By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The countdown is on and now very visible for Aroostook County’s hosting of the 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships in Presque Isle. Event officials and partners gathered exactly one year to the date of the start of the international event, which will be hosted at the Nordic Heritage Center in the Star City, to officially unveil the event logo and introduce a large countdown calendar in the heart of downtown.
At a press conference last Thursday, organizers announced that upwards of 350 of the world’s top biathletes, under the age of 21 and from more than 30 countries, are expected to be in Aroostook County for the competition that will run from Feb. 28-March 7, 2014. An additional 200-300 coaches, officials and parents will make the journey to northern Maine, as well.
With the intent of building regional excitement, organizers have placed a large number sign in the corner windows on the third floor of the Key Bank building on State and Main streets in Presque Isle noting the number of days remaining before the event kickoff.
“New York has Times Square, where it is said the world meets. It’s a crossroads people seek out as a destination or pass through to get where they are going. I would dare say that Aroostook County’s crossroads, our version of Times Square, is right here in the heart of downtown Presque Isle. People pass through here every day and see this building,” said Jane Towle, event director for the 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships. “So where better to have such a visible sign and get folks excited than right here in the crossroads of The County.”
That visibility will also come in the form of a new logo designed for the event by Aroostook County native John Hafford, who now resides in Millinocket. The logo prominently features the word biathlon in a lighter blue with a more deep blue image of a cluster of pine trees appearing in the letters. A silhouette figure of a biathlete in motion, using similar blue and gold colors found in the Maine Winter Sports Center logo, appears as though skiing out of the word biathlon.
“We hope that this symbol will be well recognized by the time 2014 rolls around,” said Towle. “This logo also — hopefully — can be used in years to come with just a few variations to brand winter and summer events at the Nordic Heritage Center.”
Unable to attend the announcement in person due to inclement weather downstate was Andy Shepard, president and chief executive officer of the Maine Winter Sports Center. Shepard was, however, able to speak at the press conference by way of telephone.
“The Nordic Heritage Center was envisioned as a resource for all of central Aroostook County when we started the Maine Winter Sports Center. Its mission was to be an economic engine for the region, to host events that would bring the world to the school kids of The County, and to be an epicenter of healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle for the communities,” said Shepard. “As we celebrate the 10th anniversary this year of the Nordic Heritage Center, I can say without hesitation that your communities are accomplishing all of those objectives.
“It’s that exceptional volunteer community — in excess of 450 volunteers — that you have and the willingness of the business community to support the mission of the Maine Winter Sports Center that’s making it all work,” he said. “My hope is that not only will the athletes leave the competition understanding more about northern Maine and the United States, but that this will be an opportunity for us to bring the world into the classrooms of Aroostook County and into the homes of the region to broaden world perspectives and world views and — at the same time — create a lot of economic development.”
The countdown calendar that will mark the days to the start of the competition was made possible through a partnership with Key Bank and the United Way of Aroostook. Key Bank granted permission for the sign to be hung inside the third floor windows of the four-story building, and United Way of Aroostook staff members, whose offices are located in that part of the building, will maintain the sign and change the numbers regularly.
“As pedestrians and motorists pass by they’ll be looking at this daily,” said Towle, “and will hopefully gather the enthusiasm that all of us on the organizing committee have and it will be a daily visible reminder.”
According to Cheri Doak, senior vice president for Key Bank and president of the United Way of Aroostook board of directors, the countdown calendar is one of the ways Key Bank will partner with the Youth/Junior World Championships.
“A number of our employees will be engaged in the effort to stage and host the event. We also will support it is as an organization,” she said. “From the perspective of the United Way, the events hosted at the Nordic Heritage Center provide fulfilling volunteer opportunities, encourage healthy lifestyles, and bring economic benefit to many of The County businesses and organizations who are strong supporters of the United Way and its supported agencies throughout Aroostook, so we are happy to help in this way.”
The logo unveiling and countdown calendar launch are the first visible signs of the coming event locally, but members of the 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships Organizing Committee recently traveled to Obertilliach, Austria to receive a ceremonial flag from the International Biathlon Union (IBU). The flag, presented to Towle, event manager Steve Towle, and competition secretary Robert White, was displayed at the press event.
In the coming weeks, the Presque Isle Organizing Committee will finalize leadership roles for the 2014 event. Over the summer, committee representatives will attend meetings in Sochi, Russia, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
