Towle race marks end of
Aroostook Cup Ski Carnival Series
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
As the more than 80 participants started to arrive at the Nordic Heritage Center on Saturday morning, the clouds broke and sunny skies brightened the trails for the annual Himie Towle Memorial Ski Frolic.
ON THE MOVE — Tommy O’Meara, left, and Hiram Towle make their way around the course during the kids’ event Saturday at the Himie Towle Memorial Ski Frolic at the Nordic Heritage Center.
Sponsored by Cary Medical Center and the Nordic Heritage Sport Club, the Frolic takes place every March and concludes the winter-long Aroostook Cup Ski Carnival Series with a 7.5-kilometer freestyle race and tour.
With recent rain and warm temperatures, event organizers worked until the start of the race to prepare a fast course for participants. Still, the soft spring snow favored those with quick feet and a light stride across the trail, and as is often the case at the Frolic, the day held some surprises for the field of citizen racers.
In the women’s field, Justine Cyr of the 10th Mountain Club in Fort Kent won the day with a time of 24:30. In second place was Kati Christoffel, skiing for the Nordic Heritage Sport Club, in a time of 26:04, and just five seconds back in third place was Patricia Hebert, also of 10th Mountain.
On the men’s side, 10th Mountain skier Seth Hubbard completing the course in a definitive 19:58. Skiers for the Northern Skiers Club in Caribou rounded out the top three, with Dave Chamberlain in second place at 21:06 and Mike Lessard in third at 21:25.
Contributed photo
ALL SMILES — Nordic Heritage Sport Club skiers Catherine Packard, left, and Sarah Gahagan enjoyed the festivities during the recent Karen Anderson Memorial Duathlon in Stockholm.
With the completion of the Himie Towle Memorial, the Aroostook Cup came to a close for the season. Holding on to the lead and winning the series with 109 total points was the 10th Mountain Club of Fort Kent. Close behind with 98 points was the Nordic Heritage Sport Club of Presque Isle, and in third was the Snowy Mountain Club of Stockholm with 58 points.
Awards will be presented at the ski community potluck open to the public on Saturday, April 9 at the Spruce Haven Lodge in Caribou. Series sponsor, the Maine Winter Sports Center, would like to thank all of the volunteers, sponsors and participants for a fantastic winter of racing, touring and celebration of the northern Maine ski community.
For more information on the awards and a complete list of results visit the website GoAroostookOutdoors.com.
A wrap-up of the remainder of the Aroostook Cup Ski Carnival Series follows:
The first Aroostook Cup event was the annual Frostbite Ski Race at the 10th Mountain Ski Center Jan. 16. Fred Bailey of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club was the race winner, completing the 21K course in 58 minutes and 54 seconds. Mike Lessard of the Northern Skiers in Caribou was second and Max Saenger of the Snowy Mountain Club in Stockholm placed third.
Katrina Howe of the 10th Mountain Ski Club was the women’s winner in 1:08.33. Meagan Toussaint of Snowy Mountain was second and Patricia Hebert of 10th Mountain came in third.
In the 6K race, Derek Rowe of the Northern Skiers and Lauren Olson of Nordic Heritage Sport Club were the individual champions. The male second- and third-place finishers, respectively, were Brendan Cyr of Northern Skiers and Dan Chasse of 10th Mountain, while taking second for females was Sherry Dubis of 10th Mountain, with Danni Anderson of NHSC third.
Next was the Jan. 30 Madawaska Valley Ski Sprints, held at the Four Seasons Trails in Madawaska. Sarah Dominick of Snowy Mountain won the 6.5-kilometer freestyle race in 20:48. She was followed by Hebert and Dubis. NHSC’s Jesse Rochester won the men’s division in 18:42, followed closely by Mike Smith of NHSC in second and Marco Boucher of Four Seasons in third.
The third Cup race was the Karen Sprague Memorial Ski Duathlon Feb. 20, whose format has skiers on classic skis for the first 2.6 kilometers, followed by freestyle skiing for the final 2.6 kilometers.
Justine Cyr of 10th Mountain won the women’s race, with Kati Christoffel and Sarah Gahagan, both of NHSC, grabbing the second and third positions. Saenger claimed first in the men’s race, with Paul Stone and Smith, both of NHSC, taking the next two slots.
The Limestone Ski Club and the Aroostook Wildlife Refuge co-hosted the 23rd annual C-ME-Ski event Feb. 26. In the 21K race, Seth Hubbard of 10th Mountain was the men’s winner in 1:12.20, while Saenger was second and Will Sweetser of Snowy Mountain third. Toussaint was the women’s champion in 1:23.12 and was followed by Hebert in second and Susan Plissey of Snowy Mountain in third.
In the 7K, Kamran Husain of 10th Mountain was the winner, while Gentle Prescott, also of 10th Mountain, won the 2K race.
Fifty participants had a good day to ski Feb. 27 for the 36th annual Henry Anderson Ski Dag in Caribou. Mike Lessard of the Northern Skiers was the men’s winner on the 8K course in 21:35, while Seth Hubbard and Nick Michaud, both of 10th Mountain, followed.
Melinda McAleese of 10th Mountain covered the course in 25:50 to win on the women’s side. Katrina Howe of 10th Mountain was the runner-up and Danni Anderson of NHSC took third.
The race is hosted by the Caribou Parks and Recreation Department and the Jepson family, whose grandfather was the race’s namesake, Henry Anderson. Anderson was a local ski maker in the early 1900s and made hundreds of pairs of long wooden skis for local residents. The race is one of the only classical races that still exists on the Aroostook Cup circuit.
Age division winners were Caleb Willett, Gentle Prescott, Ryan Washington, Bonnie Corey, Michaud, Anderson, Hubbard, Howe, George Ferland, Max Saenger, Sherry Dubis, Paul Cyr, Patricia Hebert, Bob Sprague, Connie McLellan and Norman Page.
