By Natalie Bazinet and Kathy McCarthy
Staff Writers
With the world-class athletes that competed in Presque Isle during the World Cup Biathlon events Feb. 4-6 was a world-class opening ceremonies extravaganza showcasing the talented folks from right here in Aroostook County.
Staff photo by Michael Gudreau
Hannah Boddy, of Caribou, shared a world-class hug with U.S. biathlete Zach Hall of Nikiski, Alaska, after she presented him with his official jersey. Boddy was one of 135 Maine Dance Academy dancers participating in the opening ceremonies.
“We were so pleased to welcome the nations of the world for the Opening Ceremonies of the World Cup Biathlon event in Presque Isle,” said University of Maine at Presque Isle President Don Zillman. “We are proud to be a part of a week-long event that honors world-class athletes and shows to the world the talent and dedication of our local volunteers.”
Among the talents showcased during the opening ceremonies were students of the Caribou-based Maine Dance Academy.
“We can’t even put into words how excited, pleased and proud we are of the dancers,” said Colleen DuPlissie, owner and instructor of the Maine Dance Academy and Clarann Flynn, MDA instructor. “They did a fantastic job beyond our expectations and looked very professional. They worked really hard and their efforts really paid off.”
It was the biggest crowd that MDA students had ever performed for, which is saying a lot considering that their annual performances sell out at the Caribou Performing Arts Center. Having the opening ceremonies televised in Europe and performing for a globally-followed sport would certainly create a bundle of nerves for almost anyone, but that nervous energy was channeled into excitement by the MDA dancers.
Staff photo by Michael Gudreau
Man behind the mask — People far and wide are still talking about the Caribou Varsity Ski Team roller-skiers who participated in their Morphsuits during the grand finale of the opening. (The masked man is Caleb Chapman).
“The energy of the crowd was unbelievable,” DuPlissie and Flynn agreed. “Opening ceremonies producer Johan Thoren produces Olympic ceremonies and has produced over 100 World Cups, and he said he hasn’t felt anything like this is a while.”
The excitement that churned in the audience was matched by their receptiveness to the high caliber opening ceremonies performers, and the culmination of those two parts created an incredibly energetic atmosphere that performers were able to feed off of.
But it wasn’t just MDA dancers who were feeling the vibe. Members of the Caribou Marching Band benefited from that same energy.
“We knew we were going to have a good night early on,” said Band Director Vaughn McLaughlin. “There were other musicians [The Presque Isle Band] playing right across the room, and to knowing that there was another band in the room that really played well, pumped my students up.”
Playing in such a high-energy atmosphere can often cause young musicians to play off key, but members of the Caribou Marching Band stayed pitch-perfect throughout their performance. McLaughlin mentioned the discussions he had with band members before the big event regarding not letting their excitement get the best of them.
“We talked about it a lot before the performance and how we needed to play with energy, but use our brains too,” he said.
As the opening ceremonies were the cultural event to be at last week, discussions have abound regarding the caliber of performance; some have said it seemed like there was a “battle of the bands” going on between Caribou and Presque Isle.
“The band directors certainly didn’t approach it that way,” McLaughlin said. “We made sure our kids were working well together.”
While most members of the Caribou Marching Band were dressed in their normal attire, spectators may have noticed a couple of band members sporting some a-typical attire: that’s because of the 38 Marching Band Members, about a dozen of them were also performing with the Maine Dance Academy as well “and they didn’t’ have time to change,” McLaughlin explained.
The Caribou band played about 10 songs, including McLaughlin’s favorite of the event, “Big Noise from Winnetka.”
“We had a really great trumpet and percussion solos in the middle of it,” he said. The three solos were performed by Renee Dube on the trumpet, Taylor Nadeau on the snare drum and Laura Collins on the quad tom.
The 138 participating Maine Dance Academy students put together a total of 12 performance numbers for the opening ceremonies, including a Celtic performance — a crowd favorite — and Jai Ho — an MDA instructor favorite. (According to Flynn, Jai Ho is a Bollywood-type dance).
