All-star cheerleading

BANGOR – With the growth of all-star cheerleading, SCS All Stars will open in the Bangor area as of July. Teams will be chosen and train for New England competition against other all-star teams in the country.

The New Hampshire-based SCS All Stars is a competitive cheerleading program created by coaches Jennifer Chandonnet and Kathylynn Bentz.

Both graduates of Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln, the sisters have spent 10 years coaching squads from kindergarten through college. They have taught at YMCA camps, clinics at elementary schools, a competitive junior high school team which was runner-up in Maine, two varsity high school teams and several squads in New Hampshire.

Chandonnet and Bentz are ASEP- and NYSCA-certified, have trained with USA gymnastics and are training for the U.S. All Star Federation.

They will combine their efforts with Melinda Kenny, head coach for the University of Maine Black Bears cheerleading program, where she has been for seven years.

Kenny was captain of the Black Bears Co-Ed team at UM and a UCA instructor for three years. She is a former elite gymnast.

“Professional training is a must in today’s cheerleading,” said Chandonnet, “and proper training avoids what can be potentially dangerous cheerleading situations. USASF has strict standards and high expectations for their coaches.”

SCS All Stars offers programs for ages 3-18, plus a senior elite team for those over 18.

Evaluations for team placement will be held June 13-15. There are no cuts; everyone makes a team. SCS All Stars also offers a Parent Boosters program.

. 4-7 p.m. June 13, cafeteria, Central Middle School, Corinth.

. 5-8 p.m. June 14, Springer Gymnastics, Ellsworth.

. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. June 15, Leonard Middle School, Old Town.

For information, visit www.straffordcountyspirit.com

Young Professional of the Year

HAMPDEN – The Maine Recreation and Park Association presented Shelley Abbott of the Hampden Recreation Department with the Distinguished Young Professional Award at the association’s annual conference May 1 in Portland.

Abbott, of Brewer, has served as assistant recreation director in Hampden since 2002. Town officials credit her with being “a creative, organized, hardworking and dedicated individual who has made a very positive impact on her community. Her professionalism and get-it-done attitude has helped her earn the respect of the town administration as well as the thousands of Hampden residents that she comes in contact with each year. Shelley is an excellent example of a young leader in the park and recreation field.”

Abbott has served on several MRPA committees, including as co-chairwoman of the spring conference committee. She has assisted at three statewide competitions – Hershey Track and Field, Hot Shot and Pitch, Hit and Run.

Abbott lives in Brewer with her husband, Will, and her daughter, Marissa.

Activities at Fields Pond

HOLDEN – Fields Pond Audubon Center will sponsor these outdoor activities:

. Family walk in nature, 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14. $4 children, free to parents. Bring the family to explore nature on the grounds of Fields Pond Center with naturalist Holly Twining. Parents and children will enjoy the exercise and fresh air, as well as learn the science and poetry of nature. A creative indoor project will be offered.

. Moonlight canoeing, 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, Fields Pond Nature Center. $5 per person with your own canoe or kayak; $10 per rental canoe with life jacket and paddles. To register, call 989-2591 and pay in advance. Heavy rain or thunder would cancel the trip, and payment will be refunded.

. Mystery Fish of the Orono Bog, 7-8 p.m. Friday, June 20, and 8 a.m. Saturday June 21, at Orono Bog. Judy Markowsky, director of Fields Pond Audubon Center will lead the expedition in the bog. $12 Audubon members, $15 others. Register by calling 989-2591 and pay in advance. There are tiny, sometimes beautiful, fascinating fish in the lagg, the wet area that surrounds the bog. How do they get there? A few years ago, Markowsky found a new fish, unknown in Maine. She and other biologists published an article about it. This class will have an orientation with informative handouts and will set live traps Friday evening. Saturday the class will see what was caught.

. Sparrow tour, 7 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 21, Winterport, with leader John Wyatt. $5 Audubon members, $6 others. Call Fields Pond at 989-2591 for registration and directions to the meeting point in Winterport. Need help improving your sparrow identification skills? Sparrows are small and not very “flashy” so they can be challenging to recognize. Take a tour of Prospect and Frankfort and visit the Mendall Marsh and nearby blueberry barrens. In addition to the more common sparrows, participants will look for Vesper’s and Nelson’s sharp-tailed Sparrows.

For more information, call 989-2591 or e-mail htwining@maineaudubon.org.

Trekking in Ireland

BANGOR – Residents with an interest in combining outdoor activities and travel are invited to join the members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club Eastern Maine chapter at its next meeting for a photo-journey through Ireland’s lush, green countryside and quaint villages.

Longtime club member Karen Littlefield of Old Town and her husband, Bob, traveled Ireland’s scenic walking paths and mountain trails while staying in picturesque bed-and-breakfast inns along the way.

The club’s monthly meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, at Epic Sports, 6 Central St., Bangor.

The club has added a number of activities for the season. Members and those interested in the outdoors are encouraged to take a look at the calendar of events at www.moac.org to learn more about midweek evening walks in Bangor, new member hikes, a new progressive hike series where each hike is a bit more challenging, weekly paddles on local lakes and ponds, trips into Acadia National Park and group bike rides.

Maine Tide soccer

BANGOR – The Maine Tide got its first win against the Adirondack Lynx in a 3-1 victory on June 7.

The Tide battled hard throughout the match. It started off early with a great sequence in the fourth minute when Kyla Hoskins played a beautiful ball to Jesse Roberts, who found Christine Labelle making a run. Labelle had a great shot, but the Lynx keeper, Ashley Kaufman, dived for the save.

The second half started off with the same determination to get a goal. Willette got the ball around midfield, ran down the flank and slipped a shot in past the keeper from a very tight angle to give the Tide a 1-0 advantage in the 46th minute.

The Lynx got on the board in the 66th minute in an unusual fashion. Ashley Wilson crossed a very high ball into the box, which bounced in front of half-time substitute goalkeeper Elizabeth Deletetsky.

Deletetsky jumped to get the ball on the second bounce, but Kylee Litchfield for the Lynx got her head on it before running into Deletetsky.

Deletetsky reached back but couldn’t get a hand on the ball as it rolled toward goal. Morris ran to clear the ball, but it was whistled across the line before she could save it.

The Tide got the advantage back in the 85th minute when defender Rebekah Ferguson played a great ball from midfield up to forward Allison Beckers at the top of the box. The ball bounced once, then Beckers jumped and kicked the ball out of the air with the outside of her foot past the charging Kaufman and into the back of the net.

Beckers helped to seal the victory when she slipped a perfect ball back to Laura Harper, who fired a shot from 23 yards out. Harper’s shot was a bullet and Kaufman could do little but watch the ball hit the back of the net. Beckers was glad she could help her team to its first victory.

“We played really well today and it felt good to contribute to the team’s success,” she said.

The Tide will be looking for its second win at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, June 14, when it plays the Massachusetts Stingers at Husson College.