Carl Theriault, a Fort Kent ski coach who helped found the Maine Winter Sports Center and the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, has been named to the Maine Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.
Theriault coaches alpine and Nordic skiing and biathlon. Under his leadership, Fort Kent high school ski teams have secured several Class C championship victories.
His involvement in local ski organizations has brought large international events to Fort Kent that have contributed millions to the area. But for him, the best part of his work is getting to see the growth of student athletes.
“I think what’s important to me — and this has always been part of my passion for the sport and the soul of the sport — is working with the children in these communities and watching them blossom into self-confident individuals that enjoy the sport so much,” he said.
Theriault had no idea he was even nominated until he received a phone call telling him that he would be inducted. He was surprised and honored, he said.
The Hall of Fame recognizes people throughout Maine who have made meaningful contributions to winter sports, from athletes and instructors to builders and manufacturers. Theriault and eight others were honored at a Nov. 8 induction ceremony at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.
Ben Paradis, a longtime Fort Kent ski coach who was inducted about 15 years ago, nominated Theriault.
“Carl was instrumental in helping develop the Maine Winter Sports Center, including the construction of the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent,” Paradis wrote in his nomination letter. “The MWSC invested over $35 million in their major effort to energize northern Maine’s economy through skiing.”
That investment brought world cup, world championship and national championship events to Aroostook County, Paradis said, adding that each event generated between $8 million and $10 million in economic impact.
Theriault was born in Massachusetts, but his parents are both from the St. John Valley, a region that he has always called home.
Theriault said he enjoyed skiing from a young age, but considered it a passion more than a career. His actual career involved working for a radiological company, which brought him to Germany. He moved back to Fort Kent in the mid-1990s to raise his family in a more tight-knit community, at which point he started getting involved with local ski organizations.
“I had washed my hands of the career that I had built for so many years,” he said. “I said ‘We’re going to go back to Maine,’ because I always loved it here.”
Theriault’s coaching work has allowed him to bring students to Europe for ski events, which is a rewarding experience in itself.
He believes it’s important for a small town to be able to help its children see the world, and learn that through cooperation and hard work, a lot of good things can happen, he said.
He also appreciates the impact that the Fort Kent Outdoor Center has had, not just in hosting events, but in motivating other people to move to the area.
“There are a lot of communities that don’t have these things,” he said. “It makes it a lot easier for us to recruit professionals, doctors and people at the university. I think it makes it a real livable community for a lot of the people here.”
