Running and shooting, it’s a family thing

By Tim Devaney

FORT KENT – For some people, summer biathlon is a family-oriented sporting event.

Last week, the seven-member Saucy family came to Fort Kent so that three of them could compete in the National Summer Biathlon competition at the 10th Mountain Ski Lodge.

According to Master Biathlete Stephanie Saucy, the culture surrounding the sport encourages total participation in all aspects of family life, including quality time, training, warm-ups, and the competition itself.

For the Saucys, summer biathlon involves the whole family.

Kathy Mayo, director of the National Summer Biathlon in Fort Kent, says, “With them it’s total family time. They travel together, they stay together, and they train together.”

“It’s very much a family sport,” says Stephanie, the mother of five children, with one still in diapers. She says the biathlon community is also like a family. She said, “It’s such a tight knit family-oriented group. That’s what keeps us coming back.”

During a recent interview on Thursday, one of her children, just past the age of a toddler, clutched to her knee while she answered questions and recovered after the rigorous event.

That is life for the Saucy folks: a normal family that flourishes in a world-renowned sport.

They also get the benefit of traveling as a family. This weekend the Pennsylvania family is camping in Fort Kent for the first time, and they are impressed with the location. Stephanie Saucy says, “I like it.” She also complimented the 10th Mountain Ski Lodge for a friendly atmosphere and a relatively simple course.

While in Fort Kent, three members of the family competed in multiple biathlon events: Stephanie Saucy, in the Master Women’s division; Hilary Saucy, 15, in the Youth Women’s division; and Nathan Saucy, 13, in the Youth Men’s division.

On a humid Thursday evening, the Saucy family competed in the Sprint Competition.

The individual competitors took off every 30 seconds. The athletes ran a lap, shot at five targets from the ground, ran some more, shot at five more targets while standing up, and then ran a final lap. Penalty laps after missed shots were also common on a day when the targets were hard to see because of the bright sun.

According to Stephanie Saucy, “I usually would do better, but I couldn’t see our holes [this time].”

Overall, “It went well,” said Saucy.

During the summer they train by swimming each day and running Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) track events.

She says it is good exercise that keeps them in-shape for the season and is not too complicated.

Other members of the family participate as well. According to Stephanie Saucy, two of her five children, of the three children who are not competing in the biathlon, help watch the baby while the dad manages the family’s participation by taking photos, helping them warm-up, and taking care of any other managerial work.

Stephanie Saucy recognizes his importance. She says, “We wouldn’t do it if it weren’t for him.”
Stephanie is thankful he is there to help, because the family enjoys the sport too much to stop.

Prior to competing in summer biathlon, Stephanie was an accomplished tri-athlete, even competing in the prestigious Iron Man Competition in Hawaii.

“I wish I would’ve picked this up when I was fifteen,” says Stephanie Saucy. She says she has been an athlete since she was five years old, but she did not enter the biathlon until later in life.

Fortunately, for her children, that is not the case. Both Hilary and Nathan, who competed this weekend, are young and have plenty of years left to pursue the sport and fine-tune their games.

Ads for F.K. Recreation Department.

Hoping to make the varsity soccer team someday? Soccer camp is a great way to help. From July 30 – August 10 co-ed campers grades k-8 can come learn the fundamentals of soccer. Players will be split up based on age and skill level. To ensure the best atmosphere for training, experienced players and coaches will be running the camp. As an added bonus, campers will participate in contests, games, and scrimages.

Do you enjoy the great outdoors? Then Outdoor Survival Camp is for you! From July 30 – August 10 campers grades 5-8 will meet to learn basic safety rules and concepts for camping. Campers will participate in fire-making, shelter construction, finding water and food, emergency first aid, common injuries, and finding direction when lost. Furthermore, campers will prepare a survival kit, learn how to predict weather and much more. Best of all, campers will get a chance to use their new skills as they camp out on the last night.

Merchants Golf Tournament this weekend

By Tim Devaney
FORT KENT—As anticipated, the 23rd annual Fort Kent Merchants Golf Tournament will occur once again at the Fort Kent Golf Club on Saturday, July 14. Tee-off is 7:30 a.m.

The cost for this event is $35 for non-members and $30 for members. To register, participants must sign-up by Wednesday, July 11, and can do so by phone (834-3149), mail (P.O Box 436), or in person. Only the first 99 people will be accepted.

Eighteen holes will be played, and according to Bert Boucher, director of the event, officials will divide golfers into four divisions based on personal handicaps. The first division will consist of golfers with handicaps between 0-8. Golfers with handicaps between 9-13 will be placed in the second division. While the third division is reserved for golfers with handicaps between 14-17.
Finally, the fourth division will consist of golfers with handicaps of 18 and above.

