Sports news

Pickup basketball for women only

BANGOR – Women’s-only pickup basketball will be held 7-9 p.m. Mondays, Nov. 6 and 20, at the Penobscot Christian School gymnasium, 1423 Ohio St.

The activity is designed to be recreational and fun. For information, call 947-7573 or e-mail BangorWBB@yahoo.com

Volunteers for handicapped skiing

Looking for great skiing or riding, new friends and a way to help others? Maine Handicapped Skiing is seeking volunteers to teach adaptive alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing to more than 250 adults and children with physical disabilities this coming winter.

Maine Handicapped Skiing, Maine’s largest year-round adaptive recreation program, is entering its 25th year of operation. The program provides standard and adaptive ski equipment, warm winter clothing when needed and specially trained volunteer instructors to work with children and adults with physical disabilities so they can become independent skiers and snowboarders.

Each year more than 350 people volunteer at Maine Handicapped Skiing.

To qualify as a skiing or boarding volunteer, you must be at least 18 years old, be an intermediate skier or boarder and have your own ski equipment with indemnifiable bindings or snowboard.

In addition, volunteers are required to take three days of training in November and December and volunteer 10 days as an instructor from Jan. 3 through the end of March. Volunteers ski for free when volunteering and for each day contributed to instructing, they receive a complimentary lift-trail pass at one of three locations – Sunday River Ski Resort, Sunday River Inn and Cross Country Ski Center or Sugarloaf/USA.

During the winter program season, Maine Handicapped Skiing offers downhill skiing and snowboarding lessons Sunday through Friday at Sunday River Ski Resort. Cross-country skiing and snowboarding lessons are taught at Sunday River Inn and Cross Country Ski Center Wednesdays through Fridays and on select days at Pineland Farms. At Sugarloaf/USA, MHS offers a weekend program of downhill skiing and snowboarding lessons.

Snowmobile drivers also are needed to transport participants to different parts of the mountain throughout the day. Photographers and videographers help document the day-to-day excitement of Maine Handicapped Skiing. Indoor volunteers assist with daily program activities, including answering the phone, helping participants and volunteers and assisting with general office tasks.

Maine Handicapped Skiing also has a Junior Volunteer program for 16- and 17-year-olds. Junior volunteers learn about the many types of physical disabilities served at MHS and are instructed in numerous adaptive on-snow techniques in preparation for becoming a full-fledged volunteer at age 18.

For information, call (800) 639-7770 or e-mail Judy Sullivan, program director, at jsullivan@skimhs.org. Visit the Web site at www.skimhs.org.