Aroostook County youth ski against New England’s best

    GILFORD, N.H. — Seven young skiers from Aroostook County traveled to the New England Nordic Ski Association’s Bill Koch Youth Ski Festival this past weekend.
    The Festival, named in honor of the only U.S. Nordic skier to win an Olympic medal, gives skiers aged four to 14 an opportunity to enjoy winter, snow and excellent competition.     Traveling from the County were Kaitlyn Plourde, of Caribou; Lance McKenney, Melissa McKenney and Sam Kaszas, of Fort Fairfield; Jon and Jesse Rochester, of Presque Isle; and Cassidy Spencer, of St. Francis.         
    The seven skiers joined the Maine Winter Sports Center for the trip as part of their development as young ski racers.
    All seven competed in the individual freestyle competition, the mini-marathon and the classic team-sprint.
    Top performances from the group included fourth place for Spencer in the girls’ J2 freestyle, 17th place for Plourde in the girls’ J3 freestyle, 24th place for Jesse Rochester in the boys’ J3 freestyle and 17th place for L. McKenney in the boys’ J4 freestyle.
    L. McKenney was the second place skier for Maine in his event. On Sunday, Jesse and Jon Rochester teamed up to make the finals in the boys’ J3 classic team sprint.
    The pair finished 15th. M. McKenney and Plourde also made the finals, earning 11th place in the girls’ J3 class.
    Both L. McKenney and Kaszas, skiing on mixed teams from Maine, put in speedy legs in their relays.