Within each division two awards will be given out: one for the gross amount and another for the net amount. Special awards will also be given out.

The Special Hole-in-One Prize on hole three will feature a brand new 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and is sponsored by Valley Auto.

A new Webber Q Gas Grill with a stand will be given out to the golfers who are closest to holes three and twelve, sponsored by the Dead River Company and Quigley’s.

The Fort Kent Radio Shack is offering a Delphi XM Satellite Car Radio with a Home Dock award for the golfers who are closest to holes five and 14.

Dr. Tim Rioux is sponsoring an award for the golfer who hits the longest drive on hole 18, for the first and second divisions.

Chasse Chiropractic is sponsoring the same competition for divisions three and four.

Finally, Jim’s Custom Hats and Tee-Shirts is sponsoring the championship jacket.

Last year’s gross winner, Mike Rioux, will defend his title against the slew of competitors.
According to sports writer Legs Labbe, former SJVT sports writer Don Arnold, Sr., of Madawaska was the winner for the first four years of the tournament (1975-1978). Dave Plourde, also of Madawaska, is also a four-time champion. Phil Pelletier, Jr., formerly of Fort Kent, won the title five times.

For more information about the tournament, call 834-3149.

Local teacher receives top state honor

By Tim Devaney, SJVT intern

FORT KENT—Recently, Scott Sevigny, a social studies teacher at Community High School at Fort Kent, was honored with the Maine Education Association’s Teaching Excellence Award. The award is given to the one Maine teacher who best meets the MEA’s criteria of Teaching Excellence.

To be considered for the award, teachers must be nominated by their local teaching associations and submit a lengthy application.

This is a prestigious award that has a history of recognizing Maine’s greatest educators by maintaining high standards and strict criteria for its selection of teachers. According to the MEA, the organization looks at five categories: professional practice, advocacy for the profession, community engagement, leadership in professional development, and attention to diversity. Those around Sevigny believe he deserves the award.

According to The Maine Educator, Philip Bouchard, president of the local education association to which Sevigny belongs, said, “He treats all his colleagues and students with the utmost respect.”

Timothy Doak, principal at CHS, supports that statement.

He observes, “Mr. Sevigny has approached his teaching career with a very simple philosophy: students come first. No matter the position of teacher entails, Mr. Sevigny always completes his work with enthusiasm and eagerness.”

Sevigny redirects the honor, though, showing respect for his colleagues, students, and profession.

“I’m surrounded with students and colleagues and a community who hold and value education. So because they set the bar high, it makes all of us as educators excel. It’s not about me; it’s about the profession,” he said.

His reverence for education drives him to excel, as he places the profession above himself.
Bouchard notes, “Driving by Community High School on most Sundays, one will find Scott’s car parked in front of the building as he is working to get all his plans in order for the week. He usually spends minimally four hours, and sometimes, eleven hours, each week-end working on making sure he is organized for the upcoming week.”

Sevigny provides his peers with a great example of professionalism, say his colleagues; however, he goes well beyond professional expectations.

According to Sevigny, he tries to be a genuine presence in the community, as he watches students excel outside of the classroom. Moreover, he tries to model good citizenship, as well as show students the value of education by being a life-long learner himself.

Doak notes, “Mr. Sevigny has modeled the true representation of a life-long learner by continuing his own education as well as fostering the education of his students.”

For Sevigny, it comes from the heart, as he excels at teaching because he cares. He has a passion for it and feels, “It is [his] duty to advocate for what is the best for the children.” Surely, he has made a difference in the lives of countless students, but with him it goes both ways, as they have made a difference in his life as well. (The students have made a difference in his life as well). “The most beneficial experience regarding my professional growth is my daily contact with my students,” he said.

Sevigny cites “reflection” as the key to his success. He was first introduced to that idea several years ago when he pursued a graduate degree to further his education. Now he is eager to constantly improve and feels that reflection is the best way to do that.

He said, “I know that my master’s degree program a few years ago really prompted me to engage in good meaningful reflection.”

Moreover, he believes that reflection is an asset that can be utilized by anyone. Particularly, he wants students to use this as an educational tool.

“I have learned throughout my career that learning is an investment of time and all learners need time to reflect. Encouraging and challenging students to reflect upon their learning is a powerful practice…because this habit of mind is modeled in many situations throughout our personal and professional life.”

Sevigny said he daily tries to help students with this concept by personalizing the education for each student individually.

