Sports in brief . . .

Middle school basketball tournament
    The Aroostook County YBOA girls’ teams will host a boys’ and girls’ middle school basketball tournament on Sunday, Apr. 13 at the Caribou Recreation and Parks Department.     There will be two divisions: grades five and six and seven and eight. Entry fee for a team is $175 to benefit the YBOA teams.
    For more information, contact Dave DeMerchant at 764-0597 (day) or 764-2398 (evening).
Quoggy Jo awards
    Quoggy Jo will hold their awards night for the Sunday ski season on Thursday, April 10 at 6 p.m. at the Quoggy Jo Ski Lodge.
Aroostook Football League
    The AFL will host “Touchdown,” its sixth annual variety show, on Saturday, Apr. 12 at 7 p.m. All proceeds will support the purchase of equipment for the new middle school program.
    Tickets are available from Stu Wyckoff at 764-7651, Dick Engels at 764-2928 and Vince Sirois at 316-7370. The cost of admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 11 and under.
UMPI events
    The UMPI distinguished lecturer series will feature adventurer and educator T.A. Loeffler  on Monday, April 21 at 7 p.m. in Wieden Auditorium.
    Climbing nights will be offered now through May at UMPI’s Gentile Hall. Climbing nights will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on May 5th. No experience is required. Please wear something comfortable to move in (no shorts permitted). There is no cost for members. $10 fee for non-members.
    Runners will hit the pavement on Saturday, April 12 for the 28th annual Spring Runoff 5 km Road Race. The race begins at UMPI, and is a fundraising event for the UMPI cross county program. Registration takes place at 8 a.m. in Wieden Gymnasium. The race is open to runners and walkers of all ages. The event will conclude with an awards presentation and a pizza lunch. For more information or to register a team, contact Chris Smith at 768-9472 or Christopher.smith@umpi.edu.
Maine Winter Sports Center announcements
    The MWSC season-end celebration will take place on Friday, April 11 with a pot luck supper beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the celebration following from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring pot luck dishes by last name: A-E appetizers, F-L cold dishes, M-S hot dishes and T-Z desserts. For more information, contact Brent Jepson at 492-2222 or jepson@gwi.net or Mark Shea at 227-7465 or mark@mainewsc.org. 
    Mojo’s is organizing a mountain biking trip to Moab, U.T. from April 12 to 19. To reserve a spot, or for more information, call Melanie Stewart at 760-9500.
    Big Rock is extending the ski season to April 27, weather permitting.
ATV safety course
    The Star City ATV Club is sponsoring a two day ATV safety course on May 9 and 10 at the Presque Isle Police Department. Hours are from 6 to 9 p.m. on the 9th and 8 a.m. to noon on the 10th.
    The course is limited to 15 people so pre-registration is recommended. Students from 10 to 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The fee is $5.
    For more information, call 764-8313 or 488-9605 in the evenings.
Soap box  derby
    The Northern Maine Soap Box Derby committee will be holding a Tech Day for racers and their cars on Saturday, April 26. This day is planned to help racers with the new updates for their cars. Tech Day will be held at the Houlton Fire Station between  9 a.m. and 3 p.m. 
    If you have any questions about the Derby, contact Derby Director Dan Emerson at 532-6591.
    Registrations are still being accepted for this year’s race. The race is Saturday, June 21at Derby Hill in Community Park in Houlton.
    For registration information contact the derby at rec.programs@houlton-maine.com or call Emerson.