Far away, a rivalry thrives

We hear plenty of negative things about athletics. Anything from steroid abuse to Little League parents getting into fist fights. But there are also plenty of positives that are sometimes overlooked.

For our troops deployed in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, sports can be a healthy diversion from the reality of war. There can be good-natured ribbing between soldiers backing rival teams or schools.

Such is the situation for one of Maine’s deployed Army National Guard units in Iraq.

Company A 1/121 Field Artillery Battalion, an 86-member security force unit comprised of soldiers from various units across the state, just so happened to get attached to a unit from Wisconsin.

So what would Maine soldiers and Wisconsin soldiers razz each other about? Packers, Patriots? Red Sox, Brewers? Celtics, Bucks?

Unfortunately for the Maine soldiers, they had to eat some crow last spring when the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team beat the Maine Black Bears 5-2 in their Frozen Four semifinal in Milwaukee en route to the national title.

For the time being, the Maine troops can move to the front of the line in the mess hall. The Black Bear hockey team is enjoying a 6-0 start and is in its second week atop the national rankings. Boston College’s sweep of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., over the weekend dropped the Badgers to No. 5.

In September, Capt. Kent Cousins, commander of the Maine unit in Iraq, requested University of Maine paraphernalia, preferably hockey-related, to compete with the University of Wisconsin banners and paraphernalia on display. The paraphernalia has been mailed to them along with Friends of Maine Hockey newsletters.

In addition, Operation Skybox has just kicked into motion, which will enable soldiers who are deployed or who have been deployed more than 180 days overseas within the past year, and their dependents, to attend a Nov. 10 Maine hockey game against UMass-Lowell.

There will be skybox seats and general admission seats.

They can contact the Family Assistance Center Hotline at 1-888-365-9287 for information and to reserve tickets. They will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The seats have been donated by season ticket holders and by the university.

“The university and its fans have been wonderful. The families are very, very appreciative,” said Kerry Birmingham, who manages the four family assistance centers for military personnel in Maine.

Relationships are also formed through the program, according to Birmingham.

“The first year we did this was ’04 and a mother and daughter came down from Farmington,” said Birmingham. “They got to talking to the owner of the skybox, they struck up a good relationship and the owner invited them to a basketball game.”

Birmingham praised the work of Skip Chappelle of Operation Community Support.

“He has generated so many of these opportunities,” said Birmingham. “He reaches out and taps people from all over the state. We can’t begin to thank him enough for what he has done.”

Chappelle said sports are the “common denominator” for the troops in Iraq and Capt. Cousins is trying to organize a floor hockey game between the Maine and Wisconsin troops on the outdoor basketball court in Iraq. Donated equipment is being mailed over.

It should be a heckuva’ game.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.