Caribou will host Youth Ski Fest

17 years ago
By Mark Shea

    Please allow me to be overstated for just a moment.
    There are few things as satisfying, or as rewarding, or as energizing as witnessing a group of youngsters on cross country skis. And those feelings are magnified tenfold when one has the opportunity to put on their own skis and enjoy an outing alongside these diminutive diagonal striders.     Overstated? Maybe a little (thanks for your indulgence); the truth is that it’s difficult to accurately describe the contagious joyfulness that is evoked when adults either watch, or better yet, join up with a group of kids as they slide around on skis.
    By and large, kids love to ski because of the gliding sensation it provides. Over the years, I’ve heard more than a few young skiers liken the experience to roller skating. With a relatively minimal amount of self-propulsion, skis, like roller skates or in-line skates, give the participant the sensation that the equipment is doing most of the work. The best part is that even first-time skiers, with the right amount of instruction and encouragement, are likely to appreciate just how easy and fun skiing can be.
    Fortunately for the youth of Aroostook County, there are plenty of adults with a firm grasp of the aforementioned principles. From north to south, there exists a plethora of ski programs, especially for elementary school-aged children.
    Physical education units, after school programs, Saturday programs, even one-day ‘field days’ are among the current fare being offered by teachers, recreation staff, parents, and volunteers in communities like: St. Francis, Fort Kent, Wallagrass, Eagle Lake, Frenchville, St. Agatha, Sinclair, Madawaska, and Van Buren in the St. John Valley; while Ashland, Stockholm, New Sweden, Woodland, Caribou, Connor, Limestone, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Easton, Mars Hill, and Monticello represent central Aroostook; and Houlton, Hodgdon, Linneus, Island Falls, Stacyville, Benedicta, and Kingman proffer opportunities in southern Aroostook and beyond.
    While each one of these programs is unique, there are a few common denominators. Trails at or near schools, access to affordable ski equipment, and dedicated individuals who aspire to get kids more active are central among them.
    Indubitably, these are significant pieces of implementing a successful program. However, in terms of inducing satisfaction, reward, energy, and maybe the most basic of sentiments, joy, among skiers and ski leaders alike, there is one aspect of youth ski programming to which only a handful of projects have caught on: the ski park.
    Sometimes known as a terrain park, a ski park is a concentrated area of jumps, bumps, banked turns, tunnels and more that can be located anywhere kids gather to ski. Scattered across The County, these ski parks not only attract young skiers looking for something more exciting than the traditional tour of a trail system, they engage them, sometimes for hours, in an almost constant state of activity.
Ski parks are quite easy to build; anyone with a shovel and a little creativity can do it. In fact, Maine Winter Sports Center can offer a number of resources on the subject, and if the schedule allows, we might even be able to visit your town to help with the construction!
    To recap: skiing is fun; kids everywhere love to ski; ski parks are the epicenter of fun. I urge you to check out an existing ski park (best bet: Aroostook Youth Ski Fest in Caribou on Saturday, March 15), or get involved in creating one. Then you will see that the opening statement in this article is right on the money! Cheers!
    Mark A. Shea is Community Development Director for the Maine Winter Sports Center.