SAD 1 pupils cheer on world competitors

FORT KENT – Nearly 200 elementary school pupils from SAD 1 schools at Presque Isle and Mapleton yelled, rang bells, cheered and danced Tuesday morning while supporting 99 athletes competing in the IPC Paralympic World Championship at the 10th Mountain Division venue of the Maine Winter Sports Center.

Fifth- and seventh-graders from Mapleton Elementary School, Zipple Elementary School and the Skyway and Cunningham middle schools made their way to Fort Kent early, some leaving before 7 a.m.

One SAD 1 school bus was a bit late, after being involved in a three-vehicle accident on the outskirts of Presque Isle. None of the 44 students and adults on the bus was injured in the incident.

The kids nearly filled bleachers at the venue, and some stood atop nearby knolls raising voices in crescendo as an athlete left or entered the staging area where the start and finish lines were.

Youth dancers of the 10th Mountain Ski Group, from the Jazz It Up Dance Studio at Fort Kent, danced to help motivate the young crowd even further. Dressed in lime green uniforms, the girls moved to up-tempo music.

“They’ve been studying about athletes, and handicapped athletes in the classroom,” Bill Guerrette, a fifth-grade teacher with the pupils, said during loud cheering. They’ve watched videos to learn how athletes acclimate themselves to their disabilities.

“They know the strains of cross-country skiers,” he continued. “They learned about courage and determination of these athletes. The kids responded to that.”

Guerrette said the 120 pupils in his group had picked two American athletes to cheer on, Dan Perkins, who was competing in the 10-kilometer standing competition, and Monica Bascio, who competed in the sit-ski women’s competition.

Guerrette said some of the kids in his group attended the World Cup Biathlon competitions at Fort Kent last year.

“Go Monica Bascio,” proclaimed a large poster atop the highest seats in the bleachers. “Lets Go Lets Go,” said another poster bearing miniature United States and Canadian flags.

They had hand-held noisemakers, like those seen at New Year’s Eve parties, and cowbells to make noise. The loudest noise came from the voices of the young people when an athlete strode into the venue.

Lynn Edgecomb of the Mapleton Elementary School said her kids were having a “blast.” They had selected Candyce Gable, a sit-ski athlete from the United States, and Brian McKeever, a Canadian sight-impaired skier whose brother Robin McKeever, a Nagano, Japan, Olympian, was his trail guide, as their favorites.

“It’s cool that we got to come here,” Kurt Smith, an 11-year-old fifth-grader from Presque Isle said while getting his breath between cheers. “They are really committed to these competitions. I am really enjoying this,” he said. “It’s just amazing being here.”

He returned to his dancing, stomping and cheering as two athletes came into the stadium.

“It’s great that the district [SAD 1] supports these kinds of activities,” Guerrette said. “We are all glad they made this all happen today.”