with bad times when kids get the right places. When kids go flying by in the 60-yard dash, the human eye can’t determine who got third, fourth, and fifth. The one thing electric timing does, it gives you a picture of where people finished. We’ve found it overturned a lot of judges decisions when they were adamant. They were amazed when they saw the picture.”

The Brewer track team has used the timing system the past two years at outdoor meets and this winter Brewer donated it for Eastern Maine Indoor Track League meets. UMaine has loaned its Lynx system to the EMITL officials for this weekend’s meet in Orono.

There are no leads on the robbery or hope of retrieving the timing system, Brewer principal Jerry Goss said.

“At this point, who did it or what happened would just be speculation,” Goss said. “I made an announcement to the student body. I told them somebody committed a crime against the students. But it does not just affect Brewer. The FinishLynx system was used at Eastern Maine track meets, at regional and state meets.”

In addition to the timing system, six computers, including monitors and keyboards, were stolen from two classrooms, while a television, VCR and laser printer were stolen from a third room.

Anyone with any information regarding the theft can call Goss at Brewer High at 989-4140 or the Brewer Police Department at 989-7001.