Considering the recent rise of the Dexter girls basketball team, the release of a book about the Tiger program comes at an opportune time.

James Wintle, a lifelong Dexter resident and the author of four other books about the town, recently finished “Girls Basketball: Dexter High School,” a year-by-year look at the team complete with scores, pictures and other statistics.

Wintle, 82, said he spent about four years compiling the information. He relied primarily on school yearbooks, but also did research at the Dexter Historical Society’s museum, the town library, and even drove to other towns to track down a single score or two.

His travels took him to Milo and neighboring Corinna.

Wintle starts with the 1903-04 team, which was Dexter’s first basketball squad for girls (the team went 1-2 that year with a 6-0 win over Foxcroft).

Wintle was able to find a team picture for almost every season. Wintle was especially curious about the early uniforms, which certainly look restrictive considering today’s standard tank top and shorts.

“You ought to see these uniforms,” he said of the older styles. “I got a book about it, and the girls had to wear special bras. The bloomers sometimes came down to their ankles and some of them had to wear corsets.”

Wintle, who attended Dexter High in the early 1930s, was able to provide some personal insight into the atmosphere at the games. For the 1926-27 season he writes, “Maurice Parkman was a cheerleader. … As I recall, he had a strong, ear-splitting voice.”

Wintle closes with the 2002-03 season, in which the Tigers won the Eastern Maine Class C championship and lost in overtime to Dirigo of Dixfield. Wintle isn’t related to any of the girls on the current team, but he and his wife Joyce went to several tournament games this year and feel an affection for the girls.

“I feel as though I [know the girls on the team] because of what they’ve done over the last two, three years,” he said. “This year we hope to win the state.”

Current girls basketball coach Margaret Veazie compiled statistics for Wintle, and the back of the book has eight pages of career, season and game-highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, free-throw shooting and 3-point shooting.

Veazie herself, who was a Dexter standout in the mid-1970s as Margaret Clark, is tied with early 1908s star Shawna McKenney for most points scored in a game (31).

Wintle, who attended Dexter High in the 1930s, has also written a history of Dexter’s sports and recreation programs, a book about Dexter High football, a boys basketball book and another about nicknames in Dexter.

To obtain a copy of the book contact Wintle at 924-7598 or jwintle@kynd.com. Copies are $15 plus $2 for shipping.

County soccer kicking in

Besides back-to-school sales, a sure sign of fall is the early start of soccer and cross country in Aroostook County.

Madawaska girls coach and athletic director Ed Marshall said his team starts practice Monday, Aug. 4 and will play its first game Monday, Aug. 18 at Van Buren. Most of the other County schools follow the same dates.

“I was putting today and I started thinking about practice, so that [made me mad],” Marshall said with a laugh.

Most of the Aroostook County schools start school early because of the break for the potato harvest, which comes in September. Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook, Ashland, and Katahdin of Sherman Station traditionally do not take such a break, and so start school with the rest of the state.

Marshall is taking his team to a tournament in Portland where the Class C Owls gain experience against Class A competition. Many County teams will also participate in a round robin tournament hosted by Presque Isle High Aug. 13 and 14.

County high schools are continuing to add lights to their soccer fields in order to hold night games. Marshall said Central Aroostook of Mars Hill will have lights this fall.

Marshall said the Madawaska High fields are in “wonderful” shape.

“We’ve had just enough rain at night,” he said.

It’s a big change from last summer, during which Marshall described his fields as “destroyed” because of hot temperatures and a lack of rain.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.