DuPlissie was contacted in August by event coordinators and asked to come up with ideas for the opening ceremonies. The result was a plethora of dancers from around the world that students practiced for five months before being ready for their World Cup limelight.
Staff photo by Michael Gudreau
Members of the Caribou Marching Band, led by Vaughn McLaughlin, wowed the crowd during the opening ceremonies of the World Cup Biathlon on Feb. 3.
But the opening ceremonies efforts extended by MDA instructors and volunteers exceeded the dancing.
“MDA parents set the stage up for the opening ceremonies and donated their time to make the event run smoothly,” DuPlissie said, extending her thanks to all the parents and lighting and sound specialists John Nightingale of Fort Fairfield and Andy Saucier of Presque Isle.
While MDA volunteers certainly helped get the ceremonies rolling, a loud “shout out” given by Flynn and DuPlissie was to participating members of the Caribou varsity ski team … who graced the grand finale stage in their Morphsuits and roller-skis to perform some Maine Dance Academy choreography alongside the dancers while photos of the athletes played in a slideshow above the performers.
“It really tied everything together,” agreed Flynn and DuPlissie.
Finding someone who didn’t agree that the opening ceremonies were anything but stellar would be tough.
“It was nearly a sell-out crowd and the show was spectacular. The European production company worked very well in conjunction with the Maine Dance Academy and the choreography was seamless,” said Jane Towle, chief of media and promotion for the Presque Isle portion of the biathlon, who said that response to the ceremony has been extremely positive.
“We have had rave reviews from the athletes, coaches, International Biathlon Union representatives and the public,” she said, noting, “It is not mandatory for athletes and coaches to attend the opening ceremonies and we are so pleased that most of them chose to participate.”
Towle said not all communities hosting a World Cup event got to the effort of hosting an opening ceremony.
Staff photo by Michael Gudreau
Dave Peterson, event director for the Presque Isle leg of the E.ON IBU World Cup Biathlon, welcomed guests and athletes during the opening ceremony held Feb. 3 at Gentile Hall at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The hall was packed for the occasion, with many spectators opting to watch from the second floor track. Local youth provided entertainment for the occasion and presented each athlete with their respective bibs for the weekend competition. Behind Peterson are local children holding the bibs.
“Many World Cup venues in Europe do not host an opening ceremony due to the incredible logistical planning that it takes, so this was a very pleasant surprise for them. It exceeded their expectations,” said Towle.
Staff photo by Michael Gudreau
Students of the Caribou-based Maine Dance Academy showed off their skills for, literally, the world to see as the opening ceremonies were televised in Europe. Dancers included, from left, Emily Sjoberg of Presque Isle, Kailanny Hernandez of Fort Fairfield, Alexis Simpson of Presque Isle, Alaina Sweetser of Presque Isle, Malerie Buck of Chapman and Kate Finemore of Caribou.
Photo courtesy of Dina Harding
Scouts from several troops and packs throughout Aroostook County took part the flag detail during the opening ceremony of the World Cup Biathlon, held Feb. 3 at UMPI’s Gentile Hall. Pictured in front from left, with their respective troop or pack number, are: Chris Stepp, 171; Aaron Swanson, 170; Chandler Pratt, 179; Turner McLaughlin, 177; Jacob Foster, 171; Nathan Willett, 171; and Holden Stoutamyer, 170. Second row: Jordan Plummer, 171; Chance Bragan, 171; Riley Roderick, 171; Caleb Ames, 171; Daniel Haley, Eagle Scout, 193; Ryan Tourk, 186; Bryce Roix, 177; and Collin Patterson, 186. Back row: Dylan Michaud, 186; Daniel Roy, 177; Josh Zappone, 186; Glen Peterson, 186; James Churchill, 170; Tom McLean, 186; Shane Furber, 186; and Josh McLean, 186. Not pictured but also participating was Colton Harding, 171.
Staff photo by Michael Gudreau
Maine Dance Academy students who put a little sass into their moves were, front row, from left, Karlee Willett of Caribou, Emily Michaud of Limestone and Sheridan Blackstone of Caribou.
