Sports news

Fall Run-Walk for Research

BANGOR – Join Hope Lutheran Church as it hosts the first Fall Run-Walk for Research at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Bangor City Forest off Tripp Drive, which is off Stillwater Avenue.

The event will raise funds and awareness of multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the plasma cell.

For participant and sponsorship forms, call Becky at 356-0425 or pick them up at Hope Lutheran Church after services at 9 a.m. Sundays.

Bring the whole family or get your friends together for a fall foliage walk or run through the City Forest and raise funds for cancer research at the same time. Same-day registration will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Leadership challenge course

ORONO – Strong leadership and teamwork can make the difference between competence and excellence in most pursuits, including football. With their eyes on a Colonial Athletic Association championship, the University of Maine football team recently completed the University of Maine Army ROTC leadership basics program.

On Aug. 9, under the strain of heat and physical exhaustion, eight 10-player teams learned new leadership skills by executing the Army ROTC Leader’s Obstacle Course. Players planned their group’s path through the course by considering each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Players used critical thinking and problem-solving skills by answering UM football history trivia questions, building a common history, enhancing esprit de corps and further developing pride in the program.

“Just like in the Army, football requires you to be physically fit and able to think after you’ve been pushed to the point of physical exhaustion,” said Capt. Darryl W. Lyon, the Army ROTC enrollment officer, who was in charge of the event. “The course highlights the team’s outstanding leaders and brings all the players together into a single unit.”

Members of the Maine Army National Guard’s Bravo Company 3-172nd Infantry ensured the safety of the individual players and provided motivation throughout the afternoon.

The course provided a new experience for the team and met the coach’s goals – teaching each player how to lead, follow and work as a team.

“This was an exceptional experience for our players. They learned a lot of valuable lessons that they will be able to take out to the field and use to succeed,” said Black Bear Coach Jack Cosgrove. He said he was impressed with the way the groups collaborated to overcome the course.

Orrington soccer season

ORRINGTON – The Orrington Recreation Committee is gearing up for its 2007 soccer season. This year the committee will offer soccer programs for children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Registration will take place 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, and Thursday, Sept. 6; and 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Center Drive School. The cost is $15 per child or $30 per family.

Games will begin on Saturday, Sept. 15, and run through late October. The committee needs volunteers to help as coaches and referees and to work in the Snack Shack. Teams for grades three through eight may be sponsored by businesses or individuals.

To keep the community informed of its activities, the committee uses the town of Orrington Web site. Registration forms and updated information such as schedules will be available online at www.orrington.govoffice.com under the “Municipal Departments,” “Recreation,” “ORC Forms” links.

For information, call Debbie Abbott at 825-4823 or Mike Wood at 825-5560.

Youth soccer

WINTERPORT – Winterport Youth Soccer registration will be held 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, at the Victoria Grant Civic Center, Abbott Park.

The organization offers three divisions ranging from pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade.

Smith School pupils will bring home youth soccer registration forms the first week of school. Forms also are available at www.winterportmaine.gov/recreation.

For information, call Dave Lester at 223-4104.