Volunteering is its own reward, but Stockholm’s Courtney Cote received a little extra
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
It seems that everyone is still talking about the World Cup Biathlon held in Presque Isle earlier this month, particularly about the volunteers who spent countless hours ensuring event perfection. Many volunteers, on the other hand, have been talking about range crew volunteer Courtney Cote and her quest for a bib.
Contributed photo
Teenage volunteer for the World Cup Biathlon events in Presque Isle Courtney Cote made an unexpected friend during the time she put in at the Nordic Heritage Center; Austrian IBU official Manfred Neumeyer.
Courtney began following the Biathlon when it came to the county in 2004 after New Sweden Ski Coach Ernie Easter arranged for a couple of Swedish biathletes to make an appearance at the school. Biathlete Carl Bergman donated a biathlon bib to the school and Biathlete Mattias Nillson donated his bib for an auction, which Courtney won. She’s been hooked on the sport since then, following her idol Carl Johan Bergman in his athletic endeavors.
“Some athletes have a really big ego, but this guy seems very nice and whether he finishes 50th or first place, he’s always a good sport and a really good role model,” Courtney said.
So when Presque Isle World Cup Biathlon organizers started looking for volunteers in November, Courtney wanted to sign up because she thought it would be a good experience for her. Little did she know that she’d meet her idol, make a new friend and have an unforgettable experience.
But Courtney’s mother, Tamara Cote, wasn’t certain whether the barely-teen was old enough to become a volunteer. But after emails with the head of the range, Tamara and Courtney both signed up to be volunteers and were put on the range crew.
When the first official training day came about, Courtney was clearly the youngest volunteer. She was paired with her mother and she picked up the duties of being a runner pretty well. Courtney would pick up the scoring papers — the targets biathletes shoot at — and Tamara would record the scores.
This is where Manfred Neumeyer enters the story — an Austrian IBU official whose reputation preceded his arrival in the States.
“We were told to give him a relatively wide berth, that he tended to be pretty strict and to the point, that he was all business and not to get in his way” Tamara said.
And that’s not just speculation on Tamara’s behalf.
Dan Foster, town manager of Fort Fairfield, was also on the range crew and had similar experiences with Manfred.
“This guy was all business,” Foster said. “He was stern and he’s say stuff like ‘we’re friends, but …”
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Courtney Cote proudly displayed one of two autograph collections she gathered during the World Cup Biathlon events. She collected autographs from famed biathletes, but the board above are the signatures she collected from her fellow volunteers.
It’s safe to say that when possible, members of the range crew stayed out of his way.
But out of the blue, Manfred befriending Courtney.
“He started speaking to her and the rest of us adults were like, ‘really?’ Tamara said. “But I think that he saw how young she was and I think he was a little impressed that she was able to keep up with the adults and carry her share of the burden.”
Manfred doesn’t care for American food and, accordingly, brought many nonperishables with him from Austria. When he offered one of his limited-supply Austrian cookies to Courtney, she felt they were good enough friends that she could ask him a question.
“Do you think you could help me get a bib from either of the Biathlon events?”
Manfred told Courtney that he’d do his best.
“They chatted back and fourth on Saturday and every time he came through the range crew area the only smile he’d give out was to Courtney,” Tamara said.
“You could see the twinkle in his eye and the smile on his face when he talked to Courtney and she deserved it because she was working hard on the range and she did her job very well,” Foster said.
During the weekend, Courtney had been using her break-time to shed her volunteer constraints in order to gather signature of the biathletes because volunteers had strict rules to follow, one of which was do not speak with the athletes.
Courtney would give the group updates on whose signature she had gotten when the range crew volunteers had a few minutes of down time and the crew would cheer her along as her autograph collection grew, but everyone knew she was still looking to get Carl Bergman’s signature. Saturday came and went, and the teen’s autograph board was still lacking her idol’s signature.
“Everyone on the range crew, especially the paper changing crew, knew that she was collecting autographs and still needed Carl Bergman’s signature and her friendship was blooming with Manfred — everyone was paying pretty close attention to her,” Tamara said.