Sevigny, who won the MEA’s Teaching Excellence Award earlier this year, mentioned that he is one of many teachers who will be representing their respective states at the national conference in Washington D.C. in February 2008.

Tim's First Article for St. John Valley Times

Recently, Tim began an internship with the St. John Valley Times. Tim, who was looking forword to the opportunity, is already enjoying the internship as he is making emence progress in his journalism skills. Here is what the newspaper had to say about him on page 23 of the June 27 edition:

SJVT SUMMER INTERN—Tim Devaney, 19, of Fort Kent will be working with the St. John Valley Times this summer as our summer intern. He will be joining Geoff Cyr, our student intern for 2006-07. Devaney is a 2006 graduate of Community High School. He is a sophomore at Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Mich.), where he is majoring in business and sports management and minoring in journalism. While at college, he contributes to his school newspaper The Herald, and his career goal is to become a sports writer. He is the son of Phil and Gail Devaney and the grandson of Carl Franklin and Ruby Devaney, as well as Carl and Joan Boutilier. If you have an interesting sports story you would like Devaney to consider, call or email the Valley Times editorial department at 728-3336 or news2@sjvalley-times.com

This is his first experience with a professional newspaper, and on Wednesday, June 27, his first article was published on the front of the Sports Section (pg.19). The following is his first article is the Valley Times, titled "Van Buren skier now ranked among top on east coast:"

By Tim Devaney, SJVT intern
VAN BUREN—Dominique Cyr, a Van Buren native, is quickly becoming a top-notch skier as he travels all over the world to compete. In fact, he is already one of the top young skiers in the eastern United States. While he acknowledges the fact, Alan Cyr, his father, says, “He’s being modest. He’s the top skier in the East Coast.” Scouts must agree, because he is a member of the National Development team, which is sponsored by the U.S. Ski Team.

Dominique began skiing when he was 4 years old. His dad recalls his competitive nature even as a child.

“All he wanted to do when he was a kid was not even turn but go straight down the hill. From the first day the need for speed was there…He’s always had a naturally ability to go fast and control it. In skiing that’s a gift,” he said.

Growing up in Van Buren, Cyr had little opportunity to compete. When he was 10 he joined his first team, he said, but only competed in one race. Fortunately, he was still able to develop his skills as he went to Edmundston, N.B. to ski with his family most weekends at Mont Farlagne. According to his mom, Lisa Cyr, he also skied in Fort Kent and Mars Hill, but they went to Edmundston most of the time because it was closer. Looking back, she attributes the coaches in Edmundston to helping Dominique develop into a great skier.

As he grew older, coaches and scouts recognized his talent and gave him more chances to compete, but when he began high school, it was a whole new story.

He transferred to Carrabassett Valley Academy as a freshman in 2004, because they have one of the best training programs in the country for young skiers.

According to Alan Cyr, the school has produced the likes of Bode Miller, Kirsten Clark, Emily Cook, and Seth Westcott. Dominique Cyr hopes to be the next major talent to emerge from the school. He learned about the skiing-focused school as a child from other skiers whom he competed against and wanted to go there ever since, according to Lisa Cyr.

Clearly, this is not an ordinary school. In fact, the academy, which functions much like a college, focuses on training athletes to ski. Therefore, their schedule is different. They have classes early in the morning (7:30 – 9:30 a.m.) and late in the afternoon (2:30 – 5:30 p.m.), while taking a break in-between (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) to ski, according to Cyr. Furthermore, he says that skiers can defer a class for a short time during the skiing season, and make it up in the summer. The academy is making him into an even better, more seasoned skier, and for Cyr, it is a dream come true.

He almost did not make it, though. Carrabassett is a private school with a high tuition, and his family could not afford it. Luckily, Cyr was granted a scholarship before his freshman year at Carrabassett. In fact, according to his dad, he was the first recipient of that particular scholarship. The school recognized that Aroostook County had talented skiers and wanted to help them in their athletic pursuits. Therefore, they gave the Maine Winter Sports Center the responsibility of finding the two most deserving recipients. Cyr was an obvious choice to receive the award.

Unfortunately, the scholarship does not cover everything. Going through the ranks as a young skier is expensive, and it continually becomes more so. While the scholarship pays for the school bill, it does not cover his extra-curricular expenses. In fact, Cyr is in the middle of a dilemma: he needs to raise $15,000 to continue his studies and training. Usually, professional skiers get their expenses paid for by sponsorships; however, Cyr is not quite at that level yet. Therefore, he is looking to other options, such as donations, to raise the money he needs.

