PRESQUE ISLE – The organizing committee for the 2006 Biathlon Junior World Championship is pleased with its recent educational trip to Finland.

The local officials, who are in charge of hosting the world-class event at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle next winter, recently returned from the 2005 championship in Kontiolahti, Finland.

They came back with ideas about how to make their venue run more smoothly and with a sense that they already have been moving in the right direction, event director Tim Doak said Tuesday.

In mid-March, a 13-member delegation from the organizing committee traveled to Kontiolahti, host site of the 2005 Biathlon Junior World Championship, to observe how officials there conducted the event.

The delegation also attended because of tradition and a new requirement – representatives received the Junior World Championship flag from the host nation to symbolize the close of the 2005 event. Officials will display the flag at next year’s competition.

The 2006 event, to be held from Jan. 27 to Feb. 5, will be the first time ever that the world junior championship is held in the United States.

The competition is expected to bring in about 300 athletes, hundreds of support staff and about 25,000 spectators – making it twice the size of the 2004 World Cup Biathlon in Fort Kent and a huge impact to the local economy.

Officials said there could be no better way to prepare for such a large event than to watch others do it.

“We were able to hook up with our counterparts and spent a lot of time shadowing them, reviewing how they did things, and learning what worked,” Doak said.

The group discussed everything from corporate sponsorships and financial information to logistical, security and transportation issues.

Committee members also met with coaches and athletes to talk about what was important to them, the event director said.

“We came away from the trip feeling like we were on the right track with the effort that has been put forth to date and the planning that has taken place,” Doak said.

During their trip, committee members also learned about special responsibilities and opportunities that they have as the host site.

Doak pointed out that the committee has a special sponsorship opportunity. Valuable advertising space on race bibs and promotional materials typically is taken up by International Biathlon Union sponsors, but not during the world championship. That means the committee will have the opportunity to solicit a significant local sponsor for the event.

That opportunity, however, is adding a new expense: $15,000 for competition bibs because they have to be custom-printed with the event sponsors on them, Doak said.

The committee also is responsible for providing awards for each race winner because, though the IBU provides medals, there are no cash awards for the event. Doak said that in Finland, officials handed out engraved plaques made from local granite.

Mike MacPherson, who serves on the organizing committee as technology and communications chairman, said the trip was invaluable.

“Since we have never done a world championship here in Presque Isle, I think it was extremely important for us to be able to visualize how it is to be conducted,” MacPherson said Wednesday. “Had we not done that, we would be flying by the seat of our pants on this and that makes you very open to mistakes.”

With committee members back home, officials are pushing planning efforts into high gear.

Doak said negotiations are under way with accommodation providers and potential sponsors and indicated that a volunteer Web site should be up “any day now.”

Officials also are on the lookout for more volunteers and are working to inform the community about the event to encourage a large local turnout.

“It’s a busy time,” Doak said. “There’s lots of dedicated volunteers who are putting significant time into this event to ensure that it is successful and that nothing is missed in the planning process.”

For information about becoming a volunteer for the event, e-mail volunteer@nordicheritagebiathlon.org.