Biathlon organizer addresses PROBUS
PRESQUE ISLE — The PROBUS Club held their monthly meeting Jan. 21 at Reeds Commons on the Northern Maine Community College campus.
President Dana Crory called the meeting to order and introduced the guest speaker, Jane Towle, who has been involved with biathlon since 2004. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup event will be held in Presque Isle Feb. 10-14. She spoke about all phases of the Olympic sport, which has had worldwide status since 1960.
Towle explained Nordic skiing and marksmanship have origins in the 1800s during military maneuvers in northern Europe, particularly. Presque Isle is one of only two areas in the United States that have licenses to host a world biathlon. The 300 world athletes who will be here are at least 21 years old and are considered professional superstars in Europe.
In addition, Towle said, there will be four European television networks on site at the Nordic Heritage Center to film the event, which will be watched by as many as 120 million viewers in Europe.
She concluded that not only does the biathlon give a large economic boost to Aroostook County, but it also serves as a fundraiser for the NHC thanks to the 500 or so volunteers who give so willingly of their time to help put on such an event.
After a short business meeting, Janet Snow gave a reading entitled “The Venting Cure,” which explained how writing helps solve the frustrations of daily life. The article was written by Martha Beck.
The meeting adjourned at 11:30. The group will meet next on Thursday, Feb. 18, at NMMC’s Reeds Commons.