If you would like to assist Cyr, call 868-2635. Cyr believes if each person in Aroostook County gives only $1, he could reach his goal. The family is grateful, too.
Alan Cyr says, “Whatever the size of donation we can get, it would be appreciated. It’s definitely going to help.”

Regardless, Cyr trusts that things will work out, and plans to move on to new heights in the near future.

“The plan is, if everything goes well, I could make the U.S. Ski Team next year,” says Cyr.
Moreover, according to Alan Cyr, “The goal would be [to make] the next Olympics in Vancouver in 2010.”

He reminds his son, though, “It is one of the most difficult disciplines to actually succeed at in life and it takes years and years to get to the top,” but that does not stop Cyr from giving it his best shot.

Dominique Cyr is the son of Alan and Lisa Cyr, brother to Kristin Cyr, and the grandson of Merilda Cyr and Del and Val Duplessis.

Next week look for Tim's second article on Mr. Scott Sevigny, a Teacher at Fort Kent Community High School.

Lebron ahead of pace

Monday night LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers played against the Detroit Pistons in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was a close game, and they prevailed in the end. During the Cavs' last possession they had a chance to tie or win the game when the ball was in LeBron’s hands. He elected to pass to his teammate, Donyell Marshall, for the go ahead basket. Marshall missed the shot.

After the game the TNT crew blamed James for the loss, saying his decision to pass the ball instead of shoot it was wrong. The crew was on to something: LeBron does need to be more assertive in certain situation - at the end of the game - but he needs to find a balance that only he can figure out, and that will come with time and experience. Experts are criticizing the very thing that makes him better than many other young super-stars – trust. They were wrong in saying that LeBron made a bad decision by passing. His decision showed maturity beyond expectations.

Many exerts compare James to Michael Jordan. They look at the teams they were both on in their early years, their rivals (the Pistons), and their development. Supposedly, James is on a path to duplicate Jordan. Yet James has shown uncanny development that is beyond Jordan’s development at the same time in his career. The two problems people had with Jordan as a young player was that he played on a bad team, and because of that he was a selfish player. They said he needed good teammates to win. One could argue that James plays on a bad team as well, and needs his own Scotty Pippen. Until that happens, no matter how well he plays, it is unlikely that he will win a championship. Yet, during this time, he is not letting it get to him; instead, he is growing as a player at a more rapid pace than Jordan. Experts say that Jordan did not become a champion until he learned to use his teammates, but LeBron already does that. Unfortunately, that is what he is criticized for. Don’t fault James because of the pass. He didn’t do it because he was afraid to shoot; he did it because he had confidence in his teammate. That is something that cannot be taught. He does need to work on timing, but the choice shows a mature mindset that Jordan did not display early on.

Don’t criticize the failure: Praise the development.

The Catch! (Short Story)

In any sport there is nothing like winning a championship. Whether it is Little League Baseball or Major League Baseball, this is the one common goal every team and every player has; it surpasses all others. Many players aim for trophies, but nothing else pertaining to sports is comparable to the feeling an athlete gets from winning a championship. Some professional players spend their whole careers chasing after a championship, and yet they never get one. Whether the player is self-centered or a team player, once he tastes a championship he will cherish that feeling forever above all other feelings that sports can bring a person…

Drizzle poured out from the clouds, creating a dusk sky on a mid-summer evening. Nervous twitching and the chill in the air combined to create a force which caused every fiber of my body to shake from within. I was standing in left field at Hart Middle School and I could not keep myself still! I cherished the situation, the reason for being there, and the satisfaction and excitement that this brought me, but I loathed the circumstances of the moment. The gloomy, insecure feeling that the smell of rain gave me invaded my senses, telling me to despise the notorious circumstances. I do not know how long I had been standing in that place, but it was longer than I wanted to be there – any insignificant moment in time was too long to be in that place! There was a clash between my critic and my muse. My critic repeatedly said, “I want to go to the dugout. I want to go home. I wish this game would hurry up and get over.” “No!,” my muse continued to answer, “This is an important moment – it will mean a lot to me someday – I need to dial in, stick it out, and give it my all until it is over.”

I had recently messed up in a similar situation earlier in the season, and I was not looking forward to my next encounter with competition. In fact, I was already at a disadvantage because I was not only terrified of making a mistake, but I was continually focused on the negative possibilities, predestining myself to an ill-fated happening. I despised any and every chance of failure. Every time I was faced with a fork in the road, in regards to competition, I wanted to shy away; but once again, I fearfully took up the challenge that was presented to me, knowing that I may never get another chance at this. Constant embarrassment due to insecurity was a part of life and there was no way it would miss an opportunity to rear its ugly head, ring out its voice, and screech at the top of its lungs at the occurrence of one of my mistakes.

