Fort Kent readying for Paralympic competition

FORT KENT – Plans for the first-ever world championship at the Maine Winter Sports Center’s 10th Mountain Division Lodge March 9-21 are coming together and the University of Maine-Fort Kent said Monday it will again play a part in the competitions.

The 2005 Paralympic Nordic World Championship will bring at least 175 athletes from 17 nations and four continents to Fort Kent. They will be utilizing much of the same venue as the Biathlon World Cup event last March.

March will be a busy period for northern Maine volunteers. They will be needed for a three-week period starting March 4 with the annual CanAm Crown International Sled Dog Races until March 21 when athletes from the World Championship leave.

UMFK and the organizing committee of the 10th Mountain Division Lodge announced an agreement where some of the UMFK campus will be used for the games despite classes going on at UMFK.

Part of UMFK’s SportsCenter will be used for two weeks leading up to the event and during it, according to UMFK President Richard Cost and Nancy Thibodeau, the local manager of the International Paralympic Committee for the world championships.

“This competition is very important for the town, the area, and Maine,” Cost said. “We have the perfect venue, the perfect terrain.

“It is a tradition in this community that everyone pulls together for activities like this,” he added. “UMFK, its staff and students will assist.”

The IPC Nordic skiing competitions are open to athletes with physical disabilities who compete in sitting, standing and visually impaired divisions. They compete in both cross country skiing and biathlon, which combines cross country skiing and target shooting.

The 10th Mountain Division venue is handicapped-accessible for all athletes involved, according to Thibodeau.

Thibodeau just returned from a 10-day informational trip to a Paralympic World Cup held in Italy.

“It was just amazing to watch all these athletes compete,” she said. “Despite handicaps, they are amazing to watch on courses that would be hard for non-handicapped people to compete on.

“It was very inspirational to see the games,” she added. “Now we are working on our competitions, and we are looking for volunteers.”

She said some 250 volunteers will be needed for the event, which has no admission charge for spectators.

Volunteers can sign up on a Web site: www.mainewsc.org/Volunteer/volunteer home.asp.

The athletes will be coming to Fort Kent from a World Cup competition in Switzerland. Many of the athletes will be competing for places at the World Paralympics that will be held next year in Torino, Italy.

They will be bringing with them some 100 coaches and support staff. International media, International Paralympic Committee delegates and officials will be in attendance.

Athletes will be coming from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, Poland, and the Untied States.

The organizing committee will be looking for sponsors to help cover the $250,000 cost of the games. Athletes and support staff will be housed from Fort Kent to Caribou.

Large sponsors for the games include the Hartford Insurance Companies, Banknorth Group Inc., Xerox, UMFK, Northern Maine Development Commission, Peoples Bank, MWSC, the 10th Mountain Division Lodge and local businesses and agencies.

The Greater Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce has agreed to take over the social activities during the two-week period.

Much of the preparations and details are the same as last March. There will be cultural events during the 12 days, including a Northern Drama Festival and the Fort Kent Lions Club Pride of Lions Show.

Like last year, schools will be involved. Already nine schools have said they will bus children to the games. Student fan clubs are starting to organize, Thibodeau said.

UMFK will host an informational breakfast at Nowland Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 16, to discuss how Fort Kent and the surrounding area will be transformed into an international sporting event destination.

Tickets to the breakfast, which must be purchased in advance, are available at UMFK.