Before her duties on Sunday morning, Courtney was making her way around the Nordic Heritage Center complex collecting autographs when she stumbled across Carl Bergman getting off of the bus.
“After I got his signature I realized who he was and said ‘Mom, that’s him!” Courtney recalled.
Contributed photo
This photo of Swedish biathlete Carl Bergman, left, and 13-year-old Courtney Cote was taken by a Biathlon official; the photo may have only taken a second, but volunteering at the biathlon is something that Courtney will carry with her for a lifetime.
But Courtney’s small victory aside, Sunday morning was very intense for Biathlon officials and volunteers, as Presque Isle had experienced hefty snowfall the night before; things were tense as the crews worked to get the range in shape for the day’s races.
“Manfred was not in the best of moods when he came through the range that morning,” Tamara recalled, “but once again he gave Courtney a pat on the back.”
That’s when Courtney took the opportunity to ask him, in her sweet little voice as Tamara described, “Were you able to get that bib I asked about?”
Manfred told Courtney that he’d forgotten but he’d do his best.
Sweden’s Carl Bergman was among the athletes zeroing in their targets on the range pre-race, and Courtney pointed to her idol, telling Manfred “that’s the bib I’d really like.
“Carl?” Manfred asked.
The IBA official with the gruff reputation walked away, heading directly toward the Swedish coach.
The Cotes and the rest of the volunteers took their places, readying themselves for the race to begin.
That’s when Manfred extended his arm to Courtney, asking her to come with him.
Arm in arm, he took her across the range trail — a path forbidden to all but biathletes, Manfred and another official — and took her right over to the Swedish coach.
“This is my friend Courtney, she’s got something she’d like to ask you,” Manfred said to the Swedish coach.
“So Courtney stammers and stutters out what it is that she wants [Carl Bergman’s bib], all while the range crew is watching with excitement,” Tamara described.
The race goes on and Carl Bergman placed third, which most likely meant that he’ll keep his bib.
“I was distraught because I’ve been told that an athlete that podiums usually keeps the bib for themselves as a souvenir of their accomplishment,” Tamara said.
But they were still hopeful that Courtney would get a bib, even if it wasn’t Carl Bergman’s.
After the races were complete, the teen rushed to the range room to grab her camera — she may not have been able to get his bib, but she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get photo of her idol.
By the time she returned with her camera, Bergman was headed up the stairwell to the athletes-only area of the venue with an official for a routine test to ensure none of the athletes were using performance-enhancing drugs.
She ran to the bottom of the stairwell and called his name.
He turned around, and she told him as quick as she could that she wanted to get a photo with him and described the instance in 2004 when they’d first met.
“He told me ‘oh, I remember that!’ and the official took my photo with Carl Bergman,” Courtney described with a huge smile on her face.
Courtney ran back into the range room because the crew only had 15 minutes to eat lunch before preparing for the next race and the room erupted with cheers when she informed her fellow volunteers that she’d gotten her picture taken with none other than Carl Bergman.
Shortly after, the crew took their places again for the start of the next race.
Once again, Manfred comes out to the range.
“Courtney, I have something for you,” he said, pulling a bib out of his jacket pocket.
It was Carl Bergman’s.
Courtney was so excited she threw her arms around her new friend and hugged him as hard as she could.
“None of this would have happened without Manfred,” Courtney said.
And even though not everyone on the range crew was able to witness the happy-ending to Courtney’s bib-quest, they were able to congratulate her after the fact.
“I’m awful happy that it worked out for her,” Foster said. “It’s a pretty tense environment on the range when the race is on and Courtney was the only student out there. She was very involved in the races and she did a great job, you could tell that Tamara was really proud of the fact that her daughter was there with her.”
They say that volunteering is its own reward, but Courtney not only has signatures, photos and the bib of her idol to remind her of the time she spend seeing the Biathlon through; she also has an unlikely Austrian friend who she plans to keep in touch with, the gruff IBU official Manfred Neumyer.