I dug in and prepared for the dreaded fate that was to befall me. Before I knew it, the somewhat water-logged ball was headed my way. I panicked! “What do I do?” I naturally moved into position to catch the ball, but the mechanics of this art – first step backward, two hands on the glove, glove above your head, eye on the ball – were so easy to mess up, making the possibility of a mistake all-the-more evident. I fretted internally, as my nervous twitching continued, and sunk in for my encounter with the competition – catching a fly-ball. My worst nightmare began to come true as the ball invaded the boundaries of my glove and came popping back out ever so quickly. It moved in a slow, upward motion, as I juggled it with a combined effort between my hands and my glove. Then gravity altered the path of its course and it came back down in a southward motion along my body. I blew the opportunity to stop it as it past my eyes, then chest, then stomach, then belt, continuing on its destined course, downward and downward, further and further. All of a sudden, my heart sank, momentarily paralyzing my movements. For all I knew, I had lost the battle as I watched the ball rush down below my grasp. The ball seemed to race down past my hips, continuously picking up speed and never again to be seen, as if gravity was now the enemy. As a last gasp, natural-reaction, without even thinking about it, my knees swung shut! Low and behold my knees were NOT empty – I felt an object lodged between them. “UHHH!!! NO WAY!,” I thought, as I glanced down. To my surprise, wedged between my knees was a baseball – the baseball that had nearly destroyed my self-esteem!

I quickly grabbed it from my knees and hurled it to the second baseman, who came over from his fielding position toward me in leftfield to catch it. My teammates were frantic, screaming that the base runner had left early and forgotten to tag up. He was stuck between the bases with no way or time to get back to second base. I had plenty of time to make the throw that would end the game, but with the adrenaline rush that flowed from my brain throughout my limbs I wasted no time, firing the ball over to second base as soon as my brain would cooperate. The baseball made its way there and the second baseman grabbed it, ran over to second base, and tagged the bag. THE GAME WAS OVER! I joyously dashed in from the outfield, throwing my glove into the air, as was the custom to do when you were the champion. For once in my life I felt the unbelievable, questioningly, excited feeling of being a champion!

Then came the dreaded moment which sucked the life out of me – the base runner was not called out! Apparently he had done a sufficient job of tagging up, because he left while I was juggling the ball, and that was acceptable. Disappointed, I trotted back to the outfield. Our opponents were now one run closer than before, but fortunately for us, we still had the lead and there were two outs. This event only prolonged our destiny to become champions. Soon afterwards, the infield made a play that actually ended the game. We went on to win the Rochester Hills Little League (Major League Division) Championship. This memory has been a moment of pride, joy, and humor for me throughout the years. It will live on in my mind as long as my brain functions.

My recollection fades after this, but I do remember the awards ceremony and parts of my coach’s speech. With question and disbelief in his mind, a relieved smile on his face, and laughter in his voice, he said, “And Tim, wow, I’ve never seen any thing like that before.” I remember my dad chipping in with, “He saved the game for the team!” I was uncomfortable and did not know what to feel. I was excited that I made the play, yet embarrassed that I did it in such an unfashionably, clumsy way.

Today I may be a better ball player than I was, but this event accurately resembles the same approach I take to every game. After each game I am confident in my abilities, but during each game I play with the jitters, fearing that I will make a mistake. This is a tough circumstance to deal with, but I don’t let it get in the way of doing something I love and it won’t keep me from playing baseball. Instead, I try to let the jitters out before each game by making efforts to relax. Therefore, I take a very loose approach to practice, trying to reach the opposite end of the spectrum, but I have not been entirely successful in that effort yet. This may not be the best method, but it is my approach.

Looking back, I am convinced that a Little League Champion may find more joy in winning a championship than a World Series Champion because of the care-free attitude and wonder of that age. When a child grows up he gains a sense of sophistication and he looses (or diminishes) his ability to freely express his true feelings. We had essentially only beaten out about 10 other teams, compared to the 30 in Major League Baseball. In essence, we had only done so in the matter of 14 games where as Major League Baseball plays 162 games. Realistically speaking, we had only done so at a level that all of us could play in, compared to the League that none of us were likely to ever play in. But we didn’t know that, and if we did we didn’t care. Major League Baseball had the prestige, but we had the free-spirited nature. We were exuberant, and that was that.


Copyright 2007 by Timothy C. Devaney