Lots of Languages being spoken  #52

If you read my blogs on a regular basis, you might think that we have two seasons here in Northern Maine, fishing and hunting. Well that might be the case to most outdoor enthusiasts, but that is not really accurate. See, not only do I spend time in my little room downstairs winding thread around feathers, hair and wire during the winter months, but TC and I spend time on our cross country skis at the local cross country venue. Now, when I say cross country venue, I really mean our world class cross country venue. See, a number of years ago, a vision of constructing a facility that would allow for the training of athletes who ski was born. Through the generous funding of the Libra Foundation to the Maine Winter Sports Center, the seed money was obtained and construction started on the first facility in Fort Kent, Maine. That was called 10^th mountain after the 10th mountain army division who was known for their cross country skiing. Then a couple of years later, the second facility, Nordic Heritage Sports Center was built and the result was, and still is, two world class skiing facilities in Northern Maine. So, now is the saying “If you build it, they will come” really true?  I am here to tell you that it is. Since both facilities were built, Fort Kent has held two world cup biathlon races and Presque Isle has held one Jr world cup biathlon race and one world cup race. That is no small feat. Those races are sanctioned by the IBU (International Biathlon Union) in Europe. If you have ever been to Europe during the winter, you know that biathlon is a big sport there. Now, what is biathlon you might ask? It is a sport where an athlete carries a 22 rifle on their back while skiing around a measured course. They ski the designated course and then come into a shooting range where they shoot five shots at a metal target fifty meters down range. They do it from a prone position and then they do it from a standing position. The particular contest they are in that day determines if they shoot one or two times from each. Then if they miss any targets, they must do the commensurate number of laps in what is called the penalty loop before they can ski back out on course. So, every shot missed costs them valuable time overall in their final time. One other thing to mention, the targets have something on them called apertures which change the size of the targets the athletes shoot on. The target is larger for the standing shooting and smaller for the prone shooting. Oh, one other thing. Have you ever run several miles? What did you feel like after you got done? Possibly a little winded? Try doing that, and then picking up a rifle and shooting at a little target. Not so easy is it? Every biathlete has to learn to control their breathing when they come into the range. That in itself is an art and a science.

So, here we are on February 14, 2014. And in less than 15 days, Presque Isle will again be hosting a world class event. The IBU World Junior Biathlon will be hosted by the Nordic Heritage Center beginning on February 26.  At this point, there are projected to be over thirty countries in this little community to take part in the event. As I write this, Australia, Russia and Austria are here already. TC and I will again be taking part in volunteering to help the local club make this a successful undertaking. If you have never seen Biathlon, I encourage you to come out and support the athletes and our community. The pace will be fast and furious, but remember, each country is here to win and take home the top prizes. It is going to be a fun time for all of us.

If you would like more information about the event, you can find it on the Nordic Heritage Center website at:  www.nordicheritagecenter.org