Page 56 - WCM 2021 Winter

Shannon Poirier
U.S. Army publicity photo
Above: Rumford native Greg Poirier enjoying a cold brew after a long day of skiing at Big Sky, Montana.
Below: Roger Arsenault, president of Black Mountain’s board of directors, enjoying a sunny ride to the summit with his grandson.
Aurele Leger, center,Third Army, with General Lucien Truscott, representing the USA in Zermatt, Switzerland at the Federation of International Ski Jumping competition, circa 1946.
tourists in and continue Olympic sites till 2008, when I came home. I’ve been a jumping judge for the Federation of International Skiing, and traveled to Japan, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Austria and Slove- nia. I was qualified to judge events around the world. Until four years ago, I was a technical delegate for cross-country for the New England Ski Association. I’m still organizing state meets for the Maine Prin- cipals’ Association. We also hold the Bates College Carnival every year, and the Sassi Memorial Races. About 1,000 people come for that, and 600 kids race every year. The Bates event is a multi-day event, with over 200 races. Parents come from all over the world. Our Alpine program has 30-plus kids, and it’s going strong. I’m also on the board of the Ski Museum of Maine, and in charge of our Hall of Fame. And you know why? Because someone did it for me, so I’m do- ing it for the kids now.”
Liz Carey-Butera, another gifted skier from Rum- ford, now living in Alaska, says this: “When I was four or five, my big brothers took me skiing between their knees. Later, I got into lessons and loved it,
that freedom and joy. And when I was about 12, I started Nordic skiing along the trails, and it fed my soul. I joined the Torger Tokle league with Chummy Broomhall, and we’d do the horseshoe loop. It was a thrill mastering that trail. Chummy would time us - I
Arts, Entertainment, Adventure and More in Western Maine
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Deanna Kersey