Honor for mountain guide

ORONO – Registered Maine Guide and Orono business owner Jon Tierney is the first Mainer to be awarded a license to guide internationally by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations. It is the highest professional award for Mountain Guides, and has been granted to only 38 American guides previously.

Tierney achieved this in spite of disabilities resulting from a mountaineering accident three years ago. Officials said the honor takes tremendous dedication to mountain guiding, a world class level of rock climbing, alpine climbing and ski mountaineering and a mastery of guiding skills.

An aspiring guide must pass a rigorous 10-day exam. Tierney recently passed the ski mountaineering exam in Valdez, Alaska. He passed the American Mountain Guides Association Rock Exam in 1993, and the AMGA Alpine Exam in 1998. He registered for the Ski Mountaineering Exam in 2003, but two days before the exam started he shattered his lumbar spine when the part of the mountain he was skiing on broke out from under him.

He was able to ski and hike out of the mountains with the help of his two companions, and suffered only minor paralysis in one leg. During two years of reconstructive surgeries, Tierney never gave up hope. He said that as difficult as the recent exam was, it was nothing compared to what it took to recover from the injury and to believe he could regain his level of athletic ability with a reconstructed spine.

The rugged terrain and extreme weather in Maine were Tierney’s early training ground for the big mountains of the world, including Acadia National Park and Katahdin in Baxter State Park.

Tierney teaches through Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School, rock climbing and adventure summer camps, and Sugarloaf/USA.

Red Riot Track Club

ORONO – The Orono Parks and Recreation Department is accepting registrations for its Red Riot Track Club. The club is open to children ages 6-14. The track club practices twice weekly and has meets on Thursdays. For more information, call the recreation office at 866-5065.

Tee-it-up golf clinic

The Orono Parks and Recreation Department is accepting registrations for its tee-it-up golf clinic for children in grades 3-8.

Girls’ week is set for June 19-23 and boys’ week will be held June 26-30. The clinic will not interfere with any other Orono recreation program. For more information, call the recreation office at 866-5065.

Basketball school

The Orono Parks and Recreation Department is accepting registrations for its 12th annual Orono basketball school. The camp is for children in grades 3-9. Participants are separated according to grade group. Girls’ week is June 19-23 and boys’ week is June 26-30. For more information, call the recreation office at 866-5065.