PRESQUE ISLE — The Nordic Heritage Center is pleased to welcome MMG Insurance as a partner of the 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships, which NHC will host from Feb. 28 until March 7. MMG has made a $10,000 donation to support the event.
The Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships, last held at the Nordic Heritage Center in 2006, have tested young athletes overseas in the past few years in Sweden, Finland, Austria and other countries, and seven years after the Nordic Heritage Center hosted its first championship, the event is returning to Maine soil.
“MMG has played a critical role in the Nordic Heritage Center’s history from its inception,” said Event Director Jane Towle. “They have been incredibly supportive through generous sponsorships, as well as allowing NHC to utilize the talent of their employees through volunteerism.”
Volunteers and sponsors are crucial to the organizing process, according to Towle.
“Our sponsors and volunteers are critical to our organizing committee and through continued success of these events, MMG understands the Nordic Heritage Center has potential to be a vital ongoing economic driver in our region,” she said. “We are so pleased that MMG continues to partner with the Nordic Heritage Center in our advancing goal of long-term sustainability.”
MMG President and CEO Larry Shaw said there are two primary reasons that the company chose to sponsor the event.
“We feel a responsibility to support the Nordic Heritage Club — in general — because of the benefits the facility brings to our community and employees. The Nordic Heritage Sports Club and [the Heritage Center’s] trails offer a unique opportunity for health and wellness activities year round,” he said, noting that MMG’s sponsorship of the biathlon event is an extension of its overall support for family-friendly events that occur at the facility.
“We also sponsored this event because of the positive impact it has on our community both from an economic and cultural impact,” said Shaw.
As 2014 gets under way, excitement within local communities about upcoming winter events continues to build. This vibrance within the community, according to Shaw, is one of its greatest strengths.
“One of the positive attributes of living here is the sense of community,” said Shaw. “It takes many volunteers and significant business support to make an event like this happen and we are very pleased to play a part in it.”
The 2014 IBU Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships will bring upwards of 350 of the world’s top biathletes age 21 or under, along with support staff from more than 30 countries, to the northern Maine region. For more information and updates on the event, visit http://nordicheritagecenter.org/2014-ibu-world-youth-junior-biathlon-championships/.
