Aroostook County football will continue despite vote

To the editor:
    Recently awareness of the Aroostook Football League in the Presque Isle area is growing each week with a series of editorials being written regarding the controversial decision of the Presque Isle Zoning Board of Appeals on June the 3rd.
     As many now know the appeal hearing was a disappointment for the League and the many families of players who drove from as far away as the Madawaska and Houlton areas to see local government at work and the usually fair system of an appeal process.
    Unfortunately due to lack of a second to a motion the side of Aroostook Football was never heard and the window of opportunity to build our field is now shut for the time being.
    I became involved in football in Aroostook County when my oldest son was in seventh grade in a program then known as the NFL Junior Player Development League. We went to the Potato Blossom Festival Parade and there were football players in the parade and there were handouts being passed out with the details of how to sign up and play.
    Having come from a high school in central Maine with a longstanding tradition of football I was excited for my middle-schooler who watched football on TV with me every Sunday in the fall and enjoyed our backyard games that we played often to have the opportunity to play organized football.
    That first year he signed up, I became more excited about football in Aroostook County because the more I learned about the volunteerism and philosophy of the league organizers the more willing I became to increase my support and get involved.
    Also the year my son played football, he made the Presque Isle Middle School basketball team and one of the major reasons was because of the conditioning and exercise he was getting through the JPD program. He was in better shape physically and had developed a great attitude toward athletics.
    In those first years I got more involved with JPD and in my son’s second season I became an assistant coach for JPD. The league had a philosophy that I feel is so important and that is that all players regardless of ability are “starters” and are guaranteed playing time.
    If you keep a positive attitude as a player, put in an honest effort, and attend practices faithfully you will play in the game!
    This philosophy was not recognized by the competitive school sports coaches at the time at what was known then as Skyway Middle School.
    My son had perfect attendance to practices as a Skyway athlete yet he sat on the bench for the majority of all games including one I went to where the Presque Isle team had a 30-point lead at halftime.
    “Playing time is non-negotiable, don’t even ask” was the quote of the head coach at the time. What a refreshing attitude in the football program to put the fun and involvement of the athletes ahead of “win-loss” and individual scoring records. I felt then and I still feel now that I am proud to be a part of such an organization that puts the kids first.
    JPD eventually became Aroostook Football and both of my sons played in their high school years and both kids loved the program and went on to be “starters” learning life lessons along the way in character, teamwork, responsibility and courage among others.
    I am proud to say I am a current Board Member and this August I am volunteering again as a head coach in the new middle school program which is being graciously hosted by the Northern Maine Community College facility.
    I am pleased to continue to volunteer my limited abilities and time to the program because of the experiences I have had coaching my own boys and being involved in their lives along with getting to know some very fine young AFL players along the way.
    This program is valuable and necessary for Aroostook County.
    Kids of all sizes, shapes, genders, and abilities are welcomed into the Aroostook Football League with open arms, words of encouragement from their coaches and all-volunteer adults, and are taught to be better citizens through the weekly Life Lessons taught at practices.
    It’s unfortunate that the Zoning Board and the opposing landowners were not allowed to hear all the facts about what they felt would be a horrible imposition into the abutting landowners lives.
    The real losers in this controversial decision are the kids of central Aroostook by being denied what would have been a state-of-the-art football facility with stadium lights, locker rooms, and refreshment stand. Facts are available and research has been done to illustrate the minimal impact our facility would have had on the only two families that were opposed to the development that are within a stone’s throw of an extremely busy and noisy Route 1.
    Certainly 10 weeks of football practices and games per year — some of the games being away, would have been a minor inconvenience to those two families compared to the constant stream of traffic rolling past their homes at 55 mph all day and all night every day.
    But again the Zoning Board — due to a failed understanding of protocol — did not allow a motion to be heard, evidence was not presented, and we were left to lick our wounds and miss out on a great opportunity that involved a cumulative effort of many, many reputable and charitable organizations who were all thanked for their efforts in a previous editorial.
    Of course, we will continue — we may not be able at this time to develop our own land, but we will continue.
    Football is alive and well in The County. Just ask the over 300 spectators in Madawaska who showed up for a Friday night football game under the lights in that community last year.
    Just ask the abutting landowners of Sincock Field in Caribou who for several years now have enjoyed hosting the annual central Aroostook football season and have had not one complaint about damages or inconvenience in their lives.
    Just ask the citizens of Houlton and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs who have welcomed the program to their facilities and hundreds of spectators who have showed up to enjoy the games being played there.
    Just ask Vickie Harris from Presque Isle who made a special trip to my office one day when I was head coach of her grandson Matt’s football team to tell me how much Matt’s personality had changed due to football. He was more outgoing, more polite, and was getting better grades and she wanted to thank me in person for the impact the League was having on her family.
    Matt is returning to the League as a volunteer referee and assistant coach for the new central Aroostook middle school football program.
    The program will go on as long as Aroostook County folks with vision and a willingness to put the needs of our youth ahead of their personal priorities are willing to step up and offer their services. One of the great things I have learned since relocating to “The County” in 1988 is the folks here have a way of persevering and so does Aroostook Football.
    One of the questions often asked when families are thinking about relocating to Aroostook County is “Do you have a Football Program?” and thanks to the generosity of Dick Engels and Stu Wyckoff, the founders of AFL, we can say yes, there is football being played in The County.
    If you are interested in joining this Aroostook County success story (in spite of a less than favorable decision in recent weeks), please visit the Football League’s Web site at aroostookfootball.com for contact information.
    We encourage volunteers and potential players to get involved. At least, come out and watch a game this fall — the kids love playing in front of a big crowd.
    The high school season starts practicing outside in July with the regular season to follow with games, playoffs and Championships being held at fields in Caribou, Madawaska and Houlton.
    The all new Central Aroostook middle school program begins practices August 30th at NMCC in Presque Isle. Registration for players and volunteers is ongoing at this time.
Dan Bagley
Presque Isle